A family like Mr. Zhang’s has no shortage of money, but what they lack is a symbol that can demonstrate their status and class advancement. More importantly, this gift aligns with the current direction of the emperor’s policies and is the most suitable gift to give to people in his hometown.

Mr. Zhang also praised: “This gift is really well chosen, exquisite and polite, much more delightful than the gold and jade items you brought back before. You have only been in Beijing for a few months, and you have made such progress. This is all thanks to Mr. Li.”

After his nephew passed the imperial examination and married Princess Qiong’an, Mr. Zhang learned a lot about family affairs from his eldest sister-in-law. He knew that although his nephew’s marriage was a good match that crossed social class barriers, there were still many things to handle, and his daily life was inevitably hard.

He had only one daughter, who was lazy and unsuitable for marrying into a wealthy family. Mr. Zhang loved his daughter and wanted her to live a comfortable life in the future, so he had no intention of letting her marry into a wealthy family.

But even so, now that the family has settled in the capital, Mr. Zhang still hopes that his daughter can learn more while she is young, be able to discuss literature and art topics at gatherings without being shy, have some common interests, make friends she likes, and not be looked down upon by the women in this circle just because her family has nothing but money.

Now that the game of chess has come to an end, Mr. Li had something to do at home and did not stay long.

After seeing the gentleman off, Mr. Zhang accompanied his daughter back to the main courtyard for dinner. On the way, he praised her performance over the past few months and said that from next month on, he would ask the housekeeper to give his daughter an extra 200 taels of silver per month so that she could be more generous when going out for parties and flower viewing in the future.

Today, Zhang Xinyue not only successfully got Tao Sheng’s home address but also received praise from her father and husband, and her pocket money was increased, which made her feel even happier.

Today is truly a lucky day!

_

Wenyuanhou Mansion.

The eldest son of the Marquisate, Shen Yue, is getting married soon, and his wife is the daughter of the Minister of Rites, the Tang family. The success of the wedding planning is important for the reputation of the Marquisate and the entire Shen family.

Old Madam Shen called Shen Yu to Deshou Hall early in the morning and instructed him on some details. Then she told Shen Yu that she had been troubled by something for a long time and even had trouble eating and sleeping in the past few days, as if she was waiting for the couple to return and make a decision.

This was an era that emphasized “filial piety as the most important virtue,” and Mrs. Shen’s words immediately caught Shen Yu’s attention.

Shen Yu bowed and said to the old lady, “Mother, please speak.”

Madam Shen said, “Tao Sheng will naturally be there on Yue’er’s wedding day, but she is a reckless person and has many complaints about the mansion, so there is no guarantee that she will not cause trouble on that day.”

Old Madam Shen believed that many prominent nobles and celebrities in the capital would attend Shen Yue’s wedding, which was indeed a good opportunity for Tao Sheng to cause trouble.

Shen Yu valued his eldest son’s marriage and felt that he had considered all aspects, but he did not expect Madam Shen to raise this issue.

After hearing what the old lady said, he felt that her concerns were valid and frowned, saying, “Mother is really thoughtful. According to your opinion, what should we do about this? Are you really not going to invite Tao Sheng to the ceremony?”

But Shen Yue is Tao Sheng’s biological brother after all. It would be fine if the mansion had not found Tao Sheng as before, but now that she has been found and it has been made clear that she is the daughter of the Marquis’s Mansion, it would be unreasonable not to allow her to come and watch her own brother’s wedding.

“That won’t do,” Old Madam Shen said. “Based on her personality, if she knew that Yue’er was getting married and we didn’t let her come, I’m afraid there would be more trouble.”

Shen Yu’s brows furrowed more tightly: “In this case, I have to ask Madam to come forward and persuade her. I think Tao Sheng will listen to you more.”

As they were talking, Luo Xin walked in.

Shen Yu said to his wife, “My mother and I are discussing Yue’er’s marriage. I’m worried that Tao Sheng might cause trouble. I need you to help persuade her and make her feel more at ease.”

Luo Xin didn’t understand what Tao Sheng had to do with Shen Yue’s marriage. Why did they agree to discuss Shen Yue’s marriage today, but in the end, Tao Sheng was involved?

Seeing Luo Xin’s obviously puzzled expression, Shen Yu added: “My mother and I are also worried. If Tao Sheng has any dissatisfaction, will she cause a scene on Yue’er’s wedding day? It would be embarrassing in front of so many relatives and friends.”

It turned out that these two people had this idea, and they really underestimated her daughter. Luo Xin sat down and glanced at the mother and son lightly: “Tao Sheng won’t.”

Now it was Shen Yu’s turn to feel strange: “Why would Madam make such a statement?”

“A few days ago, I went to the Su residence in Tongguang Lane and told Tao Shengyue about her wedding.” Luo Xin said, “I originally wanted to invite her to watch the wedding, but Sheng Yue said that day happened to be the birthday of her cousin and mentor Mr. Song’s mother, and she had to accompany her aunt to the Song family to celebrate her birthday, so she couldn’t leave and didn’t come.”

Luo Xin’s words were like a heavy blow to the mother and son present.

Old Madam Shen was worried day and night because of this matter and tried her best to prevent Tao Sheng from coming to cause trouble, but the person she suspected did not take it seriously at all. Not only did she not have the intention of causing trouble, but she didn’t even have the intention to watch the ceremony. It was really unexpected.

Doing so will make one appear petty-minded and lack the slightest tolerance towards elders.

The old lady was embarrassed, but she still said, “You didn’t even come to watch your own brother’s wedding, but you’re busy with your cousin’s affairs. How can you be so rude?”

This is what Shen Yu cares about the most.

No matter what, Tao Sheng is his own flesh and blood. Today, she can ignore her brother’s marriage for a cousin who has no blood relationship with her. When she faces a choice again in the future, she can ignore her biological parents for the aunt who has no blood relationship with her.

This is also what he cannot accept the most.

“In my opinion, it’s better for Tao Sheng not to come,” Luo Xin said. “If the child comes, what kind of explanation should the family prepare for her identity? Should they say she is Yue’er’s sister or my cousin? If Jin Shen Ci and others go to meet the new sister-in-law to receive the red envelope, Tao Sheng can only watch from the outside, which is really not right.”

Since Tao Sheng chose this path at the beginning, she could only go on step by step and slowly break away from her family completely.

Thinking of this, Luo Xin’s tone couldn’t help but add a bit of irony, “Since Tao Sheng is not coming to watch the ceremony, I think there won’t be any more inappropriate troubles from others, which will save mother and the marquis from worrying.”