Seven days was indeed too rushed.

The Li residence was busy to the point of chaos, but they finally managed to arrange everything before the dowry procession day arrived.

Lady He was so exhausted that she leaned against the warming brazier, constantly wiping sweat with her handkerchief, and said to her trusted servant Nanny Fang: “I was still worrying about when the flesh Brother Fu had grown would come off, but who would have thought that after these few days of bustling about, my body has become lighter.”

Nanny Fang brought honey water for Lady He to moisten her throat and advised: “Madam must also take care of your health.”

Lady He smiled, her eyes sparkling with light: “No matter how tired, it’s worth it. In this lifetime, I’ll only marry off a daughter once.”

At her age, having Brother Fu was already a tremendous fortune – she wouldn’t hope extravagantly for more children.

Her Zhaozhao deserved the best in this world, so naturally she wanted to prepare the dowry abundantly, so that no one could find fault with it.

Though Lady He had no great scheming mind, she possessed the keen instincts of a daughter from a wealthy merchant family.

All those families who thought the Li residence was so poor that they ate dirt were waiting to see them make fools of themselves. In other matters, she had no solutions, but at least in terms of the dowry, she would make those people have nothing to say.

Yes, she just liked using money to shut up those people who loved wagging their tongues.

Just as Lady He expected, on the day of the dowry procession, every residence in the capital was watching the Li residence.

“Tsk tsk, there’s entertainment to watch today – let’s see what dowry the Li family has prepared for their daughter.”

“Indeed, though they say high families marry off daughters and low families take in wives, the disparity between these two families is too great. One is the illustrious Marquis Guanjun, the other is just the daughter of a minor Hanlin Editor. By the way, what’s the monthly salary of a Hanlin Editor?”

“Three or five dan of rice, I suppose. In any case, being able to support oneself would be good enough.”

Because Li Guangwen was marrying off his daughter, quite a few colleagues had also come to watch the excitement. Hearing these discussions, their faces immediately darkened.

What three or five dan – their monthly salary was eight dan! To cut it by more than half was looking down on people!

“I think you’re all wrong. Maybe the marquis, feeling embarrassed, secretly gave money to the bride’s family.”

Someone immediately refuted: “There’s no such custom! After the engagement, it’s inauspicious for the groom’s family to give money to the bride’s family. Besides, this is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty, and the wedding is so rushed – even if they gave money, there wouldn’t be time to procure those fine things.”

Many families started preparing when their daughters were born, and the wealthier the family, the more particular they were. Dowry items like finely crafted rosewood canopy beds couldn’t be made in just a year or two.

“Ah, no matter what, this is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty. Having one or two imperial gifts in the dowry would be dignified enough.”

“That’s true. In any case, the Li family cultivated fortune for eight generations to raise a marquis’s wife.”

“Not just a marquis’s wife.” Someone interjected.

“How so?”

“Have you forgotten? Marquis Guanjun is the orphan of Duke Zhenyuan – he’s a duke now.”

Twenty years ago, after the Marquis Zhenyuan case was overturned, he was posthumously ennobled as Duke Zhenyuan by Emperor Mingkang. However, Emperor Mingkang was rather particular and felt that the personally bestowed title of Marquis Guanjun was both prestigious and auspicious, able to suppress those barbarians, so he temporarily didn’t change the title. But Shao Mingyuan’s treatment was no different from that of a duke.

Hearing this mentioned, the spectators sighed again.

Suddenly, there was commotion, and many people pushed forward.

“They’re coming out, they’re coming out.”

Soon, the dowry decorated in red emerged from Xingzi Alley, carried out box by box. The first items carried were a pair of imperial jade ruyi scepters – just this pair of jade ruyi was something many families couldn’t obtain even if they begged for it.

A marriage bestowed by the Son of Heaven, a hundred years of good fortune – there could be no better blessing for the newlyweds.

Following closely were ten dowry boxes, each half-open with a clay brick placed inside.

The onlookers took one look and collectively gasped.

According to Great Liang customs, a clay brick of this size represented one hundred qing of good farmland. Ten clay bricks meant a thousand qing of good farmland.

Among the spectators, one person was already looking infatuated, murmuring: “I’ve always dreamed of being the young master of a wealthy family, owning a thousand qing of good farmland, possessing countless beautiful maidservants, and when free, going to the streets to flirt with pretty young ladies. Who would have thought that after all these years I’m still dreaming, while someone’s daughter has realized my beautiful dream just by getting married… If I had known, I would have proposed to the Li family years ago!”

A companion beside him tugged at the man: “Quick, wipe your drool and stop having wild thoughts.”

Wishful thinking was a disease that needed treatment!

The following were various gold and silver vessels – golden flying fish teapots, golden plates, bowls, cups, and goblets, silver braziers, and so on. Several full sedan chairs almost bent the carrying poles, with remarkably more gold than silver. The following were silk brocades, various screens, qin tables, painting tables, and other items.

The spectators couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

“Wasn’t it said that the Li residence was poor? Where did all this farmland and gold and silver vessels come from?”

“Looking at the quality, these gold and silver vessels aren’t newly made – they should be over ten years old, all rare, fine pieces.”

A thousand qing of farmland and valuable items couldn’t be bought temporarily, which proved that people’s earlier speculation about the groom’s family secretly giving the bride’s family money to save face was incorrect.

“My goodness, there are actually over a hundred sedan chairs of dowry – this scale is second only to marrying off a princess, isn’t it?”

A person nearby quickly pulled that man: “Just watch the excitement, don’t talk nonsense.”

With the entire capital curious about the Li residence’s dowry procession and so many spectators, the Jinlin Guards had mobilized. Some words were better kept in one’s heart.

At this moment, someone let out a soft exclamation: “What do you think is in those dozen or so boxes at the back? They look the same.”

At the very end of the dowry procession were eighteen camphor wood boxes of identical size and material, all tied with bright red silk, but because they weren’t opened, they aroused some people’s curiosity.

“Hehe, I think those boxes probably just have random things thrown in. The dowry in front is already shocking enough – if these boxes contained substantial valuables, wouldn’t the Li family have mountains of gold and silver?”

What was in them? Just look and you’d know.

Among the crowd, a man dressed as a wandering knight watched the excitement with great interest. Hearing people’s discussions, he flicked his finger and shot out a pebble that hit exactly on the leg of a servant carrying one of the boxes.

That servant stumbled and nearly fell. The originally well-covered box had its lid pop open with this jolt, and several silver ingots rolled out.

The scene suddenly became quiet. The spectators seemed to have been cast under a fairy’s spell, frozen in their original postures and expressions, mouths agape as they stared at the opened camphor wood box.

The box was piled with gleaming white silver ingots. Because it was packed too full, the jolt had forced the lid open.

The servant hurriedly picked up the silver ingots that had fallen to the ground, covered the box lid, and resumed the journey.

Even after the dowry procession had gone far, the spectators remained as if in a dream.

Over ten boxes piled to overflowing with silver ingots – which family’s daughter had such a generous dowry fund?

“What do you think – could there be gold in those boxes too? To tell you the truth, before those eighteen camphor wood boxes, I also saw six oak wood boxes being carried.”

Everyone fell silent.

It seemed nothing was impossible!