Su Shi, who had leisurely made her way from the rear hall upon hearing the commotion in the front courtyard, happened to witness Xiang Xi’s furious, eye-bulging display.
Some of the officials in the front courtyard had gradually departed, leaving only a small group who were particularly close to Xiang Xi.
She couldn’t help but frown and spoke discontentedly, “Zhile, what is going on here?”
Having heard the noise from the rear hall, she had assumed the Central Gate remained closed because the Regent Prince was angry and Xiang Zhile was challenging him. Thus, she had specifically come to watch the drama.
Unexpectedly, before even seeing anyone, she heard Xiang Zhile brazenly telling Xiang Xi that she would help teach Yun’er. Her son—did he need her to teach him?
When Xiang Zhile saw Su Shi, she brightened.
“Aunt Su, I was just about to go to the rear hall to look for you. Your timing is perfect.”
Aunt Su?
Su Shi deeply disliked this form of address.
Her face immediately fell. “Child, now that you’ve married into the Wang Estate, have you even stopped acknowledging me as your mother?”
“Married?” Xiang Zhile let out a light scoff. “Aunt Su, are you sure you didn’t sell me into the Wang Estate?”
With that, she raised both hands and clapped twice. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, guards who had been waiting outside for a long time began filing in, carrying the one hundred and twenty-eight empty chests.
In an instant, the front courtyard became so packed it was impenetrable.
As if oblivious to the complex and strange expressions around her, Xiang Zhile looked at Su Shi and asked with feigned confusion, “Le’er just wants to ask Aunt Su, on the day of Le’er’s marriage, what was the meaning of these one hundred and twenty-eight empty chests?”
A flash of guilt crossed Su Shi’s face, but she forced a smile. “Isn’t it because the betrothal gifts from the Wang Estate were all flashy but impractical? Taking them back to the Wang Estate would just take up space, so…”
“Really?” Before she could finish, Xiang Zhile curled her lips into a mocking smile.
That piercing smile made Su Shi feel insulted, and she immediately raised her voice. “What do you mean? Do you actually suspect that your mother would embezzle your dowry and betrothal gifts?”
Xiang Zhile looked at her, smiling without a word, then lightly waved her hand.
Steward Li understood her signal, stepped forward, cleared his throat, and began reading from the betrothal gift list: “Among the one hundred and eight betrothal gifts presented by Wangye, they are divided into categories such as famous medicines, famous paintings, famous teas, and famous artifacts. The chests themselves are made of red sandalwood, with the characters ‘Regent Manor’ carved at the bottom. A small portion of the famous artifacts includes sixteen sets each of jadeite, coral, and gold and jade head ornaments. Among these, the jadeite comes in four colors, the coral in two colors, along with pure gold head ornaments and mutton fat jade head ornaments, totaling one hundred and twenty-eight sets. This symbolizes Wangfei’s sixteen years of age and her joyful union with Wangye…”
Because the list included the origins and symbolism of the betrothal gifts, it extended over two zhang in length.
Steward Li paused twice to drink water during the recitation.
Bolder commoners gathered at the entrance to watch, and the more they heard, the more they envied the Regent Princess’s good fortune.
“…Among them, the hundred sons thousand grandsons jade screen was meticulously carved by one hundred and eight skilled artisans over three years, symbolizing Wangye and Wangfei being blessed with numerous descendants in the future…”
The sun hung high overhead. As Steward Li took a sip of water and prepared to continue, Xiang Zhile interrupted him.
“That’s enough, Uncle Li. Please rest,” she said, casting an apologetic glance at Steward Li. Then, noting that nearly one zhang of the gift list remained, she instructed Chun Chou, “Chun Chou, continue reading.”
“No need to continue!” Xiang Xi roared, cutting her off.
If this went on any longer, his Xiang Fu would lose all face.
“What exactly do you want?” He glared at Xiang Zhile.
A cold glint flashed in Xiang Zhile’s eyes, followed by a smile that curved her brows and eyes. “Take Wangye’s betrothal gifts back to the Wang Estate.”
Xiang Xi flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly. “Preposterous! What married daughter would return to her natal home to demand her husband’s betrothal gifts?”
Xiang Zhile retorted without backing down, “And what natal home would withhold all of their daughter’s dowry and betrothal gifts, forcing her to carry over a hundred empty chests to her husband’s home and humiliate herself?”
As soon as Xiang Zhile spoke, all the male and female guests erupted in murmurs.
“I was just wondering earlier,” one official’s wife sneered, “how Xiang Fu could be so generous as to give Eldest Miss Xiang—oh, I mean, the Regent Princess—over a hundred empty chests. So that’s how it is.”
Another official’s wife chimed in with a laugh, “Listen to that betrothal gifts list. Even if it were just a third of what the steward read out, I wouldn’t hesitate to provide two hundred chests, let alone a hundred empty ones.”
Su Shi turned to look and saw that the speakers were the legitimate wives of two minor officials who had earlier refused to let anyone return home to prepare gifts in the back hall.
A wave of humiliation washed over her.
She fixed a cold gaze on Xiang Zhile, maintaining a composed smile on her face. “Zhile, didn’t I tell you that Xiang Fu has its difficulties?”
Xiang Zhile responded with a considerate smile. “I know. After all, Tiange and Wenge will also marry someday. Father lacks the means, so you and the two sisters have suffered. But Aunt Su, you shouldn’t stoop so low as to withhold your daughter’s husband’s betrothal gifts.”
Xiang Xi’s face turned pale as he glanced at Su Shi. “What nonsense have you been telling the child?”
Su Shi choked back her words and looked at Xiang Xi with grievance, her meaning clear: Didn’t you agree to this too?
Seeing that it was already past noon, the officials friendly with Xiang Xi, having heard that the Regent Princess would personally cook, had been waiting on empty stomachs.
Now, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, they quickly rose to take their leave.
As one official’s wife left with her husband, she remarked as if unintentionally, “If I had known Madam Xiang was all show and no substance, I wouldn’t have come.”