Chapter 22: The Betrothal Gifts
Upon hearing this news, Kou Shijun and Jiang Shi were naturally delighted for Jiang Chenghan. Jiang Chenghan himself didn’t put much stock in such things—after all, a good life ultimately depended on one’s own efforts—but it was still a good omen, and he wouldn’t say anything to spoil the mood. In contrast, the Duke of Anguo and others harbored far more complicated feelings.
Had he not specifically inquired, he might have suspected that the General’s household or someone else had bribed the old Taoist priest who performed the astrological match. As for Xie Shi, she certainly felt no joy for Yan Jingshu, but since Yan Jingshu would soon be married off, she saw no point in making things difficult for herself over such a trivial matter. Yan Jingyu felt the same way.
Yan Jingshu shared Jiang Chenghan’s sentiments. In their past life, their astrological match had yielded the same verdict, yet in the end, one died tragically on the battlefield, and the other perished in a foreign land—neither meeting a good fate. This proved that such predictions were no golden rule. Their lives in this lifetime would ultimately depend on themselves, not on these vague and mystical divinations.
The only one truly happy about this was the Dowager Lady Yan.
With the astrological match completed, the next step was the betrothal gifts. Jiang Shi once again brought gifts to the Duke’s residence, this time to discuss the date for the betrothal ceremony. She had already preselected several auspicious dates and asked Xie Shi to choose one.
Xie Shi took the red, gold-flecked card bearing the dates and pretended to deliberate before selecting the earliest one—just five days later.
Jiang Shi was inwardly surprised but showed no sign of it. Smiling, she took back the card and agreed before rising to take her leave.
After Jiang Shi left, Xie Shi informed the Duke of Anguo and the Dowager Lady. The Duke was displeased by the rushed date, but Xie Shi offered some flimsy excuses, and the matter was dropped. The Dowager Lady saw through Xie Shi’s schemes but, thinking Yan Jingshu might prefer it this way, said nothing.
The betrothal date was tight, but with money, anything could be arranged. Jiang Chenghan spent stacks of silver notes, and with the General’s Estate steward and servants helping, the betrothal gifts were nearly all prepared within a few days.
During this time, Jiang Chenghan’s colleagues, having brought only limited funds to the capital, pooled their resources. They ventured into the deep forests outside the city and returned days later with a bear, three deer, two white foxes, and a wild boar as wedding gifts for Jiang Chenghan.
Jiang Chenghan didn’t keep everything for himself. He sent the bear pelt and one deer to General Kou and his wife, added the two live deer and two fox pelts to the betrothal gifts, and kept only the wild boar, which the General’s Estate kitchen prepared and distributed throughout the household.
Amid the bustle, the betrothal day soon arrived.
In an empty courtyard of the General’s Estate, the betrothal gifts were neatly arranged. The servants, dressed in new clothes, stood in pairs beside the red-silk-adorned gift boxes, filling the spacious courtyard and even spilling into the side rooms.
When the time came, accompanied by crackling firecrackers and joyous music, Jiang Chenghan—dressed in a brand-new blue brocade robe with subtle patterns and a silver crown—mounted a sturdy black steed. Behind him were Jiang Shi’s carriage and the long procession of betrothal gifts, all heading to the Duke of Anguo’s residence.
Meanwhile, the Duke’s residence had already opened its main gates. Steward Yan Zhong, leading a group of newly dressed servants, waited at the entrance. As soon as the procession came into view, he ordered the firecrackers to be lit.
Amid another round of crackling, Jiang Chenghan, the first to arrive, dismounted and ascended the steps. Just then, the Duke and his wife, having been notified, came out to greet him.
"Good, good, rise, my worthy son-in-law," the Duke said amiably to Jiang Chenghan.
Though he had initially been reluctant to let Yan Jingshu marry so soon and had even resented Jiang Chenghan, upon reflection, he realized Jiang Chenghan had been dragged into their troubles. Moreover, while Jiang Chenghan’s background was humble, as the Dowager Lady had said, a person’s ability and character mattered more than family status.
In these aspects, Jiang Chenghan was undoubtedly outstanding. With the imperial decree in place, his personal merits, and the hope that Yan Jingshu would live happily after marriage, the Duke finally set aside his grievances and accepted Jiang Chenghan as his son-in-law.
Jiang Shi alighted from her carriage and exchanged greetings with the Duke and his wife. Then, the steward began reading the betrothal gift list as the gifts were carried into the residence.
A crowd had gathered outside to watch the spectacle. As they saw the heavily laden gift boxes, their poles bending under the weight, being carried into the residence like a flowing stream, they gasped and murmured in amazement, wondering which prestigious family the Duke’s household had now allied with.
Though the Duke of Anguo had learned early on, after Jiang Shi's first visit, that Jiang Chenghan had prepared betrothal gifts matching those of the Duke of Yue's son-in-law, seeing them in person today—though his expression remained unchanged—filled him with deep satisfaction.
Though he did not value wealth and had initially not expected Jiang Chenghan to prepare any respectable betrothal gifts, the fact that Jiang Chenghan had presented such gifts—especially after learning from Jiang Shi that he had nearly exhausted his lifelong savings for them—made the Duke feel Jiang Chenghan’s sincerity toward this marriage. That was what mattered most.
According to custom, the betrothed couple could not meet again after the engagement until the wedding ceremony. Thus, when Jiang Chenghan came to the Duke’s residence to deliver the betrothal gifts, he only met with the Duke, his wife, and the Dowager Lady Yan. After lunch, once the wedding date was settled, he took the return gifts and departed.
When discussing the wedding date, Jiang Shi found it both expected and unexpected that, among the auspicious dates she had provided, the earliest one was chosen—though this time, it was not Xie Shi who made the decision, but the Dowager Lady Yan.
Still, the earliest date was the 28th of the eighth month, a month later. Compared to other families, where engagements could last anywhere from one or two years to even five or six years before marriage, Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu’s wedding, set just a month after the betrothal, was unprecedented.
Back in the Duke’s residence, after Jiang Chenghan and Jiang Shi left, the Dowager Lady Yan looked over the betrothal gift list and nodded with a faint smile. "Good, very good."
Like the Duke, she was highly satisfied with Jiang Chenghan’s gifts—not for their extravagance, but for the thoughtfulness they revealed. They showed his attentiveness to Yan Jingshu’s preferences.
Though Yan Jingshu was the one "marrying out," he was not a woman and thus had no use for typical female adornments like hairpins and jewelry. Jiang Chenghan had halved the jewelry portion of the gifts, replacing them with scholarly items like writing brushes and inkstones—proof that he understood Yan Jingshu’s tastes and cared enough to accommodate them.
Though she had heard many praises of Jiang Chenghan from Yan Jingshu, seeing was believing. Now that she witnessed Jiang Chenghan’s meticulous consideration in even the smallest details, the Dowager Lady finally felt somewhat at ease. With such a man, Yan Jingshu would not be wronged.
"By the way, is the dowry list ready? Let me see it," the Dowager Lady said, turning to Xie Shi after setting aside the betrothal gift list.
Jiang Chenghan had done his part; the Duke’s household could not afford to be negligent. Being looked down upon was one thing, but allowing Yan Jingshu to face ridicule in his new family was unacceptable.
"I’ve drafted a preliminary list and was just about to show it to you, Mother. If I’ve overlooked anything, please advise me," Xie Shi said, taking a gilded red list from her first maid, Su Xin, and presenting it to the Dowager Lady.
The Dowager Lady said nothing, merely taking the list and scrutinizing it carefully. But as she read, her brows furrowed.
By the time she finished, her expression had darkened completely. Pointing at the dowry list, she demanded of Xie Shi, "Is this all you’ve prepared for Shu’er? Apart from houses, shops, fields, and estates—thirty-eight pieces of rosewood furniture, eight sets of gold-and-jeweled headwear, twenty sets of seasonal clothing, and a mere thousand taels of silver for his private coffers? Just this?"
Her displeasure was unmistakable. Xie Shi quickly rose to explain, "Mother, I followed the household’s customary standards. But because I pity Shu’er for having to marry out, I added an extra five hundred taels as a mother’s personal gift."
"Mother, what’s the matter?" The Duke, having just returned from seeing Jiang Chenghan and Jiang Shi off, was startled to see the Dowager Lady’s anger.
"See for yourself," the Dowager Lady snapped, tossing the dowry list at him without bothering to hear Xie Shi’s excuses.
The Duke caught it and scanned the contents, but as a man, he was not well-versed in dowry matters. The list seemed complete—properties, shops, farmlands, gold, silver, jade, silks—so he couldn’t spot the issue.
Seeing his confusion, the Dowager Lady cut in sharply, "The household’s standard dowry for a marrying-out son is indeed five thousand taels, but have you forgotten why Shu’er is marrying out in the first place? If not for your precious daughter’s actions, Shu’er should have been the one taking a wife and continuing the family line. Aside from the hereditary title and ancestral properties reserved for the eldest son, half of everything else in this household rightfully belongs to him.
"Now that he’s being forced into marriage—already a great injustice—you dare to shortchange him with such a meager dowry? It’s even less than what Jiang Chenghan provided in betrothal gifts! Have you no shame? Or do you simply not care if Shu’er is mocked and belittled by his in-laws after the wedding—"
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