Baozhu, feeling heartbroken for her mistress being bullied, couldn't hold back some words. Her mistress, mindful of her manners, refrained from speaking, but Baozhu, a coarse maid, was not afraid. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Even I, a lowly maid, understand propriety and decency. But you, as a female general of the court, are entangled with someone else's husband on the battlefield. And now, you rely on your military achievements to bully my mistress..."
"Slap!"
The resounding slap landed on Baozhu's face. Zhan Beiwang angrily slapped Baozhu and then coldly stared at Song Xixi, "Is this how you teach your maid? No respect at all."
Song Xixi quickly got up and ran over to support Baozhu. Seeing her face swell instantly, she realized how much force Zhan Beiwang had used. She turned back, her gaze cold and sharp, and slapped Zhan Beiwang across the face, "My people are not for you to hit and scold at will!"
Zhan Beiwang didn't expect her to slap him for a maid. A man's face is not something a woman can slap at will, especially in front of Yi Fang. Though he couldn't slap back, he shot Song Xixi a cold look and left with Yi Fang.
Song Xixi gently touched Baozhu's cheek, "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt," Baozhu didn't cry; instead, she smiled, "Luckily, we can leave the General's residence soon."
"The Emperor said the decree would arrive in a few days, but we don't know exactly when." Song Xixi truly didn't want to stay a moment longer.
When Zhan Beiwang initially told her the Emperor granted his marriage request, she wanted to meet Yi Fang because she had admired her. Yi Fang was the first female general of the dynasty, and Song Xixi couldn't believe she'd want to share a husband. However, today's meeting and those words completely shattered her hopes. She was deeply disappointed in General Yi Fang.
Their wedding was set for October, and now it was mid-August. Preparations would be rushed, and the only person capable of organizing the wedding in the household, besides herself, was the second wife, Old Lady Wu. Song Xixi needed to make sure the Zhan family wouldn't push her to arrange the wedding.
The wedding preparations were eventually handed over to Old Lady Wu. Despite her disdain for Zhan Beiwang's cold-heartedness, familial obligations and the sick condition of the elder sister-in-law forced her to take over.
The night before the betrothal gifts were to be sent, Second Aunt called a family meeting, insisting that Song Xixi attend. Song Xixi knew their intentions but wanted to see just how shameless they could be.
Present were Zhan Beiwang's father, Zhan Ji, his uncle Zhan Gang, and his siblings.
The proposed betrothal gifts and dowry were listed. While the basics were prepared by Second Aunt, the larger gifts were beyond their means, prompting the family meeting to find a solution.
Zhan Ji reviewed the list and immediately declared it impossible to provide. When Song Xixi married a year ago, her mother mentioned that the elder Zhan had long-term medicinal needs, leaving the family with little wealth. Thus, they only requested a dowry of 500 taels of silver and some simple jewelry.
In contrast, Song Xixi's dowry included houses, estates, shops, and 100,000 taels of silver, along with furnishings and silks that filled entire rooms.
For the past year, it was Song Xixi's dowry that helped cover the expenses, enabling them to invite Doctor Dan and sustain the elder Zhan with his prescriptions. Without it, she might not have survived the first month of Zhan Beiwang's campaign.