The young man delivering the items was none other than Chen Guang.

Box after box of items were carried in, filling the main hall of Qingsong Hall to the brim.

Old Madam Deng was shocked, Second Madam Liu Shi was also shocked, and even Li Jiǎo forgot her resentment, widening her beautiful eyes to stare.

Only He Shi maintained a calm and composed expression.

“These are—”

Chen Guang cupped his hands toward Old Madam Deng: “These are all items that others gave to the physician after he arrived in the capital. The physician said carrying these things while traveling would be too troublesome, so he’s giving them all to Third Miss.”

Others?

The physician had moved into Prince Rui’s residence immediately upon entering the capital. This “others” surely referred to Prince Rui? How could gifts from a prince be ordinary? And Physician Li was giving all of these to the Third Miss?

The more Second Madam Liu Shi thought about it, the more shocked she became. She stared at the boxes one by one, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Good heavens, what treasures were in there? Why didn’t either of her daughters have a physician for a godfather?

“Old Madam, shouldn’t we open them to take a look? After all, these are gifts for a young lady,” Liu Shi suggested tentatively.

Though she harbored selfish motives, her words weren’t entirely wrong.

Young ladies were different from others—receiving gifts indeed required more caution. Otherwise, if someone with ill intentions secretly stuffed inappropriate items, it would be impossible to explain later.

Old Madam Deng had obviously thought of these concerns. She glanced around the room, dismissed the irrelevant people, and said to her trusted Nanny Rong: “Open these boxes and inspect them.”

The first box opened to reveal a full box of silks and satins, their colors and patterns all suitable for men. The second box contained cordyceps, lingzhi mushrooms, and other precious medicinal materials.

Nanny Rong quietly took a breath and opened the third box. The entire room gasped in amazement—it was a red coral of pure, perfect color!

When Nanny Rong went to open the fourth box, Liu Shi’s eyes nearly wanted to drill into the box. Then her vision blurred as the entire room seemed to brighten.

The fourth box was filled with silver ingots!

“Heavens!” Liu Shi couldn’t help but cry out, quickly covering her mouth with her handkerchief.

Old Madam Deng, while shocked, couldn’t help but frown.

Though she didn’t know much about imperial relatives and nobles, she had heard from Old Madam Jiang of the East Residence that because Prince Rui’s teacher was Second Assistant Xu Mingda, First Assistant Lan Shan often targeted him. For certain government offices, the first assistant who held absolute power in court was more influential than a prince’s words. Therefore, life in Prince Rui’s residence wasn’t as glorious as ordinary people imagined.

Such a grand gesture probably wasn’t entirely from Prince Rui’s gifts, was it?

The fifth box was very small, only about a foot long. When Nanny Rong reached to open it, her fingers were already trembling. She couldn’t help but look toward Old Madam Deng.

“Open it.” Though Old Madam Deng was extremely shocked, having weathered many storms, she could still maintain composure on the surface.

Nanny Rong steeled herself and opened the box.

A full case of pearls of various colors gleamed with flowing light, dazzling both the eyes and the heart.

Liu Shi’s eyes nearly popped out, her rouge-painted mouth hung open, forgotten.

She couldn’t help but turn to look at the new owner of these items, only to see the young lady sitting quietly beside He Shi, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she yawned out of boredom.

Liu Shi: “…”

She refused to accept this! She protested! Someone who should be shocked and frantic, but instead looked completely indifferent, was truly too hateful!

The sixth box was even smaller. Nanny Rong seemed to have become numb as she reached to open it, quickly shielding her eyes with her hand.

It was a case full of gold leaves!

Old Madam Deng’s hand trembled, nearly unable to maintain her seated position.

She somewhat regretted having them opened publicly. There were no walls that didn’t let wind through—probably for a long time to come, the West Residence would be the top choice for thieves.

The last box was quite large. Nanny Rong secretly steadied herself and opened the box.

Everyone’s taut nerves immediately relaxed.

Liu Shi quietly patted her chest, thinking silently: Thank goodness, thank goodness, it’s just a box of books. If it had been another box of treasures, she really would have collapsed and rushed forward.

Qiao Zhao, who had maintained an indifferent expression throughout, blinked and couldn’t help but curve her lips upward.

Grandfather Li had given her so many medical books. Those introductory medical texts were merely to deflect attention—there must be Grandfather Li’s painstaking work from recent years inside.

Thinking this way, Qiao Zhao became somewhat restless, wishing she could embrace this box of books and fly back to Yahe Courtyard to read to her heart’s content.

Finally finished with the inspection, Nanny Rong wiped her sweat and stepped aside.

Old Madam Deng collected herself and smiled warmly at Chen Guang: “So many items—troubling you to deliver them is truly bothersome.”

“Old Madam is too polite. This humble one doesn’t deserve such praise.”

“Has the physician already left?”

“Yes, the physician left early this morning. He asked me to tell Third Miss not to worry about him—the physician will return once he finishes his business.”

“The physician is truly too generous to our Third Miss. How can a young lady accept so many items?” Old Madam Deng said politely.

Among everyone present, aside from Qiao Zhao, He Shi had appeared most composed, but upon hearing this, she became displeased.

Her daughter couldn’t accept these things? In the future, she would leave all her dowry to Zhaozhao anyway. When she married in, she had brought a ten-li bridal procession! All these years, the old lady had always blocked her, leaving her no place to spend even when she wanted to!

Thinking of this, He Shi began to feel stifled.

Clearly, before marriage, those various aunts and relatives had instructed her to be careful, saying many declining families had mothers-in-law and husbands who conspired together to scheme for the daughter-in-law’s dowry. Mothers-in-law would use daughters-in-law’s dowries to eat delicacies and fill deficits, while husbands would use wives’ dowries to support concubines’ children and mistresses.

In her case, when she wanted to replace a carriage, the old lady wasn’t pleased. When she gave expensive jade pendants to the master, he would glare at her.

“The physician said these items are merely burdens to him, and asks Third Miss not to be polite in using them.”

Burdens?

Liu Shi directly rolled her eyes.

Such burdens—give her a dozen!

The more Liu Shi thought about it, the more heartbroken she became.

Never mind a dozen—just giving her that box of silver ingots would be enough for both daughters’ dowry money in the future.

This truly was comparing people to death.

Old Madam Deng exchanged a few more polite words and served tea.

According to hospitality rules, once the host served tea, it meant seeing the guest off.

Seeing Chen Guang show no reaction, Old Madam Deng secretly shook her head: This young man looked quite spirited and was born handsome, but his mind didn’t seem very sharp.

She was an old lady—surely she couldn’t keep chatting idly with him indefinitely?

After waiting and waiting, Old Madam Deng finally couldn’t help saying: “Young man, if you have nothing else, please go about your business.”

Chen Guang quickly glanced at Qiao Zhao and smiled shyly: “Old Madam, this humble one is also on the list of things the physician is giving to Third Miss.”

“What?” Faced with a room full of gold, silver, and jewels, Old Madam Deng hadn’t lost composure, but now she was startled.

It couldn’t be—no matter how unconventional the physician’s behavior, he surely wouldn’t send a grown man to her granddaughter, would he?

The old lady unconsciously appraised Chen Guang.

Mm, tall with long legs, handsome and extraordinary—if one were to speak of it, he would indeed be presentable as a gift—

Eh, her thoughts had gone astray!

Old Madam Deng began coughing.