I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 80 Dowry Levels

"...When I learned that Diana had found herself a fiancé in North America, my first reaction was that she must have been deceived, and that Stephen, that guy, betrayed our friendship!"

As Robert Spencer spoke, he looked at Chen Wenbin, who was as handsome as an ancient Greek sculpture and possessed an air of Eastern nobility, and sighed, "But she gave me a surprise!"

Robin, you are far more outstanding than I imagined… a respectable doctor who has saved countless lives, a wealthy inventor, a gentleman with compassion and integrity—I simply cannot think of any reason to oppose your union!

Chen Wenbin knew exactly what to say at this moment. Holding Diana's hand, he said sincerely:

"In fact, meeting Diana was my good fortune! She was the first patient I treated after arriving in the New World, and the first girl who could understand me... I promise I will do everything in my power to make her happy!"

"...I hope you can keep your promise!" Seeing the light in his daughter's eyes, and then glancing at her lower abdomen hidden by her loose dress, Robert nodded with a bitter feeling. Then, as if explaining something, he slowly said:

"You know, Diana lost her mother when she was young, and I owe her a lot."

I thought that the young Francis Bernard that Stephen recommended was a good young man, and the New World was much freer than England, where she could enjoy the air of freedom... I absolutely did not want her to be used as a tool for family alliances, to marry those frivolous and even syphilis-infected decadent nobles and rich lads!

That would only ruin her life. I can't let Louisa down...

"dad!"

Diana, with tears in her eyes, rose and sat beside him, comforting him, "I understand, I understand everything!"

Robert's eyes were also slightly red. He held his daughter's hand and looked at Chen Wenbin earnestly, saying, "So, I want to thank you! Young man! You saved Diana's life in the New World! Without you, I would have lost her..."

Chen Wenbin, remembering that he was under Jesus's protection, shook his head and said, "No, I think we should all thank God. It was God who arranged for me to heal Diana and for us to have each other!"

"Yes! We have to thank God for His arrangements!" Robert nodded, then turned to look at Henry Hopkins on his right.

"...Henry, tell Robin about the dowry I've prepared for them! Although I know Robin is a wealthy man, this represents the attitude of me and the Spencer family!"

"OK."

Henry coughed and introduced to Chen Wenbin: "Robin, according to our preliminary marriage contract, the dowry you and Diana will receive includes a mansion in Althorpe Manor, Northampton, £1000 in gold coins, £2000 worth of East India Company stock and British government bonds, a set of jewelry, brooches and badges made of gold, diamonds and rubies, and employment contracts for two maids."

In addition, the Spencer family provided and paid for the church venue, silk brocade dresses, lace accessories, carriages, horses and tack, as well as the wedding banquet.

If you want to buy a house in London, you can exchange those £2000 worth of East India Company shares and bonds for cash…”

Upon hearing that the dowry included East India Company shares, Chen Wenbin immediately turned to his father-in-law and said, "I still have 16,000 pounds in cash, enough to buy or build a mansion in Mayfair. Can the 1000 pounds in gold coins be exchanged for East India Company shares?"

Upon hearing this, Robert glanced at his daughter and nodded, saying, "...Okay! Just stipulate in the marriage contract that the stocks will be inherited by your and Diana's children!"

Diana shook her head and said, "Dad, most of our children's inheritance will come from Robin, so you don't need to worry!"

"I know," Robert explained, "but your dowry is twice as much as before, and this is family property; it must be clearly stated in a contract!"

Upon hearing this, Diana could only give Chen Wenbin a helpless look, but Boss Chen didn't take it to heart at all.

As her father-in-law had said, Diana's dowry, even if it was just average, was still around £6000, which was already over the limit.

Generally speaking, in marriages between British nobles, the bride's dowry is divided according to the noble rank. The dowry of the highest-ranking dukes and marquesses is worth about £20000 to £50000, the dowry of earls and viscounts is £8000 to £20000, and the dowry of barons and barons-de-camps is only £3000 to £8000, with an average of £5000.

Diana's father, Robert, did not have any noble title. Logically, Baron Spencer should only have needed to provide a dowry of £2000 to £3000 for his niece. In fact, the initial offer from Henry Hopkins in Northampton was around £3000.

However, as Chen Wenbin's reputation rapidly increased after arriving in London, and he even received an invitation from the King with the prospect of being knighted, Diana's dowry quickly rose to £6000.

After all, a nouveau riche inventor from the New World is a completely different person from a British knight.

The former had only just met the requirements to marry Diana, while the latter, even as the lowest-ranking knight, had already broken free from the ruled class and become a ruler of the country, opening up many opportunities, channels, and resources.

In addition, Chen Wenbin's wealth and fame gained in a short period of time were enough to persuade the Spencer family to increase their investment.

At this time, the British aristocracy was in a transitional period from land management to industrial and commercial development, and the Spencer family also hoped to open up an opportunity for industrial and commercial transformation through Chen Wenbin.

In short, there is no love without a reason. The amount of attention and investment you receive depends on how much value you create.

After discussing the dowry, everyone started talking about the couple's wedding.

Diana's belly was already showing, and they couldn't delay any longer. So, according to Robert's suggestion, the two would get engaged in London this month and then get married a week later. After all, there were precedents of other nobles getting engaged in the morning and married in the afternoon.

Chen Wenbin naturally agreed with this. However, he had seen the process for the appointment of a baron and estimated that he would receive approval from Parliament at the beginning of next month. After that, he would go through the appointment process at the Royal Palace and become Lord Chen of Great Britain.

So he suggested that they get engaged and married immediately after the investiture ceremony... After all, marrying a Spencer girl and being knighted is a completely different experience from being knighted and then marrying a Spencer girl.

The former seems like someone who lives off a woman and relies on nepotism, while the latter is much more inspiring—he earned his title through his own abilities and then married a beautiful and wealthy woman…