Chapter 1186: Saving for a Dowry

Seventy prison guards followed Company Commander Yang to the neighboring Imperial Prison to serve.

In private, Chen Guanlou held a meeting for them, emphasizing safety. Put personal safety above all else in everything. If things go wrong, just turn around and come back.

He also selected two people to be the heads of the seventy, ensuring that everyone would be united and protect their own interests from being infringed upon during their secondment at the Imperial Prison!

After the meeting, he waved his hand and told the bunch to get lost.

The Heavenly Prison having seventy fewer prison guards had no impact at all; every department operated well.

The foul atmosphere in the imperial court had nothing to do with the Heavenly Prison.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was busy to the point of distraction; Xiao Jincheng rested for a few days before returning to his post to continue shining and heating up.

Sun Daojing was happy; he raised a bird and treasured it greatly. He had undermined the Embroidered Uniform Guard once, and he felt a great sense of accomplishment. This feeling of not following the rules and taking a side path was wonderful.

Although the higher-ups knew the truth of the matter and knew that the Six Shanmen had deliberately let that batch of prison guards go, they didn't pursue the responsibility. Matters within the Embroidered Uniform Guard should be resolved by the Embroidered Uniform Guard itself. The Ministry of Justice shouldn't have been allowed to intervene in the first place. It was all the fault of a certain old man who, relying on his seniority, said he was worried the Embroidered Uniform Guard would shield that bunch of prison guards and insisted that the Ministry of Justice handle it.

Now, they were being slapped in the face.

Look, did the Embroidered Uniform Guard shield anyone?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was not only crisp and neat when killing officials, but when killing their own people, their blades were fast and ruthless, without the slightest bit of sentiment to speak of.

They were indeed a bunch of ruthless people!

On his day off, Chen Guanlou carried a box of jewelry and headed to his eldest sister's house.

He was saving for a dowry for his niece, Su Rongrong.

At first, he thought a sum of silver would be enough for a dowry, and he didn't need to worry about anything else.

Later, after being reminded by someone, he realized that for a young lady's dowry, there must be silver, but there must also be other things.

He didn't need to worry about furniture, clothes, or fabrics.

He simply started collecting jewelry. He also found gold and silver shops and had two sets of trendy jewelry made, all in the newest and most fashionable styles. He heard people say that all young ladies and young wives liked them, and wearing them on their bodies gave them a lot of face.

Whether it gave face or not wasn't important; the key was that whatever others had, his niece had to have too.

He arrived at his eldest sister's house.

Chen Xiaolan saw him carrying the box. "You came, so you came, why bring gifts? I told you, I lack nothing here. Save your money for yourself; I won't ask when you'll take a wife, but having money on your person is better than anything else."

Chen Guanlou placed the box on the table. "Everything inside is a dowry prepared for Rongrong. Where is Rongrong? Call her out to see the dowry her uncle prepared for her and see if she likes it."

"What's inside?"

"Good stuff!"

"You spoil her too much."

"I only have this one niece; if I don't spoil her, who do I spoil? Rongrong, come over and see the dowry your uncle prepared for you."

Chen Guanlou opened the box.

In an instant, Chen Xiaolan and Su Rongrong, mother and daughter, understood what 'dazzling with jewelry' meant!

Both mother and daughter were stunned, their faces full of astonishment!

"This, this, this... this is too valuable. We can't take it!" Chen Xiaolan said first.

While Su Rongrong was happy, she also nodded. "Uncle, I can't take it!"

Just the four sets of headpieces, with her shallow knowledge, were worth at least several thousand taels. Plus other trinkets, jade pendants, jade beads, red and blue gemstones...

It was too shocking!

It was too valuable!

"You must accept it! This is something I painstakingly collected, specially prepared as a dowry for Rongrong. I thought that when other girls get married, they are covered in pearls and jade, rich and beautiful. My Rongrong cannot be worse than others. Keep it, keep it. If you don't want it, I'll take it back and give it to someone else, specifically to the girls in the brothels, just to anger you to death."

"You, you, you..." There was no need to give it to brothel girls; Chen Xiaolan was almost angered to death. She slapped Chen Guanlou on the back. "You plague-ridden thing, you're just wasting money. Father and Mother passed away early, and no one managed you; these past few years, you've become more and more indulgent."

"Just tell me whether you want it or not. These are all things I painstakingly hunted down."

"You must have spent a lot of money."

"Didn't spend much money! Your brother doesn't lack that bit of money!"

Chen Xiaolan's heart softened, and she took out a set of headpieces and put them on her daughter's head. Once the jewelry was on, in an instant, Su Rongrong gave off a sense of wealth!

"It's really beautiful!"

Su Rongrong was so excited that her cheeks flushed; she hurriedly took a bronze mirror from the room, looking left and right, unable to bear putting it down.

"Uncle, your taste is really good!"

"Of course! These were all painstakingly collected by me; ordinary goods can't enter my eyes."

"Thank you, Uncle! Uncle is the best!"

Chen Guanlou laughed heartily. Sending a gift and receiving the heartfelt liking of the recipient was very pleasing to the giver. Thinking back to those years, little Rongrong was kidnapped by traffickers, and after being rescued, she hid in his arms and refused to let go. In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a young lady!

Suddenly, he felt a bit sentimental; what was going on?

Chen Xiaolan kept saying, "It's too valuable, it's too valuable! How much money must this have cost! Such valuable jewelry must be matched with silks and satins. The fabrics I prepared for Rongrong before are a bit unsuitable; the grade is too low. I have to hunt for more."

"If Eldest Sister wants silks and satins, I'm familiar with that! I'll have someone send them to you."

Chen Guanlou took it all upon himself. Many family trifles were truly just a matter of a single sentence for him, and he didn't need to worry. As long as he had money, except for dragon liver and phoenix marrow, which he couldn't provide, and a five-clawed golden dragon, which he couldn't provide, everything else could be satisfied.

Chen Xiaolan hurriedly refused; she was truly afraid, afraid of being poked in the spine by others.

"No, no, no! It's the Su family marrying off a daughter. If you cover everything, outsiders will think it's the Chen family marrying off a daughter. Outsiders will poke my husband and me in the spine, saying we spend our days clinging to you to suck your blood, and even marrying off a daughter requires you to manage it; it's too improper! We must bear our own responsibilities. These past few years, your brother-in-law and I have saved some money; we'll handle the fabrics ourselves! Let's make it clear first: don't save any more dowry for Rongrong; these jewelry pieces are enough!"

"I still have to add a bit of money for Rongrong to keep at the bottom of her box!"

"Don't add too much; a few silver ingots from the Imperial Workshop are enough."

"That's too shabby!"

He had prepared several thousand taels of dowry money for Rongrong to keep at the bottom of her box.

Originally, he had prepared over ten thousand taels, but after being fiercely scolded by his eldest sister, Chen Xiaolan, he reluctantly reduced it to several thousand taels. It seemed it was still too much.

But he didn't think it was too much.

When a niece gets married, the outside can be simple, but the inside must be luxurious. She shouldn't have to worry about money after marriage.

He prepared to keep it hidden for now.

When it came time to add to the dowry, he would secretly hand the money to Rongrong without letting his eldest sister, Chen Xiaolan, know.

"Silver ingots from the Imperial Workshop are rare items; how could they be shabby!" Chen Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him. He didn't understand the ways of the world and only knew how to hole up in the Heavenly Prison. He had already developed the bad habit of not being able to distinguish the five grains!

She nagged, "Even if you have money, don't spend it recklessly. Occasionally, when you have time, go to the street and ask about prices. Then you'll know how much can be done with so much money. Don't act like a nouveau riche all day, opening your mouth with a thousand taels and closing it with ten thousand. We are just an ordinary family; being able to spend one or two taels of silver a month is already living quite well." ===== CHAPTER 1187 =====