Chapter 562 Even Wanting to Keep a Low Profile Is Impossible
It was after noon that Cheng Wanwan came out of the palace.
She had just experienced a palace intrigue, which on the surface was a struggle between women, but in reality it was a tug-of-war between various forces.
The Empress's position was secure, Consort Lin had the support of the Lin family, Consort Xian and Consort Shu each had sons, and Consort Yun relied on the Fifth Prince to act arrogantly... There were also some young girls under the age of twenty who had no powerful families or children to rely on, so they attached themselves to powerful concubines, hoping to gain the Emperor's favor and conceive a royal heir...
The harem is a battlefield for women, and every woman on the battlefield is a pitiful person.
Cheng Wanwan was incredibly grateful. She was far, far away from the harem. She had a free and expansive world to explore, and she was far happier than those women.
The Empress sent Granny Zhou to personally escort Cheng Wanwan out of the palace and lead people to help Cheng Wanwan move all her belongings to the newly arranged courtyard. This courtyard was very close to the palace. Although it was not a large courtyard with three or four courtyards, it was small and exquisite, with artificial hills and flowing water, and a large area of bamboo planted. The rustling bamboo leaves added a lot of artistic conception.
The Empress arranged for four palace maids, two nannies, and four eunuchs to serve her. Everything was taken care of perfectly, inside and out, so Cheng Wanwan didn't need to worry about anything.
Cheng Wanwan sent someone to tell Cheng Zhao that she had moved to a new place.
The second day after I moved in, people kept coming to my door with invitations and visiting cards.
Granny Qi walked in with the invitation: "After Lady An was summoned to the palace, she moved into the residence under the Empress's name. The ladies in the capital couldn't sit still. The ladies of lower rank requested to visit her, while the ladies of slightly higher rank sent invitations to Lady An to go boating on the lake and enjoy the flowers. We received eight or nine invitations in one day. Lady An, please take a look."
Cheng Wanwan put down the foreign language book and opened the invitations one by one. Those who requested to visit were the wives of officials of the seventh and sixth ranks, and those who invited her to go boating and appreciate the flowers were ladies of the fifth and fourth ranks. The one with the highest status was Madam Zhao, the wife of a third-rank Guanglu doctor.
The surname is Zhao, so we can be considered as relatives.
Presumably, news of what happened to her in the Empress's palace has already spread. People in the circle should know that the Empress punished Consort Yun, the extremely favored mother of the Fifth Prince, to protect her. She was confined to her quarters without warning. As a result, her status as a native of Sui'an has risen significantly.
Although she was only a sixth-rank official, she served the emperor and was protected by the empress, so naturally, the sensitive noblewomen of the capital came up to curry favor with her.
She's not one to be high-profile, but things have progressed to this point, so she can't stay low-key anymore.
Another thing is that she has offended Concubine Yun. If she continues to keep a low profile like before, she will never know when Concubine Yun will plot against her.
It's better to take this opportunity to achieve what you want.
Cheng Wanwan pulled out the invitation from the Zhao family and said, "Go there in person and tell Madam Zhao that I will definitely be there for the flower viewing the day after tomorrow."
Granny Qi accepted the order and went to carry it out.
Cheng Wanwan sat in the courtyard, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Grandma Yang, prepare a congratulatory gift. I will go to the Zhang residence tomorrow to visit Old Madam Zhang."
Since it was Lord Zhang who caused her to remain in the capital, before dealing with this matter, we can only target Lord Zhang.
Early the next morning, Cheng Wanwan took a carriage to Zhang Mansion. The carriage she was riding in was not the one she brought from Dahe Village, but one specially prepared by the Queen Mother. It had a low-key appearance and luxurious interior. It was extremely comfortable to sit in, almost like lying in bed. She immediately asked Cheng Jia to modify her own carriage according to this carriage.
The carriage arrived at the gate of the Zhang residence very quickly.
Because someone had been sent to deliver a visiting card long ago, an elderly lady of about sixty years old was standing at the foot of the steps of the Zhang residence. It was Old Madam Zhang herself who came out to greet them.
"Oh, Sui'an woman, I'm so glad to finally see you!" Old Madam Zhang warmly took Cheng Wanwan's hand. "My old man has troubled you quite a bit, hasn't he? Don't blame him. He's been the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies for so many years and has never accomplished anything. Now that he sees hope, he's just doing all this for you. Don't worry, the Zhang family won't treat you unfairly..."
"Madam, what are you saying? Lord Zhang is serving the court, and I am also sharing the court's burdens. It's all within our duties," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "After the Great Yu Dynasty and Asab reached a trade cooperation agreement, this is a political achievement. Lord Zhang will surely be rewarded by the Emperor... It's not difficult for men to achieve political achievements, but it's truly difficult for us women to do something for the court..."
"Women in the capital are always gathering and comparing themselves. How many of them really want to do something for the people and the court?" Old Madam Zhang shook her head. "In the past few hundred years, you are the only one from Sui'an who has done such a thing. The things you have done for the people, for the country, and for the Great Yu Dynasty are all worth learning from for us women... Even if we can't learn to be as good as you, it would be good to learn some basics."
“Actually, I came here today to discuss something with Madam Zhang,” Cheng Wanwan said, sitting down and taking a sip of tea. “My nephew and I plan to open a reading pavilion in the capital to provide a place for impoverished students to read. The reading pavilion will open in about twenty days. After it opens, we will build a merit wall, where the names of those who have contributed to the reading pavilion will be written in calligraphy, framed, and hung on the wall. Lord Zhang has donated one hundred books and is currently the person who has contributed the most to the reading pavilion. Lord Zhang’s name will be the first one, and every reader who enters will know about Lord Zhang’s merits…”
Mrs. Zhang was proud of it, but she was not forgiving: "When did this old man donate so many books? I had no idea."
"These books donated by Lord Zhang belong to the Zhang family, and they also represent the old lady's good deeds," Cheng Wanwan coughed and said. "Men can strive for fame anywhere, but we women have no opportunity to use our abilities. I was thinking, why not write the old lady's name on the merit wall..."
Old Madam Zhang put down the teacup, her old eyes rolled around, and she really was moved.
As people get older, they no longer worry about food or clothing, and their official positions are just right—neither too high nor too low, so they won't be looked down upon or involved in partisan strife. They used to think their lives were fulfilling, but ever since they met someone from Sui'an, they've always felt they haven't done enough for the people. After they die and are buried in the earth, apart from their children, no one will ever mention their name again.
But if she gains a reputation among scholars and it is passed down from generation to generation, wouldn't she also have accumulated merit?
Seeing Madam Zhang's expression, Cheng Wanwan knew that she had made the right decision to come.
She could tell from the attitude of the people in the capital that many women of status wanted to make a name for themselves, and now that such a good opportunity had come up, no one would want to miss it.
Using Madam Zhang as a starting point, I believe many wealthy women will donate books, but I don't know if we can reach the required number.
“I can’t just take credit for this good deed. The old man donated a hundred copies, so I’ll add another three hundred,” said Madam Zhang. “People of Sui’an, if you need anything in the future, just let me know and I’ll do my best to cooperate.”
Cheng Wanwan stood up, curtsied, and solemnly thanked her: "Then I will thank Madam Zhang on behalf of the vast number of poor students and impoverished scholars."
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