“You came.” Pang Xiao smiled as he walked toward Ji Zeyu. “It’s rare to see you wearing this color. I’m used to seeing you in either red or white.”

Ji Zeyu replied expressionlessly: “I was afraid of stealing your thunder.”

Pang Xiao choked for a moment, then laughed heartily: “Isn’t that right? Alan was born handsome—if he made me look like a mud pig or mangy dog by comparison, wouldn’t I lose face completely?”

“Exactly.” Ji Zeyu spread his hands matter-of-factly.

Pang Xiao couldn’t help laughing again.

The manor guards from the Prince Consort’s mansion were all brothers from the Huben Army who had originally fought through life and death alongside Pang Xiao.

Although their commanding officer had changed, their worship and devotion to Pang Xiao in their hearts hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Seeing Pang Xiao looking their way, these guards stood even straighter.

Pang Xiao smiled: “Today I’ll trouble all you brothers to make this trip with this prince.”

“Yes!”

Eighty-eight guards responded in unison, their voices truly murderous and earth-shaking, forcibly imbuing the magnificent front courtyard of the prince’s mansion with an air of deadly solemnity.

This shout made the eighteen Elite Tiger Guards stand even more rigidly at attention.

Yao Chenggu, Nanny Ma, and Yao Shi, who had followed the sound, were all stunned by that momentum that seemed ready for battle.

After a long while, Nanny Ma frowned and said in a low voice: “What is this for! No, I must go talk to Dafu. Going to the in-laws’ like this will scare everyone to death.”

“You, stop worrying.” Yao Chenggu pulled Nanny Ma back, smiling: “The child isn’t a baby anymore—he has his own arrangements. Don’t meddle blindly.”

“How can I not worry? Look at this—which family delivers betrothal gifts and urges the bride’s preparations like this? Taking a group of thugs—is this to urge preparations or raid a house!”

“Mother! Please say less.” Yao Shi took Nanny Ma’s arm and shook it, her brow furrowing at Nanny Ma’s inauspicious words.

Nanny Ma knew she had misspoken and quickly spat three times.

Here, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu had already mounted their horses and headed out of the mansion. Following them were the two hundred and ten sets of betrothal gifts, and finally one hundred and six handsome young soldiers with neat military bearing. The group proceeded magnificently toward the Qin family home.

Nanny Ma and Yao Shi chased out the door, watching until the tail end of that long procession turned the street corner, then both sighed simultaneously.

It wasn’t only Nanny Ma who was worried.

Now Yao Shi also felt her son taking this group to urge the bride’s preparations was somewhat frightening.

Qin Yining was inside teaching Lian Xiaozhou to read when Bingtang came running in from outside.

“Miss, Miss, the prince’s procession to urge your preparations has arrived!”

Qin Yining said in surprise: “So early?”

“Yes, and the procession is particularly spectacular.” Bingtang couldn’t stop smiling.

“How spectacular?”

If not for Sun Shi coming early this morning to tell her she absolutely couldn’t go out to look—that before the wedding she couldn’t see the groom and so forth—she really wished she could go out right now to see just how spectacular it was.

Thinking of how the neighbors had all been stunned moments ago, Bingtang couldn’t help laughing loudly: “The prince and Prince Consort Ji, leading soldiers to urge your preparations.

“At the front is the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes being sent to you. The golden phoenixes on that crown are holding sparkling red rubies in their beaks. Following that are two sedan chairs of gleaming small gold ingots, then two sedan chairs of red coral ornaments. This servant didn’t see clearly what betrothal gifts came after, but they’re all treasures anyway. I heard there are two hundred and ten sets in total. The head of the procession has already entered our mansion gates, but the tail end is still two streets away.”

Qin Yining couldn’t help smiling as she imagined that scene.

She naturally knew of Pang Xiao’s affection for her and didn’t care about material things and money, but that Pang Xiao was willing to spend lavishly to create such momentum for their wedding was already enough to move her.

Qin Yining was moved, but the Old Dowager and others were already being blinded by those substantial betrothal gifts.

Qin Huaiyuan remained calm, watching as the two handsome and noble young men, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu, came riding tall horses with a retinue of carefully selected young men following behind. Qin Huaiyuan appreciated Pang Xiao’s thoughtfulness and was naturally quite delighted.

Pang Xiao dismounted upon arrival and respectfully presented the betrothal gift list with both hands.

But Qin Huaiyuan didn’t even look at it, casually handing the gift list to Sun Shi while smiling and greeting Ji Zeyu: “Prince Consort Ji’s willingness to help truly makes this old man infinitely grateful.”

Ji Zeyu knew today was Pang Xiao’s day to urge the bride’s preparations. Although he disliked Qin Huaiyuan in his heart, he still maintained proper appearances, politely returning the greeting and even unusually warmly saying: “Lord Qin need not be polite. The prince and I are good friends—this favor naturally must be given.”

Qin Huaiyuan was somewhat surprised, but looking at Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu’s demeanor, he understood somewhat.

He turned to instruct people to properly receive the servants carrying betrothal gifts and the fine men accompanying the preparations, then led Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu inside to drink tea while granting permission for tomorrow’s wedding.

The atmosphere inside was very good.

In the courtyard, the Old Dowager was already dazzled by those abundant betrothal gifts.

“Oh my, oh my, good heavens, this is such a large sum! Even when our family hadn’t suffered raids before, all our family wealth combined wouldn’t equal one sedan chair of these small gold ingots! This is really too grand, too precious! With this silver, our family will have a foundation.”

The Old Dowager’s hands trembled as she gripped the gift list. Sun Shi, however, was extremely displeased with the Old Dowager’s money-grubbing attitude and said frankly in a low voice: “These betrothal gifts will accompany Yining’s dowry tomorrow—they must all be carried to the prince’s mansion together. However abundant they are, they must be sent back.”

“Send back?” The Old Dowager’s voice was shrill: “You say send back just like that? Who’s the matriarch here, you or me? I say we’re not sending them back!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Shi didn’t argue with the Old Dowager, only saying: “I’m marrying off my daughter, not selling her. We cannot keep any of these betrothal gifts. If it were the Old Dowager in my position, would the Old Dowager want people to think we in-laws are greedy for wealth?”

The Old Dowager was left speechless by this rebuke, only flushing red with anger.

Inside, Pang Xiao had already settled the specific procedures for tomorrow’s wedding procession with Qin Huaiyuan.

Since Qin Huaiyuan had already agreed to this marriage, he naturally appeared extremely accommodating, doing his best to provide conveniences wherever he could for Pang Xiao.

When Pang Xiao nervously brought up tomorrow’s door-blocking ceremony, Qin Huaiyuan finally couldn’t help laughing: “Don’t worry, Yining’s male cousins all have sense. I’ll give them instructions.”

Only then did Pang Xiao breathe a long sigh of relief, smiling and nodding.

Although he could officially welcome Qin Yining through the doors tomorrow, he still felt time was passing far too slowly.

The gift-bearing procession came magnificently and left magnificently. Both front and back courtyards of the Qin family were filled with betrothal gifts. Since there really was no place to put them, they could only pile the gifts outside and arrange for special people to guard them.

Qin Yining waited until Pang Xiao, Ji Zeyu, and their entire group had left before going outside to look at those spectacular betrothal gifts. After seeing those two sedan chairs of small gold ingots placed under the corridor, Qin Yining also fell silent.

Pang Xiao had probably brought out his entire family fortune this time.

In the main room, the Old Dowager called Qin Huaiyuan inside and got straight to the point: “Meng Ge’er, our family’s circumstances are currently tight. Look, among the betrothal gifts are two sedan chairs of small gold ingots—if we kept one chair, it would be enough for the whole family to live on for a very long time.”