xymnovel Chapter 179 Sending Betrothal Gifts
Chapter 179 Sending Betrothal Gifts
Over the next few days, everyone in the Prince's mansion began preparing for the wedding.
Sending betrothal gifts, arranging the wedding ceremony, decorating the wedding room... a whole host of things to do, causing chaos and confusion.
"The silk must be Jiangnan brocade! Put down that purple one; the Princess prefers pale yellow!"
"Put this vase on the left, no, no, on the right. Be careful not to drop it!"
Su Xiaoxiao stood in the courtyard with a serious expression, her little face tense and perhaps a little solemn.
This was all because the matriarch had put her in charge of the wedding preparations, ostensibly as a training opportunity.
Although Chu Yue and the others also lent a hand, Su Xiaoxiao was still a little nervous.
Lin Chen, on the other hand, was just sitting back and playing with Lin Nian'er in the yard.
"Uncle Eight! Uncle Eight! Fly high!"
Lin Nian'er tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve, gazing at him expectantly.
Lin Chen laughed heartily, lifted the little girl above his head and spun her around twice, eliciting giggles from everyone.
"Husband, you seem to have a lot of free time." Su Xiaoxiao walked over and gave Lin Chen a disgruntled look.
"We're so busy here we barely have time to breathe, while you're always either playing with the kids or..."
Before she could finish speaking, her face turned red.
Lin Chen leaned closer and lowered his voice:
"What? Who was it last night who said, 'Husband, take a rest'?"
"You!" Su Xiaoxiao stomped her foot, turned around and left.
"I'm ignoring you! Big sister, look at him!"
Liu Ruyan, watching Lin Chen and Lin Nian'er play around, smiled slightly.
"Xiaoxiao, don't be angry with him. There are so many of us, we don't need him to do anything, and besides, he wouldn't understand!"
"The 'First Madam' still the one who loves me the most." Lin Chen walked over with a grin, squatted down next to Liu Ruyan, and gently placed his hand on her pregnant belly.
"Did the little one bother you today?"
"I kicked him several times this morning." Liu Ruyan's eyes were gentle. "It's strange, but he stopped moving as soon as you touched him."
"That's the scent of my father," Lin Chen said, pressing his ear close to listen. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Hey, he kicked again! This kid's got some power."
Lin Nian'er also chimed in, "When is your little brother coming out to play with me?"
"In a little over four months." Lin Chen gently pinched Lin Nian'er's nose.
"You'll be a big sister then, so you'll have to take care of your little brother and play with him, okay?"
The little girl nodded emphatically, her face serious.
……
As night fell, the Prince's mansion finally quieted down.
Lin Chen went to Su Xiaoxiao's room first.
The girl was still sulking about what happened during the day, and pretended to be asleep with her back to him.
"Are you really asleep?" Lin Chen hugged her from behind.
"Going to sleep!"
"You're asleep and still talking?" Lin Chen chuckled, his hands becoming increasingly restless.
"Let me see if you're feeling unwell. You were so irritable during the day..."
Su Xiaoxiao twisted her body, finally unable to hold back, and turned around to poke Lin Chen's chest:
"You're always bullying me! I have so many things to do, and you still... you're never serious!"
"You finished all the important business during the day, didn't you?" Lin Chen kissed Su Xiaoxiao's forehead.
"The betrothal gifts will be sent to the palace tomorrow. Everything was agreed upon. Now we just have to wait. There's no use in rushing it."
"Then you should help..."
"I helped," Lin Chen said innocently.
"Haven't I taken good care of you all? That's more important than anything else—family legacy, do you understand?"
Su Xiaoxiao spat, but her face turned red: "Nonsense!"
After the two joked around for a while, Lin Chen suddenly said seriously:
"Honestly, once the eldest princess and Liu Shengxue enter the family, there will be even more people in the household. You all need to take good care of yourselves."
Su Xiaoxiao was silent for a moment, then snuggled closer to Lin Chen:
"I know, I've met the Eldest Princess twice, and she's not a difficult person to get along with. It's just that Dong Li..."
"No need to accommodate her, she's just a concubine!" Lin Chen scoffed.
"With me here, there won't be so many troubles in this palace. Besides, would I let you suffer any injustice?"
"You are the biggest grievance!" Su Xiaoxiao bit Lin Chen's shoulder, but the force was very light.
……
It was already midnight when I came out of Su Xiaoxiao's room.
Lin Chen strolled over to Wen Ruoxi's courtyard.
Wen Ruoxi was indeed still awake, frowning at an account book under the lamp.
"Still busy so late?"
Wen Ruoxi glanced up at Lin Chen, then rubbed her temples.
"Let's double-check the details of the betrothal gifts one last time. I'm worried that my subordinates might have overlooked the portion for Dongli, since it involves two countries..."
Lin Chen walked behind Wen Ruoxi, placed his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged them:
"Take a break. You've been meticulous enough. Thirty-six loads, not a single one was wrong, and you even clearly marked the order of packing."
Wen Ruoxi sighed comfortably and leaned back in her chair.
"It's better to be cautious, since you've already given him a concubine position."
If there are any problems with the betrothal gifts, we'll really offend people, and who knows what kind of trouble that will cause later.
"Relax!" Lin Chen chuckled.
"If Dongli would even grant such a request to his concubines, what could be more humiliating than this?"
"You!" Wen Ruoxi smiled helplessly, then put down the account book and said seriously:
"By the way, look down, I have something important to tell you."
Lin Chen bent down, but Wen Ruoxi turned around, cupped his face, and kissed him.
"This is..." Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A reward." Wen Ruoxi licked her lips seductively.
"You've worked hard these past few days, navigating between us... Don't think I don't know you've been visiting each of us every night."
Lin Chen laughed heartily and picked Wen Ruoxi up in his arms:
"Then we'll collect our reward here tonight!"
……
The next day.
The betrothal gifts were delivered to the palace and the embassy in the east on time.
The betrothal gifts for the eldest princess were of extremely high quality, including gold, silver, jewelry, silk, satin, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings, which filled eighty-eight loads, even exceeding the standards for a prince marrying his principal wife.
The Empress was very satisfied and immediately issued an imperial decree to grant the marriage, officially setting the wedding date for the eighth day of the following month and announcing it to the world.
The betrothal gifts given to Dongli were also quite generous, including 100,000 taels of gold, as well as other fine silks, rare treasures, and thirty-six loads of them.
Although Liu Shengxue still maintained her aloof demeanor, her expression softened upon seeing the generous betrothal gifts.
The marriage was arranged.
Lin Chen counted the days: he would marry the eldest princess on the eighth day of next month, and then welcome Liu Shengxue a little over a month later.
There will be ten women in the house then...
Ten women... Thinking about it, it really is a long and arduous task.
However, what can he do when he is the only son of the Lin family?
It's our duty to carry on the family legacy.
Thinking of this, Lin Chen smiled.
At this moment, the butler, Lin Fu, rushed over:
"Your Highness! Someone from the palace has arrived. His Majesty summons you to the palace immediately, saying he has important matters to discuss!"
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.
Why would the Empress seek him out at this time? The marriage is already arranged, what important matter could she possibly have to discuss?
"Understood." Lin Chen straightened his robes. "Prepare the carriage."
He took two steps, then turned back and gave the order:
"Oh, and tell the ladies that they don't need to wait for me for dinner tonight."
"Yes, Your Highness."