Chapter 484

Thinking that Eunuch Li might again try to persuade his daughter to marry the third prince of the Qinling Kingdom, Li Tianyou remained somewhat wary of him. Eunuch Li merely had the dowry gifts prepared by the Empress carried inside, saying nothing more during the process.

"Lord Li, since the gifts have been delivered, this old servant will take his leave," Eunuch Li said to Li Tianyou with a smile.

"Won't you stay a little longer, Eunuch Li?" Li Tianyou wondered silently if Eunuch Li still had something left unsaid.

"No need. The Empress is waiting for this old servant to report back," Eunuch Li replied, his smile unwavering.

"Please accept this small token of appreciation. Our Li family hospitality falls short, so do use it to enjoy some tea," Li Tianyou said hastily, pressing a pouch into Eunuch Li's hand.

"Well then, this old servant will bask in Miss Li's festive fortune," Eunuch Li said, not refusing the gift, and left with a smile.

Watching Eunuch Li's retreating figure, Li Tianyou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master, the Emperor and the Empress together have sent a total of three hundred loads of dowry gifts," Zhou Tong reported after counting.

"That many?" Li Tianyou began to wonder if everyone in the capital was sending dowry gifts by the hundreds.

At that moment, he even questioned whether the Marquess of Ruan'an had left his daughter waiting outside the mansion the previous time because he hadn't offered enough dowry.

With this thought, Li Tianyou decided to hurry and consult his wife about the proper number of dowry loads to give his daughter.

The news from the front yard reached Jiang Yuanrang's ears as well.

Thinking that others had given his younger sister generous dowry gifts, he, as her elder brother, certainly couldn't fall behind.

However, the Jiang family had no assets in the capital.

And if he sent word to Lucheng now to deliver something, it would take far too long.

By then, all would be lost.

This realization made Jiang Yuanrang deeply frustrated.

At that moment, Cheng Qingli arrived carrying her own dowry gifts.

"Sister Li," she called out cheerfully, heading straight for Banyue Pavilion.

"Younger Sister Qingli, are you all right?" Li Zhiwei hadn't seen Cheng Qingli since she had offered to marry Shangguan Mu in her place.

Now, seeing her standing there safe and sound, Li Zhiwei was greatly relieved.

"Sister Li, what could happen to me? I'm perfectly fine," Cheng Qingli said, turning in a happy circle to prove it.

"I'm so relieved to see you're all right. You have no idea how frightened I was," Li Zhiwei said, genuinely relieved to see her unharmed.

"Sister Li, did Prince An not tell you about this?" Cheng Qingli looked at her in confusion, thinking that surely Xu Heming would have explained that there was no need for her to marry into peace.

"He did mention it, but I could hardly believe it," Li Zhiwei admitted, a little embarrassed.

"Sister Li, I'm truly fine. See, I brought you dowry gifts today," Cheng Qingli said with a knowing smile, pointing to the packages she had brought.

Looking out into the courtyard, Li Zhiwei saw a large pile of gifts.

"Isn't this a bit too much?" she asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Not at all. It's only a hundred loads," Cheng Qingli said proudly.

"When has a dowry gift ever been this generous?" Li Zhiwei was stunned, still unaware that even the Emperor and the Empress had sent their own gifts.

"It's nothing. I can well afford these small gifts. If you feel burdened, you can double them when I marry," Cheng Qingli said, laughing heartily.

"If that's the case, then I'll make sure to give you double when the time comes," Li Zhiwei replied with a smile, knowing that Cheng Qingli's engagement to Zhang Yanchu meant her wedding day wouldn't be too far off.

"You two, what secrets are you whispering? Leaving me out!" Wen Xiu called out as she approached, having heard their laughter from a distance.

Feigning displeasure, Wen Xiu walked in.

"Sister Wen, you're here! I was just telling Sister Li that on my wedding day, she'll have to send me even more dowry gifts," Cheng Qingli said, bursting into laughter again.

"Sister-in-law, you certainly know how to look out for yourself," Wen Xiu said, laughing as well.

The three young women dissolved into laughter together.

When Jiang Yuanrang arrived at Banyue Pavilion, this was the scene before him. He hesitated, unsure whether to leave or wait for his sister.

"Oh? Who is this handsome young man?" Cheng Qingli's sharp eyes spotted Jiang Yuanrang immediately, her surprise evident.

After all, he bore such a strong resemblance to Li Tianyou.

Having been away at the hunting grounds, Cheng Qingli hadn't yet heard that Li Zhiwei had found a brother.

She studied Jiang Yuanrang openly and without reserve.

Wen Xiu, who knew who he was, merely nodded with a smile, saying nothing. As an unmarried girl, it would be improper to stare at a man.

"Elder Brother, do you need something?" Li Zhiwei noticed Jiang Yuanrang and asked with confusion.

"Nothing. I'll come back later," Jiang Yuanrang said, and quickly left.

"Sister Li, I've only been away from the capital a few days, and now there's a handsome young man in your house?" Cheng Qingli asked, a little petulantly.

"Careful ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍now—your future sister-in-law is right here," Li Zhiwei teased.

"Oh, I'm just looking. Is that not allowed?" Cheng Qingli wasn't truly interested in Jiang Yuanrang; she simply enjoyed admiring beautiful things.

"Sister-in-law, you haven't been in the capital lately, so you may not know—this young man is Sister Li's full elder brother, just recently found," Wen Xiu explained with a smile, knowing Cheng Qingli's character well enough not to take offense.

"Sister Li, you have an elder brother? I thought you were an only child," Cheng Qingli asked curiously.

Wen Xiu was also intrigued. She had seen Jiang Yuanrang enter the Li residence the day before, but propriety had kept her from inquiring further.

Now that Cheng Qingli had brought it up, she pricked up her ears.

"Yes, I only just learned I have an elder brother as well. When we were young, he fell into a river. Our parents thought he had drowned, but he was rescued and grew up in another city. Only when Prince An passed through Lucheng and happened to save him—seeing how closely he resembled our father—did word reach us, and thus I discovered I had an elder brother."

As Li Zhiwei spoke, she found it all quite unbelievable.

Still, she was glad to have another brother.

Besides, it was hardly a secret worth hiding.