diskusbooks Chapter 169 This is the real big deal
Chapter 169 This is the real big deal
Qiao Qingle hurried along, eager to run into the courtyard to see what was happening. In her haste, she even shoved Qiao Qingqiao.
Qiao Qingqiao stumbled from the push, frowned, and looked at Qiao Qingle, who had already run far away, and said somewhat resentfully,
"They're sisters, how can they be so gloating?"
When Qiao Qingqiao entered the courtyard, it was already full of people.
Qiao Qingqiao quietly walked up behind Qiao Qingshu, secretly took her older sister's hand, and whispered in her ear,
"Big sister, I'm here."
Qiao Qingqiao didn't know what to say or how to comfort her older sister, to tell her not to be angry, or to tell her not to worry about it.
Neither seemed right, so I kept quiet and only told my older sister that I was there to support her.
Qiao Qingshu glanced at Qiao Qingqiao and smiled, her face showing little emotion.
This scene, as seen by Madam Xing, made her think that Qiao Qingshu was just putting on a brave face.
Today, the second branch of the family is presenting betrothal gifts. The first branch of the family could have chosen not to come, but Madam Xing insisted on joining in the fun.
She wanted to see how Qiao Qingshu would suffer a setback and feel wronged today; it would be best if she made a scene in front of them.
She nudged Xiao Chengyan beside her and whispered,
"Yan'er, did you see that? Qiao Qingshu is still putting on a brave face. She's probably crying her eyes out inside."
Xiao Chengyan chuckled and agreed with his mother's statement. This was the consequence of Qiao Qingshu's stubbornness!
If they were to marry Xiao Chengyan, the dowry promised to their family would be 480,000 taels of silver!
It would have been incredibly glamorous, but Qiao Qingshu stubbornly refused to marry him. This meager dowry is her just desserts!
Qiao Jizhou also narrowed his eyes slightly, comparing things in his mind.
The largest dowry ever paid in the capital was for Princess Hesu, the emperor's younger sister, who married into the Gong family, the Marquis of Dingbei, decades ago. At that time, the Gong family paid a dowry of 880,000 taels of silver, which almost emptied the Gong family's coffers.
But this wedding also became the most expensive and grandest wedding in Beijing, and it has been a legendary story for decades!
Over the decades, they have often been compared to each other.
In recent years, the second largest wedding expense has been the dowry of 500,000 taels given by the Bai family of the Duke's Mansion when they married off their daughter, Bai Chanzi.
The dowry and betrothal gifts for these two weddings alone were astronomical. Although other noble families in the capital wanted to catch up, none could reach even half of that level.
Qiao Jizhou knew, of course, that his daughter couldn't reach that level, but she should at least meet the average standard.
Although their noble families have declined, their centuries-old foundation and prestige are still intact!
Without a dowry of at least 30,000 to 50,000 taels, how would these people dare to come to our door? 5,000 taels?
Oh?
Qiao Jizhou also noticed that many people were watching the spectacle with disdain, and his face showed a look of contempt. As a father, he was naturally unwilling to accept this.
His attitude was icy. When the old lady of the Xiao family came forward to speak to him, he waved his sleeve and said coldly,
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, he left the whole courtyard and went to his study in the backyard.
Qiao Qingle burst out laughing when she saw this, and tugged at Qiao Qingqiao's sleeve, saying...
"Second sister, look! Father doesn't even want to talk to the second branch of the Xiao family anymore. Eldest sister's husband's family has really brought shame to the family."
Qiao Qingqiao shook off her hand, frowned, and moved aside, not wanting her to say anything more.
Madam Xing also burst out laughing; her smile stretched almost to her ears. She tugged at Old Master Xiao beside her and whispered something.
"Look, I told you there would be a good show today. Qiao Jizhou's face has turned black, he must be furious, he can't even be bothered to talk to our old lady."
Thinking back to a few days ago, I was so angry that I felt like my lungs were about to explode because of the walnut charcoal that Qiao Qingshu gave me.
Today's events allowed her to witness Qiao Qingshu's humiliation, filling her with indescribable joy and satisfaction.
The eldest son of the Xiao family glanced at him coldly and replied indifferently,
“I told Mother to add more ingredients long ago. It would be a disgrace to the Xiao family to make it look so stingy.”
Madam Xing replied with a smile,
"That's good. Let the second branch of the family pay for it themselves. Zhonggong won't contribute a single penny. He's calculated everything so clearly. No wonder she's an old lady; she's so shrewd!"
The eldest son of the Xiao family frowned.
“I have a feeling that something is not right. Logically speaking, when these grandchildren get married, each branch of the family will contribute money, but it is impossible for Grandpa Zhong not to contribute a single penny. When Rong-ge’er and Qiao-ge’er got married, the old lady made Grandpa Zhong pay for most of the money. Now that the second branch of the family has not had any problems, how can it be divided so cleanly? This is not the old lady’s style of doing things.”
Madam Xing chuckled and patted her husband on the back.
"Oh dear, why are you worrying about these things? The old lady still calls the shots in the Xiao family. She doesn't like the second branch of the family. It's normal that she's unwilling to provide subsidies. That's why we're at ease. It shows that the old lady doesn't have much affection for the second branch. I agree. The second master wasn't born from the old lady's womb. No matter how honest and talented he is, he's nothing. He can't please the old lady, so he'll naturally be neglected."
Madam Xing was happily analyzing the Xiao family's situation, completely unaware that the betrothal gifts were still being carried in box after box.
Everyone was watching the spectacle and didn't really pay attention to how many boxes had fallen from the yard.
Qiao Qingqiao's eyes, which had been dull, slowly brightened.
She counted softly to herself.
"Two, four, six, eight, ... eighteen... thirty-eight... forty-eight..."
Her eyes suddenly lit up with surprise, and she called out in Qiao Qingshu's direction.
"Big sister, there are so many more boxes!"
At this moment, Qiao Qingshu was quietly talking to the old lady of the Xiao family with her head down.
Hearing this, she raised her face and smiled slightly at Qiao Qingqiao.
The old lady of the Xiao family was just about to discuss some matters concerning the betrothal gifts with Qiao Jizhou, but this Lord Qiao walked away on his own.
The old lady of the Xiao family was left standing there, which made her feel a little embarrassed. Qiao Qingshu greeted her with a smile.
Madam Xiao's expression softened slightly.
"Shu'er, don't be angry. There's more to this than meets the eye."
The matriarch of the Xiao family grasped Qiao Qingshu's hand and said softly,
"The dowry list is just a facade, meant to impress outsiders."
Qiao Qingshu was taken aback.
He said, "Oh?"
The matriarch of the Xiao family pulled Qiao Qingshu closer and whispered in her ear,
"A message from the palace says that the Empress Dowager's health has been declining these days, and she is likely to pass away around the beginning of spring, which happens to coincide with your wedding date. Therefore, we dare not be too extravagant. If someone with ulterior motives uses this to their advantage, neither of our families will be spared."
Old Madam Xiao pointed to the boxes that were still being delivered, patted Qiao Qingshu's hand, and slipped a thick list from her sleeve into Qiao Qingshu's hand, saying,
"These are the big ones, but don't make a fuss about them. Just keep them to yourself."