After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 513 Reactions from all parties
Xu's face turned deathly pale because she had previously opposed the marriage and was afraid of offending Princess Huai'an.

At this moment, Shen Ying perfectly demonstrated what it means to have an elder in the family as a treasure.

While everyone else was panicking, he remained remarkably calm.

"Why are you acting like this? They're here to propose marriage, not to cause trouble in our village. They didn't know the situation beforehand, so they won't hold it against you for what you said. Don't scare yourselves. Remember to say some nice things later."

Lu Tong and Madam Tang nodded in unison, "Yes! It's really nothing serious! Calm down, calm down."

That's what he said, but in his heart he cursed Shen Yi hundreds of times. The fact that Princess Huai'an came to Zhaohua County was kept a secret. Although he could understand Shen Yi's concerns, he just felt uneasy.

The matchmaker, Chen, walked into the courtyard with the betrothal gift list and began reading it aloud.

From various jewelry and ornaments to antiques and silks, and even shops and estates.

Everyone listened attentively for a quarter of an hour before it ended.

Madam Xu swallowed hard and muttered, "This princess's son is really something else when he gets married! The betrothal gifts include shops and estates! What's that hot spring resort for?"

Tang's expression became more complicated. "Hot springs are hot water that comes out from the bottom of the water. They won't be cold even in the dead of winter. You can take a bath in the snow and ice. There aren't many hot spring resorts. I guess there are only a few in Langya Kingdom. I didn't expect Princess Huai'an to use a hot spring resort as a betrothal gift. It seems that she really values ​​this marriage."

There are no hot springs or mountain springs in their area. There is only one in the entire Lizhou, on the outskirts of the prefectural city. It is the villa of a powerful nobleman in the capital and is open to the public. Business is extremely good in winter, and it is no exaggeration to say that it makes a fortune every day.

When Lu Tong was promoted, he took his family on a trip there, and Tang Shi still remembers it fondly.

I wonder where the hot spring resort mentioned in Shen Yuezhang's betrothal gifts is located.
Han was quite pleased with herself, then stunned, "My goodness! Ordinary families couldn't save up this much dowry even in hundreds of years!"

Tang gave a wry smile. "Auntie, it's not a matter of whether you can save up or not. Things like a hot spring resort aren't something you can own just by having money. You also need power and influence to be able to intimidate people. Yue Zhang's marriage is indeed excellent!"

It was so good that she was envious.

While the people outside were talking, Chen, the matchmaker inside the house, had almost finished the betrothal ceremony.

Shen Yi and Su Tai arranged for servants to prepare a banquet to entertain their prospective son-in-law.

According to their local custom, this banquet also represents their attitude towards their prospective son-in-law; the more lavish the banquet, the more they value their son-in-law.

Both Amber and Matchmaker Chen were very curious, wondering what kind of dishes the Shen family had prepared.

Upon receiving Su Tai's signal, Yu Mei immediately went downstairs to serve the dishes.

The first dish was crispy lamb chops, seasoned with cumin. It was specially plated with carvings of carrots, radishes, and winter melon around the chops, resembling a peonies symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

The second dish was roast suckling pig, which was so big that it took two people to carry it up.

The third dish was black pepper beef tenderloin.

Granny Chen and Amber watched silently. Apart from the first dish being quite elaborate, the second dish was just passable, and the third dish looked unremarkable.

Considering the Shen family's financial situation, the two couldn't possibly have prepared anything special, and didn't have much hope at all.

Unexpectedly, the fourth dish brought them a pleasant surprise.

Matchmaker Chen was there to "talk," so there was no need for any pretense. Seeing that she didn't understand, she asked, "Madam Shen, this is..."

"This is a type of sea crab that only lives in the cold, deep sea, and it is very delicious."

The crab Su Tai mentioned was a king crab, which she had specially caught in her fishing boat. However, she couldn't say the name, as it would be taboo, so she could only be vague. This king crab weighed about ten pounds, and it looked imposing and eye-catching wherever it was placed. Most importantly, it smelled especially delicious.

Amber couldn't help but smile broadly, reassessing the Shen family's wealth.

The next dish was lobster. Despite the impact of the king crab, the people in the room reacted relatively normally.

Wait for the abalone, grouper, bluefin tuna, and deep-sea cod to come up later.

Amber and Matchmaker Chen were increasingly shocked as they listened.

Su Tai seemed to think it wasn't enough, so she served another dish: ginseng stewed chicken soup, braised bear paw, and bird's nest and papaya soup.

The main dishes consist of a bowl of flatbread, a bowl of steamed buns, a pot of seafood porridge, and a pot of green rice.

The wine was the finest Yuliangye from Langya Kingdom, and there was also a red liquid in a glass container that looked extremely luxurious and exquisite.

Such a large table is more than enough to entertain even Princess Huai'an, let alone Murong Jue.

Amber couldn't stop smiling.

Matchmaker Chen swallowed hard, respectfully handed Murong Jue a pair of chopsticks, and quickly composed auspicious words in her mind.

She praised every food Murong Jue ate, and her praises were always perfectly rhyming.

Su Tai's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she thought to herself that being a matchmaker was no easy task for just anyone.

I don't know how their brains work.

Just as Su Tai was lost in her fantasies, Murong Jue ate all the dishes.

Seeing his satisfied expression, Amber knew how pleased he was with the meal. She immediately gave Shen Yi and Su Tai a respectful curtsy and said in a clear voice, "Lord Shen, Madam Shen, my princess was unable to attend today due to her understanding. There are some other things here that the eldest princess prepared for Lord Shen."

Shen Yi accepted it with trepidation.

Murong Jue smiled and asked Xue Xiang to bring over a small box. "Mother-in-law, here are some trinkets I've chosen for Yuezhang. They're nothing special and can't be included in the gift list, but they're quite exquisite. Please pass them on to Yuezhang on my behalf."

Su Tai opened the package in front of everyone and looked at it. Her face showed some relief. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Yu Mei, take the package to the backyard for the young lady."

Murong Jue left satisfied.

As soon as the others left, Shen Yi hurriedly invited Su Chunlin and the others to come in for a meal.

It would be a waste not to eat such a big table of delicious food!

He wouldn't be so casual with Lu Tong. "Brother Lu, how about I have the servants prepare another meal?"

Lu Tong sat down without saying a word. "I'm getting a free ride eating at the same table as the son of the Princess of Huai'an! No offense to you, Shen Yi, but you managed to keep such a big thing a secret! Luckily, nothing happened in Zhaohua County, otherwise I would be finished as the county magistrate!"

Shen Yi hurriedly poured wine for Lu Tong and apologized, "No, no! To tell you the truth, Brother Lu, the Princess was very low-key at first. When she visited our family, she used the identity of the Xue family's matriarch. At that time, we were kept in the dark."

Xiao Tai also asked her sister-in-law about this, but her sister-in-law didn't know either at the time. We only found out around the third year of junior high. At that time, the Princess stayed at our house for a few days. She said she didn't want to make a fuss and even brought up marriage arrangements for her children. The formal betrothal ceremony hadn't taken place yet, so I couldn't go around telling everyone, right?"

Lu Tong felt much better after hearing this. He drank three cups in a row and exclaimed, "I never believed in fate before, but now I believe in you. Your luck is truly amazing! I can't even envy you enough."