After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1072 Plan
Wu Qiong had been living under someone else's roof since she was born. It was not until she went to Chang'an that her cousin Wu Ke received a small house from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and took her back to live there. Only then did she have her own "home". In order to stay in this home for a longer time, she didn't even want to get married too quickly and had little interest in the matchmaking arranged by the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

Haitang knew very well how stubborn she was about the concept of "home". So when she heard that she had no intention of using the 3,000 taels of silver she had lent her for dowry, but instead contributed it to rebuild the old residence of the Wu family for her cousin, she was not surprised at all.

This is something Wu Qiong can do.

Haitang sighed softly, "When I lent her the money, I didn't say that the money must be used for her dowry. She can spend it however she likes. But now, she can only use the dowry prepared by the clan house when she gets married. Everything has to follow the regulations. Isn't it a little too simple? Prince Kang is her cousin, so I don't think he would argue with her about this matter. But she will be the principal wife of Prince Kang in the future, and she will have the opportunity to deal with other royal relatives. Those people have eyes on their heads. Knowing that her dowry is small, will they really not laugh at her?"

Hai Jiao couldn't really understand the feelings of a boudoir girl. He just thought his little sister was worrying too much. "No way? Everyone in the world knows what the situation of the orphan of the Wu family has been in these years? Even if Wu Qiong didn't have the money you borrowed, how much money could she have for a dowry? Either the Zhou family helped her, or relatives like Gui Jia helped her. It was impossible for her to compare with those princes and nobles who had been standing firm in the capital for a long time. If someone in the royal family laughed at her for such a thing, they were just idle people who didn't know what to do. Why should we take such people's words to heart? Regardless of the amount of dowry, Miss Wu is the principal wife of Prince Kang, and her status is far above many royal family members. If someone looks down on her, it means they look down on Prince Kang. Can the palace tolerate such an arrogant and rude fool?!"

Haitang looked at her brother helplessly. How could he know that the verbal sparring and sarcasm among the female relatives when they met could also be infuriating? Wu Qiong could respect her status and not associate with those who said sour words, but after a long time, how many people would be left in her social circle? Even if she didn't participate in ordinary banquets and gatherings, what about the grand banquets in the palace and the gatherings between the royal family during the New Year? As a member of the royal family, King Kang and his wife would not be absent from such occasions unless they were really unable to support themselves. Since she was attending, she would inevitably have to socialize with other people. What would Wu Qiong do then? Even if the palace knew that she was the one who was wronged and excluded, she would be considered incompetent if she failed to integrate into the circle.

Now that the Grand Empress Dowager is still alive, she may still protect Wu Qiong to some extent. But when she passes away and Empress Dowager Xu takes over the palace, will she still tolerate her?
As Zhou Xuejun is the new emperor's designated queen, he might protect her because of their many years of friendship, but what about Zhou Xuejun after that?
If King Kang dies one day, Wu Qiong will have to rely on herself to gain a foothold in the royal family circle. At that time, whether she has a biological child or an adopted child, he or she will have to rely on her as a mother's protection. If she always has a gap with the royal family circle, what will happen to her children? Will they grow up alone and rely entirely on the protection of the palace to gain a foothold?

Haitang whispered her thoughts to her brother, and then said, "Brother, the rules in the capital are different from those in the northwest. Some practices are very annoying, but people like to judge a woman's value by the amount of dowry. What can we do? Since we can't change people's ideas, we can only do our best to increase the amount of dowry. The Wu family has experienced many years of hardship, and now there are few relatives and friends in the capital to rely on. Wu Qiong marries Prince Kang. In the future, I don't know what she can get except the status of a prince's consort. After she gets married, if she can live a better life in the royal family circle, in the future... it won't be too difficult."

Hai Jiao pondered for a moment and said, "I did neglect this matter. In this case, I will try to remind Wu Ke and the Zhou family, and it would be best if I could also send a message to Prince Kang. No matter what, we must make Miss Wu's wedding a grand occasion and not let people laugh at her. If Prince Kang's wife is ridiculed for her meager dowry, how can Prince Kang be proud?"

Haijiao was going to take on the responsibility of reminding, and Haitang had nothing to worry about. She asked curiously, "Have the Wu brothers and sisters finalized the blueprints for renovating the house? If they plan to start work after the New Year, can they finish it in time before Wu Qiong gets married so that she can stay in the Wu family's house for a few more days? I'm afraid she hasn't stayed in this house for a single day since she was born!"

Haijiao thought about it and it was true. Wu Ke at least lived in her family mansion until she was three years old, when her family changed. Wu Qiong was born by Madam Gui in her natal family, and she has been displaced since then, moving between Guijia, Cining Palace, Chengenhou Mansion and Zhenguogong Mansion, and has never returned to her real home. Now that she is about to get married and become the Princess of Kang, she probably won't have many opportunities to stay in her natal family. If she can't stay in the rebuilt house for a few more days before getting married, I'm afraid she will become a girl of the Wu family who has never lived in her natal family's ancestral home. It's too miserable for a daughter of the direct branch to end up like this.

Hai Jiao sighed, "I have seen the blueprint and have been to the ruins of the Wu family's old residence. Although I have never asked in detail, from what Wu Ke said, I guess they will rebuild on the basis of the original house, and some of the relatively solid wall pillars and foundations will be directly retained. As long as the house is stable, those gorgeous and complicated carved railings and painted buildings can be avoided. Because they are in a hurry, they plan to rebuild the three courtyards on the main road of the main house first. As for the side courtyards on the east and west roads, and the garden in the backyard, they will wait until they have saved enough money in the future to slowly build them up. Anyway, there are only two cousins ​​left in their family now. When Miss Wu gets married, there will only be Wu Ke and his new wife Zhang. Even if male and female servants are added, the three-courtyard house can accommodate them. There is no need for so many houses for the time being. If the rebuilt house is too big, it will seem a waste. The rooms will be empty in vain, and it will take time, energy and manpower to maintain it."

This is of course a mature and practical statement. Haitang agreed with it. However, the school that Uncle Xie Wenzai and Grandpa Cao and Grandpa Lu want to build is also scheduled to start construction after the New Year. The courtyard that Jin Jiashu plans to use for closed-door study is also scheduled to start construction in the spring. The school, the courtyard and the old residence of the Wu family are next to each other. The three families will be neighbors in the future. If they start construction at about the same time, will they really not affect each other?
Haitang asked her brother in a low voice, and Haijiao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay. Earlier, the father and son of Cheng'en Marquis had discussed with Wu Ke, and asked him to pay to hire the refugees who used to live in the ruins of the Wu family, and let them clean up the wasteland and abandoned houses in that area. They can take away all the dry grass, dead branches, soil and stones, as long as they can clean up the area. Wu Ke only spent two or three hundred taels of silver to hire people to clean up the place, including the boundaries of the Wu family's old house, the school and the Jin family's courtyard. The craftsmen can start work directly after entering the site. This matter saved a lot of effort for the three grandfathers and Xiao Jin, and Ma Ma even praised Wu Ke for being thoughtful! Now the craftsmen who built the house were all found by Ma Ma and Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion. It is said that they are very familiar with each other and can work in harmony. When the time comes, they will start and finish at the same time, and everyone can save worry and effort. Isn't it convenient?"