<h4>Chapter 176</h4>
The day after Jiang Yuqing returned to the Capital City, the pce sent someone to deliver her wedding dress. Other than needing slight modification around the waist, everything else fit perfectly.
In addition, female officials from the Ministry of Rites came to teach her about etiquette for the big wedding day.
At the same time, Jing Yan also sent four senior pce maids that were personally trained by the Empress Dowager.
A few days before the wedding, all of Jiang Yuqing’s family - the Jiangs and her maternal Lus - arrived in the Capital City from her hometown, bringing massive dowries to marry her off.
In addition to them, the n chief and three n elders of the Jiang n in Xijin also came from her ancestral home in Qingzhou.
Lin’s elder brother from her paternal grandmother’s maiden family, Zhu’s cousin from her paternal grandmother’s natal family, and several inws from her sisters-inw’s families also came.
Jiang Yuqing’s third cousin Lu Yi also brought his wife and children and a lot of gifts all the way from Su Prefecture to attend the wedding.
On April 5th, all members of Duke Jiang Residence gathered.
Seeing the hall filled with children and rtives, Old Jiang and Old Lady Hu felt a mix of joy and sorrow.
They were happy to see their sessful children and precious granddaughter bing a queen.
Yet they also felt sad that precisely because their offspring were so outstanding, they were always separated and living far apart.
Now they could finally gather, but it was to marry off their beloved granddaughter into another family.
Old Jiang drank too much, nearly drunk. He felt upset but didn’t dare cry openly on such an asion.
After the banquet ended, he staggered into Doctor Qiu''s residence holding a wine jar. He hugged Doctor Qiu and wailed loudly.
“My precious granddaughter is about to be taken away by that Jing fellow. I haven’t doted on her enough yet. How could she have grown up so fast?”
Doctor Qiu patted him on the shoulder. “Pull yourself together old man! You will never dote on her enough even till your dying day. It’s not like your well-behaved granddaughter can stay single forever, can she?
Moreover, it doesn’t make a difference to me whether she marries or not. She is staying in the Capital City anyway. It''s not like you won’t get to see her!”
His words were downright provocative. Old Jiang got so angry, “How dare you say that! You already kidnapped my darling granddaughter when she was young.
As her grandfather I didn''t get to see her more often than an outsider like you. And I haven''t settled this score with you yet. How dare you gloat about this with me! I''ll beat you shameless bastard.”
He looked around but couldn''t find anything suitable. So he simply bent down and took off his shoes, threatening to hit Doctor Qiu with them.
Doctor Qiu also got angry, "You senile old fool, who are you calling an outsider?
I''m her teacher, teacher! Once a teacher forever a father!
You want to see your darling granddaughter every day but refuse to live in the capital city. Who can you me but yourself?
You still dare hit me? You think you''re the only one with shoes? I have them too!"
He took off his shoes and held them in his hands, confronting Old Jiang.
Old Jiang sniffed and immediately cursed loudly, "Qiu, your shoes stink!"
Doctor Qiu refused to back down, "As if your feet smell so nice! The pot calling the kettle ck."
Old Jiang gleefully grabbed his verbal mistake, "Haha, you just called yourself a ck pot!"
"Then you''re the ck kettle!"
The two old men, with over 100 years between them, each grabbing a smelly shoe, argued tastelessly until they drank themselves to sleep in the middle of the night.
As for their original reason for arguing... well, it no longer mattered.
April 6th.
Jiang Yuqing received her dowry ledger. To be precise, it was a thick stack of bound ledgers.
The Jiang family prepared 168 dowry chests for Jiang Yuqing. Her maternal Lu family prepared 18 chests. Jiang nsmen from Xijin put together 16 chests.
Doctor Qiu, in the capacity of Heavenly Doctor Valley, provided 128 chests. Each of Jiang Yuqing’s three martial uncles also gave 8 chests, totaling 24 chests.
The Jiang''s rtives through marriage added 12 chests. Prominent capital families gifted another 8 chests. Li Deshun gifted 8 chests.
The Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager each bestowed 10 chests, symbolizing perfection.
What touched Jiang Yuqing most was that the veterans at Tai’an Farm also pooled together 3 chests. Guan Dacheng and his son from East City also gifted 1 chest. The grand total came to 406 chests.
Jiang Yuqing flipped through the ledger. It contained all kinds of precious items like red coral trees, gold, silver, jewellery, jadeware, farnd, antiques, famous paintings, all sorts of valuable medicinal ingredients.
In addition, the wool spinning workshop sheter opened in Lizhou, the wool workshop in Su Prefecture, and Tai’an Farm on the outskirts of the Capital City were all listed in the ledger.
Holding this thick stack of ledgers, Jiang Yuqing felt like even if she did nothing for the rest of her life, she would still live extravagantly.
She asked her parents, "You’ve given me all the family assets. What will Brother do in the future when he gets married?"
Jiang Wenyuan red at her, "He is a grown man fully capable of supporting himself. Why worry about him finding a wife? What''s more, you earned all of this yourself, so it naturally belongs to you."
Lady Lu gave her husband a look. She exined to Jiang Yuqing, "Don''t worry, your brother’s future will be fine. But you''re different. You’re marrying into the royal family. No matter... what may happen in the future, having money gives you confidence and leverage."
Jiang Yuqing understood her mother’s unspoken words. Although she felt confident in spending her life with Jing Yan, this was the leverage from her parents that she must firmly grasp onto.
April 7th.
Jiang Yuqing''s dowry entered the pce.
Jing Yan had mobilised 800 Imperial Guards dressed in red silk specially to carry the dowry.
When the first dowry chest entered the pce warehouses, thest one still hadn’t left the Jiang residence.
A full ten miles of red dowry trunks.
Such a spectacr sight naturally attracted countless people in the capital to watch.
Some enthusiastic onlookers started counting from the first piece - a carved jade ornament - all the way to thest chest. They arrived at the staggering figure of 406 chests.
Among the spectators were also foreign guests invited to observe the ceremonies in Da Xia. They were deeply shocked.
These treasuresparable to their entire national treasuries were merely the dowry a family gifted their daughter here.
Da Xia was clearly far too prosperous and powerful. Besides admiration and envy, they dared not harbor any other thoughts. They could only desperately cling onto Da Xia’s coattails.
As news of Jiang Yuqing’s dowry spread, the capital’s eligible youngdies were full of envy and jealousy.
Even for those among them from prominent official families, marrying well with full honours, their dowries would at most amount to 128 chests.
And that was only for girls doted on by their families and marrying into equal status families.
For those with many siblingspeting for attention, or marrying into less prestigious households, they couldn’t even dream of such treatment.
The night before the wedding was Jiang Yuqing''sst night living as an unmarried girl in her parents’ residence.
During dinner, beneath the celebratory atmosphere permeated an undisguised gloom and reluctance to part.
Jiang Wenyuan tastelessly toyed with his food for a bit before putting down his chopsticks. He walked outside to the garden and stared wordlessly at the flourishing flowers and trees.
Sensing her father’s anguish, Jiang Yuqing also set down her chopsticks to apany him.
Father and daughter quietly sat together on a stone bench amidst the gardens, watching the zing sunset gradually set, obscuring the moon. Their mutual understanding transcended words.
Finally unable to endure, Jiang Wenyuan sobbed out, “Dear darling, let’s call off this wedding, hmm?”
Jiang Yuqing embraced her father like she had done as a child, resting her head against his shoulder. She gently patted him, “Pa, don’t be sad. Think about it. Even if I get married, I’ll still be in the Capital City, right? If I miss you, I can always visit. If you miss me, you can alwayse into the pce to see me. I’m just changing my living quarters. It will be alright...”
Jiang Yuqing went through great pains to console her father before sending him back to his quarters.
Right after returning to her own room and finishing her bath, her mother Lady Lu paid a mysterious night visit. As soon as she entered, she dismissed the pce maids.
Lady Lu shyly took out an item. Lo and behold, it was the legendary pre-marital educational illustrations! Also known as "fire avoidance illustrations".
Jiang Yuqing excitedly grabbed it from her mother''s hands and began flipping through the images. As she looked on with great interest, shemented and marveled out loud at the various postures depicted.
“The painter''s skill is quite good! Can this posture really work? Won''t it hurt the waist? Hmm... That fellow''s size looks far too small, like a toothpick. Can it function properly?”
"Wow, thisdy''s assets are so amazing, so full and round, simply top grade. This one''s not bad either, the feel must be first ss..."
As such, Lu was filled with shyness and embarrassment, all shocked away and shattered by her daughter''s uninhibited words.
Her face turned pale, and she stammered: "Dear, you and His Majesty haven''t already, haven''t done that have you?"
Jiang Yuqing gave a little cough, looking at her mother both annoyed and amused. "What are you thinking? I and Yan arepletely innocent!"
"Then how do you, how do you know..." Lu''s face flushed bright red, those words were too embarrassing, she really could not say them.
Jiang Yuqing said helplessly: "Mother, I''m a doctor. One of Da Xia''s most experienced doctors.
Of the patients I''ve treated, no less than nine hundred and ny. So you really needn''t feel embarrassed."
Hearing this, Lu started uncontrobly worrying for her daughter again: "What if your husband looks down on you for this?"
"Is that possible?" Jiang Yuqing asked back.
Lu thought about it, it did seem unlikely. Her daughter had been doing this for no short time.
She''d spent who knows how long in all-male military camps, if she were looked down on it wouldn''t have waited until today.
Besides, her son-inw''s feelings for her daughter were in for all to see.
Lu wanted to stay and chat with her daughter, but Jiang Yuqing sessfully persuaded her to leave.
It wasn''t that she didn''t need her mother, but that her father needed her mother more.
As soon as Lu left, Jing Yan''s call came in.
"Qingqing, are you sleeping yet?"
"No, you?"
"I can''t sleep. Thinking that I have to wait until tomorrow to marry you, tonight feels hard to get through."
Jiang Yuqing gently scolded him: "Silly." You''re happy, but my father is terribly sad. He held me crying for a long time tonight, and asked if I could call off the wedding."
As soon as Jing Yan heard this, his previouslyzily reclining body immediately stiffened upright, and he said nervously: "Qingqing, you mustn''t listen to your father.
You''re my empress, how could you not marry me?"
Jiang Yuqing gave a snort ofughter: "Don''t worry. I won''t stand you up. But tomorrow if my father gives you a hard time, just bear with it a little."
Only then did Jing Yan feel relieved, saying: "That won''t happen. Tomorrow I''m not the emperor, only the son-inw.
It''s only natural for the father-inw to make things difficult for the son-inw."
The two chatted for a little while longer before ending the call.
The night passed quietly.