Blossom

The Miao couple had always known their son was full of ideas. Upon hearing his words, their eyes immediately lit up, and they asked in unison, "What's your plan?"

Miao Anping smirked cunningly. "The Song family is just bullying us because we're poor and afraid to ask for a betrothal gift. But the betrothal gift always comes before the dowry. We can just take the betrothal gift first and worry about the rest later."

Father Miao instantly understood his son's meaning.

He shook his head vigorously. "That won't do. The marriage certificate clearly states the exact amounts for both the betrothal gift and the dowry. If we can't produce it later..." His words trailed off, then he suddenly clapped his hands together, looking at his son with admiration. "Why didn't I think of that? This is an imperial marriage. Would the Song family dare to call it off?"

Mother Miao, however, was terrified. "No, no! What if the Song family lodges a complaint with the Emperor? How could our family withstand that? If they throw you both in prison, how would I survive?" She covered her face and began to sob.

"Stop wailing on such a happy occasion!" Father Miao scolded impatiently, though his wife's words did stir a hint of worry in his eyes.

Miao Anping's eyes darted around as he quickly devised another plan. "Actually, I hope they do complain to the Emperor! If they do... it's the Song family who cares about face, using their Young Lord as an example to demand such a hefty dowry from us. Our family, honoring this imperial marriage as a supreme honor, tried our best to gather the dowry despite our humble means. We even borrowed from all our relatives and friends, but still couldn't scrape together enough. If the Song family agrees, we're willing to write an IOU and pay the dowry in installments later. Tell me, if the Emperor hears our story, wouldn't he reward us with ten or twenty thousand taels of silver?"

Father Miao nodded approvingly. "Brilliant! We'll discuss this with your uncle later. Once your sister is married, with her skills, she'll surely win over her husband. Since the Duke of Yingguo has prepared such a fortune for him, even the scraps from your sister's fingers will be enough for us. We might even make up the missing silver. This is a fantastic plan!"

Miao Anping grinned smugly.

Mother Miao, however, felt uneasy and timidly whispered, "But we haven't borrowed any money for Ansu's wedding..."

Father Miao nearly kicked the old woman out in frustration. "Haven't we borrowed plenty before? We'll just produce those IOUs when the time comes."

Mother Miao wanted to point out that some of those IOUs were from two or three years ago, long before this marriage was even considered, but seeing her husband's furious expression, she swallowed her words.

Father Miao, realizing the same issue, instructed his son, "Go and rewrite those IOUs. Say it's to recalculate the interest, so we don't get caught."

Miao Anping agreed and followed his father out of the room.

Mother Miao had no choice but to trail after her husband and son.

Meanwhile, the Miao family's paternal aunt, seated with Third Madam Song among the female guests, received the news and couldn't help but wonder silently.Last year, my younger brother came to my house to borrow fifty taels of silver from me. How could he suddenly have money when it was time to marry off his daughter? Was he deliberately trying to take advantage of me?

Thinking of this, she felt quite displeased. But in front of Third Madam Song, she forced a smile and said, "After all, this is a marriage decreed by the imperial court. Delaying it too long might seem disrespectful. In my opinion, following Third Madam Song’s suggestion—one side for the groom, one side for the bride—our Miao family will provide twenty thousand taels of silver as dowry for our daughter. As for the wedding date, after the banquet, we can ask the matchmakers to select a few auspicious days. Then we’ll present them to the Duke for his final decision."

Traditionally, the groom’s side selects the dates, and the bride’s side confirms them. The Miao family had completely reversed this, all to settle the marriage quickly and receive the Duke of Yingguo’s betrothal gifts as soon as possible.

Third Madam Song laughed in anger.

If the Miao family provided twenty thousand taels as dowry, then the Song family would have to offer forty thousand taels in betrothal gifts. By this calculation, the Miao family would still profit twenty thousand taels.

Unable to hold back, she sneered, "When our Young Lord married, we only prepared twenty thousand taels in betrothal gifts. The second son is younger—it’s absolutely unreasonable for him to surpass his elder brother, the heir. Aren’t you afraid that once your paternal aunt marries into our family, she’ll end up in a standoff with the Young Lord’s wife? In terms of status, the Young Lord’s wife is the legitimate daughter of the Dou Family of the Northern Mansion. In terms of wealth, her dowry, including those two chests of silver notes, amounted to two hundred thousand taels when she entered our household."

If the eldest daughter of the Miao family hadn’t been so quick-witted, she wouldn’t have been chosen as the woman of complete blessings.

She smiled faintly and said, "Third Madam Song, your words are as changeable as the weather in June—utterly unreliable! You’ve taken all the reason for yourselves. How do you expect our family to sit down and negotiate this marriage with yours? Don’t forget, your second son is not the Young Lord! If he were as accomplished in both civil and martial affairs as the Young Lord, holding high rank at a young age, our family would be willing to sell our lands to marry off our daughter without demanding betrothal gifts, just like the Dou family. But since your second son is not the Young Lord, don’t compare our sixth young lady to your Young Lord’s wife. In any case, our Miao family has already decided to provide twenty thousand taels for our daughter’s dowry. As for what your family does, whether you’re just a woman of complete blessings or even the child’s parents, you’ll still need to consult the elders. I suggest you return to the Duke’s mansion, report to him, and then make your stance clear—no need to rush into a paddle beating now!"

Third Madam Song trembled with rage but had no retort.

The Duke was always concerned with face. To honor the imperial family, he might actually agree to this.

If she stubbornly refused, she might end up offending both sides!

She wished she could slap herself twice.

Even First Madam Song had avoided this matter—why should she be the one to step forward?

Gritting her teeth, Third Madam Song could only say, "Fine," before returning to the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion.

When Song Yichun heard this, he flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead. "This isn’t marrying off a daughter—it’s selling one! How did I end up with such trash?" He then summoned Song Han and said, "You’d better keep your future wife in check. Once she’s married into our family, don’t let her go out unless necessary. I refuse to entertain the Miao family’s nonsense every day!"

Song Han burned with shame, his face flushing crimson.Song Yichun said to Third Madam Song, "Tianen's marriage cannot surpass Song Mo's, after all, Song Mo is the heir of the Duke of England's Mansion." After pondering for a while, he added, "But I also cannot wrong Tianen. We'll follow Song Mo's precedent and prepare twenty thousand taels of silver as the betrothal gift."

He actually agreed!

Third Madam Song secretly rejoiced that she hadn't insisted and breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Han knelt before Song Yichun, tears of gratitude streaming down his face, and said, "Thank you, Father! I will listen to you in the future and properly discipline my wife, ensuring she doesn't bring shame to the Duke of England's Mansion."

Only then did Song Yichun feel somewhat better.

He gave an "Mm" of acknowledgment and nodded as he picked up his tea.

※※※※※

Dou Zhao merely smiled faintly upon hearing this.

Since Song Mo had said that once Miao Shi married in, he would have Song Han establish his own household, he would certainly make it happen. She and Miao Shi wouldn't have to share a household, so what kind of person Miao Shi was or what the Miao family planned didn't concern her much. These days, her only worry was Yuan Ge'er. At just a month and a half old, the little one refused to lie in bed when he opened his eyes, insisting on being held upright with his head supported.

Dou Shiying and Song Mo kept praising Yuan Ge'er for being clever, but Dou Zhao thought it was a sign of mischief.

Time flew by, and soon it was late in the month. The Song and Miao families set the wedding date for Song Han on the second day of the ninth month, with the bridal chamber arranged in the Green Bamboo Pavilion next to Cassia Fragrance Courtyard.

This was just as well.

The two sisters-in-law would likely only meet when paying respects to Song Yichun, making encounters rare and reducing potential conflicts.

Dou Zhao decided to return to the mansion.

But Song Mo said, "The house is being repainted for Song Han's wedding. Be careful of the fumes affecting the child. It's fine if you return just a few days before the wedding."

Since childhood, he had envied the liveliness of the Jiang Family. Though Jing'an Temple Alley wasn't as bustling as the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, Dou Shiying's sincere care made it warm and welcoming. He loved this atmosphere and wanted to stay a few more days.

Dou Zhao chuckled, vaguely guessing his thoughts, and naturally didn't insist. She followed Song Mo's arrangement.

When Song Mo went to the yamen, she asked Gan Lu, "Why hasn't there been any news from Consort Cui yet?"

Afraid of worrying her grandmother, she had only mentioned her pregnancy without specifying how far along she was. After the child was safely born, she sent Chen Xiaofeng to deliver the happy news, promising to visit her grandmother with the child once he turned two and was stronger.

Her grandmother was delighted. Besides sending back a longevity lock with Chen Xiaofeng, she also included many clothes, shoes, and socks for the baby. The creases in the clothes showed they had been prepared long in advance.

Since she couldn't do needlework during her confinement, she had the sewing room make a few autumn outfits for her grandmother, which Chen Xiaofeng took back to Zhen Ding.

By her calculations, Chen Xiaofeng should have returned by mid-month, but there was still no sign of him, nor any word from her grandmother.

Gan Lu smiled reassuringly. "Perhaps Consort Cui is preparing some delicacies for you. Some things take time, so Brother Chen might have stayed a few extra days waiting for them."

That was possible.

Dou Zhao nodded.When she and Song Mo had just gotten married, she wrote a letter of well-being for Chen Xiaofeng to deliver to Consort Cui. In return, Consort Cui pickled many of her favorite melons and vegetables for Chen Xiaofeng to bring back. Since they had to wait for the pickles to ferment in the jars, Chen Xiaofeng ended up staying in Zhen Ding for an extra half month.

Dou Zhao set the matter aside for the time being.

Then news arrived from the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.

It was said that when the Song family went for the bridal urging, the lacquered bed promised by the Miao family during the betrothal had been replaced with a canopy bed, the pearwood furniture swapped for pinewood, and the sacrificial red porcelain teacups and dishes changed to blue and white porcelain... The Song family's entourage sent to collect the dowry ended up in a heated argument with the Miao family, drawing crowds three layers deep.

The Miao family, shameless as a dead dog unafraid of boiling water, would rather take the matter to court than spend more money on the dowry.

Song Han, who had accompanied them, was utterly humiliated. Covering half his face in embarrassment, he pulled Third Madam Song out the door and had the dowry carried back to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion.