Chapter 50 "Yuanyuan, are you serious?"...
When Meng Yuanxiao told Wu that he wanted to go out and play, Wu agreed, saying, "Go ahead."
After saying that, she added, "It was wrong of Dalang to not tell you when he went on his official business. As his mother, I only found out from your second uncle. I thought you already knew, so I didn't ask anyone else to tell you. Don't take it to heart."
Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips and said, "Daughter-in-law understands."
Ms. Wu nodded.
Meng Yuanxiao thought she could leave, but then she heard her mother-in-law say, "The yamen is busy with official business, and there will always be times when Dalang can't take care of you. Yuanyuan, please be understanding."
Again, she was asked to be understanding of Brother Tang, which made Meng Yuanxiao unhappy.
Even in front of her mother, her mother would always tell her that Brother Tang was busy outside and that she should be more understanding of him.
Why can only she be considerate of him, and not the other way around?
She kept her eyes down and remained silent. Madam Wu glanced at her a few times and said, "When a young couple lives together, it's inevitable that they'll have disagreements. Men care about their pride, so it's better to be a little oblivious to some things and not take them too seriously. Sometimes, if you push him too hard, you'll only push him away, which is not worth it."
Wu's words were quite meaningful, and Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but furrow her brows.
When did she pressure Tang-gege? If we're talking about pressuring him, it's only about the Lin family.
He wasn't angry that night, but he got angry when she questioned him about whether he hadn't given the princess any leverage over the Xu family because of Lin Yu.
Thinking of this, Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but tear up.
Seeing this, Madam Wu said, "Mother is not trying to excuse Dalang, but I have seen through many things after living half my life. Dalang's indulgence of you and his refusal to let you learn to manage the household is not necessarily for your own good. I have told you before that you should keep the household affairs under your control, and let the rest be."
“You were raised under the watchful eyes of Dalang, so you are different from others in his eyes. I gave birth to Dalang, so I know him quite well. No matter how wicked he is, no one in this mansion can surpass you in the end.”
Wu's words were clearly pointed, carrying a hint of warning and reminder.
Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback. Her brother Tang had said something similar to her.
Therefore, when she asked Tang Gege whether he would take a concubine after his death and whether he would only ever love her, he avoided answering. Instead, he told her to keep the household affairs under her control and that no one in the household could surpass her.
No one knows a child better than their mother, so is that the reason?
Meng Yuanxiao felt a surge of disgust. She felt the hall was terribly stuffy, and the sandalwood scent emanating from her mother-in-law made her want to vomit.
She couldn't stay a moment longer, so she quickly dealt with her mother-in-law and took her leave.
He left the Cui residence in a sullen mood and saw Mingyue, who still looked like a wilted eggplant.
Zhang Mingyue saw this and tapped her forehead with her finger. "What's wrong with you? You always have this face every time you come out. Getting married has turned you into this. You're so pathetic!"
Meng Yuanxiao, holding Zhang Mingyue's arm, hummed twice but didn't say anything.
Zhang Mingyue looked down on her appearance, rolled her eyes at her, and ignored her.
The two got tired of walking around the streets and casually went into a teahouse to rest.
Upon entering the private room upstairs, Meng Yuanxiao immediately kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the large, soft armchair, and looked lazy and spineless.
Zhang Mingyue glared at her, "You were like this even at the Cui residence?"
Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips and said in a muffled voice, "Yes, in front of Brother Tang, but I certainly wouldn't dare in front of others."
Zhang Mingyue said, "It's only because Cui Xintang watched you grow up that he spoils you like this. Why don't you try it with someone else?"
Meng Yuanxiao believed this. Putting aside others, her mother, ever since she could remember, had always been dignified in front of everyone, unlike her.
She snorted, "That's why I married Brother Tang, and not someone else!"
Zhang Mingyue rolled her eyes at her. "So, what happened this time?"
Meng Yuanxiao choked, and Zhang Mingyue said knowingly, "Since you married Cui Xintang, when have you ever remembered me except when you're unhappy?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
It seems that's really true.
Her face flushed red, and she stammered, "Whether I look for you or not, I'm always thinking of you, Mingyue."
Zhang Mingyue: "Heh, go ahead and say it."
Meng Yuanxiao felt embarrassed and subconsciously wanted to tell Mingyue that Cui Xintang had gone on a business trip without telling her, but after thinking about it, she swallowed it back.
Remembering what Qin had said that day, she sat up straighter. "Mingyue, it seems my second aunt has taken a liking to you."
"Huh? What do you see in me?"
"She has taken a liking to you and wants you to marry Cui Erlang from her family."
Zhang Mingyue had just taken a sip of tea when she heard this and almost choked on it.
She coughed a few times and quickly waved her hand, "Don't mention it. I've met your mother-in-law and second aunt. Neither of them is worthy of your status."
After saying that, he added, "Do you think everyone is as foolish as you, easily deceived by a few words?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She pouted, too lazy to talk to Mingyue anymore.
The private rooms in this teahouse are different from others. They are separated only by screens and straw mats. When the windows are open, the wind rustles through the straw mats, creating a unique and charming effect.
Therefore, if the people in the adjacent private rooms spoke a little louder, they could hear some of it.
When the two of them came in, the private room next door was empty. As they chatted, several people entered the private room next door, and their voices could be faintly heard.
Have you heard that the imperial court is still recruiting painters?
Meng Yuanxiao, who had been absent-minded, immediately perked up his ears upon hearing this.
A group of people were sitting over there, and one of them replied, "So what if you've heard about it? You don't actually want to try it out, do you?"
"Why not give it a try? I've heard that you can get a record at the Imperial Academy and have an official rank. Isn't that much easier than taking the imperial examination?"
"Ha, if it were really that good, why wouldn't we have recruited enough people yet?"
The following words were spoken in a lower voice, and even with his ears strained, Meng Yuanxiao could only vaguely hear some of them.
"It's just that the person in charge wanted to promote female officials, but there were too many obstacles, so he took a different approach. He used His Majesty's fondness for painting as an excuse to start with the inconspicuous position of painter."
"Putting aside your painting skills, even if you catch the eye of the one above, are you really willing to work with a woman?"
"Exactly! If word got out, people would laugh their heads off."
"Isn't it said that among the recruited painters, the outstanding ones will be promoted to the Imperial Academy as doctors? The rest will be gradually distributed to the Six Ministries."
"Sigh, so what if she gets into the Imperial Academy? Let alone the students, which of the old scholars there can tolerate a female PhD? Our newly appointed martial arts third-place winner is a perfect example."
"Ha, once you enter the Imperial Academy, you're supposed to teach students. But naturally, you won't be teaching the regular students there. You'll just be drawing stories that only little kids would read, using those lowbrow principles to educate them."
"Speaking of this martial arts scholar, I've heard she's quite skilled. With someone backing her up, she single-handedly took on several martial arts professors from the Imperial Academy. Now, very few dare to cause her any trouble..."
Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded, and she only came to her senses when the sounds from the next private room gradually subsided.
She leaned closer to Mingyue and whispered, "Why do they dare to talk about this so openly?"
“They’re not afraid of people talking about it,” Mingyue said. “The more people talk about it, the more people know about it, and the more women will take the exams to become painters or female officials.”
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned upon hearing this.
The sun was blazing outside at midday, but the two women weren't in a hurry to go out. They ordered some tea and snacks, and then took out the storybooks they had bought at the bookstore to pass the time.
After the people in the private room next door had left, Meng Yuanxiao thought for a moment, then called over a waiter from the teahouse and gave him a silver ingot.
"Please go and buy me some brushes, ink, paper, and paints. The better ones, and hurry. The rest of the money is yours."
This ingot of silver was more than enough to buy all of these, with plenty left over. The shop assistant was naturally happy to agree and went to buy them immediately.
Zhang Mingyue asked in confusion, "Yuanyuan, why are you buying all this? Does the Cui family need these things?"
Meng Yuanxiao's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "Mingyue, I'm going to paint a picture later, could you help me submit it to the Imperial Academy?"
The painting academy that the imperial court is preparing this time is located under the Imperial Academy. Therefore, the recruitment of painters is also done through the Imperial Academy. First, the paintings are submitted to the Imperial Academy for initial screening, and then the imperial court conducts a unified examination.
Zhang Mingyue almost thought she had misheard. She was shocked. "Yuanyuan, are you serious?"
Meng Yuanxiao's eyes flickered a few times. "Yes."
Zhang Mingyue was dumbfounded, and after a long while, she asked, "Do Cui Xintang and your older brother know about this?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She shook her head guiltily and whispered, "I don't know."
Zhang Mingyue immediately said, "Yuanyuan, when did you become so bold? If Cui Xintang finds out about your antics, he will definitely be angry."
Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips and remained silent.
She knew, of course, that her brother Tang would disagree. Not only would her brother Tang disagree, but her mother and eldest brother would certainly disagree as well.
Just now, the men in the next private room said that they disdained to serve in the same court as women. Similarly, no wealthy or powerful family in the capital would allow their female relatives to show their faces in public and go out and work with men.
So, although she had always been thinking about taking the painter exam, she only dared to think about it in her heart and occasionally test Tang-gege.
Perhaps it was because of what those people said earlier that she suddenly felt like rebelling.
She didn't dare at first, afraid of upsetting Brother Tang. But Brother Tang didn't care whether she was sad or not, so why should she worry so much?
If we remain hesitant and restrained today, I fear that once we return to the Cui residence, things will come to nothing again, and we will have no further opportunity.
Thinking of Brother Tang, Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but recall her mother-in-law's words before she left, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Her eyes reddened, and Zhang Mingyue became anxious. "What's wrong? Is this it again? You always blamed me before, and you still do it now?"
Meng Yuanxiao was bold, but also spoiled. When they were little, he loved to compete with her, but he could never win. Every time he suffered a little grievance at her hands, he would shed a few tears.
Her eldest brother, Meng Xu, was at least reasonable and never said anything to her. But her second brother, Meng Zheng, was a troublemaker. Once, he caught Yuan Yuan crying in front of her and gave her a stern talking-to, saying that she was never allowed to bully Yuan Yuan again.
Cui Xintang wasn't a good person either. Although he wouldn't scare her, he would still tell her with a stern face that Yuanyuan was young and that she should be more considerate of Yuanyuan.
Ha, she's only half a year older than Yuanyuan, why don't they give way to her?
Thinking about all this, Zhang Mingyue was still somewhat indignant, but seeing that Meng Yuanxiao was about to shed tears, she still couldn't help but worry.
"Why are you crying? As long as you're not afraid of Cui Xintang punishing you, I'll find a way to help you deliver it."
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