Xiaocao didn't know what her mother and sister were thinking, but even if she knew, she would probably just "help them". Even if Wen Renying chose Hua Bochen, she wouldn't say anything. After all, other people's lives are their own and they have the right to make their own choices. It has already been made clear that if she still tried to interfere, what would be the point.
Xiaocao went to visit the Dingbei Prince's Mansion and the Pingjin Marquis' Mansion, and then entertained her elder sister Wen Renhui and brother-in-law Lu Deyuan who had reported back on time, as well as Xia Bihe, whose weight continued to decrease.
Regardless of other things, at least their situations are moving in the right direction.
Zhen Muyao's wedding date was on the tenth day of April. On the ninth day, Xiaocao went to help her with her makeup.
This was Xiaocao's first visit to Lord Zhen Chengen's mansion. However, she had the rare title of good friend of Miss Zhen Liu, which was much more precious than being a sister or aunt.
Knowing that she was coming, Zhen Muyao rushed to the door to greet her in person.
Speaking of the last period before the marriage, Mrs. Zhen really kept Zhen Muyao locked up at home and did not allow her to go out. Zhen Muyao was helpless. She could confront other people but could only behave like a submissive quail in front of her own mother. However, she was very depressed.
When she saw Xiaocao, she would lie on her shoulder and whimper and complain. She seemed to be going crazy during this period of time.
Xiao Cao was amused and helpless. She patted her head like she was coaxing a child and said, "What will you do if you get married if you are like this now?"
After getting married, there are more rules. Going out and having fun is not impossible, but at least it is not that free. You can't go out whenever you want. And the mother-in-law is definitely not like a real mother.
Zhen Muyao raised his head and looked at Xiaocao with tears in his eyes, "Please don't tell me such a cruel fact."
Seeing that he had upset the person, Xiao Cao hurriedly comforted him, "It's okay, you still have Jianshu, let him take the lead, he has to accompany you at home and take you with him when you go out."
Zhen Muyao's eyes lit up immediately, "Good idea. If Jian Shu goes out without me, I'll show you how I'll deal with him."
She seemed to have taught someone a bad lesson, but Xiaocao changed her mind and thought that compared to Zhen Muyao and Jianshu, Jianshu was the young wife, so Muyao shouldn't bully her too badly. Of course, since Jianshu was a "good-for-nothing pretty boy" and would have to rely on Zhen Muyao for his livelihood in the future, it was reasonable for him to play a role appropriately.
Maybe Zhen Muyao had already made up his mind. After all, he had coaxed Jianshu into submission since she was a child and obeyed her in everything. She was as shy as a little girl, and the few times she argued with her family were all because of Zhen Muyao.
After entering the house, red silk and big red wedding characters can be seen everywhere. Many people are coming and going, and they all look very busy. Then, Xiaocao sees the yard full of red things. Obviously, these are Zhen Muyao's dowry, which will be sent to the Jian family in the afternoon. In front of her, except for two sets of furniture made of precious wood, the others are boxes and baskets filled with materials, leather, medicinal materials, spices, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, etc., jewelry and the first few loads of things are still in the house.
There were a total of 128 loads. However, looking at the boxes and cages that were so crowded that the lids became just decorations and you couldn't even fit a finger in, you can imagine how full they were. Even if they were divided into 256 loads, the contents of one load would still be much richer than what many people carried.
So it's no wonder that Xiaocao can see so many young wives and girls here. One by one, they can hardly hide the envy and jealousy in their eyes, especially those illegitimate daughters of the Zhen family. No matter whether they are from the previous generation or this generation, no matter whether they are married or not, they are all jealous.
Looking at Zhen Muyao, the resentment in his eyes was almost turning into reality.
"Madam, you are almost draining the Zhen family's wealth."
"What are you talking about? Many of these things are the eldest lady's own assets. Maybe she didn't leave them to her son, but gave them all to her daughter. The eldest lady loves her daughter more than her son. Isn't that a well-known fact?"
"I just don't know if my brother and sister-in-law will be unhappy."
"I heard that not only did Prince Duan send a lot of things as a dowry, but the Emperor and the Queen Mother also gave gifts."
…
Deliberately saying these sour words, Xiaocao turned her head to glance at Zhen Muyao. The girl didn't even raise her eyebrows.
Zhen Muyao caught Xiaocao's eyes at the first moment, as if he knew what she was thinking. He raised his lips and laughed wantonly, "There are many more people in our family than in yours. Not only is my grandfather's branch, but several of my uncles' branches are all living in this house. It looks like a big family, but if we really share it out, it's actually not much. There is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Our branch is the main branch, and it's a little different from the descendants of my uncles. My father is the eldest legitimate son, and I am his only legitimate daughter. The dowry from the prince is the largest, but all in all, it's not much, but my mother prepared a lot of dowry for me. In terms of wealth, the other aunts combined may not be able to compete with my mother.
When my legitimate cousins got married, my mother would prepare a more generous dowry than for others. And when my illegitimate sister got married, I only added one thousand taels of silver. In fact, it was not a small amount. After all, some girls from small families had a total dowry of less than one thousand taels. But compared with mine, it was just a drop in the bucket and not worth mentioning.
You know, my dowry alone is enough for the Zhen family to marry off dozens of girls. If some of the precious things are converted into silver and used to buy cheaper things, it would be enough for hundreds of girls, not to mention those manors and shops that can make money, so…"
The corners of Xiaocao's mouth twitched slightly. How could she not understand? With such a huge gap in comparison, even a person with a calm mind would be unable to hold back.
Zhen Muyao sighed falsely, "They are all my sisters, and even my aunt who is married. Even if they gossip a little, for the sake of harmony, I will just listen. It would be bad to curse back directly."
Zhen Muyao looked like he really deserved a beating, and Xiaocao even felt like giving him a beating.
However, most of these things belong to her mother. If her mother is willing to give them to her, then they belong to her. Even if she wants to fight back, she can do so with a clear conscience. However, that would really attract too much hatred. It is true that Zhen Muyao is unbridled and ostentatious, but not to that extent. You know, she has never bothered to pay attention to these sisters at home.
They all knew her temper. If they didn't provoke her, everyone would be fine. But if they pissed her off, no one would be happy.
Because the grass looks close to the human body, naturally many people turn their eyes to the grass.
There were still a few of them who knew Xiaocao. After knowing her identity, they were subconsciously disdainful. Zhen Muyao, the most distinguished lady in the Cheng'en Mansion, was actually involved with a female doctor. It was really as embarrassing as ever.
So, Xiaocao is actually the poor grass that was dragged down by Zhen Muyao.
Of course, these are just thoughts. If someone says a few words in private, but dares to go in front of Xiaocao, Zhen Muyao will slap him in the face without Xiaocao saying anything or doing anything. Zhen Muyao is loyal and righteous to those who catch her eye, and she is definitely not joking.
After passing the corridor and entering the small courtyard at the back, which was still filled with things, Xiaocao accidentally heard something else:
"Ming Zeyue's wedding date is on the 16th. I wonder what her dowry will be like?"
"It shouldn't be bad. After all, she is marrying into the royal family. Besides, Ming Zeyue used to love competing with Mu Yao. If she loses in the dowry this time, who knows what will happen."
"But the Ninth Prince, oh, no, it's Prince Cheng, isn't he trying to break off the engagement with Ming Zeyue?"
"I think he didn't withdraw. The wedding is only a few days away. We can't have a falling out right at the last minute."
In the entire imperial city, apart from the women from royal families, there are only a handful of girls who can be compared with Zhen Muyao. Ming Zeyue is obviously one of them. She and Zhen Muyao are obviously "famous" among all the noble ladies.
The two are of similar age and got married a few days before or after each other. The reason Ming Zeyue has the upper hand is probably that she will marry into the royal family.
"Prince Cheng's engagement with the Ming family has not been canceled, but the person has been replaced by Ming Zeyue's cousin Ming Zhixin. Ming Zhixin originally followed her father in his office, but as she reached age, her mother brought her back to look for a marriage partner. It is said that Queen Consort Xian wanted to marry her to Duke Zhang Chengen's mansion to get closer to the Queen Mother. However, it seems that she behaved impolitely in front of the Queen Mother when she entered the palace to meet the Queen Mother. Prince Cheng insisted on canceling the engagement with Ming Zeyue, so Queen Consort Xian simply stuffed Ming Zhixin to Prince Cheng." Zhen Muyao smiled, "Ming Zeyue was making a lot of trouble." with a bit of gloating.
"Just changing the person like this, will the Ninth Prince Cheng be happy?" Prince Cheng has someone in his heart. Because of Ming Zeyue, he might not like the Ming family. Will he accept changing someone? He is the emperor's son after all. It's not like he can't get married. How can he just let others manipulate him? This prince is a little too cowardly.
"What can I do if I'm not happy? You have to bear the consequences of your own choices. Some boats are not easy to get off once you're on them. When you're on someone else's boat, you have to compromise when you need to."
Therefore, no one would consider King Cheng’s true thoughts and situation.
"The Emperor doesn't care?" After all, it's his son's lifelong event. Isn't it a bit unreasonable to ignore it when it's like this? Xiaocao also knows that with so many children, there will inevitably be bias, but he can't just ignore it, right
Zhen Muyao's smile remained unchanged. "Sister Xuan, I still say the same thing. You have to bear the consequences of your own choices."
Xiaocao now understood that Emperor Xuanren was different from other emperors. He was not the kind of person with a strong desire for control. He was not only lenient and kind to his ministers, but also to his sons. He gave them greater autonomy in certain matters. Correspondingly, if they violated taboos and touched his bottom line, he probably would not show mercy.
Xiaocao really doesn't know how to evaluate such an emperor.
Zhen Muyao pulled Xiaocao into the house. The servants around them were also busy. In addition to the dowry that would be registered, some commonly used and handy things would also be taken away. These things would just take them away.
Xiaocao gave her her dowry gift.
Zhen Muyao put it on her wrist directly, raised her hand, and shook it in front of Xiaocao, "The bracelet is very beautiful, I like it very much, Sister Xuan spent a lot of money."
"What is it that Sixth Sister likes so much? Let the younger sisters take a look too."
Xiaocao was about to say something but was interrupted by someone coming in from outside.
Zhen Muyao didn't even glance at Xiaocao, and pulled Xiaocao, "Sister Xuan, I've been busy and chaotic here these past two days, and any cat or dog can come in. Sister Xuan, please don't mind."
Xiaocao knew that sometimes when she got angry, she could easily offend people, but Zhen Muyao's ability to attract hatred was really not comparable to hers.
The faces of the girls who followed in all turned pale, but they still endured it and did not get angry, pretending that they did not hear what Zhen Muyao said.
Her eyes fell on Zhen Muyao's wrist, and she couldn't help feeling jealous. Her dowry was already innumerable, but any of the dowry gifts was such a good thing. The ruby was big and the color was bright. It would be great if they could have a few of such things. Could it be that she was just trying to curry favor with Zhen Muyao by taking out the best things
Glancing at Xiaocao, I saw she was wearing a plain bracelet on her wrist, two sachets around her waist, and the hair accessories on her head were quite exquisitely crafted, but there were only two or three of them. The material of her clothes was also acceptable. Perhaps she was wearing the best things.
After seeing some things too many times, Zhen Muyao could tell what they were thinking at a glance. She rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "Sister Xuan, are these two bracelets separate or are they a set with other things?"
Xiao Cao didn't understand, but she still told the truth, "It's a set of twelve. I originally made it to give to you, but later I found that it wouldn't be appropriate to give all of them to you. I don't know much about these things, so my mother picked up two bracelets and kept the rest for you later."
"Then I have to keep these two bracelets well and wait for you to give me the rest to make a complete set. It's right that you didn't give them to me all at once, otherwise the gifts from my sisters at home will be suppressed. After all, they are the girls of the Cheng'en Mansion, and they have to save face. However, it seems that many people can't compare with you in terms of these two bracelets."
No matter how slow Xiaocao was, she understood a little bit. No, Muyao, is it really okay for you to bully your sisters all the time
"But Sister Xuan, you are really dressed too plainly. You have as many things as I do. Are you going to leave them all to gather dust?"
"She's a burden and I don't like her." After all, she's her friend, so Xiaocao is bullying her and she's cooperating.
"Your mother will be 'sad' if you do this."
Speaking of this, Xiaocao was really helpless, "I wanted her to prepare less, but she didn't listen to me."
"You can do without it, but you can't live without it, right?"
"right."
Zhen Muyao laughed, "In this respect, your mother is the same as my mother, but I am better at wasting things than you."
The faces of the people next to them are like color palettes, and their internal organs seem to be soaked in old vinegar. They want something but don't have it, while others have so much that it's covered in dust and they still look down on them!