The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 708 Division of Property

"You are so heartless! Forty years! Forty years! I thought I would never see you again until I was buried in the ground and turned into mud." The Empress Dowager's usual composure was completely gone. After saying this, she was already crying with snot and tears streaming down her face.

She didn't even take a handkerchief; she simply leaned on Old Mrs. Wang's shoulder and let the tears flow onto her.

Grandma Wang moved slightly but couldn't break free. A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, but she still pushed the person away in the end. She then took out a handkerchief and wiped her face clean.

If you throw away a dirty handkerchief, just get a new one and use it to wipe your clothes.

"Sister Qin, this dress of mine was specially made. It can't be washed. If it gets dirty, it'll be ruined," sighed Old Mrs. Wang.

"It's just a set of clothes. When have I ever seen you cherish it before?" The Empress Dowager sat up straight and said casually, "Besides, when have you ever worn your clothes a second time after washing them?"

"Times have changed. Only when you're in charge of a household do you realize how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are. Let alone washing them once, my clothes used to be the same one I wore for over ten years. They were washed and washed again and again, until the black ones turned white..."

Even though she knew that Xiao Yaoguang always said this on purpose when she was with her, the Empress Dowager still felt particularly uncomfortable when she heard it.

"You brought this on yourself. Why did you have to live such a miserable life instead of enjoying the good life you used to have? Wasn't that a jade carving master? He was someone who dealt with jade, so how did he end up like this?" The Empress Dowager said, trying to take off the bracelet on her wrist, but then thought it was inappropriate and simply called in her personal maid.

A maid entered and bowed: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

"Find the warehouse key."

The maid quickly brought out the key, which the Empress Dowager took without even looking at it and tossed directly into Old Madam Wang's arms. Once she had a firm grip on it, she took her hand and showed her: "Come on, I've left you quite a few good things over the years, including your dowry, which is still there untouched. I haven't let anyone touch it. Go and see if you still need it now."

To the astonishment of the maids, Old Madam Wang was dragged directly to the storeroom by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager's private storeroom was enormous, consisting of a large hall on the outside and three underground storage rooms inside, filled with all sorts of things.

When Old Lady Wang was Princess Yongchang, she also visited the Empress Dowager's storeroom. At that time, the Empress Dowager was still the Empress, and the storeroom was not much smaller than it is now.

She was a legitimate daughter of the Qin family in Jiangnan, and the late emperor she married was also from the Qin family in Jiangnan. However, although they shared the same surname, they were beyond the fifth degree of kinship, which is why they were able to be a couple.

However, the late emperor's wealth could not compare to that of the then-Empress Qin, and now the Empress Dowager Qin.

The dowry of the Qin family's eldest daughter, regardless of what's outside, just looking at what's in this storeroom, can be considered as rich as a country!

"Don't look anymore. Everything you can see on the second basement level was reserved for you. Most of what's on the third basement level is also part of your dowry. You might have been able to use it when you were a young woman, but you probably wouldn't care about it now," the Empress Dowager said casually.

She really had no desire for money. After Dachang recovered, her son and daughter-in-law no longer needed her help.

She didn't think much of the women among the nobles and dignitaries; the gifts she received were mostly scraps of gold and silver, none of which made it into her treasury. The Qin family of Jiangnan didn't have much of a problem with her. Although her parents had passed away, her brothers and sisters-in-law were still alive, and every few months they would send her a batch of fine things, afraid that she might be mistreated.

As time went on, she accumulated more and more things, to the point that she had nowhere to put them.

Grandma Wang said, "It's not that we don't need it. I still have a granddaughter. I raised her with great care. If you leave it to me, it's better to leave it to her in the future."

"You mean that little girl? I've looked into her. By all accounts, she's not your biological granddaughter. Aren't you afraid the other children will have something to say about how you treat her?"

When have you ever seen me afraid of what others think?

After Old Mrs. Wang finished speaking, the two smiled at each other, and the Empress Dowager pointed to her forehead and said, "You."

After a moment, the Empress Dowager said again, "To be honest, we are a generation apart. As for the young girl's dowry, of course, others should pay the majority of it. My daughter-in-law, although she is the daughter of the Duke of Yong's family, has close ties with my family and is quite wealthy. So, we should ask her to pay more for the betrothal gifts."

"Also, when you were getting married, all the noble families prepared a lot of things, but you disappeared without a trace. Those things haven't been received yet, and they're probably all covered in dust. We'll have to ask them to prepare them again."

“That girl’s title is still too low. The things she did, especially resolving the border crisis, would have earned her the title of Marquis even if she had been demoted, if it were in the current dynasty. Giving her only the title of Township Lady is a bit stingy. Once her title is raised, the rewards she receives cannot be low.”

Grandma Wang: "As expected, her maternal family should be the royal family of Xifeng Kingdom, and their status must be high. A few years ago, people from Xifeng Kingdom came here, probably intending to take her away, but Grandpa Wang and I stopped them."

"That won't do. I like this girl very much! No wonder I felt close to her the first time I saw her. It turns out she was raised by you, Xiao Yaoguang, and she carries your scent. I was wondering why the Xifeng Kingdom, which didn't visit often in previous years, sent two delegations this year, and they even mentioned the academy. I'm afraid they have ulterior motives."

"I'll have the Emperor figure something out later. It's not a big deal that my grandson was kidnapped, but we mustn't let the girl go too far away. I'm getting old, and if she goes too far away, I'm afraid I won't be able to see her again. It's rare to have such a beloved girl." The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and then added, "No, we still need to settle the money for each family first, and it absolutely cannot be too low."

“Our Ayu has big ambitions. She wants to build a girls’ academy, and we’ve taken care of all the arrangements for her, but it’s quite expensive. After all, it’s for the benefit of the people and for women all over the world. We can’t let her pay for it out of her own pocket, Sister Qin, don’t you think?”

“That makes sense. In fact, the nobles and dignitaries may not have much money on their own. Their money is mostly held by the women behind them. I also know that a few families are making quite a stir in Jiangnan, which has prompted the Qin family to send a message to remind them. It’s time to make them feel the pinch so they will learn to keep their tails between their legs.”

"I do have a list here, it's not very detailed, it's just a random collection I gathered while using the guise of opening a steamed bun shop..."

The two sat in the warehouse and began to inventory the property of each household one by one.

That night, many people inexplicably suffered from insomnia, and they all started shivering and sneezing incessantly.

Someone shrugged and said, "It's getting cold."

(End of this chapter)