Chapter 438: The Third Young Master of the Marquis’s Mansion

Chapter 438: The Third Young Master of the Marquis's Mansion

After a long while,

Li Bihan and Cheng Bingzhi returned with sighs.

"That Duke Xu's Mansion is both foolish and wicked, giving away silver to the poor but not giving me, the brother-in-law, a big red envelope! They'll come to ruin sooner or later!"

Li Bihan and Cheng Bingzhi had just returned from Ningyang Marquis's Mansion.

At the main entrance of Ningyang Marquis's Mansion, the crowd was so dense that they couldn't even squeeze in.

Dowries heavily tied with red knots were being carried in one after another. The chief steward of Duke Xu's Mansion, dressed in a deep red silk robe, personally escorted the dowry procession, calling out the list at the entrance.

Items like a pigeon-egg-sized golden pearl from the East Sea, a red coral ornament from the South Sea, a hand-woven Persian long-pile carpet, a Western agate cup, a colorful porcelain and redwood chiming clock painted with a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix, a white jade flatfish plate, a footstool adorned with pearls and silk threads... every single item was incredibly luxurious.

Any single item taken out would be wealth that an ordinary person could never earn in their lifetime.

As the chief steward announced the list, he also had his underlings hand out red envelopes.

If someone cheered and congratulated them to their delight, large silver ingots were handed out as rewards.

Shiny copper coins and silver were scattered like water, flowing freely, leaving Li Bihan and Cheng Bingzhi in awe.

These folks are filthy rich!

They don't treat money as if it's money!

Given that they were once part of the Marquis's household, they had seen their fair share of the world, but even when Qin Shaojing married into Duke Liu's household, they had never seen such a grand spectacle.

Besides, times have changed, and they are no longer part of the Marquis's household. Having lived a modest life outside for ten years, they were suddenly blown away by the grand ceremony of Cheng Suying's dowry.

The Marquis's household is wealthy!

The Duke's household is wealthy!

The sense of wealth is overwhelming, the riches dazzling, with gold, silver, coins, and fine silks, making people's eyes burn with jealousy!

How can they be so rich, how can they be so enviable!

Such immense wealth, why isn't it theirs!

Cheng Bingzhi tried to snatch several red envelopes outside, but because he was short and stout, raised by Li Bihan to be lazy, he couldn't compete with the quick and capable commoners.

Cheng Bingzhi failed to grab several envelopes in a row, and in his frustration, he pushed people aside, shouting loudly that he was the brother-in-law of Duke Xu's Mansion, the younger brother of Miss Cheng, and demanded everyone make way for him.

But his words only made the surrounding people laugh.

The brother-in-law of Duke Xu's Mansion?

The younger brother of Miss Cheng?

Then wouldn't he be a young master of the Marquis's household!

Would a young master of the Marquis's household come to compete with them for these small red envelopes of ten or eight coins?

Besides, they had never heard of Miss Cheng having a younger brother; everyone only knew she had two older brothers, one being the Crown Prince of the Marquis's household, and the other a young general fighting against pirates in Jiangnan!

Where did the third young master of Ningyang Marquis's Mansion come from!

In wealthy and influential families, not every child in the family is recognized or acknowledged by others.

Often, it's sufficient if only the family head or someone notable is recognized.

Unless you're part of the Marquis's Mansion or have close ties with it, few know about Cheng Bingzhi, the illegitimate son who was long ago disowned and cast out!

He was jostling with the crowd for lucky money outside, saying such things, and no one paid him any mind.

After all, who would believe he was Miss Cheng's younger brother, acting like this!

Seeing that no one believed him, Cheng Bingzhi was furious and wanted to confront the steward of Duke Xu's Mansion, but Li Bihan intervened just then.

She gazed thoughtfully at the opulent Marquis's Mansion and the stately Duke Xu's Mansion, and persuaded Cheng Bingzhi to take him back.

"Bing Zhi, you are the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion; it's beneath your dignity to mingle with those common folk," Li Bihan said to him.

Cheng Bingzhi nodded, "Yes, so I should directly find the one in the red jacket. I am the younger brother of their future young lady; he ought to give me a hefty red envelope!"

Hearing this, a flicker of contempt crossed Li Bihan's eyes. She looked at her son and taught him carefully, "Why are you bothering with Duke Xu's Mansion? You are the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion. Your sister is getting married; you should go to the Marquis's Mansion."

"How can I go?" Cheng Bingzhi waved his hand directly. "I was disowned by the lady ten years ago. How could the Marquis's Mansion possibly let me in now!"

Since Cheng Bingzhi left through the small gate of the Marquis's Mansion ten years ago, he had wanted to return and visit, but as soon as he arrived at the gate, he was barred by the gatekeeper.

The people of the Marquis's Mansion told him that he had been disowned and could no longer enter the Marquis's Mansion at will. He would have to report to the lady and gain her permission to enter.

Hearing this, Cheng Bingzhi turned around and left, never going there again.

"You don't need to go about it this way," Li Bihan looked at Cheng Bingzhi. "I'm suggesting you bring gifts to the Marquis's Mansion!"

"Bring gifts?" Cheng Bingzhi was utterly confused, very puzzled. "Why should I give them gifts? Our family is so poor, the Marquis's Mansion is so rich—why should we give them money?!"

"You're being foolish!" Li Bihan instructed her son. "Just bring something to congratulate your eldest sister. Of course they will invite you in! You are the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion. The Xu family will naturally honor and esteem you, and what they give you, the younger brother-in-law, won't be insignificant!"

Hearing this, Cheng Bingzhi had an epiphany.

"Right, right! I just bring some inexpensive items, and I can exchange for a big red envelope from Duke Xu's Mansion! Wonderful, wonderful!"

Seeing her son grasp the idea, Li Bihan felt somewhat reassured. "Bing Zhi, when you go to the Marquis's Mansion, don't think about asking for things. Congratulate your eldest sister, congratulate the lady and the old lady, say some nice words, and they will naturally think of you and reward you!"

"Alright, I understand." After saying this, Cheng Bingzhi just came back and went out again.

At this time, he thought that he had no money on him. "Mother, you should give me some money first. I'll just buy something to take over!"

Hearing this, Li Bihan said, "Mother is out of money. The monthly allowance from the Marquis's Mansion hasn't come down this month, and mother is still worried about how to live the next few days."

Li Bihan suppressed the light in her eyes and cried poor with her mouth.

Money, of course she had. Every month when the allowance from the Marquis's Mansion came down, she would keep half of it, save it in her private treasury, and use the rest to support the whole family, carefully calculating, living a tight life.

Wanting to take money out from her, that was absolutely impossible!

"As for you, your monthly allowance, mother has given it to you to use. You take it out yourself!"

Li Bihan told Cheng Bingzhi to take the money himself. She didn't touch her son's monthly allowance—it was all for him to use.

But Cheng Bingzhi himself had no money!

His one or two taels of silver were all given to the maid Xiao Ying, and he couldn't keep any of it.

Hearing his mother tell him to take money, Cheng Bingzhi was afraid that she would question where the money went, and if she asked about Xiao Ying, she would nag again, so he glanced at the yard and saw Wei Dahai.

"Wei Dahai! Didn't you just get a ten-wen red envelope? Give it to me!"

Wei Dahai: "......"