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Originally, everyone implicitly understood the situation and how things were; it was best not to speak further. Yet, there was this little girl, lacking in perception, who had to get to the bottom of it! Fourth Daughter Hao De quickly tugged at her Fifth Sister, signaling her to say no more. But words, once spoken, could never be taken back!
"Cough, cough!" At this moment, Lady Li Niang straightened up, awkwardly clearing her throat twice, then chuckled, "The Marquis is concerned for our Li family's business! He consulted with Eldest Daughter late last night, so he stayed here! It's nothing serious! Hehe! Nothing serious at all!"
"We've already accepted the betrothal gifts anyway, so Eldest Daughter is practically half a person of the Marquis's Residence!"
The moment Lady Li Niang spoke, her other daughters nodded in agreement. After all, this was a great step down, and they had now seemingly crossed it. However, this was merely her wishful thinking; there were other matters Wei Tingyu had to address!
"The reason I stayed with Shou Hua was also to promptly ask madam for something!" Wei Tingyu snapped open the folding fan he carried, fanning himself elegantly as he stepped forward to face Lady Li Niang.
"What thing?" Lady Li Niang was startled, then asked. She didn't notice that her Eldest Daughter Shou Hua's face had also reddened at this moment.
"The concubine contract for Eldest Daughter Shou Hua!" Wei Tingyu blinked, then said with a smile.
"Concubine contract?" Lady Li Niang was stunned, then immediately nodded, "Of course! Of course! I'll write it now! I'll write it now!" As long as the concubine contract was signed, Eldest Daughter Shou Hua would officially be a person of the Marquis's Residence! Then, what happened last night would no longer be feared if it spread!
With both sides eager for the union, all conditions were easily discussed! Wei Tingyu grandly waved his hand and offered twenty thousand taels of silver as the betrothal gift for taking a noble concubine! Lady Li Niang was not greedy for this money. She immediately turned around and gave all twenty thousand taels of silver back to Shou Hua as her dowry! Of course, Lady Li Niang also knew that Wei Tingyu was worried that Shou Hua might be unhappy entering the residence without a substantial dowry. Although the ladies and concubines of the Marquis's Residence wouldn't maliciously gossip because of it, Shou Hua's own dignity still needed to be considered. Now with twenty thousand taels of dowry, Shou Hua could naturally hold her head high.
And the other four sisters of the Li family immediately widened their eyes when they saw that the betrothal gift and dowry were actually twenty thousand taels! At the same time, expressions of envy appeared on their faces.
"Don't worry! His Lordship will treat everyone equally!" Eldest Daughter Shou Hua smiled directly, looking at her sisters' surprised expressions. Of course, this wasn't a guarantee she was making casually on Wei Tingyu's behalf; Wei Tingyu had already told her this last night. The betrothal gift for each of the five Li family daughters upon formally entering the residence would be twenty thousand taels! That's why she dared to tell her sisters this beforehand.
"Let me see! So this is what a concubine contract looks like!"
"Oh, don't argue! Let me read it first, then you can see it!"
Fourth Daughter Hao De and Fifth Daughter Le Shan, the two youngest sisters, immediately began vying for the concubine contract after their mother finished writing and signing it, full of curiosity. And this scene made Eldest Daughter Shou Hua tremble with fear.
"Don't snatch! Don't snatch! Don't tear it!" Shou Hua looked at her two sisters with a worried expression. Seeing that their actions weren't rough, she felt a little relieved, but still couldn't be completely at ease. This was her concubine contract! With it, she would be a well-deserved noble concubine of the Marquis's Residence! She was naturally terribly nervous!
"Don't worry! Your sisters, though mischievous, know what's important!" Lady Li Niang's face was also beaming now. The Marquis is truly a respectable person! With these twenty thousand taels of betrothal gift, which then became a dowry returning to the Marquis's Residence, although neither party lost anything in the exchange, nominally, these twenty thousand taels were at least Shou Hua's personal dowry. And Wei Tingyu doing this was nothing more than to give Shou Hua face. If this spread among the neighbors, Lady Li Niang would also have much to boast about!
"Your Lordship, why don't we..." Thinking of this, Lady Li Niang's eyes rolled, and she said, "I'll just write the concubine contracts for the remaining four daughters as well! It'll save a lot of trouble later, one by one!" The moment her words fell, Second Daughter Fu Hui and Third Daughter Kang Ning, who were standing nearby, immediately blushed. If these were written, then tonight they would also have to return to the Marquis's Residence along with Eldest Sister!
"No need to rush!" However, Wei Tingyu directly waved his hand, indicating that Lady Li Niang didn't need to be so hasty. Of course, to prevent Second Daughter Fu Hui and Third Daughter Kang Ning from misunderstanding that he disliked them, he then explained, "Second Daughter Fu Hui has not yet divorced from the Fan family. If a concubine contract were signed and a written record kept now, someone with ulterior motives might use it as leverage later."
"If it spreads, others will say that the Li family marries their daughter twice! This would not be good for the reputation of the entire Li family!"
"And Second Daughter Fu Hui is, after all, the second eldest. If she hasn't entered the residence yet, and I marry her three younger sisters first, how would Fu Hui feel?"
"So, there's no rush for this moment!"
The moment Wei Tingyu's words fell, Lady Li Niang nodded repeatedly! At the same time, she was deeply moved. The Marquis truly thinks for the entire Li family! He even considered Second Daughter Fu Hui's feelings. Indeed, marrying her daughters to him was not wrong at all! And Second Daughter Fu Hui was even more moved upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, and she also made up her mind: she must perform well in today's grand drama! She would escape the bitter sea of the Fan family as soon as possible, so she wouldn't delay herself and her sisters! Third Daughter Kang Ning's eyes also sparkled repeatedly, because Wei Tingyu's consideration for Fu Hui deeply moved her, being a woman herself! I've searched and searched, and indeed, the best husband was right before my eyes!
"Your Lordship! Madam!" At this moment, the Li family's old servant walked in and said to Wei Tingyu and Lady Li Niang, "Someone from the Fan family has come to pick up Second Daughter! They say that with the concubine entering the residence today, it wouldn't look proper for Second Daughter, the lady of the house, to be absent."
"Understood!" Lady Li Niang, feeling completely at ease with Wei Tingyu's support by her side, directly waved her hand and said, "Tell them to wait a moment. Our entire Li family will go to congratulate the Second Young Master on his joy of taking a concubine!"
"Yes!" The old servant nodded, then withdrew.
"The show is about to begin!" Wei Tingyu smiled faintly, a meaningful curve forming on his lips.
Chai An arrived at the Fan family mansion with his attendants, but before he could even dismount, the steward, standing at the gate, quickly approached with a beaming smile. "Is Young Master Chai here to celebrate?"
Seeing the Fan family steward's beaming smile, Chai An was startled, then frowned and asked, "What joy is there?"
"It's the joy of our young master taking a concubine!" The steward's smile grew wider upon hearing this. However, Chai An shook his head helplessly. Indeed, his cousin still couldn't resist temptation! Of course, with Fan Lianghan's family wealth, taking a concubine wasn't a problem, but Chai An always felt that there was an unexploded conflict brewing behind this matter.
"Didn't the master send an invitation to the Chai family as well?" The steward, seeing Chai An frowning and not speaking, asked, "Our young master said he wanted to share his joy with you!"
"Where is your young lady?" Chai An glanced at the steward again, then asked. At this moment, Fu Hui's attitude was what Chai An was most concerned about.
"The young lady still stayed at her maternal family's tea shop last night!" The steward immediately pursed his lips when he spoke of Fu Hui, seemingly quite dissatisfied with this young lady who wasn't staying at home. "However, the young lady returned early this morning!"
Chai An heard this and looked at the steward, asking, "Was there any anger or upset on her face when she returned?"
"No, there wasn't!" The steward was startled, then shook his head. At the same time, he also felt that Young Master Chai's question seemed a bit strange. Now that their young master was definitely taking a concubine, no matter how unwilling Fu Hui was, she couldn't show jealousy on the surface! Moreover, this time, the mistress had given Fu Hui an ultimatum: if she dared to refuse Fan Lianghan taking a concubine, then Fan Lianghan would divorce her! So, at this moment, everyone in the Fan family uniformly believed that Fu Hui absolutely dared not cause any trouble.
However, the moment the steward's words fell, a crowd of people suddenly surged out from within the Fan family's main gate. This included the Fan family's master and mistress, as well as Fan Lianghan! And Fu Hui was actually following closely behind them, her eyes downcast, but the expression on her face was very intriguing.
"Master?! What is the meaning of this?" The steward was also startled by this grand display. After all, there was no need for the master and mistress, both elders, to personally come out to greet Chai An.
"Quickly, open the central gate wide!" However, Master Fan directly ordered the steward, "Soon, Marquis Jining will also come to offer his congratulations!"
And upon hearing this command, all the servants guarding the Fan residence's gate, including the steward, jolted! They hadn't expected that their young master taking a concubine would even bring the Marquis himself to offer congratulations? This was truly giving them too much face! Seeing the smiles on their master and mistress's faces, the steward dared not delay. He quickly directed his men to open the central gate while also sweeping the ground in front of the Fan residence clean.
Instead, Chai An, the esteemed guest who was originally standing at the door, was momentarily ignored. In stark contrast, Chai An's heart grew even more displeased! Just one Wei Tingyu makes your entire Fan family so busy? So, I'm rushing and worrying about you potentially falling into a trap, and this is how you treat me, huh? Thinking of this, Chai An pursed his lips and said no more. Anyway, the die is cast. Let's see how things develop next!
"Cousin!" At this moment, Fan Lianghan also saw Chai An standing at the door. Only he ran over excitedly, pulling at his cousin and whining again.
"What? Is something bothering you?" Chai An frowned, and upon seeing his cousin's worried expression, he couldn't help but smile wryly and ask, "Didn't you insist on taking this Zhen Niang as a concubine? Now that good things are about to happen, why do you look like this again?"
"I don't know why, but ever since Young Lady returned today, my heart has been pounding fiercely!" Fan Lianghan quickly said upon hearing Chai An's words, "I just feel like something isn't right!"
Of course, something isn't right! It's a good thing you, lad, aren't completely blind if you can sense that! But at this point, there was clearly no turning back! Thinking of this, Chai An again looked up at Fu Hui, who was standing at the door. He saw that she was also looking at him. As their eyes met, Chai An's heart instantly jolted! Because in Fu Hui's eyes, he didn't see the panic or lost look from before. Instead, her gaze was filled with disdain and triumph.
Indeed! There's definitely something wrong today! Chai An thought instantly, and just as he instinctively prepared to warn Fan Lianghan, he heard Master Fan shout loudly.
"The Marquis is here!" Master Fan's shout immediately drew everyone's attention to the alley entrance. Indeed, a luxurious procession of three four-horse carriages was slowly entering from the alley. Four-horse carriages were a lavish configuration permitted only for dukes and nobles with titles! Looking at the banner of Marquis Jining's Residence hanging from the leading carriage, it was even more evident. In front and behind the carriages, there were about twenty valiant male and female guards on horseback, followed by a dozen young male and female servants. This grand display even stunned Chai An!
Of course, the expressions on the faces of the Fan family's patriarch and matriarch, upon seeing this scene, were also extremely vivid. They first shifted from astonishment to surprise, then burst into ecstasy! The Marquis truly gives the Fan family face! With such a grand visit today, the neighbors and surrounding areas will surely look up to the Fan family from now on! Thinking of this, Master Fan and his wife couldn't hold back their smiles, giggling foolishly.
The carriage procession slowly came to a halt at the entrance of the Fan residence. Then, a young servant carrying a footstool quickly ran to the three carriages and respectfully placed the stool beside them for the esteemed passengers to step on when alighting.
The first to lift the carriage curtain was the third carriage at the very back. Lady Li Niang, with her three younger daughters, slowly stepped out. At this moment, Lady Li Niang's face was filled with pride! As she stepped out of the carriage, even before fully alighting, she had already tilted her head and surveyed her surroundings, her eyes only briefly pausing when she saw Master Fan and his wife opposite. Master Fan and his wife, seeing this, quickly scurried to the carriage to welcome Lady Li Niang's arrival.
"In-law! Why have you come?" At this moment, Master Fan and his wife were a little scared. After all, they hadn't expected Lady Li Niang to come along with the Marquis's procession. And she was even riding in the Marquis's carriage! After all, they were forcefully trying to push another woman into the room of their second daughter, Fu Hui! And it was under duress that Fu Hui had to agree! If Lady Li Niang, this tigress, were to erupt in fury on the spot, the Fan family would truly have a difficult time handling it!
"What?" Lady Li Niang squinted at Master Fan and his wife beside her, then said, "With my son-in-law's great joy, how can I, his mother-in-law, not come to offer my congratulations?"
"Exactly! Exactly!" The three daughters following Lady Li Niang also nodded repeatedly. They all knew they were here to watch a good show, and of course, they loved to watch excitement and weren't afraid of big trouble.
"You're right, you're right!" Master Fan nodded repeatedly, then actually started to flatter Lady Li Niang, "It must be said that our in-law educates well! Just look at the Li family daughters, each and every one of them is knowledgeable and cultured..."
"Enough, enough!" Lady Li Niang naturally wasn't willing to listen to Master Fan's flattery. She directly waved her hand and said, "Today is a joyous occasion for the Fan residence, and I'm merely here to join in the fun and have some wine and food. You don't need to surround me!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Master Fan and his wife nodded, then their eyes involuntarily turned to the second carriage beside them. Although they were still wondering how Lady Li Niang was qualified to ride in the Marquis's carriage, she was only riding in the third one. So, who could the esteemed person in the second carriage be? This question arose simultaneously in the hearts of Master Fan and his wife. They instinctively exchanged glances, and their hearts grew anxious again.
However, the curtain of this middle carriage was also lifted at this moment, and two noble ladies dressed in luxurious attire slowly descended with their heads held high. Master Fan and his wife were immediately even more bewildered, because they recognized the leading one among these two: it was Lady Li Niang's good friend, Wang Yingxue! She was both the matriarch of the Dou family and the mother-in-law of Marquis Jining, Wei Tingyu! Both of her daughters were married into the Marquis's Residence! One as the principal wife and one as a noble concubine; it could be said their relationship with the Marquis's Residence was extremely close! Her appearance in the Marquis Jining's procession didn't surprise Master Fan and his wife, but they had never seen the other noble lady before. Her age seemed to be a few years younger than Wang Yingxue!
However, whether they recognized her or not, they had to quickly step forward and pay their respects. After all, anyone who could sit in the Marquis's carriage with Wang Yingxue must also be a noble relative, and being fully respectful would definitely not be wrong!
"This is Marquis Jining's legitimate elder sister!" And Wang Yingxue introduced her to Master Fan and his wife, "She is also the wife of Duke Jing!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Greetings, Duchess!" Master Fan and his wife immediately trembled upon hearing this. They had never dreamed of this before; so, among the esteemed guests, there was also the eldest lady of Duke Jing's mansion? Goodness! They were just taking a concubine for their son; why did so many noble people come?