Chapter 482 The Bold Third Sister Yu
"It's precisely because the old lady loves Baoyu that she should be so cruel!" Wang Xifeng whispered, "Look, Brother Cong has the respect he has today, but he has endured hardships. In this world, nothing is smooth sailing."
Although she was facing the old lady, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but speak up for her enemy.
Compared with Baoyu and Jia Cong, this mansion is not fair to Jia Cong.
Grandmother Jia sighed softly. She certainly understood that a sword's sharpness comes from repeated grinding and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold, but she still couldn't bear to let Baoyu suffer.
"The old ancestor is wise. This incident has only saddened Brother Bao for a short time. They are just little kids, and they just feel like they've lost a playmate. But if you don't do some things, you may suffer for a lifetime. Forgive Feng'er for being disrespectful. Brother Cong respects the old lady and is close to the second master, but if Brother Bao doesn't pay attention, how much of this closeness and respect will fall on him?"
"Brother Cong is from our West Mansion, so he will naturally remember the friendship. But if this friendship is not valued, it will eventually disappear!"
Upon hearing this, the old lady couldn't help but sigh again, "Alright, let them both go and speak for themselves. I, an old woman, can't get involved in so many things right now. Also, there's no need to let the East Palace know about this. Brother Cong will be leading his troops to war in a few days, and we can't let him get upset."
"Feng'er knows!"
Baoyu's uproar did not cause any waves. Even though the jade was broken, the sisters were only surprised for a moment after knowing it. Then they asked a few questions and then shifted their attention again.
Two days later, after Jia Cong finished his mission, he heard a message from the West Mansion saying that the old lady wanted to ask him something.
After arriving at the old lady's room, I saw Mrs. Xing was also there with her.
After paying their respects and sitting down, the old lady asked, "How are your preparations for the battle going?"
Jia Cong nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, Grandpa. The entire court, both civil and military, is preparing for the expedition. Your Majesty is also concerned, so everything is almost ready. We are just waiting for the army to set out in three days."
Grandmother Jia nodded, then said, "I've told you about your relationship with the girl from the Xing family before. I originally wanted to have her come to live with me at the end of the month, but now that the time is almost here, let's have her come to live with me before you go to war."
"This..." Jia Cong couldn't help but hesitate.
Madam Xing, who was standing by, quickly spoke up, "Brother Cong, it was Miss Xing who brought this up herself. You know this little girl won't be able to rest easy if things aren't settled! Besides, it's not good for Miss Xing to be in such a state of being neither here nor there. So, we can just take her as a concubine, and there won't be any formalities. Miss Xing doesn't care about that, so let's get it done in the next two days. When you go off to the battle, she'll be able to rest a little."
Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble the old ancestor and the eldest lady to help arrange it!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!" Mrs. Xing said happily. "Then, old lady, do you think it's tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"
"Let's do it tomorrow! I'll send Amber over tonight to fill the bottom of the box for that girl. It's in our house anyway, so let them go to the East Mansion to buy the rest."
"The daughter-in-law would like to thank the old lady on behalf of the girl! I am a widow now and don't have many children. This niece is also my honor guard, so the daughter-in-law also gave her some gifts from the bottom of the box."
It goes without saying that for a formal marriage, the dowry and gift are all arranged according to the rules. However, for a concubine, the gift and dowry are not necessary.
Of course, there was a betrothal gift, but it wasn't considered a betrothal gift; it was more like a gift of money. Concubines were bought and sold in this era, so it was considered that the man paid for a concubine. As for the so-called dowry, it was actually the property and jewelry given to the woman by her family.
Therefore, if the family is well-off, they will naturally have a dowry, and if they are really poor, it is common for them to just pack up their belongings and become a concubine. Of course, if the girl is from a respectable family, if the man values her, he will give her a generous gift money and also prepare a wedding banquet.
Before, whether it was Yuanyang or Muring who came to his house, Jia Cong had never been stingy.
Yuanyang was the daughter of the Jin family and the head maidservant to the old lady. Therefore, Jia Cong prepared two sets of gifts. Needless to say, the old lady gave 50,000 taels of silver ingots alone, and Yuanyang's parents in the south also sent 3,000 taels.
It’s not that Jia Cong is reluctant to give more, but given the identities of Yuanyang’s parents, more money may not necessarily be a good thing.
As for the old lady of the Zhen family, although Jia Cong hated the Zhen family to the core, he also gave 50,000 taels!
The grudges with the Zhen family were grudges, but he couldn't let his woman lose face. Moreover, it was only 50,000 taels of silver. With Jia Cong's current wealth, he really didn't care.
After Mrs. Xing returned to the East Courtyard, she immediately asked the old women and maids around her to help with the preparations, and also asked someone to call Xing Zhong and his wife over. Although she looked down on the couple, they were Xing Xiuyan's parents after all, so it was natural for her to show up on such a day.
After Jia Cong returned to the East Palace, he thought for a moment and then headed towards Youshi's courtyard.
Seeing Jia Cong coming, Youshi's sisters were naturally happy. After chatting for a while, Jia Cong said to Youshi, "Zhi'er, I came here today to trouble you with something."
"Master, please tell me if you have anything to say." Yu said with a smile.
" The old lady called me over and said that Xiuyan will come to visit tomorrow." Jia Cong said a little embarrassedly, "So, we still need Zhier to help with the arrangements here."
Upon hearing this, Youshi immediately said, "Congratulations, Master. Don't worry, Master, I will start making arrangements in a moment and will definitely let Sister Xiuyan enter our house in a grand manner."
Yu Shi didn't have any thoughts, but Third Sister You, who was listening nearby, pouted. "This Master... has a new person around him. If he returns from the battle, I don't know if there will be a place for me." Thinking of this, she rolled her eyes and got up to go into the room.
Jia Cong stayed in You's courtyard for a while, then stood up and left. But before he left, he saw You Sanjie running towards him.
"master!"
"Third sister? Is there anything wrong?"
"This is a gift for you, sir. I embroidered it myself. You must keep it well." As she said this, she stuffed something into Jia Cong's hand, then turned around and ran back into the room.
Jia Cong was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head to look at the object in his hand, only to see that it was a sachet embroidered with peonies, from which a faint fragrance emanated.
After being stunned for a moment, Jia Cong shook his head helplessly. This third sister... is really bold.
