The old Emperor appeared to have gone all out with the gifts. Of the gifts that he presented, if it was not gold, it was silver along with large chests filled with precious gems and jewelry. Whether it was coral or jadeite, there was a huge pile of them.
Ning Xuemo estimated that all these gifts cumulatively would be worth around 30,000 to 40,000 taels of gold. This had double or triple the value she had requested before. This could be considered being extremely generous.
But the old Emperor was quite a schemer. If she wed him and became his imperial concubine, she would need to have a large enough dowry. Since she did not have any reliable relatives to aid her and provide her a decent dowry, approximately 80% to 90% of the gifts today would be returned to the Emperor serving as her dowry…
He truly deserved his title of Emperor; he really knew how to scheme!
'You want to scheme against me, Ning Xuemo, hehehe…'??
"Niangniang, we servants, will organize these gifts for you. All Niangniang has to do is prepare yourself to be a happy bride in three days." The four palace attendants that Liu Gonggong left behind walked forward, intending to manage the gold and silver.
Ning Xuemo lifted a hand to stop them and lightly spoke, "The four of you have just arrived, so you don't know how things work in the Marquis' Mansion; therefore, you can just relax and let the servants here do the work. Uncle Zhong…"
Old Zhong immediately stepped forward. "This old servant is here!"
"Bring people here to convert all of this gold and silver into silver notes. Also, put all the boxes and chests of precious jewels into the treasury."
"Yes!" Old Zhong answered as he immediately brought people to carry away the boxes.
The four palace attendants looked at each other in dismay, and their leader stepped forward. "Niangniang, His Majesty ordered us, servants, to help you managed the dowry…" If she took away all the gifts, what were they supposed to take back?
Ning Xuemo smiled, a blush rising to her cheeks like she was intoxicated with wine. "Then you guys deal with it. Make sure my dowry is lavish."
"But Niangniang has already kept all the boxes and chests, how are us, slaves, going to…"
"Did His Majesty say that the betrothal gifts had to be given back as dowry or used to buy the dowry?" Ning Xuemo shot them a question.
"This… that he didn't."
"Then that matter's resolved. Since His Majesty gifted these things to me, then I have absolute control over them. What I wish to do with the gifts has nothing to do with you." The expression on Ning Xuemo's small face turned cold.
"But, but what about the money to buy it?"
"Humph! Too bad." Ning Xuemo's eyes faintly curved. "You should go get the money from whoever ordered you to buy the dowry for me. Don't even think about eyeing my things!"
Old Zhong was quite efficient in doing his task. It merely took a few moments before all the boxes and chests were all moved out.
Although the four palace attendants possessed a bit of cultivation, in front of the guards called over by Old Zhong, they clearly were not skillful enough. Furthermore, they did not dare to actually forcefully snatch the boxes; hence, they angrily hurried back to the palace to report the situation…
Emperor Le Xuan currently sat in his study listening to Liu Gonggong's report. Liu Gonggong was competent and eloquent. He described in detail Ning Xuemo's reaction and what she had said when she received the imperial edict.
The Emperor nodded. He thought she would show an unhappy expression. After all, she was rather close to the Crown Prince Ji Yunhuang, so it would not be odd for her to be entertaining the idea of being Yunhuang's wife. He did not think she would agree so easily and so happily to his proposal!
Of course, even if she did not agree with the decision and was not happy with it, she could not defy the imperial edict. Still, this quick agreement to the marriage made Emperor Le Xuan's expression improve.
'At least that girl is sensible! She knows when to advance and retreat…'
'Or perhaps she knows that since she is a waste, she couldn't match Huang'er, so she decides that as long as she could be like a phoenix flying to a higher branch, it would be fine…'
A weak girl without any support like her that could marry into the Imperial family as an Imperial Consort was a fortune accumulated by eight generations of her ancestors.
One had to know that when most daughters of officials entered the palace, they merely ranked as Noble Ladies. They stood far lower in status than an Imperial Consort by more than a few ranks. So this decree ought to be doing her father right…
Furthermore, he was not that old, only 43 years old. And because of psychokinesis cultivation, he only looked around 30 years old, the age when he was the most charming.
He couldn't say whether that girl already had feelings for him…
He couldn't resist admiring himself in the copper mirror. The mirror reflected a handsome face, a pair of sword-like brows, a pair of phoenix eyes, a nose that exuded courage, full lips, and at the corner of his lips was a hint of stubble. And in his handsomeness, contained the prestige of someone that sat above millions.