Wei bowed his head and responded respectfully: "Yes, mother." ”

Old Madam He said with a straight face: "You can send someone to go to the Anguo Mansion again, and tell He Ling that girl that the small dowry will be made up for her in two days, so that she doesn't make trouble outside." If she makes trouble again, don't enter the gate of my Hou Mansion in the future!"

"Yes. ”

He Ajiao saw that her mother-in-law, Mrs. He, was also determined to ask her to spit out the silver this time, and she had nothing to do, so she cried and went back.

She was afraid that the government would really let Chu Rong'er pass the court, so she had to take out the only private silver she had left, and when she saw that the silver was not enough, she asked the maid to secretly go to use two sets of jewelry at the bottom of the box. She gave Chu Rong'er the silver and jewelry that she had deducted from He Ling before, Chu Rong'er's temperament must have changed hands and gave it to her husband, He Ajiao was reluctant to embarrass her daughter, so she could only find a way to fill it by herself.

It stands to reason that He Ajiao's husband's Chu family is also a big family in Huizhou, and she is a serious wife who is not so depressed. When she first came to Beijing, He Ajiao's hands were still very loose, and in order to return to the social circle in Beijing and find a good in-law for her daughter Chu Rong'er, she was very generous. Later, Chu Rong'er got married, and He Ajiao didn't want to cheapen the family's concubine, so she secretly moved out of the Chu family's family to make a dowry for Chu Rong'er. This matter finally let He Ajiao's husband Chu Tai know, Chu Tai was so angry that he almost divorced his wife, and in the end, it was Mrs. He who asked He Hou Ye to come forward to make peace to settle the matter. However, since then, Chu Tai has refused to let He Ajiao touch the Chu family's money again.

Although she can no longer take money from the Chu family, He Ajiao has been the wife of the Chu family for many years and has saved a lot of private money, as well as a rich dowry, so she is not panicked. But the husband Chu Rong'er married had a thin family background, but he was ambitious. For the sake of her son-in-law's future, most of He Ajiao's money is subsidized for her daughter and son-in-law. This time, Chu Rong'er's husband Chu Tongxi fell in love with a fat shortage, and the opportunity was rare, but he needed a large sum of silver to make a point, He Ajiao couldn't resist her daughter's tears offensive, and she couldn't take out so much silver for a while, so she had to hit the idea on He Ling's dowry.

He Ajiao gathered the money and immediately sent it to Mrs. He, she wouldn't send it directly to He Ling, wouldn't she default to He Ling's dowry?

After Mrs. He got the money, she sent He Ajiao away, saying that she would deal with it and asked her not to remember it.

He Ajiao couldn't wait for herself not to come forward, but she still repeatedly begged Mrs. He to stare at He Ling and withdraw the paper, and waited for Mrs. He to be impatient before leaving the Hou Mansion in a gloomy manner.

After Mrs. He waited for her daughter to leave, she personally counted the money, sneered, and called Steward Zhou beside Marquis He, and asked Steward Zhou to send the silver to He Ling, and also explained to him.

Steward Zhou went to Anguo Mansion, saying that the old lady had found out that the two mothers-in-law in the courtyard had secretly taken He Ling's dowry, and now that the thieves had been caught, the old lady would not spare them. After speaking, Steward Zhou gave He Ling the box containing the silver ticket, saying that the old lady had confessed that the part of He Ling's missing dowry was folded into silver taels and sent it to her.

He Ling was very proud to receive the silver ticket, she now has a powerful in-law, and even Mrs. He has to be soft on her. Sure enough, as the husband's aunt said, after the woman got married, her face was supported by her husband's family. city

It's just that when she opened the box and took out the silver ticket to tap it, she was stunned, frowned and tapped it carefully, then raised her head in amazement and said to Steward Zhou: "This...... Isn't it the right number?"

Steward Zhou unhurriedly took out a booklet and a list, and presented them to He Ling, "According to the old lady's instructions, the small one is based on the account books kept in the mansion, as well as the list sent back after the three girls personally counted the dowry. The account books and lists are here, and if something is wrong, the three girls will point it out. ”

He Ling hurriedly snatched the booklet and list, carefully looked to the side, and hurriedly said: "Steward Zhou, you have miscalculated! With my grandmother's addition, my dowry should be converted into silver for a total of three thousand seven hundred and sixty-four taels. And the dowry that was sent over was only worth 1,000 taels at the top of the sky! Even if it wasn't a fraction, it should be given me 2,700 taels! Why did you only give me 1,000 taels of silver tickets?"

Steward Zhou: "The third girl remembered wrongly, the dowry prepared for the girl in the public middle school was two thousand taels." When the second lady got married, the public middle school also gave two thousand taels, and the old lady said that they were all sisters in the family, and they couldn't favor one over the other. ”

This could not deceive He Ling, she immediately retorted: "The second sister is a concubine, and I am a concubine, how can it be the same! Moreover, when the second sister got married, although the public school only gave her two thousand taels, her grandmother and eldest aunt privately subsidized her a lot!"

Steward Zhou said calmly: "How much the ladies and wives subsidize in private is the wishes of the ladies and wives. When the third girl got married, the fourth master and the fourth wife didn't care how much they subsidized. However, there are rules for how much dowry is paid in the public school, and the old lady said that it is two thousand taels. ”

He Ling understood, Mrs. He made it clear that she wanted to embarrass her, and refused to spit out her dowry!

Thinking of this, He Ling sneered, raised her chin and said, "Since this is the case, I have nothing more to say, I can only meet Chu Rong'er in court!

He Ling still thought about threatening the official with a lawsuit, but she didn't want to manage Zhou but sighed, and persuaded He Ling bitterly: "Third girl, what is your dowry, what the villain says, the third girl doesn't count, but the elders of the Hou Mansion have the final say." The elders say that your dowry is two thousand taels, that is, two thousand taels, and there is no more than one tael. You see, this account is clear and clear, and every one of them can be correct, even if it goes to court, you don't care about it. This Qing official can't stop family affairs!"

He Ling was stunned when she heard this, and after she came back to her senses, she was angry and angry, but she knew that what Steward Zhou said made sense.

The dowry of two thousand taels can only be regarded as passable for the Hou Mansion, but it will not lose the face of the Hou Mansion. If the old lady insisted that the dowry given to her was 2,000 taels, even if she sued the government, it would be useless, and maybe she would be accused of disobedience and unfilial piety, but for no reason, nearly half of the dowry would be missing, how could He Ling be willing?

He Ling's momentum weakened, and she looked at Steward Zhou and wanted to cry, "Steward Zhou, you also know how much the dowry my grandmother set for me at the beginning. You are the most trusted person around my grandfather, can you help me go to my grandfather and talk to him, so that he can call the shots for me?"

Steward Zhou sighed, "Third girl, Master Hou naturally feels sorry for you, but Master Hou can't talk to the old lady for the sake of the third girl." ”