"Madam Lu, everyone has come here with sincerity today. I'm afraid it's not a good idea for you to be like this?" Madam Huang, the Minister of Rites, covered her face with her sleeves, but the contempt in her eyes was not concealed at all.
After all, she is the daughter of the Shen family. How could she do such shameless things?
If this gets out, it will bring shame to their Shen family!
Being accused in such a face-to-face manner, Shen Ruoyan was not annoyed, but simply asked in return: “May I ask Madam Huang, what is wrong with me being like this?”
She had a faint smile on her face, without any shame or anger at being exposed. She looked calm and composed, which made Mrs. Huang look like the one who had no standing.
A lady nearby, who couldn't bear to see the situation, tried to persuade him, "Madam Lu, if you have family difficulties, you can just speak up. The Marquis of Changning has already gone to the battlefield, and no one will criticize him. There's no need to offer such an ordinary item and try to get something better."
They rely on the fact that it is a charity fundraising event and know that no matter what is offered, someone will buy it, so they are so unscrupulous and perfunctory, which is really disgraceful!
Doing such a shameless thing, not to mention the unmarried girls of the Shen and Lu families, even the reputation of the noble ladies in Shengjing will be implicated by her!
"To seek the best?" Shen Ruoyan smiled, a smile that was not concealed at all. "May I ask, Madam, do you have any evidence?"
"You! Isn't the evidence in your hands?" Madam Huang couldn't bear to see it, she thought it was ridiculous. Did Shen Ruoyan really not understand what people were saying? Did she have to let others say it so clearly, making her completely embarrassed?
"The inkstone in your hand is one that every household has. If you take it outside, it would cost at most a few taels of silver!" Mrs. Huang couldn't see clearly because she was far away, but the style of the inkstone looked ordinary, and there was no gold or silver inlay on it. How expensive could it be?
Others also agreed. All of those present were from aristocratic families. Which family didn't have a scholar?
There are so many things like inkstones, what's so strange about them?
However, Zou Miao, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, did not speak. She sat quietly in the middle, letting the voices around her surge without opening her mouth to agree.
She just sat there quietly, looking at the inkstone in Shen Ruoyan's hand, thinking about something.
"A few taels of silver can indeed buy a very good inkstone, but the inkstone in my hand is worth a thousand gold coins." Shen Ruoyan slowly stood up under the questioning gazes of the crowd. She walked to the middle, took out the inkstone in her hand, and showed it to everyone.
"This inkstone is called Gaoyuan Inkstone, which means to see far from a height. It is carved from a single piece of precious emerald green stone by twenty skilled craftsmen over a period of six years."
Gao Yuanyan? !
Mrs. Zou clenched her hands suddenly. Could it be what she thought?
"What Gao Yuanyan? I've never heard of it." Madam Huang frowned. Her impression of Shen Ruoyan had already dropped to the lowest point. "Could it be that he just made up a name to frame us?"
"Mrs. Huang, please be careful with your words." Mrs. Zou could no longer sit still and stopped Mrs. Huang before she could say anything more unpleasant.
Then she was slowly helped up by the maid, walked quickly in small steps, came to Shen Ruoyan, restrained her inner excitement, and asked politely: "Madam Lu, may I take a closer look?"
Shen Ruoyan did not refuse, and handed the inkstone to her with a smile, "Madam, please do as you please."
There is actually an interesting story about Mrs. Zou and Mrs. Huang.
The Minister of Rites values rules, while the Minister of Revenue values economy. Others say that if he were to marry, the Minister of Rites would marry a well-educated and virtuous wife, who would be a good match for him. On the other hand, the Minister of Revenue would marry a graceful and elegant mistress, who would be able to manage the household.
Who knew that these two assistant ministers did not play by the rules at all. The assistant minister of rites married a straightforward lady named Huang. Although she was also from a noble family, she was not good at poetry and literature.
On the other hand, the Minister of Revenue's wife, Madam Zou, was a master of the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even before she married, her brilliant poems were enough to inspire others to emulate her, earning her the title of one of the ten most gifted women in Shengjing. Some even claimed that if she were a man, she would surely have achieved success in the imperial examinations.
It’s a pity that she’s a woman.
This one of the ten most talented women in Shengjing was now carefully holding an inkstone and examining it closely.
She looked cautious, as if she was looking at some rare treasure. Seeing this, the originally noisy crowd somehow automatically became quiet. Later, when Madam Zou returned the inkstone to Shen Ruoyan, the whole place was already silent.
"Mrs. Zou, what's the matter?" Mrs. Huang couldn't help herself and asked, "Is there something wrong with this inkstone? Could it be that it's not even worth a few taels of silver?!"
The crowd immediately erupted in commotion, "No way! Madam Lu is the wife of a marquis after all, she shouldn't be doing this."
"Yes, she'll have to go out in public again. People need to maintain their dignity, and trees need to maintain their bark. Even if she's doing this for the Marquis of Changning, she shouldn't do such a thing!"
"Something worth a few taels of silver, even if it's worth ten times that, it's only a few dozen taels... It's too shabby..."
The voices of these people's discussions reached Shen Ruoyan's ears. She did not refute or explain in public. Instead, she quietly took the inkstone back in her hand, seemingly casually, but actually careful and cautious.
All her actions were seen by Mrs. Zou who was standing next to her. As the words became increasingly unbearable to her ears, she quickly coughed a few times and finally managed to get everyone to stop and look over.
"Everyone, this inkstone is called the Gaoyuan Inkstone. Some ladies may not know it, but if there are students in their families who are preparing for the imperial examinations, I'm sure they will know it like thunder."
Mrs. Zou’s words left everyone stunned. What did this mean?
"The Gaoyuan Inkstone is made of precious materials, and its price alone is inestimable. Most importantly, this inkstone belongs to Shen Mo, the dean of Lishan Academy, who loved it very much. Rumor has it that Shen Mo used this inkstone to grind and write the four large characters for Lishan Academy!"
Students from Lishan Academy are spread all over the world, and countless of them serve as officials in the court.
Shen Mo is a role model for scholars all over the world. In their hearts, Shen Mo's status is comparable to that of a great scholar! Not to mention the inkstone he used, even the pen he used is worth a fortune!
There are also rumors that anything used by Mr. Shen Mo, if obtained, can help with the exam.
Didn't the last top scholar, before the imperial examination, sleep with the pen given by Mr. Shen Mo under his pillow for three days?!
This was said by the number one scholar himself!
In an instant, the inkstone in Shen Ruoyan's hand became a hot commodity in the eyes of everyone.
Even Madam Zou couldn't help but clasp her hands together. She ignored the astonishment of the audience and summoned up the courage to ask, "May I ask, Madam Lu, what is the price for this inkstone?"
Her son was about to take part in the Spring Examination. Regardless of whether the rumors were true or not, she wanted to secure a place for her son.
After all, Mr. Shen Mo is the great scholar her son admires most!
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