"Dowry?" Qu Zhizhen was stunned. He was entertaining guests in his house. Although he was wearing a newlywed's clothes, it was not particularly conspicuous, not as ostentatious as those worn by young people. It was just that you could tell that he was the groom today. Everything was simple.
This is the time to keep things simple.
I was stunned for a moment when I heard what a colleague across the street, with whom I had a very good relationship, said.
The reception place was in a hall in the outer courtyard. There were several colleagues with whom Qu Zhizhen had a very good relationship. They all came today specifically to congratulate Qu Zhizhen.
Everyone knows Qu Zhizhen's current situation, so he tries to be low-key in everything he does. When he came here, he only brought a servant with him, and gave a small gift, but didn't make a big fuss.
Now to hear one of them say this, everyone was surprised.
It doesn't mean that everything should be kept simple and handled in a low-key manner. Qu Zhizhen has always been cautious, and they all know that.
"Ten miles of red dowry, this dowry extends far away, and it refers to the many women that Mu Sha saw along the way." The colleague smiled calmly.
They all work in official circles, so there is nothing they don't understand. To reach their position, everyone must be very versatile and can convey several different meanings in one sentence.
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone else who was still talking stopped and looked at Qu Zhizhen.
"The Zhu family is so polite." Qu Zhizhen frowned slightly.
The colleague picked up the teacup at hand, opened the box, skimmed off the foam on it, took a sip and said casually: "I heard that the Qu family sent a lot of betrothal gifts, and the Zhu family should also follow the rules. The Zhu family is a well-known family, and their daughters don't have that much dowry!"
Zhu Jingfei's family was much more low-key than the other two princes' uncles' families. They must have known that the Prince of Wei was in poor health and no one knew what might happen to him. No one dared to do anything relying on the Prince of Wei's status. Like Zhu Jingfei, they all kept a low profile.
Whether it is marrying a wife or getting married, the dowry is never too much, at most it is around the average, and sometimes it is even lower than the average. How can an orphan girl from such a family get too much dowry
"My mother is in charge of the betrothal gift, but I have mentioned it to her before and she agreed. According to previous examples, it will be reduced by half. After all, it is a remarriage, and it cannot be the same as when I married the Jiangnan Yue family."
Qu Zhizhen shook his head and denied it.
At the beginning, the Yue family in Jiangnan did not have much. After all, Qu Zhizhen at that time was not who he is now. Even if he had some spare money, it was not enough to hold a grand ceremony. It was the Yue family who gave a lot, otherwise there would not have been the dowry of the little Yue family that made the girls from the noble families in the capital jealous.
However, now that he said this, others cannot find out clearly.
"That's strange..." Seeing that what he said was not false, his colleague couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Then... who added that makeup?"
The words were spoken lightly, but Qu Zhizhen's heart was shocked. If there was anyone who could afford to add such a large amount of money to the makeup, it would be no one except his own little daughter.
When he let Xie Lian get close to Ying girl, the main reason was to let Xie Lian and Qu Moying have a good relationship. Another hidden idea was to let Qu Moying give some financial support to Xie Lian. Otherwise, it would be impossible to entrust all the housekeeper affairs to Qu Moying. Although he got married in a low-key manner, it would not have mattered to him if Xie Lian married into the family without anything.
"Is the dowry particularly large?" another colleague asked curiously.
"It should be more than half!"
“This… this is really…” The person asking the question trembled a little, as he didn’t expect there would be so many.
"Everyone who saw it on the street said that the wedding was grand and well done, and that this daughter of the Xie family was blessed to have received such a large dowry."
"Lord Qu is blessed." Sensing the heavy atmosphere, another person laughed.
Some things should be said only when they are touched upon. We all have a good relationship, so we should just touch upon what we can…
When the sedan arrived at the door, firecrackers popped and the scene became lively.
Qu Zhizhen came over and kicked the sedan chair.
The sedan shook, and Xie Lian who was sitting inside became excited again. She had met Qu Zhizhen before, and was very satisfied with him. Although he already had children, she was still attracted by his elegance. The annoyance she had just felt turned into something she was at a loss for words, and her face flushed. Fortunately, the matchmaker came over to help her, saying flattering words, and helped her out of the sedan step by step.
One end of a large bouquet of flowers made of red satin was placed in Xie Lian's hand, and the other end was held by another hand. From Xie Lian's perspective, he could only see Qu Zhizhen's sleeves.
Everything that followed was done according to etiquette. Although not many guests were invited, there were still quite a few people in the wedding hall. Xie Lian was secretly delighted to hear many people talking about her dowry.
She earned this dowry through her own efforts.
Originally, she thought that it would be good to have some simple things. The Zhu Mansion didn't give much, and the Qu Mansion didn't send much either. She asked her maid to inquire outside about the combined amount, and it was at most comparable to the dowry of some ordinary aristocratic family's daughter. But she was going to marry a Shangshu, not a family with nothing.
The future lady of honor only has this little dignity, it's really shameful.
The maids in Prince Ying's mansion had foresight. Even if she was a second wife, she was not comparable to other ordinary young ladies from aristocratic families. The man she married was in a high position and had great power, so her stepson could be ignored. Her two stepdaughters were both royal family members, one was the principal wife, and the other, although a little inferior, was also the concubine of Prince Jing. Just for these two, if her dowry was small, it would be a shame for them.
She would remember the kindness of the Princess of England, and how could she be unwilling to do something that would save face and gain benefits? With the gifts from the Princess of England and the benefits she had brought to herself, the Prince of England's Mansion had reaped a lot and lacked nothing. The material that the Zhu family asked her to make things with was too poor, so although it was now included in her dowry, she brought it back as a favor.
But she really doesn't like it.
After seeing so many brocades and embroideries, everything in the Zhu Mansion seemed too simple.
That's right, I'm an orphan. Even if I win the heart of Concubine Zhu Jing, the Zhu family will not pay much attention to me. Fortunately, my previous thoughts were correct.
Xie Lian was very pleased with this. Today was the day she had heard the most words of praise in all the years she had been here. Everyone was envious of her beautiful wedding dress and wondering which family she came from and how she could have such a generous dowry. All the way from before to now in the wedding hall, there were only such envious voices.
She felt a little elated, and the unhappiness she had felt before slowly dissipated. She straightened her back with all her strength. From now on, she would be different from before. She would no longer be an orphan without support. She would be a lady of noble rank, someone that everyone would envy. From now on, she would only get better and better...
Those who once looked down on her and ridiculed her will now know that she is different. From now on, she will have more confidence and will have a better future.
have…
After bowing to heaven and earth three times, Xie Lian became more confident, and from then on she was the Shangshu's wife.
Following Qu Zhizhen's steps, Xie Lian felt that Qu Zhizhen walked a little faster. Fortunately, she walked steadily with the support of the bridesmaid.
The bridal chamber was still located in Qu Zhizhen's own yard. After a little tidying up and a few big red wedding characters pasted on it, it became the bridal chamber for today's wedding.
Qu Zhizhen himself was of a high generation and liked quietness, so he had previously instructed that there should be only a few servants in the bridal chamber, and a few old aunts from the same clan to help.
Seeing them coming, the women who were making trouble for the newlyweds laughed a little, and after Qu Zhizhen lifted the veil, they left with a dignified look.
“Master,” Xie Lian said in a low and shy voice, not daring to raise his head.
Qu Zhizhen looked at the woman in front of him with a sullen face. He inexplicably recalled how Xiao Yue looked when she first got married. Compared to Xie Lian in front of him, Xiao Yue's appearance at that time was even more outstanding. However, he was extremely upset at the time. No matter how beautiful Xiao Yue was, she was not as good as the depression in his heart.
The only two people who actually married into the Qu family were Xiao Yue and the one in front of him, Xie.
He thought it would be different if he married again, but when he saw Xie Lian at this time, he felt inexplicably irritated and waved his hand, and everyone else left.
"Where did your dowry come from? Why is it so much?" After everyone had left, Qu Zhizhen got straight to the point and asked.
“The dowry was prepared by the Zhu family. Some were betrothal gifts sent by the master, and there were also dowries from Princess Ying and Concubine Niang.” Xie Lian said softly. Although he had already made up his mind, he was still too embarrassed to look up at this time, thinking that Qu Zhizhen was just asking casually.
It must be because my dowry was too much, which made him feel proud.
For a moment, Xie Lian felt both happy and embarrassed.
“Whose are the majority?” Qu Zhizhen should have felt happy looking at Xie Lian like this, but his heart skipped a beat and his expression became more displeased.
“All… all are mine, could it be… not right?” Xie Lian finally felt something was wrong, she raised her head slightly, looked at Qu Zhizhen coyly, bit the corner of her red lips gently, feeling inexplicably uneasy, this seemed to be somewhat different from what she had thought before.
"Yours? What belongs to you, an orphan?" Qu Zhizhen said unhappily.
Xie Lian’s face suddenly turned pale, tears welled up in his eyes, and he looked heartbroken, “Master… you… what do you mean? I… don’t understand what you mean.”
Xie Lian was unwilling to mention the identity of this orphan girl, and he hoped that everyone would forget about this matter in the future. From now on, she would be just the wife of a minister, a wife that everyone envied.
Everything in the past will be cut off from today, and she will live a new life from now on, a new and noble life...
Qu Zhizhen followed his line of sight and fixed his gaze on Xie Lian's face, revealing a sense of coldness. The way he looked at her was as if he was not looking at his newly married wife, but an ordinary servant, perhaps even worse than an ordinary servant, just a passerby who was nothing.
The coldness immediately diluted the shyness on Xie's face. Her face turned pale and her body trembled slightly. She clasped her hands together to avoid losing her composure on the spot. Her whole body was cold...
"You haven't forgotten why you married into this family, have you? You don't really think I married you because of... who you are, do you?"