The second wave of controversy over the 5.4 billion won dowry

  Xia Ting walked back to the pear garden with Wan Yu, her heart feeling light and carefree. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw box after box of betrothal gifts neatly arranged on the ground. Shui Shi was carefully checking each item against the gift list, while Xia Zi Yun curiously followed beside her, glancing around here and there.

  Bixiao, who was helping Shui's family, happened to glance up and saw Xia Tingcong returning, so she quickly curtsied and said "Miss."

  Shui heard Bi Luo's voice and turned around, seeing his daughter standing at the gate of the courtyard, he exclaimed in surprise "Ning Er, you're back."

  Xia Zi Yun also ran over with a smile, pulling Xia Ting Ying's hand and saying "Sister, you're back. There are so many things here, Mother said each one is worth a fortune."

  He's not stupid either, seeing that his future brother-in-law is willing to take out such good things for his sister as a betrothal gift, he knows that the other party must really like his sister, and is willing to do so. In his heart, he can't help but have a few more good feelings towards his future brother-in-law.

  Xia Ting smiled and pulled her brother's hand towards Shui Shi, who handed over the gift list with a smile. "Ting'er, this dowry from the Jing Wang Fu is really too much, there are 248 sedan chairs! Mother was worried that you would be bullied after marrying into their family. Although the Crown Prince of Jing favors you, it's hard to guarantee that the King and Queen of Jing won't dislike you. Now that I've seen these gifts, mother can finally rest assured. Your future mother-in-law doesn't look down on you after all, or else she wouldn't have sent such generous gifts. I heard they were even brought by the wet nurse from the side of the Queen of Jing?"

  Xia Ting accepted the gift list from Shui's hand with a smile and nodded slightly.

  After getting a positive answer, Shui Shi repeatedly said "That's good, that's good." Jing'er finally found a good place to settle down, and her mother was also at ease.

  "Where should these betrothal gifts be placed?" Shui asked again. "With so many gifts, and no storage room in the Pear Courtyard, where can they be put?"

  "Have them all moved into the other two empty rooms in the yard, and then lock everything up."

  It's just a temporary arrangement now, anyway, when she gets married, these betrothal gifts will be taken back to the Jing Wang Fu intact as part of her dowry. Now it's just stored here for a few months.

  Mrs. Shui nodded in agreement, "Well, it can't be helped." After that, she took the gift list from her daughter's hand and continued to check the betrothal gifts in the box. After all, there were so many items, if something went wrong later, it would be bad.

  Suddenly, a noisy footsteps came from outside the Liyuan, it was Lao Furen Xia and Madam Li who hastily brought in several maids and servant girls. They looked like they were in a hurry.

  As soon as the old lady entered the courtyard, she saw that it was filled with numerous betrothal gifts. She was immediately struck with wonder. Earlier, she had only heard Li say something about it, but hadn't seen it for herself, so she didn't think much of it. But now that she had personally seen the large red chests filling the entire courtyard, it truly was a magnificent sight.

  At this time, the sharp-eyed Mrs. Xia saw a whole box of black pearls in a gift box opened by Shui Shi, which was extremely precious. It is known that only the royal family can afford it. Not only does it have a smooth color, but also a crystal clear light, and with the gentle rotation of the pearl, the pearl itself will have a slight rainbow-like flash that changes constantly, beautiful to the point of moving people's hearts.

  Light is a black pearl worth ten thousand gold, let alone a whole box full of it. Old Lady Xia's heart beats faster just thinking about it.

  Apart from this, there were also two jade Ruyi with bright green colors in the gift box. A glance at a Buddha statue made of top-quality sheep fat jade. So many good things only took up half of the box's space, and there were so many boxes in the courtyard, how much gold, silver, jewelry, and jade accessories would be inside?

  At this thought, Old Lady Xia's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the betrothal gift box, and she couldn't wait to move all these things back to Chunxi Residence immediately.

  Her eyes now only had the treasure in the courtyard, and she even forgot the original purpose of coming to Liyuan. She tried her best to suppress the unparalleled excitement in her heart, and pretended to be calm, saying "Second sister, I heard your mother say that you refused to lock up the betrothal gift sent by the Jingwang Fu in the treasury?"

  After the first two confrontations, she already knew that her relationship with these two women was beyond repair, so now there was no need to be polite to each other. Her tone and demeanor were no longer as gentle as before. She decided to take the initiative, using her seniority to suppress the opponent.

  As soon as Old Lady Xia spoke, Mrs. Li was slightly stunned. What is she talking about? Didn't they agree to come over to the Pear Courtyard and let Xia Ning'er take care of the matter of the Jing Wang Fu? How did it turn out that she brought up the betrothal gifts instead?

  Xia Lian and Xia Rong also looked anxious, they didn't know what their grandmother was going to do. Although they were suspicious in their hearts, this time they didn't dare ask out loud, fearing that they would disrupt their grandmother's plan.

  Xia Ting condensed her eyebrows, the old lady had just stormed in with a fierce momentum. She thought the other party was here because of Xia Lian and Xia Rong's affairs, but unexpectedly, as soon as she opened her mouth, she mentioned the betrothal gift.

  Xia Ting smiled faintly and said, "My things, why should they be locked in the treasury?"

  This old lady came and stared directly at the dowry box on the ground, probably also having the same idea as Li about these dowries. Indeed, relatives are all alike, with similar personalities.

  Mrs. Xia was taken aback by these words and suddenly didn't know what to say. She hastily turned her eyes around, and suddenly her eyes lit up, smiling and saying "Second girl, this pear garden is so small, where can we put so many betrothal gifts? Since you don't want to move into the mansion's warehouse, your grandmother won't make things difficult for you either. Let's just move all these to the warehouse of Chunxi Residence, there are always people taking care of it, and after locking up, it's very safe, and we don't have to worry about being stolen."

  Old Lady Xia nodded as she spoke, apparently thinking that her idea was extremely good. If it's locked in the treasury, then it becomes Li Shi's thing, of course it should be moved to her own warehouse.

  These exquisite black pearls are just enough to string into a few beautiful pearl necklaces for her to wear, and the pair of jade Ruyi can be placed in her room to add auspiciousness. As for the sheep fat white jade Guanyin statue, it goes without saying that it will be directly worshiped to bless her with longevity and everything going smoothly as she wishes.

  Is it safe? She didn't mishear, did she? This old lady actually dared to say that putting them in her warehouse would be safe. I'm afraid she's thinking that once these betrothal gifts enter the treasury of Chunxi Residence, they'll become hers. Putting them in her own place, naturally, makes her feel safe.

  Xia Ting didn't get angry, but instead smiled and said, "No need to worry about it, Old Madam. It just so happens that there are still two empty rooms in the Pear Courtyard, I was thinking of moving my things there anyway. And these betrothal gifts can only be kept safe if they're stored in the Pear Courtyard. After all, from the beginning until now, there have been many people eyeing these gifts covetously. To avoid any mistakes, it's better to keep them in a place of my own, lest those 'petty people' steal them away." The tone of her voice emphasized the two words "petty people".

  She's not a fool, if these betrothal gifts really enter the other party's warehouse, she won't be able to get them back. After all, with this old lady and Li Shi's thick skin, they will definitely occupy it directly and consider it their own with a clear conscience. She wouldn't do such a stupid thing as using meat buns to hit dogs.

  Mrs. Xia didn't fail to catch the implication of Xia Ting's sarcastic remark, and she was so angry that she almost jumped up, this detestable unfilial grandson, having gotten something good but not bringing it to pay his respects to her, and even daring to secretly scold her as a petty person in front of her.

  Old Lady Xia was about to lose her temper, but then she heard Li Shi hastily pulling on her sleeve and shouting "Mother, have you forgotten? We came here to resolve the matter between Lian Er and Rong Er."

  Mrs. Li saw that Old Lady Xia was getting more and more off the topic, obviously having made up her mind about these betrothal gifts, and had completely forgotten about her own daughters, Lian and Rong. She couldn't help but remind her opponent of this fact.

  Old Lady Xia heard Mrs. Li's words and paused, suddenly coming to her senses. Ah yes, she was here to deal with the two daughters of the legitimate line. Just now, being dazzled by so many good things, she had forgotten everything.

  Mrs. Xia hurriedly cleared her throat twice, and with a pretentious attitude, slightly raised her head and said, "Second daughter, if you don't want to move these betrothal gifts into Chunxi Residence, that's fine too. As long as you agree to seal the mouths of the people in the Jingwang Fu, so that today's events won't spread out and ruin the reputations of Lian'er and Rong'er. Then I'll allow you to keep half of these betrothal gifts. The remaining half can be moved to my Chunxi Residence."

  Mrs. Xia smiled to herself as she spoke, thinking that this way, she could solve the problem of her two daughters' reputations being ruined, and also get such a generous dowry, even if it was only half of it, which would be enough for her to squander. As for the remaining half, let's just say it's a bargain for this unfilial little scoundrel.

  "What if I don't agree?" Xia Ting's soft laughter sounded, "This old lady still thinks she's so capable, not only wanting her to do things, but also trying to split the betrothal gift five-fifty, this is really something new."

  Old Lady Xia glared at him with anger and shouted, "You dare not to agree? Try it out! I'll have all these betrothal gifts moved away immediately. Not a single cent will be left for you." This damned thing, is he trying to rebel or something, daring not to listen to her words.

  At this time, Mrs. Xia only thought of using her seniority to suppress others, but forgot that Xia Ting had never obeyed her before, so how could she turn around and listen to her now?

  Shui Shi, who had always stood beside Xia Ting, couldn't bear it anymore. Although she didn't know what the old lady wanted Ting to do, her intuition told her that it probably wasn't anything good.

  For her daughter, she immediately stood up bravely and said, "Old lady, don't make things difficult for Jing'er. I've never heard of a grandmother who wants to take away her own granddaughter's dowry." She really didn't expect that this Old Lady Xia would dare to raise such a request with a straight face, as if it were only natural.

  Old Lady Xia heard this and became furious, scolding: "You're quite bold, Water Clan! When did it become your turn to speak? You dare to contradict me! Hmph, I knew that gentle and weak appearance of yours was just an act. No wonder these two maids don't take me seriously; it's all because you've been secretly manipulating them."

  She, upon seeing the other woman, would always think of that fox-like beauty, Liu Niang. That damned cheap woman had originally relied on her seductive charm to enthrall Master, nearly squeezing her out of her position as the legitimate wife. Although she had eventually eliminated her rival through cunning, Liu Niang remained an eternal pain in her heart. Now, with this Shui Shi appearing at home, it was hard to guarantee that one day she wouldn't also lure away her son's soul.

  Shui's face fell as soon as she heard this, and she felt extremely wronged. She thought to herself that since entering the Summer household, she had been filial and courteous, visiting her mother-in-law at Spring Mansion every morning and evening without fail, never once being lazy or neglectful. When had she ever taught Cong'er to be disrespectful to her elders? Yet Mrs. Summer always seemed to find fault with her.

  Xia Zi Yun heard Xia Lao Fu Ren's unpleasant words, and immediately glared at the other party, saying "My mother has never done such a thing, Old Lady, don't spout nonsense."

  He is now increasingly disgusted with this old lady, not to mention wanting to rob his sister's dowry, and also openly framing his mother. No wonder his sister told him early on that he couldn't get close to this old lady. It turns out that his sister had seen through her long ago.

  He now also calls her "Old Lady" like Xia Ting, rather than calling her grandmother.

  Mrs. Xia saw Xia Ziyun's angry face and immediately thought it was bad, she had forgotten that Xia Ziyun was also standing beside her. She still valued this illegitimate grandson who had just been brought back. After all, the child was young and talented, and in the future, he would be expected to take the imperial examination and bring glory to the Xia family. Now, facing the opponent, she treated Er Ya and Shui Shi like that, and Ziyun would probably never get close to her again.

  "Summer listened to the front step, will mother and brother all protected in the back, coldly said 'Old lady does not need to waste her tongue, I have not married into the Jing Wang Fu yet. Why should the servants of the house listen to me? Besides, your two precious daughters, having the guts to do such a thing, now how can they not have the guts to take responsibility for the consequences? Growing up to this age, doing things without knowing that one must think three times before acting, this matter is just right to give them a lesson, so that they can remember it for a long time. I have no way to help them block the mouths of the people. As for these betrothal gifts, if the old lady really wants them, then take them. It's just that I must let the servants of Liyuan go out and proclaim it. Once the reputation of this greedy daughter's betrothal gift is spread, I don't know if you will lose face or not. At that time, I will write a letter to send someone to deliver it to Jing Wang Fu, and he will dispatch someone to handle this matter. Old lady, are you sure you want to do such a foolish thing that will be despised by others and end up with nothing?"

  Old Lady Xia heard this and suddenly became angry. "You, you scoundrel! You mean to say that you refuse to do this thing?" How dare he threaten her like this? Isn't this clearly telling her that if she dares to take these betrothal gifts, tomorrow she will be ruined and disgraced? This damned unfilial thing.

  Xia Ting raised an eyebrow and coldly smiled, saying "That's right, I won't interfere with this matter. This mouth belongs to someone else, if they want to say something, I can't control it. At most, I'll promise the old lady not to take advantage of the situation."

  Mrs. Xia was so angry that she panted heavily, and the maid beside her hurriedly stroked her chest to help her breathe.

  Mrs. Li couldn't help but burst out in a shrill voice, "You're a heartless little beast! You won't even help your own sister!" She was both shocked and furious. This wretched little beast actually dared to refuse. What would become of her lotus and peony now?

  Xia Rong was waving her paws, wanting to go forward and scratch Xia Ting's face, but was firmly caught by the servants of Liyuan. She could only shout continuously "You little slut, it's all your fault, I want to tear your face apart, you damned little slut."

  She will soon be unwanted and become an old maid until she dies, all of this is because of the harm caused by this little villain in front of her. If the other party hadn't wanted to take away those dowries that should have belonged to herself, how would she have lost face in front of everyone?

  She still thinks to this day that all those betrothal gifts should be hers.

  Xia Ting's beautiful eyes shot towards Xia Rong, "If you dare to utter another word of insult, I'll make sure you become mute today. Teach you a lesson so you can never speak again."

  Xia Rong was shot by that sharp gaze, and she suddenly felt frightened. She still hadn't forgotten how he had pinched her hand swollen in the front hall just now. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but take a few steps back in fear, no longer daring to shout again.

  Xia Lian bit her lower lip tightly, full of anger and unwillingness. She couldn't believe that her life would end like this. She hadn't even married into a prestigious family to enjoy wealth and glory, so how could she end up with such a bleak fate of dying an old maid?

  Xia Ting didn't bother to reason with them anymore, and simply said, "If you have the ability, then think of a way yourself. I won't be able to help anyway. Everything depends on yourselves now. And it's got to be quick too. Otherwise, if it's delayed, things will really get troublesome. They say what cause, gets what effect, this saying is indeed not wrong."

  Let them be anxious and flustered, she knew that Li would not let today's events spread outside. After all, she was still a member of the Xia household, and if any bad rumors were to come out of the Xia household, it would have some impact on her. Moreover, as the future princess consort of the Jing Wang Fu, reputation was very important. So after Li returned, she would definitely order everyone who came to the Xia household today to keep their mouths shut.

  But she wouldn't tell Old Lady Xia and the Li mother-daughter duo about these things. Let them worry for a while, best if they can't eat or sleep well. She was delighted to play this villainous role.

  The old lady Xia had not yet achieved her goal and was unwilling to leave, just thinking of opening her mouth to say something.

  But Xia Ting continued, "If the old lady doesn't want to leave, that's fine. I happen to have something to discuss with her anyway. In a few months, it will be my wedding day, shouldn't the old lady and madam send me the dowry that belongs to me? Of course, I won't ask for too much, one hundred and sixty trunks should be enough."

  Upon hearing this, Old Lady Xia was taken aback. She never thought of preparing a dowry for this little girl, let alone one with 160 sedan chairs. She wasn't senile yet, how could such a thing be possible?

  Li heard this and almost got angry, letting this little cheap girl help with the matter she didn't want to, but still dared to turn around and ask for a dowry. One hundred and sixty sets, how could she not go rob, even if it was Lian'er and Rong'er getting married, she would at most prepare one hundred and forty sets for each of them, and this little hoof was just a concubine's daughter, yet dared to open her mouth and say she wanted one hundred and sixty sets of dowry. She thought beautifully, even if it was half a set, she wouldn't give it to her.

  Xia Ting looked at the old lady with a smile, her voice becoming even more clear and moving "Isn't it that you and your husband won't give me a dowry? If this gets out, then..."

  Li directly raised her head, stiffened her neck and said "Spread it out if you want to spread it out, you damn little hoof, don't expect me to give you a dowry. If you have the ability, prepare yourself, the house doesn't have that much idle money to buy things for you." Anyway, she even did the job of robbing the betrothal gift, now she just didn't want to give a dowry, what's the big deal? This little hoof wasn't her own flesh and blood, why wouldn't she let that cheap woman Water prepare it? Thinking of digging things out from her? Don't even think about it.

  Mrs. Xia glared fiercely at Xia Tingying, neither answering nor not answering, and finally took a deep breath and said "Let's go." She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would be driven to death by this little girl.

  Li also angrily took her two daughters and left, she didn't believe that she wouldn't think of a way to shut those people up.

  Finally got rid of this group of pests, Xia Tingjing looked extremely good, but Shui Shi was very worried. "Ting'er, the old lady and the madam refused to prepare your dowry, what can we do? Your mother only has some jewelry and antiques left by your grandfather, I'm afraid it's not enough."

  It's all because of her uselessness as a mother that she can't even prepare a decent dowry for her daughter.

  Xia Ting Cong smiled lightly and said, "Mother, don't worry, I have my own plans for the dowry. Originally, I didn't expect those people to help me with it anyway. What I said earlier was just to get rid of them, so they wouldn't linger around our place."

  Don't mention that they won't give it to her, even if they did, she wouldn't want it. The other party's things, no matter how small, she absolutely wouldn't touch. As for the dowry, she had instructed the servants to prepare it early on, and the gold, silver, jade, and silk fabrics were all designed by herself, and made by her own workshop, which was unmatched by others. And from outside, she also purchased precious antiques and paintings, so this dowry was already well-prepared.

  After comforting his mother, Xia Ting condensed her thoughts and beckoned to Wan Yu, "Take the silver and buy off the attendants around Master. Tell him to tell Master about what happened in the mansion today, especially Li's mother and daughter's behavior in the main hall. The more vividly he describes it, the more generous the reward will be."

  Since Li brought over Old Mrs. Li to add to her troubles, she couldn't help but return the favor properly.

  Here is the translation:

  Just then, Old Master Xia returned to the Xia Manor in a sedan chair with a pleased expression on his face. He had just come back from court and for the past two days, because of the matter of Jing'er marrying into the Qing Wang Fu as the Crown Prince's consort, he was truly proud and confident in front of everyone at court. Even when walking, he straightened his waist more than usual. Having a son-in-law who is a prince is different from others, not to mention one who has gained the emperor's trust and holds great power in his hands, that's even more exceptional.

  Xia Lao Ye stepped down from the horse carriage with a smile, walked into the mansion's gate and arrived at the study. As soon as he entered, one of his attendants named 'Si De' hastily came forward, nervously and anxiously saying "Master, you've finally returned."