Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 319 Dowry
The day before Miaoyu, Yunfei, Zhujun and Feicui officially entered the Eastern Palace was the day for setting up their rooms according to tradition.

Carriages loaded with goods drove out of the old house.

At first, people outside the old house didn't take it seriously, but as the number of carriages increased, it became so numerous that outsiders were shocked.

"That's one hundred and eight loads of dowry!" a passerby exclaimed.

"It's not over yet, there's more behind!" another person said, pointing at another convoy driving out of the door.

Sure enough, not long after the 108 horse-drawn carriages carrying the dowry drove out of the gate of the old house, another set of dowry procession appeared, followed by more horse-drawn carriages carrying the dowry driving out of the gate of the old house.

Another 108 dowry carriages appeared, and this was not the end yet, as two more sets of dowry processions followed.

The people of the capital city have a wide range of knowledge and have seen many wealthy families marry off their daughters, but today was their last day to truly open their eyes.

There were four sets of 108 loads of dowry, which almost lined up several streets.

Four hundred and thirty-two carriages, not including the dowry and ceremonial processions.

When passing the Eight Great Hutongs, a row of young ladies stood on the roadside, and each beautiful woman looked at the dowry procession with shining eyes.

"This is the grand ceremony of the Yun family and the Zhu family's wedding. I'm so envious!" said a charming woman, fanning herself lightly with the silk fan in her hand.

Yun Fei and Zhu Jun are extremely famous in the brothel and are the envy of all the girls there.

Yun Fei, the number one prostitute in Jiangnan, Zhu Jun, the number one prostitute in Yangzhou. Jiangnan is home to beautiful women, and Daqian's Jiangnan is more prosperous than the capital, and Yangzhou is the richest place in the world. It can be ranked first, and its reputation is naturally great.

But what made them famous throughout the brothels in Daqian was that they entered Li Qiang's mansion.

At first, Li Qiang was only a marquis, and many prostitutes in the brothel felt that the two girls were lucky to have found a good family.

After Li Qiang became Prince Yi Zhong, the prostitutes in the brothel regarded the two women as examples of how a carp could make the leap to the dragon gate.

After Li Qiang became the crown prince, the brothel girls almost regarded the deeds of the two girls as legendary stories to inspire themselves. They fantasized every day that one day they would be able to marry into the imperial palace like the two girls and completely turn their lives around.

Of course, although Yun Fei and Zhu Jun entered the Eastern Palace, they had no official status, and there were people who said sour things about them.

But this time, the two girls' dowries left those people speechless, and all that was left was deep envy.

The four dowry convoys continued to travel for a while. As the dowry convoys needed to circle the city, they entered the area where the nobles lived.

At this time, there were many more women on the roadside, and from the way they were dressed, you could tell they were maids.

The maids pointed at a team of 108 loads of dowry, their faces flushed with excitement.

"That's Miss Feicui's dowry. Oh my God, if only I could have the chance to do so, I would be willing to do so even if it means dying!" A little maid pointed at a team and shouted.

"You? Miss Feicui is in charge of the prince's property, and you only know how to eat!" The little maid next to her replied with a chuckle.

"You're going to die for daring to tease me!" The little maid was unhappy this time and stepped forward to tickle her companion.

"Stop it. It's rare to see such a person among our maids. Take a good look at him and keep him as a memory for yourself!" said an older maid with a sigh.

As maids, the best fate for them is to be noticed by the master in the mansion and become his concubine.

Most maids would only marry the servants in the mansion, and their own children would still be servants in the mansion.

How can she be compared with Feicui? When Feicui married into the Eastern Palace, she instantly became a superior person and was respected as Madam wherever she went.

When the crown prince ascends the throne, Feicui will become the imperial consort, the most honorable woman in the world except for the empress dowager and the queen.

As a woman, being able to reach this point is already a glory to the family and can open a separate page in the family tree.

To outsiders, the dowry of 432 carriages seemed to be prepared by the four women themselves in order to marry into the Eastern Palace, but those who knew the background of the four women understood the ins and outs.

They couldn't help but sigh at the deep affection of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. They guessed that the 432 carriages of dowry were prepared by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince so that the four women would have enough dignity to enter the Eastern Palace.

The facts are similar, except that this was a decision made after consultation between Lin Daiyu and Li Qiang.

Among the four girls, Miaoyu had quite a bit of wealth. Although her family was impoverished, they still left many good things for her.

However, all those good things could only be loaded into two carriages. Although they were valuable, they still looked shabby.

Feicui ran the business for the mansion and did not leave much wealth behind. Yunfei and Zhujun only had some exquisite jewelry with them, most of which were rewards from the mansion when they followed Li Qiang.

The total assets of the three girls could not even fill a carriage.

Lin Daiyu took advantage of the opportunity of the four girls marrying into the palace to send the treasures in the underground treasury into the palace.

If Li Qiang used space objects to transport those treasures, she could secretly send them all into the palace in a few times. However, the appearance of so many treasures required a reason, otherwise people in the palace would talk about it.

Although 432 carriages may seem like a lot, in fact, they are only a small part of the contents of the underground treasure house.

When the convoy passed by the Xue Mansion, Mrs. Xue and Xue Baochai were also watching the convoy.

"It's mother who delayed you!" Mrs. Xue said to her daughter while looking at the convoy.

In her opinion, given the relationship between the Xue family and Crown Prince Li Qiang, her daughter had a great chance of marrying into the palace. It was she who chose Jia Baoyu from Rongguo Mansion, which made her daughter's marriage a big trouble.

Jia Baoyu is gone, but his daughter's reputation is also ruined.

No matter how outstanding a daughter is, it is impossible for her to marry into a wealthy family. The marriage certificate and the fact that Jia Baoyu lives in the Xue Mansion have greatly damaged Xue Baochai's reputation. No wealthy family will allow such a girl to enter their home.

"Mother, don't talk about this anymore. I'm willing to stay with you!" Xue Baochai said, leaning gently on Mrs. Xue's shoulder.

She sighed in her heart, she knew that there was no possibility between her and Li Qiang.

When she met Li Qiang in Jiangnan that year, she saw indifference in Li Qiang's eyes. Li Qiang did not like her. As a girl, she was particularly sensitive to such things.

When she was alone, she would compare Jia Baoyu with Li Qiang. The more she compared them, the more she found Jia Baoyu unacceptable.

In terms of literary talent, Li Qiang was a top scholar in the imperial examination, not to mention his martial arts. Jia Baoyu was weak as hell and could not even fight a chicken, but Li Qiang was the best general of Daqian, not to mention that Li Qiang was also the crown prince and future emperor of Daqian.

"Miss, that wardrobe is made of golden nanmu, the coral ornaments are all red, and that, that..." Xue Baochai's maid Ying'er looked at the carriage passing by, she pointed at the part of the dowry that was exposed outside and said excitedly.

Ying'er followed Xue Baochai, and the Xue family was a wealthy family, so she had her own vision.

"This dowry should be beyond the regulations!" Xue Baochai followed Ying'er's pointing, saw the details of the dowry, and couldn't help but say.

"This is sent to the East Palace. Even if it is beyond the rules, so what!" Mrs. Xue shook her head and said. Indeed, among the four girls who got married this time, only Miaoyu was born in an official family, and the other three girls were not born in a good family.

Furniture such as golden nanmu in the dowry requires a certain status to be used.

But this time she is marrying into the Eastern Palace. Even if she was not qualified before, it will not be a problem once she enters the Eastern Palace.

Many people recognized the quality of the dowry, and they would only marvel at its generosity. Only a very small number of people would think of the princes' palaces, dukes' palaces, and officials' residences that had been emptied out.

But even if someone guessed it, they would not say it out loud because the person involved was Crown Prince Li Qiang.

"Sister Feicui!" Qin'er ran into the room excitedly, shouting.

"Qin'er, as a girl, you should also be more steady!" Feicui said helplessly.

Qin'er usually looks quite steady, but why is she so lively today? People would think she is getting married.

"Qin'er wants to get married!" Miaoyu chuckled.

Yun Fei and Zhu Jun beside them also pursed their lips and chuckled.

Today, the four girls had nothing to do, so they sat together and talked about life in the palace.

Qin'er blushed when the four girls laughed at her.

She would only marry her master Li Qiang. This was decided after she became Li Qiang's personal maid.

Generally speaking, as long as the family is not in decline, the personal maid will follow the master for life. If the master is a woman, she will marry with the master and become a maidservant. If the master is a man, she will become the master's concubine.

This is why the status of a personal maid is higher than that of other servants, and she has the best future in the eyes of the servants.

"The servant just reported that everyone in the capital is gathering around to see the shop's dowry. It's said that the whole city is in a commotion!" Qin'er said after calming herself down.

This time it was the four girls' turn to be excited, even Miaoyu. Getting married was the most important event in a girl's life, and this grand ceremony made their marriage reach the pinnacle of luxury.

Thinking about the fact that Lin Daiyu had a similar shop and dowry when she got married, the four girls were filled with gratitude towards Lin Daiyu.

Although the four girls knew that the dowry did not belong to them, the show did belong to them.

The next day, a large number of eunuchs and palace maids came to the old house. As the crown prince, Li Qiang could not go to receive the bride in person. This was the rule.

If he went to the old house to pick up the bride, he would probably be criticized by people inside and outside the palace for not following the ancestral rules.

But the standard of the wedding reception this time was not low at all. Each of the four women sent a senior eunuch, twelve junior eunuchs, and twelve palace maids.

The chief eunuch represents the crown prince, and his rank in the palace is the fourth rank, which is the same rank system as that of the Daqian court.

Take Miaoyu for example, the twelve young eunuchs and twelve palace maids will be hers from now on.

Twelve palace maids were responsible for close care, while twelve young eunuchs did odd jobs outside and handled external liaison matters.

Four large sedan chairs carried by eight people, decorated with red and colorful ribbons, walked out of the old house one after the other, surrounded by a large number of eunuchs and palace maids.

The band responsible for playing and singing this time was from Lao Zhai's own family, and they were brought into the palace together this time.

Although the music and dance in the palace are wonderful, they all belong to the retired emperor. It is not a problem for Li Qiang to watch them, but Li Qiang will not compete with the retired emperor for this.

The old house's troupe has a team of dancers and twelve young actors, which is enough for Lin Daiyu and the others to pass the time.

Yun Fei sat in the sedan chair. Through the gap in the curtains, she saw the crowd on the roadside and heard envious exclamations.

At this moment, she felt extremely satisfied and thought about the past.

She still remembers the excitement she felt when she saw Li Qiang that day, which is why she was willing to give herself to Li Qiang.

Otherwise, given her status as the most famous prostitute in Jiangnan, no matter how rich the Xue family was at that time, they would not be able to give her away as a gift.

She gently touched her face. In this era, she was no longer as beautiful as a flower, but under the "healing technique" performed by Crown Prince Li Qiang, her appearance remained unchanged from when she was a teenager.

She smiled slightly. No one else in the sedan saw her smile, but the charm of her smile made the sedan look like a hundred flowers blooming.

"I look at the sky in the morning and the clouds in the evening. I miss you when I walk and when I sit." She chanted softly, her eyes full of tenderness.

Four sedan chairs carried by eight people entered the palace and went straight to the East Palace.

In the main hall, Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu sat in the main seats, while Miaoyu, Yunfei, Zhujun and Feicui, wearing peach-colored phoenix robes and red veils on their heads, were supported by palace maids into the main hall.

Under the command of the presiding eunuch, they bowed to Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu who were sitting in the main seat in the center.

Since it was a concubine, the etiquette was relatively simple.

Next, Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu took the four girls to the Daming Palace, paid homage to the retired emperor, and after receiving rewards from him, they went to the Cining Palace to meet the empress dowager and also received rewards.

Finally, they returned to the East Palace, their original residence.

However, when they returned to their residence, they found that the dowry that came with them had been sent to their respective residences.

"How come these are here?" Miaoyu sat in front of the bed and found that the layout of the room was different from before through the veil. She recognized the changes and realized that they were the dowry she brought back.

"It was the Crown Princess' order, saying that these dowries should be given to Madam!" the maid reported truthfully.

Miaoyu couldn't help laughing. She didn't care about such material things. She was happy about Lin Daiyu's kindness.

"The other three ladies also have dowries!" the maid continued.

"Sister Lin always acts fairly. I think the other sisters must be very happy!" Miaoyu said with a smile.

She did not take the dowry seriously, but it was different for the other girls.

A generous dowry is related to the future of one's children.

If a woman has a child, in addition to the treatment provided by the palace, the only support the child can receive is from his or her own mother. A generous dowry will provide more support to the child.

Laughter could be heard from Yunfei, Zhujun and Feicui's rooms. They were full of hope for their future life.

Lin Daiyu's gift made the four girls feel the friendship and respected her more, thus consolidating Lin Daiyu's position in the Eastern Palace.

(End of this chapter)