Chapter 652 A Dream of Youth 184
Zhao Huilan, kneeling on the ground, turned pale, but quickly regained her composure.
“Mother, the selection of female officials is an edict issued by His Majesty. I am old enough and have some knowledge. I would naturally like to serve the country, His Majesty, and bring honor to the family. Even if I never marry or have children, I am willing!”
Then she looked at Zhao's father and said, "Father, my elder brother and younger brother are not good at studying, but you know your daughter. Even if I don't rank in the top few in the imperial examination, I will definitely not fail."
"My elder brother and younger brother may not be able to bring honor to the family, but I, your daughter, can bring glory to the family just like that Miss Xie. Father, you and Mother will be proud of your daughter!"
Zhao's father was tempted, but he shook his head before he could speak.
Snap—
A crisp slap rang out, and Zhao Huilan turned her face to the side.
After hitting her, Zhao's mother finally realized what had happened and looked at her hand, which trembled involuntarily. She had always doted on this daughter, and this was the first time she had ever hit her. She was completely blinded by anger.
The main reason was that Zhao Huilan's comment about her brothers being useless had provoked her.
Her son is better than her daughter no matter what. Daughters are going to marry into other families. Does the Zhao family have to rely on a daughter who marries out?
Zhao's mother quickly turned cold again. "Zhao Huilan! Your father and brothers will take care of your studies and the imperial examinations. They will also uphold the family's reputation. Why should a daughter like you bring honor to the family?"
I think you've become so wild from all your studying that you've neglected traditional female virtues and instead developed such unrestrained desires!
Strands of hair obscured her eyes and brows. Zhao Huilan tilted her head, her expression a mixture of shock and grievance. She looked at her mother in disbelief, biting her lip tightly to keep from shedding tears.
"Enough!"
Mr. Zhao grabbed Mrs. Zhao's hand and scolded, "Speak when you want to speak, why are you hitting the child?"
"Don't you listen to what she's saying?" Zhao's mother was furious and even more agitated.
Zhao Huilan didn't want to hear her parents arguing, so she got up and ran out. The maid, who had been keeping her head down, caught a glimpse of Zhao Huilan out of the corner of her eye and quickly followed her.
Father Zhao glanced at the servants around him, holding back his temper, but still said, "Is Lan'er wrong? It's true that the boys in the family don't study well, and in my opinion, they are far inferior to Lan'er!"
Every time he got so angry that he was about to hit someone, Zhao's mother would stop him. It's true what they say, a doting mother spoils her son!
But it is also true that his son is dull-witted. Zhao's father really doesn't understand. He is quite knowledgeable, and Zhao's mother is also a well-known talented woman. How could she have such a dull-witted son?
In the eyes of families like theirs, they were generally considered dull-witted, since they couldn't pass the imperial examinations.
The two continued arguing. Zhao Huilan had already run back to her room. The maid who followed her back saw Zhao Huilan standing there blankly, not crying, and was startled. She then quietly went to find the wet nurse who had served Zhao Huilan since she was a child.
At this moment, the wet nurse was making baby clothes for Zhao Huilan in the side room. When she heard from the maid that the madam had hit Lan'er, her heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly ran to the main room.
"Girl?"
The wet nurse gestured for the maids to leave, and without asking any questions, she reached out and put her arm around Zhao Huilan, just like when she was a child, gently patting her back and humming an unknown soft tune.
Zhao Huilan, who had been in a daze, finally burst into tears.
"Granny, am I really that bad? Why does Mother only like my older brother and younger brother? I'm clearly better at studying, and I can write better essays for my older brother and younger brother... Why?"
Is it just because I'm getting married? I could choose not to marry, but they say I can't, and if I do marry, I'll become an outsider. I don't understand...
"His Majesty is selecting female officials, why can't I go?"
She didn't want to marry, have children, and confine herself to the inner quarters and men.
The wet nurse didn't know anything about selecting female officials. She wasn't very educated and only knew a few words, but she could comfort her Lan-jie about the previous questions.
"In my opinion, our Lan'er is a fairy from heaven. She can write and paint, and she is also very beautiful. How could anyone not like Lan'er?"
Madam just didn't quite grasp it at first. You see, whenever there's a new style of clothing, fabric, or jewelry, Madam will definitely find it for you.
Even if you want to read a certain book but it's not available at home, just mention it casually, and your wife will remember it and bring it to your desk the next day.
Madam knows perfectly well what Lan Jie'er likes and dislikes to eat, and these days she's been going to banquets every day to find a suitable husband for Lan Jie'er, hoping to find someone she likes.
If you go to another store, you've already placed an order; there's no point in talking about whether you like it or not.
So how could your wife not love you?
"It's just that Madam loves you in a different way than she loves the other boys."
When the wet nurse met Zhao Huilan's red, rabbit-like eyes, her heart softened. This was the child she had nursed since she was a baby, and she had spent more time with this child than with her own biological children.
"You and the boy are both the lady's children, and she will certainly love and cherish you equally. However, people don't like others to go against their wishes, especially someone as strong-willed as the lady."
Moreover, the world is inherently more favorable to men, because it is men who perform corvée labor and go to war. If too many men die, what can be done when the court needs men?
Then let's have the baby.
Moreover, most of the officials and those who go out to earn money are men.
So gradually, we came to believe that it was better to have sons, because they could achieve great things and bring a better life to the family... The lady favored the son because she had high hopes for him, not because she didn't love the daughter.
It's just that the lady, like most people in the world, learns the same principles.
Zhao Huilan gradually stopped crying, and the knot in her heart loosened considerably. However, she was curious, "Granny, how do you know all this?"
The wet nurse paused in patting her back, then coughed awkwardly. "That day, the young lady from the Xie family came to visit you. You were still asleep when she woke up, but she woke up early and chatted with the maids. I overheard a few words."
She really didn't eavesdrop on purpose. At the time, she was doing needlework by the window in the light, and the maids were sitting in a row below listening to Xie Ning tell stories.
It's unclear which maid started it, but that led to these words.
"Granny, I can also achieve great things." Zhao Huilan's eyes gradually hardened. Capable people are not limited by gender.
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