Lin Ye was furious, but with two women holding him tightly, he couldn't move at all.
Qiao Nian didn't bother to waste any more words on Lin Ye. She turned to Lady Lin and said, "Today's gifts were bestowed upon me by the Emperor and the Noble Consort. Naturally, they should be sent to my Fanghe Courtyard, right?"
Although these gifts were given to Qiao Nian by the Emperor and the Noble Consort, normally they should have been stored in the Marquis' Mansion's treasury.
But now that Qiao Nian had asked, Lady Lin couldn't bring herself to say no. Moreover, she thought it was a form of compensation for the past three years Qiao Nian had endured.
So, while crying, she nodded repeatedly. "Y - yes, send them to your courtyard."
Hearing this from Lady Lin, Qiao Nian finally showed a genuine smile. She curtsied to Lady Lin, then turned and left with Ningshuang.
Watching her look so triumphant, Lin Ye's eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He couldn't help but demand, "Mother! What are you doing for her?"
Only then did Lady Lin let go of Lin Ye. She sniffed. "The mansion isn't short of those things. Besides, they were given to her! And you! Your father said yesterday that you're not allowed to be so impulsive. Why can't you rein in your temper?"
Lin Ye knitted his brows tightly and didn't respond.
It was Lin Yuan who rushed to defend Lin Ye. "Mother, elder brother was just worried when he saw you and me crying. Please don't blame him..."
Hearing this, Lady Lin felt a pang in her heart.
Yes, after all, he was her own flesh and blood. No matter what, he would always care about her.
But what about Qiao Nian?
Although not her biological daughter, she had been raised by Lady Lin for more than ten years and had called her mother for over a decade!
How could her words be like knives, cutting Lady Lin's heart until it bled?
Thinking of this, Lady Lin felt wronged. Another tear rolled down, but she quickly wiped it away. "Anyway, don't provoke her anymore! Even if her words are harsh, it's just for these two or three months. After she marries the Prince of Ming, she'll go to Gucheng with him. We may not even see her once a year."
"Who wants to see her!" Lin Ye was still angry. But then, as if he had thought of something, he looked at Lady Lin and asked, "Mother, do you think her sudden arrogance today is because of the imperial decree of marriage?"
Lin Ye thought Qiao Nian was extremely abnormal today!
When she first returned, although she was cold and distant, she hadn't openly quarreled with him like this.
Yesterday, there was a reason for it. It was because that girl from the Xiao family had spoken so rudely.
But what about today?
As soon as the imperial decree of marriage arrived today, she dared to make Mother cry and didn't seem to be afraid of him or being expelled from the Marquis' Mansion at all!
Wasn't it because she had the backing of the Prince of Ming?
Hah!
What a fool!
Did she really think the Prince of Ming was a good man?
Before Lady Lin could answer, Lin Yuan beside her suddenly spoke up in a small voice. "Sister will become the Princess of Ming in the future. It's understandable that she's a bit arrogant now."
"Why is it understandable?" Lin Ye was puzzled. "She hasn't even become the Princess of Ming yet, and she's already made you and Mother cry. If she really becomes the Princess of Ming in the future, won't she even pay any respect to Father? Won't she trample the Marquis' Mansion under her feet?"
The more Lin Ye talked, the angrier he got. He suddenly felt that even though the Emperor had issued the imperial decree of marriage, he must never let this marriage come to fruition!
Not long after Qiao Nian returned to Fanghe Courtyard, the gifts were all delivered.
Ningshuang led the servants to record and count each item one by one. Qiao Nian was generous. She casually picked out several pieces of jewelry and told Ningshuang to distribute them among the other servants in the courtyard. She even gave tips to the servants who had delivered the gifts.
The servants were overjoyed and praised Qiao Nian profusely.
After the distribution, Qiao Nian went to see the Old Lady.
Qiao Nian naturally didn't want to deal with the other members of the family now.
But towards the Old Lady, she felt a sense of guilt for some reason.
She didn't know if the Old Lady would scold her for being unruly and not thinking of the Marquis' Mansion if she knew that Qiao Nian had claimed all the gifts from the Emperor and the Noble Consort.
At this time, the Old Lady should be awake.
Sure enough, when Qiao Nian arrived, the Old Lady was drinking medicine.
Qiao Nian took a deep breath and adjusted her posture before entering the room to pay her respects to the Old Lady, fearing that the Old Lady would notice her injuries.
The Old Lady was very happy to see Qiao Nian. She beckoned to her. "I heard that the imperial decree of marriage has arrived?"
Qiao Nian sat down beside the Old Lady, took her hand, and nodded. "Yes, it has. The Emperor and the Noble Consort have bestowed a lot of gifts. I... I asked for them all."
Qiao Nian felt a bit guilty as she said this. After all, those gifts should have been put into the Marquis' Mansion's treasury!
She was afraid that her grandmother would think she was greedy.
But to her surprise, the Old Lady laughed. "Good! Well done! My little Niannian is finally being smart for once!"
Qiao Nian was stunned. "Grandmother, aren't you going to blame me for being thoughtless?"
"What's the use of being thoughtless?" The Old Lady chuckled. "How much is being thoughtless worth? You're going to Gucheng with the Prince of Ming in the future. If you two can get along harmoniously, that's fine. But if not, having some money with you will put my mind at ease."
As she said this, the Old Lady leaned closer to Qiao Nian and whispered, "Let me tell you secretly, Grandmother has prepared a lot of dowry for you. I guarantee you'll get married in style, and even the Prince of Ming won't dare to look down on you in the slightest!"
Qiao Nian could probably guess an amount for a dowry that would allow her to get married in style, but one that would make the Prince of Ming not dare to look down on her? How much could that be?
Qiao Nian looked at the Old Lady in shock.
Then, Nanny Su beside them laughed. "Miss, you don't know. The Old Lady has included her own dowry in it!"
The Old Lady's own dowry?
Qiao Nian knew that the Old Lady was originally the daughter of a wealthy merchant. When she married into the Marquis' Mansion, her bridal procession of ten - li red silk had shocked the court and the public.
Saying that she had included her own dowry meant that the dowry the Old Lady was giving her was far more than that!
Qiao Nian was astonished. "That won't do! Those are all Grandmother's things!"
"Grandmother's things are yours. Why won't it do?" The Old Lady said with a serious expression.
However, Qiao Nian furrowed her brows again. "Then, what about Lin Yuan?"
After all, she was getting married before Lin Yuan. If the Old Lady gave her so much dowry, it was likely that Marquis Lin and Lady Lin wouldn't be able to afford an equal amount for Lin Yuan.
Would Lin Yuan blame the Old Lady then?
Would Marquis Lin and Lady Lin also blame the Old Lady?
Especially that Lin Ye, who always spoke without thinking and never said anything nice. Would he also say some infuriating things and upset the Old Lady's health?
Unexpectedly, the Old Lady didn't care at all. "I don't care what she does! Her parents will take care of her! If her parents are incompetent, should they blame an old woman like me?"
As she said this, the Old Lady seemed to have thought of something. She lowered her voice again and said to Qiao Nian, "They say her eyes are exactly like her mother's. But I can't stand looking at those eyes! She's always crying. How annoying! My Niannian is so much better, always happy and smiling!"
As the Old Lady spoke, a hint of sadness crept into her eyes.
She reached out and gently stroked Qiao Nian's head. "Grandmother just hopes that Niannian can be happy and cheerful for the rest of her life!"
However, she was afraid that she would never see the Qiao Nian who could be carefree and happy like before again...