Chapter 156: Chapter 122: A Visitor Arrives

General Huaiyuan personally asked the Emperor for a royal marriage grant. Such a young man seeking to marry a woman previously divorced by the Wu family has made many people’s eyes green with envy. Even she, as the Empress, couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

General Xia is young and capable, holding a high position and wielding considerable power. What kind of noble lady couldn’t he marry? He could even pair with a Princess. Yet, he went before the Emperor to request a marriage grant, the reason being his fondness for her gentle and virtuous nature, wishing for a lifetime of companionship with her.

A lifetime of companionship, spending the rest of their lives together—those words really stab at one’s heart!

For others, it might be just words, but General Xia can achieve this because, even past the age of thirty, he doesn’t even have a maidservant in his house.

Since he was sixteen, he has been the young man favored by noble ladies in the Capital, yet there have always been those unwise enough to delay his youthful years. It is no exaggeration to say that stories about him have always spread in the Capital, even while he was at the border. Everything he did was noted and remembered by those with intent.

Setting aside his ill-fated destiny with his past wives, he is almost perfect.

“Miss Xiao, if there is anything you need help with as your happy day approaches, feel free to let me know.” The Empress thought for a moment: “Your family is not in the Capital, and marriage is a big event. Why not let me send Nanny Yao to your manor to assist for some time? After your grand wedding, she can be sent back.”

“I am very grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness.”

This is not just sending someone to support her; it’s granting her prestige and face!

Nanny Yao is an elder the Empress is used to having around. Not to mention her status in the palace, even the Emperor would view her favorably. With her assisting during the grand wedding, who would dare to cause trouble?

The Emperor grants the marriage, the Empress sends a person, and the Grand Prince secretly adds gifts. What an honor!

Most importantly, the person she is marrying is General Huaiyuan, Xia Guangcheng.

All of a sudden, all the good things came together for her. Isn’t that infuriating?

Everyone has expressed envy to exhaustion.

Yet, some matters still need to be done.

Among them is Madam Xu’s family, the Xu Mansion.

“Did you send someone to check on Chunyu, as I asked?”

Upon returning home from court, Mr. Xu asked his wife.

“…” Madam Xu glanced at her husband and couldn’t help but complain: “When the Xiao family was in trouble, I felt sorry for Xiuxiang and wanted to visit, but you feared involving the entire Xu family and forced me to hold back; even when she took the children to Shu City, I couldn’t see them off, nor did I offer the slightest help.”

“When Chunyu was mistreated and abandoned by the Wu family, I wanted to confront the Wu family, but you stopped me, saying Chunyu had left no room for maneuver, and if I went, I’d be opposing all the noble families in the Capital.”

Madam Xu had a look of irony: “Yesterday, upon hearing about the Emperor granting marriage to General Huaiyuan, you couldn’t wait to send someone to check on Chunyu. Do you think Chunyu still needs us now?”

Belated concern is cheaper than grass; adding flowers to brocade is common, but sending help in snowy weather is especially precious.

As the maternal family of Xiao Chunyu, when she was at her hardest and most difficult, there wasn’t a shadow of the Xuu family to be seen. Now that she has broken through the clouds and seen the sunshine, the Xu Mansion wants to latch on and bask in her light—how embarrassing is that?

“The view of a woman; I’m doing this for the good of the Xu family.” Mr. Xu was rather annoyed at being rebuked by his wife: “I’ve struggled to only reach the fifth rank, and the lives of over a hundred people in the Xu family are in my hands. How could I allow even the slightest slip?”

“Yes, the master has the master’s considerations, and Chunyu has her own thoughts too…”

“Whatever she’s thinking, she’s marrying General Huaiyuan. Whoever comes to congratulate, she must greet them with a smile.”

Madam Xu was taken aback: indeed, when Xiao Chunyu was granted marriage to General Xia, she ceased to be just Xiao Chunyu; she became the General’s wife. A qualified mistress no longer considers personal grievances but must prioritize the Xia family and her husband’s future above all.

Whether former enemies or relatives, before the General’s wife, they must all be treated the same!

“Prepare good items for the dowry so as not to disgrace the General’s wife’s maternal family.”

“Yes.”

Madam Xu was filled with helplessness. Men always consider only their interests, under the guise of the family’s good.

Little do they know, when trouble befell the Xiao family, he chose to stand aside; when Chunyu was in trouble, the Xuu family chose silence—it had already lost face.

A heart is made of flesh; how would Chunyu feel when even her maternal family is like this?

Forget it, let the eldest daughter-in-law handle such disgraceful matters.

At the manor, Xiao Chunyu had already received three batches of visitors: the first was the wife of her grandmother’s cousin’s son from Li Mansion, Madam Li. In terms of rank, Chunyu called her ’cousin aunt.’

She had come to present a dowry.

Strictly speaking, those who came were all presenting dowries, with the same excuses: They should have come earlier but were hindered by various matters.

Madam Li’s excuse was that her mother-in-law, also Grandmother’s own elder sister-in-law, had been ill for two years with no improvement, requiring her attention and house management, leaving her no time to visit.

The second was the matriarch of the Wu family’s second aunt, Mrs. Xuu, who is Nuannuan’s own aunt. Gripping her hand, she wept, expressing how much she missed Nuannuan, longing day and night to the point of thinness.

Seeing her rosy face, Xiao Chunyu didn’t even bother to expose her lies.

The third was the third wife from her third aunt’s maternal family, the Huang family.

This third wife was quite reticent; after a few courteous words, she didn’t know how to continue the conversation, leaving both her and Chunyu in awkward discomfort. Eventually, she made an excuse to leave first.

Receiving three madams in a row, Xiao Chunyu, unaccustomed to socializing, was thoroughly exhausted.

“Miss, in the future, more madams will come to add to the dowry.” Molan gently massaged her shoulders while speaking: “Miss, you should rest; your health can’t take this.”

These unnecessary social interactions were truly draining. The young lady’s health was always frail; if not for the pills sent by the second girl, the young lady would have already been unable to endure.

Molan didn’t speak the unsaid: how could the young lady’s frail body withstand a wedding with the General? Not to mention the fatigue of the wedding day, even the nuptial night might be too much for her.

“Rest will be good indeed.”

Xiao Chunyu was truly fatigued.

Recently, there have been too many matters; she had to guard against this and that, plan for a sudden marriage grant, organize dowries, and now entertain visitors—it’s tiring, truly tiring.

“Miss, Uncle Ma from the Xia family requests an audience.”

This Uncle Ma was the manor head of the neighboring estate, acting similarly as a manager.

“Invite him in.”

What could Xiao Chunyu say? She had no fate for rest. She would have to persevere. She wondered what this Manor Head Ma was here for.

“This old servant greets Miss.” Manager Ma, over fifty years of age, nevertheless, placed himself quite low before Xiao Chunyu.

“Uncle Ma, you’re too courteous, please sit.” Xiao Chunyu got straight to the point: “I wonder why Uncle Ma is looking for me?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep