Chapter 488: Ten Miles of Red Dowry

What was falling into the pot was not merely Zhu Ping’an’s eyeballs—at that moment, it felt as if his entire person might tumble straight into the boiling fish soup as well.

The realization that had just surfaced in his mind was so shocking that it sent a chill creeping down his spine.

The proud, sharp-tongued, willful, and slightly scheming Li Shu… was actually the very same Li family cook who had been making delicious meals for him for several years.

For a moment, Zhu Ping’an’s thoughts turned chaotic.

When… when exactly had this girl started cooking for him?

As the question surfaced, scattered clues from the past began drifting up from the depths of his memory like fragments rising through clear water.

He suddenly remembered a time long ago when he had been borrowing books at the Li residence in Shanghe Village. Back then, while chatting, he had told the story of The Tale of the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Slaying Saber. During that visit, Li Shu had ordered someone to bring him a plate of snacks.

It had been some sort of braised meat dish.

The appearance had been… quite unfortunate.

And the taste?

Even worse.

It had been the sort of culinary disaster that could make one question the meaning of life—so awful that it had no friends in the world.

Zhu Ping’an still vividly remembered how, after tasting it, he had asked Li Shu whether the Li family had recently hired a new cook.

Then, out of what he believed was a responsible and well-intentioned attitude toward the Li household, he had mercilessly criticized the new cook from beginning to end.

In fact, he had practically torn the poor chef apart with his words.

By the end of his rant, he had delivered a solemn conclusion:

“This cook clearly knows nothing about cooking. Absolutely no talent whatsoever. For the sake of your family’s safety, you’d better replace them as soon as possible.”

Thinking back on it now, Zhu Ping’an suddenly understood why Li Shu had inexplicably lost her temper at the time—why she had slammed the plate down, thrown a fit, and glared at him with such an awful expression.

Honestly, the fact that she hadn’t secretly mixed rat poison into a jar and served it to him afterward was already incredibly merciful.

So that had probably been the first time she had cooked something for him.

More memories surfaced.

Zhu Ping’an recalled another day when he had been reading books at the Li residence. Li Shu had suddenly said she needed to step out to change clothes and had refused to allow any maids to accompany her.

When she returned, Zhu Ping’an had noticed a faint smudge on the tip of her delicate nose.

At the time, he had assumed she had accidentally touched her eyebrow pencil there while applying makeup.

But now that he thought about it…

That black mark had almost certainly been wood ash from the stove while she was cooking.

And with that realization, Zhu Ping’an also understood why Li Shu had always looked so smug and proud whenever he praised the Li family’s mysterious chef.

Another memory surfaced.

Zhu Ping’an had always liked waking up early to study. Often, the sky was still dark during the fifth watch of the night. The roosters had not even begun to crow.

Yet somehow, breakfast carefully prepared by the Li family cook would already be waiting for him.

Later, when Li Mo began checking attendance, Zhu Ping’an had started leaving for work even earlier—sometimes before the hour of Mao had even arrived.

But even then, every single time, he had still eaten breakfast prepared by the Li family cook before leaving.

Just how early must that girl have been waking up?

Even someone as slow to react as Zhu Ping’an could now grasp the deeper meaning behind a proud noble young lady lowering herself to cook meals for him.

And yet…

Li Shu, who used to mock him as a muddy-legged country bumpkin when they were children… who still called him a stinking toad even after they had grown up…

She actually…

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the realization became.

The truth crashed into Zhu Ping’an’s mind like a herd of wild alpacas suddenly charging out of nowhere, trampling through his thoughts with unstoppable momentum.

While Zhu Ping’an was caught in this strange state of stunned contemplation—

Back in Xiahe Village, things had already turned into a sea of celebration.

The sound of firecrackers echoed endlessly through the air. Suona horns blared loudly enough to shake the heavens. A traveling opera troupe had set up two stages in the village, their high-pitched singing drifting through the streets in lively melodies.

Every corner of the village was packed with people.

Crowds filled the streets, the alleys, the rooftops, even the branches of tall trees.

At the western end of Xiahe Village, the Zhu family’s grand residence had been decorated with bright red lanterns and festive couplets pasted across the gates.

Outside the house, dozens of banquet tables had been arranged along the road for a flowing feast. Large iron cauldrons had been set over earthen stoves.

Pigs were being slaughtered, sheep butchered, chickens boiled, ducks stewed, fish cleaned, vegetables chopped, and tables carried back and forth.

The entire village had come together to help.

The atmosphere was lively beyond words.

People had arrived from villages seven or eight li away, packing Xiahe Village until it was bursting at the seams.

What occasion could possibly make Xiahe Village so lively today?

Anyone standing in the crowded streets could answer that question.

Today was the wedding day of Xiahe Village’s pride—indeed, the pride of the entire Ming dynasty—the number one scholar Zhu Ping’an and the daughter of the wealthy Li family from Shanghe Village.

No one wanted to miss such a grand spectacle.

Everyone knew Zhu Ping’an was the empire’s top scholar.

Everyone also knew how unimaginably wealthy the Li family of Shanghe Village was.

And people had heard countless praises of Miss Li—how beautiful she was, how capable she was at managing a household, how virtuous, how filial…

Far away on a lonely island thousands of miles from home, the wedding Li Shu had worried would take place without a bride or groom was, to her complete surprise, proceeding right on schedule in Shanghe Village.

From early morning, Xiahe Village had already been in complete chaos with preparations.

People from nearby villages had arrived at dawn to claim good spots.

They munched happily on peanuts, melon seeds, and candies generously distributed by the Zhu family while watching the festivities.

Those who hadn’t managed to secure a good viewing place displayed remarkable creativity.

Some climbed trees and sat comfortably on branches.

Others scrambled up walls or onto rooftops.

One by one, they turned into something like acrobatic spider heroes, practically climbing toward the sky just to get a better view.

Meanwhile, excited children who had snatched festive coins and sweets ran wildly through the crowds like untamed little colts.

Their mothers chased after them, shouting anxiously while half angry and half worried.

“Slow down! Slow down! Don’t fall!”

Suddenly, a shout rose from the front of the crowd.

“They’re here! They’re here! The wedding procession is back!”

The crowd instantly erupted like cold water splashed into hot oil.

People stretched their necks forward, eager to see.

And then—

A collective gasp swept through the spectators.

The scene before them was simply too shocking.

Traditionally, when a daughter married, her family would prepare a dowry for her. That dowry became her private property after marriage.

But since daughters were said to be “water poured out once married,” most families only prepared dowries as a symbolic gesture—just enough to give the bride a bit of dignity in her husband’s household.

Among wealthy families, sixty-four dowry chests were considered a complete set.

More commonly, thirty-two chests were given, known as a half set.

Of course, that standard only applied to large households. Ordinary families couldn’t possibly afford such numbers.

In the villages around Xiahe, even seven or eight chests—perhaps a dozen at most—would already be considered impressive.

But the sight before them now made people feel as if their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.

They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

The Li family’s dowry procession was simply suffocating in its extravagance.

Ten li of red bridal splendor.

It truly stretched for ten li.

At the very front were one hundred and twenty-eight dowry chests, carried by neatly dressed porters wearing bright red garments.

The line extended all the way from Shanghe Village to Xiahe Village.

Rumor had it that the tail end of the procession stretched beyond Shanghe Village and into yet another village further away.

What made people gasp even more was that the porters carrying the dowry had deliberately opened the chests as they walked.

This was clearly meant to show off the wealth of the bride’s family.

Look carefully—these dowries were genuine.

No tricks. No empty boxes.

Both quantity and quality were undeniable.

In the very first chest, however, the contents were unexpected.

Instead of gold, silver, jewels, or banknotes, the chest contained thick earthen bricks.

Each brick was large and heavy, with the pattern of a map carved into its surface.

People counted them.

There were twenty bricks in total.

That single chest alone was enough to leave everyone staring in shock.

Because these were not ordinary bricks.

In Ming-dynasty dowry customs, earthen bricks symbolized land.

Under each brick corresponded a land deed.

The size of the brick indicated the size of the estate.

Judging from the scale of the bricks presented by the Li family, each one probably represented ten qing of fertile farmland.

Twenty bricks meant two hundred qing.

In Ming measurements, one qing equaled fifty mu.

That meant the dowry included ten thousand mu of fertile farmland.

By customary limits, even powerful landowning families were restricted to holding no more than a thousand mu.

A household possessing that much land was already considered extremely influential.

Yet the Li family had casually offered ten thousand mu as a dowry.

And that was only the first chest.

There were still more than a hundred chests behind it.

People couldn’t help exclaiming in disbelief.

“Is the old Li family marrying off a daughter—or a princess?”

“Even a princess might not receive a dowry like this!”

“We always knew the Li family was extraordinary… but who could have imagined they were this formidable?”

In truth, the porters from the Li family couldn’t help feeling a bit disdainful when they heard the murmurs from the crowd.

Ten qing per brick?

Please.

It was one hundred qing per brick.