The wife of the provincial education commissioner was surnamed Zhou, and her given name was Wanru. She came from a scholarly family.
She was born with a dignified and beautiful appearance, and there was a cool and aloof air about her, as if she were untouched by worldly affairs.
His father was a famous Confucian scholar in Jiangnan. Although he did not enter officialdom, he was highly respected in literary circles.
Zhou Wanru's husband was the Jiangnan Provincial Education Commissioner, in charge of education and culture in the province, and held a very prominent position.
Although she was the wife of an educational official, she never acted arrogantly because of her power; on the contrary, she always maintained a "lofty and aloof" demeanor.
She often said to people, "My Zhou family has been a family of scholars for generations. We do not covet power and wealth, but only seek knowledge."
Although these words sound grand and dignified, they actually contain a hint of self-importance.
She always felt that she was different from those ordinary women and disdained to associate with them.
Zhou Wanru usually prefers to wear plain-colored clothes, with a few elegant plum blossoms embroidered on them, making her look particularly aloof.
Her hair was neatly styled, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair and no other ornaments.
Although Zhou Wanru disliked being ostentatious, she was always one of the few people who sat in the main seat at banquets.
After all, which family doesn't have a few children preparing to study for officialdom?
Her husband was the provincial education commissioner of Jiangnan, in charge of the imperial examinations in the province, and held the future of countless scholars in his hands.
There are quite a few people who want to befriend someone of such status and position.
However, Zhou Wanru not only maintained her status but also had a touch of pedantry.
If a lady were to approach her, she would only smile faintly, her words always carrying a hint of aloofness, making her difficult to approach.
At the banquet held at the Magistrate's wife's house that day, Madam Cheng attracted everyone's attention as soon as she appeared.
Only Zhou Wanru, maintaining her status, remained seated at the head of the table, holding a cup of tea in her hands, her gaze sweeping over everyone indifferently, seemingly unconcerned about the lively scene.
However, after everyone had taken their seats, the wife of the education commissioner finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Although she remained outwardly calm, she frequently glanced down at her feet, her gaze lingering on the pair of peony shoes.
She had always loved plum blossoms and had little interest in peonies, but she couldn't resist the exquisite craftsmanship of these shoes, which even she couldn't help but admire.
But she was always aloof and reserved, unwilling to reveal anything in front of others, so she had to suppress her curiosity.
Hearing from the servants that Madam Cheng had come to visit, Zhou Wanru was quite puzzled.
She had naturally heard of this "royal relative" Madam Cheng.
However, according to her husband, most of her family's children are good-for-nothings, and the two families have never had any contact. He doesn't know why she came this time.
Zhou Wanru did eventually meet with Madam Cheng.
After all, they have some connections with the royal family, so it's best not to let things get too tense.
The plum blossoms on the shoes were exactly the same as the embroidery on Zhou Wanru's clothes, with delicate petals and strong branches, as if one could smell the cold fragrance of plum blossoms.
When Zhou Wanru saw the shoes, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. Although she remained calm, she couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Seeing this, Madam Cheng chuckled inwardly, but kept her composure on her face. She simply said, "I've heard that you love plum blossoms, so I specially had these shoes embroidered. I wonder if they meet your standards?"
Zhou Wanru gently stroked the plum blossom on the shoe, her fingertips touching the delicate embroidery thread, and her heart stirred.
Although she didn't like getting close to people, Madam Cheng's kindness made her feel a rare bit of goodwill towards her.
She smiled slightly, her tone still calm but gentler than usual: "Madam Cheng is so thoughtful. These shoes are embroidered beautifully, the plum blossoms are so lifelike, they look as if they were picked from the branches."
Seeing her like this, Madam Cheng was even more certain and said with a smile, "It's good that you like them, Madam. Although the embroiderer's skills are excellent, there must be someone who knows how to appreciate them. Only a refined person like you, Madam, is worthy of these shoes."
Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Zhou Wanru's eyes. Although she didn't say much, she already felt a bit closer to Madam Cheng.
Madam Cheng was adept at flattery, and the two chatted happily. Madam Cheng also took the opportunity to get closer to her.
From then on, although the two did not become close friends, they did have more contact.
This incident later became a topic of conversation among the ladies of the inner quarters, who all marveled at Madam Cheng's shrewdness in winning over the aloof and cold wife of the education commissioner.
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When Wang Xiuxiu saw Madam Cheng again, she could not hide her joy.
In recent years, although the Cheng family is still related to the imperial family, their ancestor has grown old and there are no high-ranking officials in the court to support them, so their status has declined significantly.
By this time, many high-ranking officials in the prefecture no longer bothered to invite the women of the Cheng family to their banquets, which greatly worried Madam Cheng.
Now, thanks to these plum blossom embroidered shoes, Madam Cheng has finally won the favor of the Education Commissioner's wife, not only gaining face for herself but also opening up a new chapter for the Cheng family in the circles of power and wealth.
Madam Cheng was overjoyed and became even more generous in her rewards to Wang Xiuxiu, immediately giving her six golden peanuts.
Unlike the hollow gold melon seeds and gold peanuts she usually gave as gifts, these were solid.
Wang Xiuxiu selected several colorful ropes, intending to weave the golden peanuts into them.
After thinking about it for a long time, he was still very reluctant to part with them. He took out three beads, strung them together, and put them in a box to give to Granny Lu.
Looking at the box, Granny Lu praised Wang Xiuxiu for her skillful hands.
But to Wang Xiuxiu's surprise, before leaving, Granny Lu stuffed the box back into Wang Xiuxiu's hands.
"Good girl, I know you're thoughtful." Granny Lu gently patted Wang Xiuxiu's hand, her eyes full of affection. "But this is a reward from Madam, and I consider you one of my own. You can't do this again."
She paused, her eyes darting around, and said, "If you're so inclined, just make a couple of pairs of socks for Granny during holidays and festivals."
It wasn't that Granny Lu did this because she wasn't greedy.
Wang Xiuxiu is now increasingly valued by the madam, so naturally she can no longer treat her like a mere maid.
She had raised the lady since she was a child, so she knew her temperament and disposition best.
If she knew that she had received half of the reward as a tribute, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.
At her age, more important than money is the lady's attitude towards her.
Wang Xiuxiu obediently took the golden peanut back, but the next morning she went to the cloth shop to buy some cotton cloth, made her a set of nightgown and a few pairs of socks and sent them over.
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