After they left, Zhao Jiaqi conveyed the words of the Huangfu brothers to the two sisters of the Gan family.
As expected, the sisters shyly nodded.
The two brothers of the Huangfu family were of royal status. To bring honor to the Huangfu family, Huangfu Xian, in collusion with Huangfu Xu, approached Zhao Jiaqi and asked her to take the Gan sisters as adopted sisters, thus elevating their status.
Zhao Jiaqi initially wanted to advise the two brothers, thinking that if they showered the sisters with enough affection, would status still matter?
However, a saying held true: social standing was also very important.
In the end, she swallowed back the words that were about to be spoken and then agreed to their request.
The next day, the prince's manor held an adoption ceremony. The timing was rather rushed, but Zhao Jiaqi did not let the sisters down. She invited all the prominent figures in the inner city to attend the adoption banquet.
During this adoption banquet, Zhao Jiaqi also formally adopted Su Ya.
Furthermore, Zhao Jiaqi invited the Old Dowager Princess to be present, allowing Yao Jingyun, the sole remaining Dowager Princess, to act as a witness.
Simultaneously, it was announced that Huangfu Xian would marry Gan Jiaojiao at the beginning of the year, and Huangfu Xu would marry Gan Yaoyao on the same day.
A brother marrying an elder sister, and a sister marrying a younger brother, was undoubtedly a union that further deepened their familial bonds. Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces radiated with smiles of happiness.
Only Xiao Ce's face lacked any smiles; in fact, his drawn face was covered in pockmarks.
From a distance, he looked more than ten years older. Despite being only one or two years older than Fan Zehao, he now appeared more like his husband's father.
Zhao Jiaqi pretended not to notice, but she knew clearly in her heart that Xiao Ce must have encountered difficulties at home. Otherwise, after nearly a whole day, he still hadn't come to her to seek Su Ya's hand.
The purpose of large gatherings was, after all, social networking. Although they attended under the guise of a banquet, they were essentially looking for partners.
However, in the inner city, these merchants had no grudges against each other, and officials did not intermarry with merchants' families. Nevertheless, a few merchants did offer gifts to officials.
The husband and wife were aware of these matters but did not interfere excessively. In this world, few were truly incorruptible. As long as these officials did not commit heinous acts, misjudge cases, and could maintain a relative degree of fairness, they would be content.
After all, extorting money from wealthy merchants was better than extorting the livelihoods of the common people.
A day passed quickly.
The next day, at noon, gongs and drums sounded outside the prince's manor, creating a lively atmosphere.
The sounds from outside were so loud that even the crackling of firecrackers could be heard. Zhao Jiaqi, filled with curiosity, stretched her neck out of the window and saw the steward hurrying towards them.
"Princess Consort, it is Prince Xian and Prince Xiaoyao who have come to present the betrothal gifts. They are waiting outside the manor," the steward panted, his voice rough with exertion.
Zhao Jiaqi raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. They had come with the betrothal gifts so quickly?
Was this a hasty preparation from yesterday, or a long-planned scheme?
"Let's go and see."
The prince's manor had not seen such joyous occasions for a long time. Not too long ago, they had even held a funeral. Now, seeing the bright red silk flowers made their hearts swell with happiness.
The two of them were dressed festively, their smiles undisguised. They stood on either side of the street.
Behind them were their respective betrothal gifts. One could see the beginning but not the end, and the procession was indeed grand.
A guard from Prince Xian's household presented the thick betrothal list, holding it above his head with both hands and respectfully handing it to Zhao Jiaqi: "Princess Consort, this is the betrothal list from Prince Xian. Please review it."
A guard from Prince Xiaoyao's household, not to be outdone, stepped forward and did the same: "Greetings, Princess Consort. This is the betrothal list from Prince Xiaoyao. Please review it."
Zhao Jiaqi briefly scanned the names of the items. She noticed that many were valuable, but more were practical.
Setting aside the gold and silver, the fact that the two of them were willing to offer manors and shops as betrothal gifts showed that these gifts were not prepared in haste but had been carefully selected and prepared.
Thoughtfulness versus perfunctoriness was two entirely different matters. She quietly closed the lists, genuinely happy for the Gan sisters. They had found the right people, and their future looked promising.
Tears welled up in Zhao Jiaqi's eyes. She inexplicably felt a sense of marrying off a daughter.
Following closely was the exchange of horoscopes, the selection of an auspicious date and time, and discussions on all the matters related to the wedding. The chosen date was hurried, and some of the traditional ceremonies were omitted.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ce had a huge argument at home, almost severing ties with his family. Madam Xiao finally reluctantly agreed to welcome Su Ya into the household.
Xiao Ce came to Fan Zehao with a foolish grin and said, "Ah Hao, let's put aside our official ranks today. Brother needs a favor from you."
Seeing his lingering foolishness, Fan Zehao quickly guessed what he wanted.
Before Xiao Ce could even speak, Fan Zehao waved his hand and said, "Brother, seeing as I'm a henpecked husband, please spare me."
He then complained back, "You know as well as I do that I have no say in this prince's manor. You should go find your sister-in-law."
On such a cold day, he genuinely didn't want to sleep in the study, nor on the floor.
Therefore, his choice was very sensible: he would not get involved and would be a wall-observing gecko.
Xiao Ce's words were not even spoken before he was rebuked. This left him with a feeling of bitterness he could not express.
He walked out of the study dejectedly and ran into Fan Guangping. Seeing that Fan Guangping also had a glum expression, his mood worsened.
The two nodded to each other as a greeting and went their separate ways to find people to help them.
Main Residence.
Zhao Jiaqi sat in a chair, her backside growing sore. Xiao Ce was still there, swearing to the heavens that he would treat Su Ya well after marriage, that he would only have one wife in this life and never take concubines.
"You've said a lot of nonsense. Can't you offer something more tangible?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Jiaqi suddenly stood up from her chair and walked up to him, saying with helplessness.
Seeing that he was still stunned, Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. "The Huangfu brothers have already presented their betrothal gifts. What about your sincerity?"
"Besides, you're not proposing to me. What's the use of swearing to me? Hurry and go tell the person you intend to marry. Standing here like a block of wood is an eyesore."
It took Xiao Ce a good while to understand her meaning. He grinned foolishly and turned to run, not forgetting to say, "As long as you don't object, Su Ya and I can have a crawling child by the end of next year."
Zhao Jiaqi was stunned by his words. What did him and Su Ya having a child have to do with her? She wasn't a womb, so how could she hinder him?
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the swaying cotton curtain and gritted her teeth, shouting, "Just based on your words, I'll make sure Su Ya gets married next winter."
If you want to hold your child early, just wait!
Xiao Ce, who was running with all his might, heard the roar of a lioness and was so frightened that his feet slipped, nearly causing him to fall. He glared back at the door, then thought better of it. Even if he were a tiger, his lifeblood had been caught by the hunter.
He dared to say that if he went to argue with her, he might not even be able to marry her by the end of next year.
If he couldn't afford to offend her, he would obediently learn from his younger brother Hao, enduring for a moment to achieve peace, and taking a step back would lead to marriage.
As for what Xiao Ce and Su Ya discussed, Zhao Jiaqi was unaware. However, when Su Ya returned, her face was flushed. Looking at her, Zhao Jiaqi understood everything.
Well, the prince's manor was supposed to have two happy events, but now it had become three. She decided that this wedding must be grand.