Chapter 487

“We’re curious about that too. After Weiwei’s wedding, I’d like to take Zhou’er to Lucheng and visit his foster mother,” Li Tianyou said after a moment of silence.“Just his foster mother?” Yao Qisheng had originally wondered if someone with ill intentions had taken Li Tingzhou away and tricked them with a fake corpse.

But hearing that there was only a foster mother, he set aside that suspicion.

“Mm. Zhou’er is actually reluctant to acknowledge us, but he cares deeply for Weiwei,” Li Tianyou sighed.

“Back then, Zhou’er loved lying on his sister’s belly and talking to her. So many years have passed, and it’s still the same,” Lady Qin recalled the scene of Jiang Yuanrang leaning beside Lady Yao.

“Zhou’er seems to have forgotten what happened back then,” Lady Yao said, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought.

“It seems we need to look into this thoroughly,” Yao Qisheng said.

“Why talk about this now? The priority is Weiwei’s big day,” Lady Qin quickly interjected.

“Yes, Weiwei’s wedding!” Yao Qisheng thought of his niece marrying into the Prince An’s mansion.

He looked curiously at Li Tianyou and asked, “I wonder, brother-in-law, how much dowry are you planning to prepare for Weiwei?”

Yao Qisheng thought that if it was too little, he would add to it himself.

“I’m a bit troubled about this too,” Li Tianyou sighed.

He had originally wanted to keep things low-key, but judging by the current situation, that seemed impossible.

“Are you short on funds?” Yao Qisheng asked with concern.

After all, last time Weiwei had brought half of the Li family’s assets to the capital, and later donated those to the court.

Could it be that Li Tianyou now couldn’t afford a sizable dowry for Li Zhiwei?

Lady ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‍Qin, watching her husband’s expression, worried that Yao Qisheng might impulsively give away the Yao family’s possessions to deck out their niece.

“Don’t rush; let brother-in-law finish first,” Lady Qin said awkwardly.

She thought to herself—our family still has three sons to look after.

“Originally, Weiwei and I agreed to keep it modest and simplify the dowry. But we never expected the Prince An’s mansion to send such lavish betrothal gifts, and the Emperor and Empress have also bestowed additional wedding presents. On top of that, the gifts from my elder brother and Weiwei’s two friends have already exceeded our initial expectations. Now I’m at a loss as to how much more to add,” Li Tianyou explained his predicament.

Yao Qisheng, who had been planning to supplement his niece’s dowry, was stunned—it wasn’t about shortage, but rather an overflow.

“Now that Zhou’er is back, there are rumors spreading outside. It’s tricky for us—too little and it looks bad, too much and it also looks bad,” Li Tianyou said, troubled by public opinion.

“So, how many dowry chests does Weiwei have prepared now?” Lady Qin asked curiously.

“Including what you, elder brother, have sent, it’s already a full one thousand and twenty chests,” Li Tianyou sighed.

Lady Qin and Yao Qisheng gasped at the number.

They had thought their own contributions were generous.

But compared to that total, it was just a small portion.

Is this what it takes to marry off a daughter in the capital? Lady Qin marveled inwardly, glad that her family had no daughters needing marriage in the capital.

Otherwise, the Yao family would be completely drained.

Still, thinking that part of it came from the Emperor and Empress, she felt a bit uneasy.

After all, Lady Yao had once written to them proposing that Li Zhiwei marry their Heng’er.

But by the time Heng’er decided to go to Li’an County, it was too late.

Lady Qin felt a pang of regret, even wondering if those dowries would have ended up with the Yao family if Li Zhiwei had married Yao Shuheng.

But she only dared to think such thoughts silently.

“I heard Uncle Yao and Aunt Qin have arrived!” Li Zhiwei’s voice rang out before she even entered Bright Moon Residence.

“Look at her! She’s so happy to hear you’re here!” Lady Yao said with a smile to Lady Qin.

“I haven’t seen Weiwei in ages; I wonder if I’ll still recognize her,” Lady Qin said, craning her neck toward the door.

“She’ll be beautiful, just like you were in your youth,” Yao Qisheng said with a chuckle.

“Weiwei greets Uncle Yao and Aunt Qin. You must have had a long journey!” Li Zhiwei curtsied gracefully and smiled.

“Oh, no need for that! You’re about to be a princess!” Lady Qin quickly helped her up.

“What nonsense, sister-in-law! Even if she becomes a princess, you’re still her elder. She owes you this bow. Besides, she’s not one yet!” Lady Yao said cheerfully.

“That’s different,” Lady Qin said, studying Li Zhiwei.

Indeed, Li Zhiwei had inherited the best features of both her parents.

No wonder that prince wanted to marry her as his principal consort.

“Just as Uncle Yao said, she’s stunningly beautiful. If I ran into her on the street, I wouldn’t dare claim to know her!” Lady Qin said to Lady Yao.

“Aunt Qin, you still look wonderful, just like before,” Li Zhiwei replied with a smile.

“Ah, daughters are so sweet! My three boys—if they don’t make me angry, that’s a blessing,” Lady Qin said, looking at Li Zhiwei.

She also thought that with such exceptional beauty, it was no wonder her son couldn’t forget her after meeting her.

But fate had not been kind.

Thinking this, Lady Qin felt a touch of bitterness—it was her decision at the time that had cost her son the chance.

“Uncle Yao, Aunt Qin, did my three cousins not come?” Li Zhiwei asked curiously.

“Yao Shuyi came. Yao Shuheng is busy with family affairs, and Yao Shuwen got into Linchuan Academy, so he couldn’t easily take leave,” Lady Qin explained.

“Really! I didn’t expect Cousin Shuwen to be so talented—Linchuan Academy is so hard to get into. He’ll surely bring honor to the Yao family someday!” Li Zhiwei was pleasantly surprised.

She felt happy for Yao Qisheng.

“He’s just good at studying; who knows how far he’ll go,” Yao Qisheng said modestly.

“Where is Cousin Shuyi now?” Li Zhiwei looked around and didn’t see Yao Shuyi.

“He’s helping arrange your bridal gifts. Go take a look later—if there’s anything you like, your uncle and I will add it in for you,” Yao Qisheng said.

“Uncle Yao, you and Aunt Qin have already given so much. I don’t need anything else,” Li Zhiwei shook her head. She truly had plenty.

“Brother-in-law, I have another request for you during this visit to the capital,” Yao Qisheng said gravely, turning to Li Tianyou.