Chapter 343: Red Dowries (XVI)

Now, she was just the lowly daughter born of a mistress. If she went against the Liu residence in an obvious manner, her future husband, Wuma Jun, was slightly powerful, and she was afraid that he would not treat her well in the future… Even though she was a girl, thinking about the dazzlingly beautiful Huijun––who had a strong fragrance around her and a pure, yet seductive, elegance––she could not help but feel her heart flutter… She could only imagine how her future husband would feel.

Thinking about how Jiang Pengji said that Wuma Jun would rather not eat meat for three days than live a day without having a woman by his side, she felt angry and jealous. “Hmph. Just wait and see!”

Her step-sister swallowed her grievance and returned to her own courtyard. She saw her mother, who looked somber, and she was suddenly filled with anger. “Get lost! You’re good for nothing!”

Her step-sister lifted her foot and kicked her “biological mother,” who was packing up her dowries. She was young, but she was very strong. She kicked her mother’s chest and was merciless towards her. The servant girls around her held back their anger and did not dare to speak out. They lowered their heads, for fear of angering the fickle girl born of a mistress.

The Liu residence’s way of managing the household was gruff. The servants in the backyard did not dare to trim their sails to the wind and mistreat the Langjun’s mother, but they could not stop her step-sister from feeling left out and disgusted with the servant girls around her. Ever since the decree for her to marry into the royal family was confirmed, she felt a lot more superior.

The woman who was kicked got up, covering her chest. She looked at her nominal “daughter” inexplicably.

“If you were lovable, I wouldn’t have such an awkward status in this family.”

Even if she was about to marry into the royal family, her brother, who was normally aloof, still treated her as though she were a stranger.

The woman coughed and left with her head down.

She was indeed an illegitimate child. Even if she had led an extravagant life in the Liu residence, it did not change the contempt in her blood. Seeing how her “biological mother” ignored her, she felt even more raged. She abruptly broke her nails, and concealed the resentment on her face. She sat in front of the vanity mirror as if nothing had happened.

It was her first day of marriage. As a bride, she could not get angry again and again. She carefully combed her hair and put on the prettiest makeup. Her young face looked somewhat seductive.

She asked her servant to put similar makeup to that of Huijun on her. The makeup was indeed amazing. However, her personal servant girl felt perplexed.

Why did the second niangzi look somewhat similar to Huijun, who was going to accompany her to her husband’s home? Especially after applying the same makeup, they looked like models of different sizes at first glance.

However, Huijun’s appearance, elegance, body scent, temper, and tricks defeated the second niangzi comprehensively… When the two of them were put together, one was like a perfect, marvelous creation that excelled nature and had used up all of God’s favorite elements. The other was like an inferior imitation.

If it was not for Huijun’s inappropriate age and for the servant girl serving the second niangzi for years, she would have suspected that the bride had been substituted. She thought about it while putting makeup on the second niangzi. Then, she helped her to put on a brand new, luxurious, bright red, traditional Chinese costume.

The style of the traditional Chinese costume was similar to that of a wedding dress. It was considered a uniform for weddings.

Hejian County was quite far away from Shangjing. The bride could not wear the same wedding dress for the whole journey.

The auspicious time had arrived. The bride convoy was ready to go.

Wearing a festive brocade and a traditional Chinese costume, Jiang Pengji carried her step-sister out of the house on her back and into the gorgeous wedding carriage.

She looked up at the sky, and the time was just right. She suddenly got onto White’s back and led the squad in front. She shouted, “The auspicious time has arrived. Let’s set off!”

Jiang Pengji led the way in front. White, which was adorned, looked festive and mighty and strutted with its head held high. The other horses and old oxen kept silent.

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From the corner, Xu Ke could not help but nag at Xunmei until the team set out.

“Just go with Langjun. I’ll definitely take care of everything at home.” Seeing that there was not much time left, Xunmei hurriedly interrupted Xu Ke. When no one was watching, she cupped his cheeks and kissed him. “Take care.”

Xu Ke was startled. He forgot how he even got into the carriage. He silently raised his hand and touched his cheek. He could not help but blush when he thought about how bold his newlywed wife was in public.

“You’re really messing around!” He felt that he had married a wife who pretended to be virtuous. Where was her shyness and constraint?

The lineup of the bride convoy was luxurious. In addition to the assigned guards from the Liu residence, there were 5,000 majestic-looking imperial guardsmen clad in armor.

The imperial guardsmen were, of course, assigned by the palace to ensure the safety of the future fourth princess.

According to customs, brides who were married in faraway places must circle the inner city while sitting in the wedding carriage. At the same time, the tremendous influence of her maiden home had to be displayed.

When the bride convoy had just finished circling the inner city and moved out of the city gate, the porter at the end of the squad picked up the dowry load.

Although no festive music was played, the scene was not quiet. The people on both sides of the street jostled each other, and wanted to stretch their necks to see the dowries badly. They had a better understanding of the Liu residence when they saw the dowries.

“Look at the dowries… Could it be that the mistress’s storeroom in the Liu residence has been emptied?” a person in the crowd asked curiously. Someone immediately responded to him, “I don’t think it’s emptied… Don’t you know that the bamboo papers, which are even more expensive than gold, are produced in the workshops under the title of the mistress of the Liu residence? Although the annual output is scarce, this alone is already enough for the mistress of the Liu residence to enjoy her wealth for the rest of her life.”

“Bah!” A plump and sturdy woman spat heavily and sputtered. “In the entirety of Hejian County, who doesn’t know that the papermaking workshop is the property of the late First Lady of the Liu residence? She’s a daughter born of a mistress who claims ties of kinship with someone of a higher social position. Does she want to covet the legal wife’s property, too?”

The crowd was suddenly struck dumb. “This… this… If the mistress of the Liu residence hadn’t laid her hands on the property of the late First Lady, how could she prepare so much dowries?”

Many people became silent when the question was asked.

“I heard my mother say that the first wife of the Liu residence lives quite a good life, but the mistress is living a tight life… Magistrate Liu is so rich, but he doesn’t give financial help to his original family. Instead, he honors his daughter born of a mistress. It’s really incredible…”

“After all, his daughter is going to marry into the royal family. Even if she’s a daughter born of a mistress, she’s his own child. He must treat her specially…”

Everybody was talking about it. When the trivial talks occasionally drifted into the bride’s ears, her face stiffened.

Even if she was a daughter born of a mistress? What was wrong with being the daughter born of a mistress? Was the daughter born of a mistress not the Father’s child?

Why did the children born of the legal wife have so many privileges, and yet she was looked down upon by everyone? She could not help but bite her lower lip. Her eyes were full of complicated malice. It would not do. She had to dominate her husband’s love before Huijun did. The only way she could gain stable footing was to give birth to a royal child. Nobody could look down on her!

In another place, the carriage that the servant girl who accompanied the bride to her husband’s home was in was much more plain.

Huijun was dressed in plain, cerise clothing. There was a faint smile on her face. Her sitting posture was as if she was not sitting in a simple and crude carriage, but in a magnificent palace instead. No one knew that she was holding a small bottle containing a golden pill in her hand, which she had hid in her sleeve.

It was the pregnancy aid pill.

Langjun did not give it to her for her own use, but it was to be given to the second niangzi of the Liu residence for her to “rise.”