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CHAPTER 7
On that day, the bridal dowry from the Yang family entered the Tan family's residence in a grand and impressive manner. A total of sixty-four large red sandalwood chests, radiating a bright red luster under the sunlight, filled the scene.
Many people from the city gathered to watch the excitement. "Wow, the bride's family is really lavish, having so much dowry!"
"That's right, the Yang family of Lord Zhongqing is a prestigious lineage with an ancestral decree from the imperial ancestors. They have a heritage to uphold!"
Hearing this, the crowd's admiration grew even stronger. The matron sent by the Yang family was quite humble, offering handfuls of red dates to the neighbors while discreetly inquiring about the Tan family's circumstances. She said, "It's nothing much, really. In the capital, there are families that accompany their daughters with one hundred and eight carriages of dowry."
The listeners were startled. "Do they really send that many things?"
She nodded and spoke earnestly, "Indeed. Our Yang Manor's in-laws, the Lin family's eldest granddaughter, accompanied her dowry with one hundred and eight carriages. Our lady was even worried that the sixty-four carriages we prepared might be too little and that the Tan family might not be satisfied."
She listened carefully to the reactions of the people around her. The lady of their household had instructed that if the Tan family showed any dissatisfaction, they should mention that the bride also came with five hundred acres of farmland. Their lady's skills in embroidery and such weren't that remarkable, so they could only rely on the dowry to make a favorable impression.
To her surprise, the Tan family members and neighbors waved their hands dismissively. One thin-faced man who was munching on melon seeds spoke up, "You probably don't know how much dowry your lady's sister-in-law brought when she married in, do you?"
"Are you referring to Lady Xiang of the Tan family?" the matron quickly asked. "How much dowry did Lady Xiang bring?"
She assumed that before the Xiang family's decline, her father was considered one of the rising elites in the capital, and they should have had a considerable family background.
She asked, and the people burst into laughter, covering their mouths one by one.
One of them, spitting out a watermelon seed, said, "Was it eighty-eight carriages?!"
This was beyond what they were expecting. Didn't that far exceed their lady's dowry?
The laughter in the crowd continued. "It was eight carriages!"
"What?!"
Even the daughter of the oil vendor down the street probably received a dowry of sixteen carriages, right?
The matron refrained from making any hasty comments. "Well... I suppose the Xiang family fell on hard times, and Lady Xiang didn't have much choice..."
Hearing this, Tan Youliang's wife couldn't help but sneer. She couldn't help but recall how Xiang Yi had settled Chu Xinggu and her mother at the Benevolent hall. Not a single kind word came out of her mouth.
"People should know their place and be aware of their status. When you've fallen on hard times, don't rush to marry into a family!" she said indignantly. "Moreover, our master is a legitimate descendant of the Tan family's main line."
"This is the Tan family's legitimate descendant. When she married in, she became the madam of the main branch. Which main branch's madam arrives with only eight carriages of dowry? She's not embarrassed, but the Tan family should be embarrassed!"
The Tan family's female members lowered their voices when Tan Youliang's wife spoke.
"...Indeed, she is the madam of our Tan family's main branch."
Tan Youliang's wife sneered and cracked the last melon seed, patting the ash off her hands. "Forget it, we don't expect her to use her dowry to support us. We just don't want the Tan family's money to be emptied out!"
In this era, most women's dowries were as generous as possible to provide for their clothing and living expenses in their husband's family. These words were carried by the wind and reached a small path in the bamboo forest beyond the courtyard wall.
Xiang Yi and Qiao Xing were passing by under the trees. Qiao Xing's face turned pale upon hearing those remarks. "What nonsense is Tan Youliang's wife spouting? Who said she spent a single copper coin from the Tan family? Even if the lady used the Tan family's money, it was rightfully earned by her diligent efforts. That's only fair!"
She was about to go argue with those people but was stopped by Xiang Yi's soft voice. "Enough."
Qiao Xing looked up and saw that her lady's face still held the same calm expression as before. Her eyes seemed as tranquil as a secluded pond in the mountains, unaffected by the gusty wind blowing through.
"On such a joyous day, why seek trouble?" Xiang Yi smiled indifferently. "Let's go back."
After saying that, she turned and left. Qiao Xing was infuriated but had no choice but to hurry to catch up.
Outside the wall, people were still discussing the matter. On the other side of the bamboo forest path inside the courtyard, Tan Ting had just returned from outside. He was instructing the stewards to arrange the reception for the guests when the chatter from outside drifted in on the wind.
Similarly, Xiang Yi had called Qiao Xing, and the scene of her walking away was also caught in his sight.
On the path by the edge of the woods, she wore a semi-new but not particularly fancy pale white long jacket, her figure flowing like a cloud as she quickly disappeared into the edge of the bamboo forest.
Suddenly, Tan Ting remembered the time when she married him, and the eight-carriage dowry had amazed and amused people for quite some time. Although he had instructed the Tan family not to bring up this matter, there were still whispers on the day of the joyous occasion.
"She only came with an eight-carriage dowry and still dared to marry in forcefully. Does she want the Tan family to add more dowry for her?"
"Add more? The fact that she could marry in was already the ancestral family's promise kept. Does she also want the Tan family to save face for the daughter of a corrupt official?"
At that moment, she was wearing a veil, holding the large red marriage knot in her hand, standing less than a step away from him.
When these words reached his ears, he felt as if the other side of the marriage knot in his hand tightened for a moment, but it was just a fleeting sensation, quickly returning to normal.
Later, when he lifted her veil, he wondered if he would see an expression of resentment or anger.
However, as he lifted the veil, her beautiful face with slightly lowered eyelids revealed no discernible emotions...
The wind carried more words from beyond the walls, and Tan Ting glanced at Zheng Ji.
Zheng Ji quickly understood and hurriedly went outside the wall, instantly calming the outside chatter.
Tan Ting walked away.
He returned to the main hall, and then to his room shared with Xiang Yi.
Xiang Yi wasn't there, busy with arrangements for the upcoming wedding in two days. Tan Ting didn't ask for assistance, returning to his quarters to change into casual clothes.
His and Xiang Yi's clothes were kept in a sandalwood-carved wardrobe in the room. Usually, it was Xiang Yi who helped him select his attire. This time, he was opening their shared wardrobe for the first time.
However, upon opening the doors, Tan Ting was slightly taken aback.
The wardrobe wasn't exactly brimming with clothes, but with a single glance, he noticed that almost all of them were his own garments.
For a moment, Tan Ting even thought there were no clothes of hers here, until he saw, in the bottom two compartments of the wardrobe, the apricot-colored long robe and the honey-colored comparative jacket she had worn a few days earlier, along with a few dresses that weren't particularly vibrant in color.
The clothing of women in this era was far more intricate and elaborate than that of men, with an endless array of styles and designs.
Not mentioning others, just thinking about his own sister, Tan Rong, in all the days since his return, he hadn't seen her wear the same outfit twice. But looking at the wardrobe before him, there were only a few modest styles in the lower compartment.
Tan Ting couldn't help but recall his failure to recognize Xiang Yu and the faded white robe he had on.
He sighed quietly.
When he married her, he truly hadn't been at ease, but over the three years of their marriage, she had always managed the household, for his mother as well as his younger siblings. He had never found fault with her.
Looking at those inconspicuous clothes, Tan Ting thought that even if she didn't bring it up, he should find an opportunity to give her some money...
As the joyous occasion approached, Xiang Yi became increasingly busy. With the Lunar New Year also approaching, many family members returned to Qinglong from various places, adding to the multitude of affairs that required Xiang Yi's management.
She hadn't forgotten about Chu Xinggu and her mother, who were staying at the Goodness Hall. She asked Qiao Xing to take care of things and went to visit them on her way.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Xing took half an hour to return and came back looking disgruntled. Xiang Yi was in the midst of calculating accounts, but upon seeing Qiao Xing's demeanor, she set aside her ledgers and asked what had happened.
"Madam, you don't know. That Tan Youliang's wife went to the Benevolent Hall and stirred up trouble for no reason. Chu Xinggu’s mother almost lost her breath from anger."
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Qiao Xing had always been a spirited girl, not yielding to the boys in her family since she was young. Naturally, she couldn't let injustice pass and ended up arguing with Tan Youliang's wife. She even brought up the family rules, which drove Tan Youliang's wife away.
She continued, "Her own son likes Chu Xinggu, so why did she come to scold her? What a wicked mother!"
Xiang Yi sighed inwardly as she listened.
Tan Youliang's wife had a tendency to roam the streets aimlessly and stir up trouble even when there was none, let alone when it came to their own family matters. Xiang Yi advised Qiao Xing to avoid contact with her as much as possible and went back to her calculations.
...
As the days grew colder, more members of the Tan clan returned home for the New Year. With the joyous event approaching, the atmosphere everywhere was lively.
Tan Ting was called to the clan's ancestral hall for discussions. On his way back, he passed by the vicinity of the Benevolent Hall and coincidentally encountered a few women huddled together, whispering.
"Our Tan family is a prominent clan even in the provincial capital. Who wouldn't want to marry into it? If there's no parental arrangement or matchmaker's words, won't some means have to be employed?"
One of them spoke this way, and many in the group nodded in agreement. Tan Ting listened with a frown.
At this moment, someone suddenly lowered their voice and said, "There are many who want to marry into the family. Chu Xinggu seems to have found the right path. Who else could know better than her how to scheme to climb higher? Besides, she's quite destitute; why would she refuse money that comes her way?"
Someone else chimed in, laughing, "That's true. Those two pieces of jade pendants caught her eye. Truly money-minded, a fitting heir to their family's greed..."
Before this person could finish their sentence, they were suddenly pulled aside discreetly.
They turned to look and found everyone, just like themselves, frozen in place. Behind them stood a stern-faced Tan Ting.
Several women were from the Tan family, and upon realizing that they were discussing his wife behind their backs, they were terrified, breaking out in cold sweats.
"Reporting to the Eldest Young Master, we were just repeating rumors we heard."
Tan Ting remained silent for a moment. However, he couldn't help but think about the several times he had considered discussing with Xiang Yi about providing some financial assistance to the Xiang family. She had always seemed indifferent...
He rubbed his forehead with his hand.
"What's the matter exactly?"
Seeing that he wasn't favoring the Xiang family and was genuinely curious, everyone felt relieved and truthfully recounted what they had heard.
"... It was Tan Youliang's wife who discovered that Chu Xinggu bribed Lady Xiang to have her stay longer at the Benevolent Hall. She hoped to use this opportunity to get close to the Tan family's children and find a way to marry into our Tan family. Today, Tan Youliang's wife witnessed Chu Xinggu giving two pieces of jade pendants to Lady Xiang's maid, Qiao Xing."
As the people spoke, they looked at Tan Ting's expression.
His expression had almost reached its darkest point.
"Then what happened?"
"Then… Tan Youliang's wife indeed found the two jade pendants Chu Xinggu gave to Qiao Xing in her room. At the moment, they're seeking the Old Madam's judgment in the Autumn Radiance Courtyard!"
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