Chapter 166

When the three counties established the state of Northern Qi, the entire court was in an uproar.

Although Feng Wu had been restless before, making threats, many courtiers believed it was merely the Second Prince’s tactic to pressure the court into reducing taxes and granting more power to the three counties.

But now, the sword has finally fallen—the Second Prince has rebelled! And he did so with the late emperor’s edict, claiming to be the legitimate heir of the Qi dynasty.

Moreover, the timing was deliberately chosen to be inconvenient, just three days before Emperor Shengwu’s wedding.

Wasn’t this clearly meant to cause trouble?

Jiang Xiurun privately discussed with Feng Liwu the possibility of postponing the grand ceremony or simplifying it.

Feng Liwu was dissatisfied with both suggestions.

The child in her womb couldn’t wait, and he didn’t want Xiurun to suffer any grievances.

However, holding a grand wedding while the three counties were in rebellion was indeed inappropriate.

Finally, seeing that Feng Liwu wouldn’t budge, Jiang Xiurun thought for a moment and proposed that during the wedding, a high platform be built in the west of Luo’an City to recruit brave warriors from across the land.

They would compete in martial arts and entertain the people.

The final victor could be selected to serve in Feng Liwu’s camp, filling the gap in military talent.

This wasn’t entirely Jiang Xiurun’s original idea.

In her past life, Feng Liwu had done something similar, and Bai Qian had emerged as the standout competitor.

Jiang Xiurun saw Bai Qian as a sharp blade.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t a monarch skilled in military affairs or capable of nurturing great generals.

In her past life, Bai Qian had joined Feng Liwu’s camp, where she honed her skills to the fullest.

Under Jiang Xiuruns guidance, although Bai Qian was forced to study military texts daily, she still fell slightly short in actual combat.

Additionally, Bai Qian was looked down upon by Madam Dou simply because she was a general from a small state, unworthy of being compared to the Dou family.

Therefore, Jiang Xiurun planned to have Bai Qian participate in this competition, allowing her to naturally transition into Feng Liwu’s camp and gain valuable experience.

When the emperor’s decree was announced, the common people were stirred.

It was well known that the nobility was monopolized by powerful families, leaving little room for the poor to rise.

However, the current emperor was famous for promoting talent regardless of background.

Now, with the high platform set up and the promise of a general’s position, it naturally attracted those with martial ambitions.

Feng Liwu’s wedding proceeded as scheduled.

According to tradition, the empress’s dowry was paraded through the main street of Luo’an City the day before the wedding and then brought into the palace.

As the empress, the dowry list was to be prepared by specialized internal affairs officials in consultation with the empress dowager, divided into internal and external preparations.

The internal preparations were supplied by the counties of the Qi dynasty, with special provisions of silk and satin.

The external preparations were purchased by overseas merchant ships from the South Seas.

However, these usually required two years of advance preparation.

Previously, the internal affairs office had prepared some items based on Miss Yang Ruxu’s measurements, in case of a sudden wedding.

But unexpectedly, the new emperor had presented them with a challenge—not only was the wedding rushed, but the bride had also been changed.

Jiang Xiurun’s figure was taller and fuller than Yang Ruxu’s, rendering many of the prepared items unusable and necessitating new preparations.

However, when Empress Dowager Wei discussed these matters with the courtiers, she showed little interest, merely citing her own frugal wedding with the late emperor.

As the empress of a small state, Jiang Xiurun wouldn’t be so shallow as to focus solely on the dowry.

These items were roughly prepared, and that was sufficient.

Empress Dowager Wei understood that her son’s current focus was on dealing with Feng Wu of the three counties.

Moreover, he had never been particularly concerned with such matters.

A little padding in the dowry wouldn’t hurt, as long as the number of chests was sufficient.

The internal affairs officials, having received the empress dowager’s approval, naturally breathed a sigh of relief, saving themselves considerable effort.

When the list was presented to Feng Liwu, the officials assured him that everything would be prepared on time according to the list, without delaying the auspicious occasion.

Feng Liwu, unfamiliar with such feminine matters, thought Jiang Xiurun would review the list and add anything that was missing.

So, he waved his hand and had the list sent to Jiang Xiurun.

However, when the dowry list reached Jiang Xiurun, she immediately saw through Empress Dowager Wei’s intentions.

But with the three counties officially establishing their own state, holding a grand wedding at this juncture was already inappropriate.

If she nitpicked and complained about the dowry not being lavish enough, she would face criticism from the court.

Therefore, she didn’t add anything to the list but instead removed a few items.

After receiving a letter from Luo’an at the beginning of the year, Jiang Zhi and Wenniang learned that Jiang Xiurun was to marry into the Qi palace.

They felt that it wouldn’t do for Luo’an to have no one from her maternal family present.

However, Jiang Zhi was temporarily managing the state affairs of Bo and couldn’t come.

So, Wenniang brought her son Jiang Quan on a ship all the way to Luo’an.

While Jiang Xiurun was trimming the dowry list, Wenniang was by her side.

She snatched the list and quickly scanned it.

Having managed various local specialties over the years, her business had grown, and her knowledge had expanded.

She knew the prices of fabrics, carriages, horses, and jewelry by heart.

Just by looking at the origins of the items on the list, she could tell their approximate value.

She grabbed an abacus and quickly calculated, then turned pale with anger and slammed the list on the table, exclaiming, “Is this the Great Qi Emperor marrying a wife or a stingy landlord taking a concubine? How can they be so stingy? What kind of marriage is this?”

Jiang Xiurun chuckled, “Sister-in-law, you can say that to me, but don’t let the emperor hear it.”

Wenniang waved her hand, sending Jiang Quan, who was playing at her feet, to take his younger brother Baoli to catch butterflies in the yard.

Then she said to Jiang Xiurun, “This is just them looking down on us because Bo is a small border state. No, I must speak to the emperor about this.”

Wenniang felt that as the bride’s family, they couldn’t let their girl be treated so carelessly.

For an emperor’s wedding, the dowry was traditionally prepared with the full strength of the nation, as it concerned the royal family’s face.

There was no room for carelessness.

Jiang Xiurun smiled wryly, “If the world were peaceful, I would have thrown this list in the empress dowager’s face. But now, with the Qi dynasty on the brink of war and the three counties deliberately causing trouble by rebelling, if I make a fuss over the dowry, even if I’m in the right, I’ll be seen as in the wrong. After all, I agreed to marry him not for these things, so let them handle it as they see fit.”

In fact, Empress Dowager Wei probably took advantage of the unstable situation to handle things so carelessly.

Even if Jiang Xiurun made a fuss, she wouldn’t be afraid, as the court officials would naturally reprimand the new empress for being unreasonable.

Wenniang, however, glared, “You are the dignified empress of our Bo country. Even if you’re marrying far into the Qi dynasty, you shouldn’t suffer any disrespect. If they can’t provide, it doesn’t mean our Jiang family can’t.”

Wenniang referred to the Jiang family, not Bo, for a reason.

Back when Jiang Xiurun was pregnant, Wenniang had worried that her sister-in-law, having a child out of wedlock, would face disdain from her in-laws.

Coming from a merchant background, Wenniang didn’t have the comprehensive considerations of a noble family’s daughter.

But she knew one thing: if a girl had a lavish dowry, no matter what the husband’s family was like, she could hold her head high and speak with confidence.

So, from that time on, Wenniang had secretly been preparing a dowry for her sister-in-law, separate from her own shop’s accounts.

Later, when Jiang Xiurun ascended the throne as empress, Wenniang didn’t stop.

She simply raised the standard of the dowry.

Running shops and sailing ships, she had easy access to select and purchase items.

In recent years, every time she went to sea, she brought back some precious jewelry.

Wenniang didn’t care for dressing up, usually wearing simple clothes and a jade hairpin.

When she went out to inspect her shops, people often mistook her for an ordinary housewife.

She never used the jewelry herself.

But she knew her sister-in-law loved beauty.

During those years in Luo’an City, Jiang Xiurun had suffered for her brother’s sake, unable to wear colorful dresses or apply makeup.

Thinking of this, Wenniang felt heartache for her sister-in-law.

She selected the finest jewelry, constantly updating the dowry with fresh styles.

Over the years, she had filled two storerooms.

Wenniang never expected that Jiang Xiurun would end up entangled with Feng Liwu again.

She had initially regretted that her dowry preparations were in vain.

The dowry for the Great Qi Empress didn’t need to come from the bride’s family; it was provided by the national treasury, prepared with the full strength of the nation for a grand procession.

Her preparations seemed unnecessary.

But now, seeing how shoddy the items on the list were, she realized they didn’t need those internal affairs officials to handle such a superficial dowry!

Once the list was finalized, there was a ceremonial presentation.

In this regard, the royal family and the common people were the same.

During the presentation, besides the emperor and empress dowager, the wives of important court officials were also present to celebrate.

Even the palace concubines stood according to their ranks, celebrating the emperor and empress’s acceptance of the gifts.

Empress Dowager Wei sat in the Xuanhua Hall, feeling inexplicably at ease.

Cao Xi and Tian Ying had also sent people to investigate the dowry list beforehand.

After reading it, they were in high spirits.

They were both knowledgeable.

Although the dowry list was filled with items, the quality was far from impressive!

To be honest, apart from the grand scale, it was even worse than when she entered the crown prince’s residence!

Displaying such items would be a disgrace to the new empress.

All the noblewomen in the court were sharp-eyed.

Once the gifts were presented, they would all understand the new empress’s worth.

They also knew that, given Feng Liwu’s affection for Jiang Xiurun, he wouldn’t be so stingy.

It must be the empress dowager’s doing, trying to embarrass Jiang Xiurun.

So, on the day of the gift presentation, the two concubines were in unusually high spirits, both rising early to watch the show.

Wenniang represented the bride’s family.

Now, as the princess of Bo, her status was far from what it had been when she was the wife of a hostage in Luo’an City.

On the day of the gift presentation, Wenniang dressed meticulously in the formal attire of the Bo princess, with a slender waist, a long trailing skirt, and a crown adorned with pearls and jewels.

Empress Dowager Wei had become more restrained, at least in public, no longer openly disrespecting Jiang Xiurun.

She wore a polite, fake smile and offered a seat to the Bo princess.

Feng Liwu, smiling, personally walked down and led the elaborately dressed Jiang Xiurun to sit beside him on the dragon throne.

Next, the ceremonial officer began reading the gift list aloud according to the ceremony’s procedures, allowing the noblewomen seated on both sides of the hall to witness.

At first, the reading went smoothly, and everyone listened quietly.

But gradually, the expressions of the audience changed, their eyes wandering in confusion, exchanging glances to confirm their suspicions.

This… this gift list didn’t seem like a proper empress’s dowry! Could it be that the new emperor had ulterior motives, marrying her temporarily now, only to depose her later?

Feng Liwu, who hadn’t paid much attention to these matters before, had left them to his mother and Jiang Xiurun.

But now, as he listened carefully to the gift list, his expression gradually darkened.