CHAPTER 827: CHAPTER 825: YOU HAVE TO DO THESE TASKS YOURSELF

Ye Xinyan watched Zhou Biyao and her two servants being invited out by the Zhou Mansion’s butler as if watching a spectacle. Zhou Biyao’s puzzled expression made Ye Xinyan’s heart blossom with joy.

As Zhou Biyao left, the look she shot towards Ye Xinyan’s room flashed with clarity, as if recalling what Ye Xinyan had said to her during the outing to Chang Garden.

Seeing Zhou Biyao in such a state, Ye Xinyan couldn’t help but laugh, feeling much more at ease. The outcome was both surprising and shocking, and quite humorous indeed.

Before she could revel in her happiness for long, someone from the Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion arrived. Although they didn’t carry the weight of Zhao Gang, they couldn’t be dismissed by Ye Xinyan, who was politely invited to the marquis’s mansion.

Jiang Yifan watched Ye Xinyan leave with a heavy heart, bid farewell to Yuan Shang, and went home to discuss the marriage with his mother.

In the mansion, Ye Xinyan’s grandmother, mother, eldest aunt, and second aunt were all beaming with joy, just like the Zhou Mansion’s butler, unable to stop smiling.

It seemed that although she had once again gotten engaged to Jiang Yifan, in everyone’s eyes, she was still considered a difficult lady to match. Now with the definite date of her marriage, everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Madam Yin constantly chided Ye Xinyan for not taking her own marriage seriously: "Luckily, I had already prepared almost everything for you, or else we’d really be in a hurry. If nothing was ready, we’d have to buy bridal clothes and veils outside, and that would be quite the joke."

"Ah?" Ye Xinyan was overjoyed. When did her mother prepare these things, and how did she not know? Her mother actually had such foresight and had prepared everything early on.

While delighted, Ye Xinyan was also somewhat doubtful. Now, she shouldn’t have to worry about her mother confining her to do those needlework tasks, right?

It’s said that in this era, there’s tradition: a bride’s bridal clothes, veil, curtains, bedding, etc., must be prepared by the woman herself to ensure a successful marriage.

Madam Yin said more than once that her previous breakup with Jiang Yifan was precisely because she refused to do the needlework herself.

She thought she wouldn’t escape this time and would have to put in some effort to push off those tasks. Little did she know, her mother would be so considerate, quietly preparing everything.

Madam Yin kept talking and called Cui Zhu and Cui Bai over, taking out bundles one after another, dazzling Ye Xinyan’s eyes.

Madam Yin first opened a bundle, inside was a large red veil with intricate festive patterns embroidered on it. As Madam Yin shook it open, the veil sparkled with tiny gold fragments.

Ye Xinyan didn’t see the embroidery clearly, but she vaguely remembered Madam Yin and others discussing the idea of pearls hanging from the veil. She secretly laughed at them back then for discussing something so unrealistic as a serious matter.

Where are the pearls? She didn’t see any pearls. A bad feeling bubbled up in Ye Xinyan’s heart.

Then, Madam Sun, like performing a magic trick, retrieved a small embroidered package and said, "Xinyan, this small package contains the pearls to hang on the veil. This task you have to do yourself. Initially, we planned to leave the edge sewing job for you, but your second aunt worried that your needlework wasn’t good enough and might embarrass us, so she left the pearl hanging task for you. It’s simple."

"Ah?" Ye Xinyan was stupefied.

Indeed, she was happy earlier for nothing; there was genuinely unfinished work left for her to do. Should her memory be this good, remembering such a thing? If she hadn’t remembered, would they have accidentally completed everything perfectly?

Next, Madam Yin opened another bundle, judging by the silk gauze pattern, it should be something like a curtain.

Madam Sun continued her commentary: "This is a bed curtain, and you need to sew the fasteners yourself. We’ve already done the visible work. Sewing the fasteners in an invisible spot means less worry if the needlework isn’t perfect."

Ye Xinyan saw that there were still over a dozen bundles at Madam Yin’s hand and immediately felt a headache coming on.

......

Ye Xinyan’s marriage was significant, so the Marquis Zhongyong couldn’t afford to bicker with Duke An and proactively sent word to Duke An’s Mansion. Madam Yin had already prepared all clothing, jewelry, daily goods related to Ye Xinyan’s marriage, and the Duke’s Mansion only needed to arrange the ceremonies and banquets for the wedding day.

The Jiang family, on the other hand, was busy with Lady Qin sending people back to Cloud Central Province to invite her husband to oversee her son’s wedding.

Fortunately, Lady Qin and Madam Yin had always maintained a good relationship, and things that couldn’t be handled were delegated to people sent by Madam Yin, though busy and chaotic, still manageable.

The Zhou family and Wong Residence weren’t getting along as well.

Zhou Bingyi and his wife were very pleased. Not only was the wedding date set by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, but the imperial palace had also sent word to the Wong Residence, signaling His Majesty’s double regard for their daughter.

Though they both knew the Duke’s Mansion’s Miss Ye must have had a hand in this, regardless of the reason, their daughter was noted by the Emperor, and that was enough.

Zhou Biyao’s wedding items were already prepared beforehand. Despite the wedding date looming, having already dealt with a pair of children’s marriage, Madam Liang was in no hurry, progressing orderly.

The only unsatisfactory aspect was Wong Residence’s lukewarm attitude, making things uncomfortable. It’s said that Lady Zhao suddenly faced such joyous news, her emotions were too volatile, and she fell ill under great joy.

Though the reasoning was quite logical, Madam Liang still felt faint dissatisfaction. With the children’s marriage drawing near, being sick now not only delayed matters but also wasn’t a good omen.

Lady Zhao was truly ill but also genuinely uneasy at heart.

The Zhou family and Wong Residence engaged matchmakers in Yuyuan Prefecture during the betrothal. But the matchmaker surely wouldn’t follow them to the capital, so Wong Qiao hired another city matchmaker to handle the marriage affairs.

The matchmaker coordinated between the Zhou family and Wong Residence, and just the mention of Zhou Biyao’s dowry made Lady Zhao feel stifled.

Such a bride, how could a small household like theirs possibly afford her? Just this dowry pressed her, the mother-in-law, to the point where she couldn’t lift her head, not to mention the palace attendant’s words, which were essentially done on Zhou Biyao’s behalf.

Other families marry daughters-in-law to filial serve parents-in-law; only she marries an ancestor.

Lady Zhao felt unwell even before, so naturally, she wouldn’t be eager to socialize with the matchmaker, leaving the matchmaker quite displeased. Though the bride’s family was of Fourth-Rank Official rank, Madam Liang wasn’t particularly arrogant; however, Lady Zhao was truly difficult to deal with.

Luckily, Wong Qiao was by her side constantly pacifying and spent more silver coins to ensure the matchmaker paid more attention.

The Wong family had lived on this street for almost a year, and Lady Zhao had indeed made friends with several women; Wong Qiao was always gracious to others, not stingy in neighborhood help. Prince Fu’s chief manager also sent several servant women over to assist, and though Lady Zhao didn’t manage much, the wedding was somehow handled.