The dowry procession was very long. Children chased behind the procession, playing and frolicking, leaving behind a trail of cheerful laughter. The adults watching the excitement, however, were so shocked by this grand dowry that they couldn’t come to their senses for quite a while.

“Speaking of which, the Li family is truly extraordinary. Not only did they get Marquis Guanjun as a son-in-law, but do you still remember last year? The whole Li family made a scene at the Jinlin Guards office, yet they all came out unscathed—”

Someone nearby suddenly coughed loudly, interrupting that person’s reflection.

At this moment, a white-haired elder spoke up: “Whether the Li family is extraordinary or not aside, it’s not surprising that the main branch of the Li family would have such a grand gesture when marrying off their daughter.”

“How so?” Everyone’s curiosity grew even stronger, and they all asked in unison.

The elder stroked his beard: “You youngsters don’t know – back when the master of the Li family’s West Residence married his second wife, originally, many families were waiting to see them make fools of themselves. But the new bride’s wedding procession stretched for ten li with red decorations, causing a sensation throughout the entire capital. So you see, this old man long predicted that when his family married off their daughter, it wouldn’t be shabby.”

“What’s the background of Third Miss Li’s mother? How is she so wealthy?” Everyone pressed for more details.

In the Li residence, the little maidservants were excitedly discussing Third Miss’s abundant dowry with animated expressions. Lady He listened with a beaming smile, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Nanny Fang couldn’t help but say: “Madam truly dotes on Miss, and there’s also Brother Fu.”

Lady He glanced at Nanny Fang and picked up Brother Fu to kiss him: “My Brother Fu, when you grow up, you mustn’t say Mother is partial. Let Mother tell you – a woman’s dowry should be left to her daughter. Sons must strive on their own, study hard, and in the future earn their Mother an honorary title.”

Brother Fu naturally couldn’t understand, but being kissed by his most familiar mother made him giggle.

Lady He smiled with pursed lips: “Nanny Fang, look – Brother Fu agrees.”

Nanny Fang: “…” Was it proper to take advantage of a six-month-old child?

Lady He had naturally set aside a portion for Brother Fu. Though not as much as she gave her daughter, it would be enough for him to marry respectably in the future.

“Oh my, the little master has wet himself.” Nanny Fang reached into the swaddling clothes to feel around, then quickly took Brother Fu to change his diaper.

With some free time, Lady He held a cup of honey water and sipped it slowly, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Though her father was merely a wealthy landowner without any official position, he was very skilled at business. By the time she grew up, the family owned a thousand qing of good farmland and had silver money by the cartload.

She was an only daughter who had married into a scholarly family. Her father, fearing that the Li family would look down on her, had nearly emptied the family coffers to prepare her dowry, which even caused significant unpleasantness with relatives and clan members.

Speaking of which, it was precisely because she had ample means these years – eating and drinking well – that she had endured through the master’s years of coldness, and this was all thanks to her father’s love.

Now that it was time to marry off her daughter, she naturally wanted to give her the best. This way, even if the good man initially chosen proved unreliable after many years, her daughter would at least still have lots and lots of money.

Sigh, soon her daughter would go to someone else’s family and could no longer come to pay her respects every day. Thinking about it was truly heartbreaking.

Lady Liu, still in confinement, listened to a maidservant excitedly describing the glory of Third Miss’s dowry procession, her smile growing ever brighter.

Fourth Miss Li Yan frowned and shooed the maidservant out: “Madam is still recovering her health. Don’t disturb Madam.”

“Mother doesn’t mind the noise. Hearing these things makes me quite happy.”

Li Yan held back her words, and since there were no outsiders in the room, she asked: “Mother, aren’t you worried?”

“Worried about what?”

“Third Sister’s wedding was so glorious because First Aunt has money. When it comes to us—” Speaking of this, Li Yan’s face reddened, but having matured considerably in the months since suddenly losing her father, she had nothing to hold back before her birth mother. “When it comes to me and my younger sister’s weddings, the disparity with Third Sister’s dowry will surely cause others to gossip. Daughter fears you’ll worry…”

Lady Liu chuckled: “Silly girl, what would Mother worry about? Mother only has reason to be happy.”

Li Yan blinked in confusion.

Seeing her daughter’s bewildered expression, Lady Liu patiently explained: “You’ve lost your father, so arranging marriages will be more difficult than for others. If your Third Sister’s wedding had been shabby, others would be even more convinced that our Li residence lacks foundation, making your marriage prospects even worse. Now your Third Sister’s dowry has blinded those people’s dog eyes – when it comes time to arrange marriages for you and your sister, those people will look more favorably upon you.”

Li Yan suddenly understood.

Lady Liu smiled with pursed lips: “So why would Mother worry? You’re sisters are from the same residence – if one suffers, all suffer; if one prospers, all prosper. What does it matter if others gossip? The ones who truly benefit aren’t them.”

Speaking of this, Lady Liu became serious: “Yan’er, remember this – when encountering situations, first look at the positive aspects. When the heart is broad, the path is wide.”

“Mother, I understand.”

“There’s one more point that’s even more important to remember.”

“Please speak.”

“Following your Third Sister’s lead will never be wrong.” Lady Liu paused and earnestly instructed, “This point is even more important than the previous one.”

Li Yan: “…” Mother had given a small portion of the dowry to Third Sister to add to her trousseau – she knew about this!

The Li family’s ten-li red wedding procession for their daughter quickly became a topic of great interest for the people of the capital during their leisure conversations.

Prince Rui went to Li Jiǎo’s quarters with a somewhat complex expression.

Li Jiǎo was about to give birth soon. Having finally made it safely to this point, the emotional turmoil she had experienced earlier upon learning that other concubines were pregnant had long since stabilized. She had even become more considerate, no longer needing to live in constant anxiety.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”

Prince Rui sighed with emotion: “Jiǎo-niang, you know about your third sister’s wedding date being moved up due to the bestowed marriage, don’t you?”

Li Jiǎo’s heart stirred, and she put on a concerned expression: “This concubine has heard. Has Third Sister’s wedding encountered some problems due to being too rushed?”

With grandmother advanced in age, father being clueless, and stepmother being foolish, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if such a rushed wedding date caused embarrassing mistakes.

Heh, she wanted to hear what kind of embarrassing situation had occurred. She had already entered the prince’s residence as a concubine – whether she could establish a firm foothold depended on the child in her belly. As for how her natal family fared, it didn’t matter anymore, since they had never truly cared for her anyway.

Prince Rui laughed and comforted her: “Jiǎo-niang, don’t worry. Not only did your natal family not cause any embarrassment, they brought unlimited glory.”

Li Jiǎo’s heart sank.

“Your third sister’s dowry even surprised this prince – a thousand qing of good farmland, countless gold and silver, over a hundred sedan chairs in total, a true ten-li red wedding procession.”

He hadn’t expected the Li family to be more prosperous than he had thought. What a pity – if he had known this earlier, he should have brought Lady Li in with the ceremony due to a secondary consort. With such an emperor for a father, even princes didn’t have easy lives.

“Jiǎo-niang, what’s wrong with you?”

“I… my stomach hurts…” Li Jiǎo’s expression was pale.

“Midwife! Quickly call the midwife!” Prince Rui shouted.

Prince Rui’s residence had already arranged for seven or eight midwives to be on standby. Hearing the summons, they all rushed over. Li Jiǎo was helped into the delivery room, and after struggling for several hours, she finally gave birth successfully.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Li Jiǎo was soaked through, as if she had just been pulled from water. Her eyes gleamed as she asked weakly.