coobybook Chapter 127 Enlightenment: Private Room
Chapter 127 Enlightenment: Private Room
The sudden arranged marriage interrupted everyone's plans.
The third prince, Zhao Fangyu, the second prince, satisfied no one except the emperor.
Zhao Fangyu was sent back to the Zhao family, along with the imperial decree granting him marriage.
Zhao Minshan shook his head: "How great would it be if it was the Third Prince?"
The Third Prince is currently in the limelight. Given time, he might be able to use the Third Prince's power to enter the cabinet... Would he still need to plan for the position of Shangshu for half his life then?
The eldest lady took Zhao Fangyu into her arms and just said, "It's good that you're back."
In the middle of the night, I took Cui's mother aside and discussed over and over again about sending her this and that.
After returning home, Zhao Fangyu still lived in Jiaolu. Now Zhao Minshan was unemployed at home, and the people who had taken care of her had dispersed. The eldest lady sent people to take over the place and brought back all the people who had served Zhao Fangyu, except for the incense and medicine.
After everything was settled, Zhao Fangjin returned to the Zhao family and asked Zhao Fangyu how the imperial decree of marriage came to her.
Zhao Fangyu was extremely tired and leaned on Zhao Fangjin's shoulder, his expression still a little numb.
"Originally, it was the Third Prince who wanted me, and he mentioned me to His Majesty. Later, I went to find Master Pei, thinking that Master Pei's family was not bad, and he knew me well. Who knew... I happened to be on duty, and this matter fell on me."
Zhao Fangyu witnessed the end of the quarrel with her own eyes, and probably knew why the emperor wanted to give her to the second prince.
It's said to be a reward, but in essence it's a humiliation.
Zhao Minshan was dismissed from his post, and her status instantly fell to the ground, and she was serving in front of the emperor again...
After all, she was just a palace maid with a better background, marrying a man like this...
As long as Zhao Minshan did not come to court, the most important label on her would still be that of a royal maid.
But Zhao Fangyu could not say these words. At this moment, the Zhao family must be under the surveillance of the Jinyiwei at all times.
Zhao Fangyu said some of the things he could say, and tears flowed unconsciously.
Zhao Fangjin thought she loved Pei Yan, and he hugged Zhao Fangyu and cried together: "Why is your life so miserable? You have never had a good life since you were a child..."
Zhao Fangyu sighed deeply, and the three people present all smiled bitterly, their hearts trembling.
She took a deep breath and leaned in Zhao Fangjin's arms to relax. The tenderness in the eldest lady's eyes was as thick as ink. The eight-year-old Zhao Fangmo also hugged Zhao Fangyu's legs sensibly and followed suit.
"Don't be afraid, live your life well, do what you need to do, don't put yourself in a difficult position."
"She will be the prince's consort in the future. Who will give Yu'er a hard time?"
The eldest lady tried to comfort him, but Zhao Fangyu's mind was still confused. But things had come to this point, and he couldn't commit suicide and implicate his family. He had to look forward.
The Second Prince had such a quarrel with the Emperor that there was no chance for him to succeed to the throne unless he plotted treason.
Zhao Fangyu was thinking about what he would look like in the future, but the eldest lady and Zhao Fangjin were thinking about how to make Zhao Fangyu look more beautiful.
Even for the royal family, the dowry cannot be underestimated.
Zhao Fangyu's status is no longer what it used to be. If the dowry is even less, how will she live in the future?
The eldest lady was still thinking about asking Mother Cui to bring out her dowry list in the evening, but Zhao Fangjin had already placed the things he brought on the table.
A box full of silver bills, all small-denomination, bearer bills.
Under the current monetary system, all silver bills worth one hundred taels or more must be recorded at the money shop, and the bills often have name stamps. Such small-value bearer bills are most convenient for doing dirty things, and their whereabouts cannot be traced.
"You are in charge of the business of the Fourteen States. I have never helped you. I have saved all the dividends I have received over the years for you. Your brother-in-law and I have added some to make up a total of five thousand taels."
Zhao Fangjin was afraid that Zhao Fangyu would refuse to accept it, so he took her hand and told her in detail about the difficulties of being the head of the family.
The wealth that Zhao Fangyu had accumulated over the years from the Fourteen States was already more than five thousand taels, but when he saw the box of banknotes sent by Zhao Fangjin, tears still fell in strings.
Zhao Fangjin pursed his lips and looked at Zhao Fangyu carefully: "You must have suffered a lot of grievances during these days in the palace, right?"
In an instant, Zhao Fangyu's tears stopped again, and she threw herself into Zhao Fangjin's arms with a whimper.
Zhao Fangjin stroked Zhao Fangyu's back: "Don't be afraid. There are thousands of ways to live your life. Even if he is a prince, no matter how rich he is, he can't spend your dowry."
"If your father is gone, you still have me, your elder brother, and Longxi to support you."
"After a few years, when my elder brother has gained more experience, our lives will be better."
Zhao Fangyu was not worried about the marriage. What she was really worried about was the fight for the throne among the princes, which would implicate Fang Mo.
After crying for a while, Zhao Fangyu, with a pair of red eyes, hugged Fang Mo, who was also crying like a rabbit, and said to the eldest lady: "The situation is not good. I am afraid that Mo'er will be implicated."
Zhao Fangyu couldn't stop feeling guilty whenever she mentioned this matter. She felt sorry for Qian Xiaoniang and had not fulfilled her filial duty. Now the princes were competing for the throne. If the third prince succeeded to the throne, the second prince and his party would probably suffer as well.
The eldest lady rubbed Zhao Fangyu's head and said, "It's okay. Mo'er's path still depends on her own."
After much effort, everyone persuaded her to accept the five thousand taels. The eldest lady had been preparing a dowry for her in her early years, and now she had prepared it in a proper manner. Because she was marrying the prince, she also took a large sum of money from Zhao Minshan.
Zhao Minshan was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "Even Jin'er can beat this standard!"
The eldest lady knew that he was hurt, but how could Zhao Fangyu be so timid after marrying into the royal family? Wouldn't she be bullied overtly or covertly by her sisters-in-law in the future?
Although Zhao Minshan was not in the court, he knew that the Second Prince was in a precarious situation and had no chance of becoming the throne. In order to marry a useless prince who had no chance of becoming the throne, Zhao Minshan was unwilling to do so, but he could not persuade the First Lady.
I can only hold my nose and dig into the private vault.
·
The Zhao family was busy preparing the dowry, and the commotion was so big that half of Upper Kyoto knew about it.
The daughter of a wealthy family, her dowry should be more than just a ten-mile red dress.
Foreign goods from overseas, rare items from all corners of the world, even Longxi sent many gems, furs, and precious medicinal materials...
The goodies were moved box by box into Zhao Fangyu's dowry farm. Only then did everyone have a clear understanding of the eldest lady's financial resources and how favored Zhao Fangyu was.
The second prince cleaned up the mansion from top to bottom. After counting the silver in the warehouse, he even threw out those who looked like spies.
The marriage is irreversible. The girl, who is the daughter of a wealthy and pampered family, has already suffered a lot of criticism because she is going to marry him. She can't ask others to cancel the wedding ceremony.
It is true that he is a bald prince, but he is not without money. After all, he is a prince. He does not rebel or plot treason. He secretly builds up an army and has no shortage of money.
The princes received a fixed allotment every year, and another allotment after they started working, in addition to silver sent by members of the royal family.
The wedding was arranged by the Ministry of Rites, and all the money was spent by the emperor. The royal family also sent 20,000 taels of silver as a wedding gift. When all the money was added up, there was almost 40,000 taels of personal property.
Even if I can't give you glory, I can still give you wealth.
Zhou Qinghe thought about it, then secretly took out a banknote from the pile of banknotes, leaving himself one thousand taels of private money.