Planning for Herself

"Hehe, marriages in the Central Plains are really interesting."

Suddenly, a sweet and lively voice reached Gu Wanning's ears.

Gu Wanning knew who it was without even looking up.

Yiling.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yiling, dressed in their ethnic costume and Yiling, standing there gracefully, holding a horsewhip in her hand and tapping it casually in her palm, her face full of amusement.

What's this troublemaker doing here?

The Yiling provided the answer.

She walked towards Gu Wanning with a grin and said, "I originally came to visit you today, but I heard you were attending a wedding, so I thought I'd join in the fun."

Gu Wanning: "..."

"Look, I even prepared red envelopes according to your Central Plains customs!" Yiling pointed to a red corner peeking out from under her wide belt. "Looks like this is to save me money? But I can still enjoy the feast, I like that."

Gu Wanning lowered her voice and said, "Stop messing around."

Stop trying to steal the show.

Yiling retorted, "Am I making a fuss? I'm just standing up for someone. Your betrothal gifts are 20,000 taels, the sedan chair fare is 6,000 taels, and the jewelry is 4,000 taels, which isn't too much, is it? That's 30,000 taels of silver... Marrying someone means getting rich! Sister, why don't you consider me?"

She looked at her Second Concubine and said, "Do you think I'm suitable? She's the daughter of a vice minister, and I'm a princess. She wants 30,000 taels, but I only need 25,000. My father can also give me tens of thousands of taels as dowry."

Everyone: "..."

"Is it okay? If it is, I'll marry him right now." Yiling blinked her eyes. "Our Southern Border Princess can choose their own husbands; we can make our own decisions."

As she spoke, she reached out and patted Jin Huayu on the shoulder, "Let's get married, so I can stay in the Capital for two years. The Capital is so much fun. You can do your thing, I'll do mine. I absolutely won't interfere with you, and I won't ask you for money."

Jin Huayu remained silent.

But Gu Wanning clearly saw his eyes flicker.

He was tempted, even though he knew Yiling was just joking.

Gu Wanning said, "Alright, didn't you come to see me? Come on, I'll take you inside to the banquet."

Stop putting on a show and letting people watch for nothing.

Yiling clapped her hands and said, "Great! I'll try your feast. I also brought some wine; you can try some of our Southern Border wine."

Gu Wanning thought to herself, "You really don't treat yourself like an outsider at all."

When did we become so close, like fair-weather friends?

Second Concubine pulled Jin Huayu inside, but unexpectedly, Aunt Yu, who was accompanying Yu family bride, became anxious.

"Don't leave! Don't leave! We've already brought the girls here with us. If you want to break off the engagement, you'll have to ask us first. We are daughters of the Vice Minister's household, not someone you can just dismiss as you please..."

"What, are you going to report this to the authorities?" Gu Wanning said coldly. "Then go ahead and do it. And while you're at it, have the magistrate sort it out. Who do you think you are? Does the daughter of a vice minister's family have to pay six thousand taels of silver as a wedding gift?"

"Sister, don't pay her any mind," the Second Concubine said, her eyes filled with weariness. "Let it go."

"Etc."

This time, however, the sound came from inside the sedan chair.

Her voice was weak, tinged with sobs and grievance.

"I don't want the wedding gift. I know that my aunt's relatives aren't proper relatives, but they are still elders. Besides, she did this to protect me and see how much the Jin family values me, not because she really wants money."

Gu Wanning watched coldly from the sidelines.

What a huge White Lotus!

She is innocent; all the trouble was caused by others.

She doesn't really want money, so what does she want?

Is this for real?!

Without her tacit approval, would her aunt have jumped so high?

"Oh dear!" Yiling suddenly exclaimed, "So the bride isn't mute after all! She didn't say a word during the commotion, so I thought she was mute. Or maybe it's a custom Central Plains your Central Plains that the bride can't speak. Turns out, neither of those are true!"

Gu Wanning almost wanted to applaud her.

Well said, mercilessly exposing the bride's hypocrisy.

With things having escalated to this point, Gu Wanning felt there was no way to resolve the situation.

But some people think it can still get better.

That person was Jin Huayu.

"This isn't your fault," Jin Huayu said to the sedan chair, his eyes conveying a sense of forgiveness. "You were caught in the middle between me and my aunt, which put you in a difficult position."

Gu Wanning: Huh?

Love-struck is hopeless.

Jin Huayu pleaded with his Second Concubine, "Sister, today's events really have nothing to do with her. If we just annul the engagement like this, what will she do in the future? Sister, we don't need the wedding gifts anymore, let's just leave it at that."

"Who said they didn't want it?" The aunt suddenly plopped down on the ground, wailing hysterically, "Are you trying to kill me?!"

It turned out to be a common woman throwing a tantrum, completely unreasonable.

She kept crying and shouting, her cries were incoherent and had nothing to do with the marriage.

But she kept shouting, turning the wedding into a farce.

Gu Wanning said coldly, "Find a few people and drag her away."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the woman turned her gun on Gu Wanning, unleashing all her resentment at her failed extortion attempt.

Who do you think you are, pointing fingers and giving orders here?

Then she cursed her Second Concubine, "Are you trying to seize the family property and not give it to your brother?! You're a worthless woman who was unwanted even as a concubine, and now you're controlling the family. You'll die a horrible death..."

Chapter 261 Planning for Myself

Although the Second Concubine had suffered a lot, when had she ever been verbally abused so viciously to her face?

Moreover, these words were like a knife to her heart.

She never coveted the family fortune; her only concern was for her younger brother.

She had ignored the rumors circulating outside, but now, being publicly insulted like this in front of everyone, the Second Concubine felt wronged and angry, and her anger finally erupted.

"When have you ever seen me seize the family business? I won't take a single penny of what my parents left behind; it will all belong to my younger brother in the future."