Chapter Forty-One: Claiming the Dowry

aid: "What can we do about it Who made Xiu Hong born two years earlier""Xiu Wen is really lucky, you know. As a prince's son, Xiu Ming doesn't even have this kind of treatment."Chen's heart suddenly s...Meng Jin yao lowered her head, staring blankly at the wooden box in her hand. The box wasn't heavy, but she felt a heaviness in her palm.

In the morning, she was still a pauper who couldn't even afford a meal at a roadside eatery. By the afternoon, she had become incredibly wealthy. The feeling of suddenly having a large sum of money was surreal.

He entrusted all these things to her management, wouldn't he be afraid that she would squander his fortune, spend it recklessly, and leave him with nothing in the end

Gu Jingxi saw the little girl stunned and speechless, staring blankly at the wooden box. He couldn't help but smile. A few days ago, when her fiancé eloped, this girl didn't act foolishly; she could respond calmly and even dared to change husbands. Now, seeing money, she acted like an idiot. Could it be that her former fiancé was more important than money

He smiled and asked, "My wife, what is it"

Hearing the sound, Meng Jin Yao raised her head and looked at him, asking in return, "Husband, aren't you afraid that I will squander your family fortune and spend it all"

Gu Jingxi glanced at her and said with a smile, "Husband and wife are one, sharing weal and woe. What is mine is yours. However, it's also your ability to ruin my family fortune. But after the fortune is gone, madam will have to live a hard life with me afterwards."

Meng Jin Yao was startled, her eyes flashing with surprise.

They got married under such circumstances, it was different from normal, ordinary couples, at most they were just getting by, pretending to be happy. Gu Jingxi actually felt that they were one, treating her as a wife in the truest sense, sharing weal and woe

I have to say, Marquis Gu is surprisingly responsible. But for someone so conscientious, to raise a son like Gu Xiuming who is irresponsible and willful, it's probably because Gu Xiuming is rotten to the core, taking after his biological parents.

Gu Jingxi seemed to see through her thoughts and said, "Marrying into the Gu family has wronged my wife. Other things may not be able to give you, but this worldly possession, I hope my wife won't find it objectionable."

Meng Jiny Yao immediately understood. It turned out that the other party felt she had a hidden illness and owed her something, so they compensated her financially. But who would dislike money This was a substantial compensation! She happened to be short of money and couldn't afford to buy anything. This money came just in time like a timely rain.

She regained her composure, a smile playing on her lips as she responded calmly, "I wouldn't mind. Since my husband trusts me with this, I will take good care of it."

Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "Call Madam over. It's about this matter. If Madam has nothing else to do, please go out first. I have something to attend to."

Then I'll go out first and not disturb my husband's busy work.

Meng Jinyao, having finished speaking, took the wooden box out of the study and returned to her bedroom. She opened the box and took out what was inside to have a look.

Flipping through the inventory of the storeroom, she was astonished by what was listed. The items in the storeroom were far more extensive than she had imagined. There were many treasures, calligraphy and paintings, as well as antiques. Many of them were imperial gifts, likely bestowed upon Gu Jingxi after he had made meritorious service to the emperor.

And those estates and shops, looking at the land deeds, the estates were located outside the capital city, and their geographical locations were excellent. They were definitely going to have a good harvest every year. The shops were also in bustling streets of the capital city. These shops all made a fortune every day.

No wonder Gu Jingxi said that she could drain his family fortune. She considered herself incapable of squandering all of Gu Jingxi's private property.

Finally, Meng Jin Yao counted the silver notes Gu Jing Xi had given her. They were silver notes of various denominations: fifty taels, one hundred taels, five hundred taels, one thousand taels, and five thousand taels. In total, there were thirty thousand taels of silver notes.

With a fortune in her grasp, she felt somewhat dazed. Gu Jingxi was truly generous; this was far too much. Who else's husband would give their wife three thousand taels for pocket money

Ning Dong and Qing Qiu came in and saw their master holding a stack of silver bills, they were immediately stunned.

Qing Qiu asked, "Madam, why do you have so many silver notes"

Meng Jin Yao concisely told everyone about what happened in the study.

The two maids were astonished, yet also delighted for their mistress. To be entrusted with the management of the estate meant that the Marquis acknowledged her competence and saw her as his true wife. They believed he would spend the rest of his life treating her well.

Ning Dong glanced at the stack of silver notes, thoughtfully saying, "Madam, since this money is from the Marquis, why not go out tomorrow to buy some clothes and jewelry Your current attire is simply too plain. Before, there was no way to dress up due to lack of conditions, but now that the Marquis has given you money..."

She spoke while casting a glance at her master. Her master's attire wasn't considered shabby, but rather dignified and simple. Mrs. Sun had given her master some jewelry as part of her dowry, but they were all rather common in style, almost better left unworn. Even her clothing was on the older side in terms of color.

Mrs. Sun has always treated her mistress like this. The jewelry is valuable, and the fabrics of her clothes are good quality, it's just that they aren't aesthetically pleasing. Isn't this done to prevent the mistress from outshining the second young lady The mistress is beautiful. If she were dressed well, the second young lady would become a mere background figure.

It's just that Mrs. Sun is so used to her ways, she has shallow eyes and has already forgotten that her mistress is getting married. She's preparing everything to take to her husband's house, thinking about how this marriage can benefit the Meng family, but she doesn't put any effort into making her mistress look good. If her future brother-in-law doesn't like her, what benefits are they hoping for

Meng Jinyang nodded, saying matter-of-factly: "That's natural. I'm his wife. It's only right that I spend his money. If I don't spend it, who knows, maybe there are other women who will."

Qīngqiū said: "Madam, please rest assured. The Marquis is not that kind of person."

“He doesn’t seem like that kind of person now, but who knows what the future holds All that matters is to live well in the present,” Meng Jin Yao thought optimistically. She didn't care whether her husband would keep other women in the future. Holding the silver note in her hand, a bolt of lightning struck her mind and she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.”

Ning Dong and Qing Qiu noticed her face change suddenly, and they asked in unison, "Madam, what's wrong with you"

Meng Jinyao looked at Qingqiu and asked, "Qingqiu, do you still remember when I asked you at noon if I had forgotten to do anything"

Qīng Qiū nodded: "This servant still remembers, did Mistress forget something"

Meng Jinyao raised a knowing smile, her red lips parted slightly as she replied with two words: "Dowry".

Before her marriage, she fell ill during the chilly spring and felt weak and listless. She had no energy to do anything. Just as she recovered from her illness, it was time for her wedding day, leaving her no time to ask her mother for her dowry. She had planned to return home three days after the wedding to collect it, but when she found out that her fiancé had eloped with someone else, she forgot all about it.

Upon hearing this, Ning Dong and Qing Qiu suddenly remembered this important matter that had been forgotten. The original wife of the old master, Zhou Shi, mother of the current mistress, had brought a large dowry when she married into the Meng family. However, after the death of the first mistress, the dowry was held by the second wife, Sun Shi, claiming that the mistress was young and she would manage it on her behalf until the mistress got married.

Meng Jinyao, as she put the silver notes, land deeds, and booklets back into the wooden box, said, "We'll go shopping for clothes and jewelry another day. Tomorrow I have to go to Yongchang Bo's Mansion to get my mother's dowry back."

She never felt rushed to reclaim her mother's dowry from the Sun family. This was because, before her grandfather passed away, he had given her a list of her mother's dowry items. As her mother was an only child with no siblings, she feared that her husband's family might covet the dowry, so she took precautions. The dowry list was made in two copies, just in case one copy went 'missing' at her husband's family home.

And Mrs. Sun must have been unaware that her dowry list was in duplicate, so she thought of giving her just something to make do with when the time came for her marriage. curtain of the carriage window to peer outside. Seeing the figure in the distance ahead, she lowered the curtain and prepared herself so as not to bump into it later.Suddenly, the carriage swayed and...