The Imperial Capital Rhapsody 2: Dowry

  Dowry

  Although it is well-known that Ding Wang is a waste, this waste is still the only super-first-class hereditary prince of the Great Chu Dynasty. So Ye Shangshu and Ye's old lady, who have never cared about Ye Li, still rarely called Ye Li to talk.

  "Her granddaughter paid respects to her grandmother and father." Yeli arrived at Ye Laofu's Rongle Hall, where Ye Shangshu, Wangshi, and Fourth Miss Ye Ying were already present.

  Mrs. Ye nodded, a loving smile on her face: "Lier, get up. Now that you've been betrothed to the Duke of Ding, and Ying'er is getting married to the King of Lei next month, our family can be said to have double happiness."

  Ye Li stood up, looking down at the ground with a very respectful face. "Letting grandmother come back from outside especially, it's unfilial of me to let grandmother work hard." Although she didn't like Ye Li much, Ye Li's words still made Old Lady Ye very happy, and she looked at Ye Li's face with more warmth: "This is our family's great joy, how could I not come back? The dowries for the two girls are ready." Wang Shi quickly stood up, looking a bit embarrassed as she said to the old lady: "Reporting to Old Lady, originally there was only Fourth Miss, and although next month she'll be getting married and it's still possible to rush back... but now with Third Miss added, I'm afraid..."

  Ye Lao's wife was also a clever person, how could she not know the small abacus in Wang Shi's heart? After thinking for a moment, she said: "Ling'er's date has not been set yet, let's focus on Ying'er first."

  Old Mrs. Wang was delighted and responded with a smile.

  The old lady looked at her two granddaughters and ordered the maid to bring out two boxes, which she placed on the table. "You two girls are both blessed with good fortune, one marrying into the Lei royal family and the other into the Ding royal family. As your grandmother, I won't show favoritism, so each of you will receive a share of these things. In the future, when the fifth and sixth daughters get married, it will be the same. The several estates that I'm giving as dowry to each of you are also one per person. As for how much more dowry is added later, that's up to your parents to decide." Madame Wang smiled and said, "You're still fond of your granddaughters, but we've discussed it with the master and decided that Ying'er's dowry when marrying into the Lei royal family was a bit too light. We're afraid the imperial family won't be pleased. From the family funds, we took out 20,000 taels to prepare her dowry, as well as six estates and six shops. Additionally, from my own dowry, I'll give two more estates to her." The old lady furrowed her brow and said, "Isn't that a bit too generous?" Although it was true that Ying'er's dowry should be more substantial when marrying into the Wang royal family, if the next daughter's dowry was too meager, it wouldn't reflect well on the Shangshu estate. "What are your plans for Li'er's dowry?" The old lady had a bit more foresight than Madame Wang. After all, even though Ding Wang was a useless prince, he still came from a family with deep roots and wealth. If not for his own personal issues, he might have been even more esteemed than Lei Wang. If they were too stingy with Li'er's dowry, the people who had served the Ding royal family for generations might start gossiping.

  The Wang family obviously didn't expect the old lady to ask so directly, and hesitated before saying: "After all, King Ding is not the same as the emperor's younger brother, and our house really has some... The daughter-in-law thinks that maybe we should wait until King Ding's dowry arrives before looking at it. At that time, just add two more Zhuangzi to accompany her."

  Old Lady Ye's face sank, saying: "You scoundrel! Return the betrothal gifts as dowry, you're really something. Do we still want to keep the reputation of our Ye family? Do you still want to keep your reputation as a stepmother? The Xu family has indeed declined in recent years, but it's not like your Wang family can compare!"

  The old lady's harsh scolding made Wang Shi's face turn bright red, and she repeatedly cried out in protest: "Old lady, I'm being wronged! I've never mistreated San Niang these past few years. It's just that... it's just that... our household is also facing some difficulties, and with several more daughters to marry off in the future, we'll need silver for Rong Ge'er's wedding too..." The old lady was so angry at this short-sighted daughter-in-law that she clutched her chest. Rong Ge'er was only seven years old this year; his marriage was still a long way off. She glanced over at Ye Shangshu, who was sitting quietly to the side, and said: "You should decide what to do with your own daughter." Fortunately, she had asked that question when she returned home. If Wang Shi had really married off Liuliang like this, they would not only have offended Dingwang Fu but also Xu Jia. Although Xu Jia didn't have many people in official positions these days, it wasn't easy to offend a hundred-year-old aristocratic family either. Ye Shangshu looked at his mother with difficulty and then at his wife, saying: "San Niang is also a legitimate daughter; let's treat her the same as Ying'er." As someone who had risen to the position of Shangshu, Ye Shangshu wasn't stupid; he naturally knew what his mother was worried about.

  "What's so special about her?!" Wang Shi shouted in a shrill voice: "Where does our family have that much money?! Master, it's not that I, as the main mother, want to treat the third daughter unfairly, but we're really struggling financially. Ying'er is the younger sister of the imperial concubine and married to the emperor's own younger brother. If her dowry is too little, it would be a loss of face for both Wang Ye and the imperial concubine! At worst... at worst, I'll just give up the two estates that I had set aside for Rong Ge'er from my own dowry to the third daughter!" Wang Shi wiped away tears as she cried out in grievance, but in her heart, she was seething with resentment towards Ye Li, who sat silently on the side. How could she let that lowly woman's daughter be treated equally with her own Ying'er? Don't even think about it!

  "This..." Ye Shangshu was taken aback, looking at Ye Li with difficulty. At present, the imperial concubine Ye Zhao in the palace is in great favor and is also pregnant. If she can give birth to a prince...

  Yeying saw Ye Shangshu's relaxed expression and bit her lip, saying in a low voice: "Father doesn't have to be difficult, Ying'er's dowry can be divided among the three sisters. It's just that we must not shortchange Eldest Sister's expenses in the palace, and also leave some for Fifth and Sixth Sisters." Seeing his most beloved daughter being so sensible, Ye Shangshu's expression softened, and he looked at Yeli wanting her to say a few words as well.

  Ye Li smiled faintly in her heart, raised her head and looked at the four people present, saying softly: "Father, mother, and fourth sister don't have to be difficult." Wang Shi heard this and was overjoyed. All these years Ye Li had been yielding and not competing, making her think that Ye Li was a soft and easy-to-bully person who would retreat. Only to hear Ye Li say: "Before Mother passed away, she told me that when she married into the Ye family, her parents gave eight villages, twelve shops, and three forests as dowry. These are all left for me as dowry. As for other things, Father and mother can follow the example of second sister." The second miss of Ye Manor had married the third son of the Imperial Historian's family two years ago, and Wang Shi had only given a dowry of 10,000 taels.

  "What?! How can this be?! Those are..." Wang's voice rose to a shriek, those were the things she had been saving for her own daughter's dowry and to leave for Rong'er.

  Ye Li looked at her strangely and said, "What is it?" She slightly lowered her eyes, looking a bit shyly at Old Lady Ye, "Mother had said that her dowry was all left for her granddaughter, my aunt also knew about this. Did Grandmother say so?"

  The old lady Ye's face didn't look good either. When Madam Xu married into the Ye family, it was a grand affair with a dowry of ten li of red silk. If all of that were given to Ye Li, then Ye Ying's dowry would be somewhat lacking. The Ye family had been extravagant in their spending over the years and were already struggling to make ends meet. To provide a dowry comparable to Madam Xu's, they would have to sacrifice everything after Ye Ying got married. What Ye Li said was also true - when Madam Xu passed away, the young mistress of the Xu household was present and had personally heard Madam Xu's last wishes. Seeing that Old Lady Ye wasn't speaking up, Ye Li didn't rush to say anything either. She just coldly smiled to herself. She didn't have a strong opinion about the amount of dowry, but her mother's dowry couldn't be given to the daughter of Wang Shi as part of her dowry. Although she had regained memories of her past life after Madam Xu passed away, it didn't change the fact that Madam Xu was her mother. She hadn't forgotten the care and teachings she received from Madam Xu since childhood, nor the hardships Madam Xu endured. From the day Madam Xu married into the Ye household, she had never been happy for a single day - it could be said that she died of depression. If they still wanted to use her dowry to support her husband's concubine's daughter, even Ye Li, who didn't believe in ghosts or gods, worried that her mother would crawl out of her grave.

  After a good while, Old Lady Ye said: "Let's put this matter aside for now, I'll discuss it with your mother and father later."

  Ye Li's eyebrows rose slightly as she softly replied, "Yes."