Chapter 93 Following Propriety: Even if we only drink water and lean on each other's arms, we will grow old together.
Lady Chen was captivated by the sudden, furious waterfall. Her wine cup, filled with leeks' dew, was overturned, spilling the fine wine into her arms and leaving her dress in disarray.
Changsun Qingjing turned around from the pavilion and presented a handkerchief to Lady Chen with both hands. In her view, offering a handkerchief was a matter of course for a junior, while refusing to serve her by wiping away the wine stains was a matter of principle, like ice and fire.
Lady Chen reached out to stop her maid from coming up into the pavilion, and instead awkwardly dealt with the wine stains on her body herself.
"Madam, Aunt..." Changsun Qingjing attempted to have another proper conversation with Lady Chen, "Since there are young men in this world who consider marrying a princess an honor and eagerly pursue it, there must also be gentlemen who don't care about it, or even disdain it. My parents-in-law did not ask the Emperor for this, and Shimin, who has been by the Emperor's side for a long time, did not think of it either, which is enough to prove that they truly value the virtue and talent of the new wife."
Changsun Qingjing's teasing of the princess's talent and virtue once again enraged Lady Chen: "No matter how eloquent you are, you cannot change the public's criticism of this mismatched marriage!"
Changsun Qingjing suddenly relaxed his brows and smiled, "What virtue or ability do I have to silence the public's gossip! What do I care about the boiling public opinion?"
The wind whistled through the mountain crevices, almost like a sob, lamenting the unspoken words of dragonflies and mayflies.
"So, you feel completely confident about becoming a daughter-in-law of the Li family, without a shred of gratitude or joy?" Lady Chen was determined to make a big deal out of Changsun Qingjing's rudeness today.
"Madam, you are mistaken. Shimin and I owe each other nothing. Of course, I am grateful that he married me despite our past grievances when I was in dire straits; he is also grateful that I served his mother tirelessly when she was seriously ill, cared for him faithfully during his funeral, happily displayed offerings to the emperor when his father was demoted, and devoted myself to weaving to demonstrate my virtue as a wife while he personally tasted the harvest... This is all related to the teachings of my father and uncle, who often restrained me with the conduct of a gentleman. Therefore, compared to those who have shown me kindness with empty praise, I am better at genuinely sharing people's burdens..."
"Your so-called sharing of burdens means instigating your son to suffer the hardships of farming?" The question has returned to its starting point.
"So what? Emperor Shun personally tilled the fields at Mount Li, and King Wen Kanggong cultivated the land. Which one of them didn't personally toil and earn the respect of others?" Changsun Qingjing admired only that barefoot ruler who used a plow and hoe, and that dusty-faced master who wore a straw raincoat. Yet she forgot that she and Lady Chen's words were as distinct as the stars, and that she regarded Lady Chen's virtue as a precious treasure, while Lady Chen regarded it as mere dirt.
"Firstly, Mother wouldn't be upset about this. Gong's mother told me that Mother was the only noblewoman she knew who had the patience to personally learn how to raise silkworms and reel silk. No one on the farm could deny her skill. Perhaps because she didn't like to show off, Madam might not fully understand her. I think if Mother were a man, she probably wouldn't have the patience to work in the fields and eat her fill, wearing coarse clothes and working hard!"
"Nonsense! How can you compare us like that?"
Changsun Qingjing ignored the accusation of "inaccurate analogy" and spoke vehemently to Lady Chen: "Secondly, it was not that Shimin accompanied me to live in the countryside, but rather that I was moved by his aspirations and ambitions and accompanied him in his secluded life. I do love the noise of carriages and horses and the fine silks, but I am more willing to fulfill his filial piety. Therefore, I am willing to accompany him in his simple life of a humble bed and half-porridge and half-vegetables, and I encourage him to keep his bow and arrows in hand, always ready to go to war, and to remain steadfast in his will. I do not think I have done anything wrong."
Since some people have already judged her to be of humble origin, lacking education, and scheming, she doesn't need to prove her innocence. She might as well use her actions to prove her innocence and shut up Shuojin's mouth.
In Changsun Qingjing's view, even the slightest act of compromise or flattery at this moment would be a desecration of the hard work her parents and uncles had put in to raise her, a questioning of her parents-in-law's discerning eye in choosing a daughter-in-law, and even an insult to her husband's sincere heart.
"Well, it seems I've come all this way for nothing." Lady Chen rose and said, "Lady Changsun, I heard in Luoyang that you and your husband have been associating with farmers and weavers from Mangshan, which is really improper. So I came to offer some advice."
Changsun Qingjing lowered his head and remained silent, neither agreeing nor refuting.
Lady Chen said self-deprecatingly, "It seems that Lady Changsun doesn't think so. Then let me ask you a few final questions. After I leave, could you please tell Shimin that I don't agree with him farming in Mangshan?"
"I dare not fail to convey the kindness of the lady who came to visit the younger generation."
"Can you advise Shimin to consider the family's reputation and stop going deep into the countryside?"
After a moment's thought, Changsun Qingjing chose to be honest and reject the idea of his meddling relatives: "No."
“You will ruin Shimin’s future. If you don’t change your willful nature, he will regret the foolish things he did in his youth out of passion and impulsiveness.”
"I don't have the power to ruin his future, and he won't regret marrying me. Don't worry, my lady, even if we have to share a drink and a bed, we'll grow old together." Triumph, confidence, and a willingness to hurt for love all flashed in the young woman's eyes, her gaze blazing.
Changsun Qingjing quickly curtsied and approached Lady Chen's side, making a gesture that seemed to both invite her to stay and bid her farewell.
"As the daughter of the former Right Valiant Guard General, I have received the most contempt and doubt about my background and upbringing in my life today. I originally wanted to leave here; however, the Li family treated me with great care and respect. I did not want to mistreat the Li family's noble relatives, so I decided to personally see my aunt off to the carriage on behalf of my husband."
"Insolence! Stubbornness!"
"Let my aunt complain, I will follow the proper etiquette and not act rashly again. I will see you off on behalf of Shimin." Changsun Qingjing's insistence on seeing you off carried a hint of playful teasing. This was hardly a gesture of sending off a guest on behalf of her husband; it was practically mockery and dismissal.
Lady Chen felt that she was like a dragon trapped in shallow water, mocked by shrimp. There was no one in the Li family villa who could suppress or reprimand the eldest grandson Qingjing for his rudeness. She had no one to vent her resentment, so she could only board the carriage in a huff.
She opened the carriage curtain and looked back. Changsun Qingjing was still standing solemnly under the plaque of the villa a hundred meters away, watching her go, showing the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family.
Lady Chen's brows furrowed like knives, her sleeves billowing in the wind. She angrily lowered the curtain, spat, and said, "She appears chaste on the outside but harbors venom within, seductive and alluring. She is truly not a good match!"
Once the carriage disappeared into a light green mist, Changsun Qingjing lowered his hands, which had been clasped together in front of his chest, and his expression changed from disdain to anger.
Guoniang accompanied Changsun Qingjing the whole time. When she saw Lady Chen leave after being humiliated, she couldn't help but sigh, "What a big mouth and what an air of superiority! Even when Lady Tang was alive, she never spoke to the young masters and ladies like that! She's just an ordinary member of the imperial clan, and her husband's title was obtained by luck. She still thinks she's a real princess!"
"She even threatened to report my misconduct to the other elders." Changsun Qingjing suddenly felt that everything today was utterly absurd, as if she had experienced a nightmare.
She trembled, whether from the spring chill or she was exhausted. She was like a water nymph about to emerge from the water, trapped in a pond, disturbed and mocked by a swarm of mosquito larvae, unable to cross the water and be reborn.
Since Changsun Qingjing didn't treat her like an outsider, Guoniang simply laid out her concerns one by one: "However, Madam Yang will not let this go when she returns. I'm afraid she will exaggerate your reasonable and well-founded statement into something unlawful, and go to the elders of the Dou family to complain and plead for justice, using morality to coerce you into bowing your head and apologizing. I'm afraid the situation will be unfavorable for you."
"Let me think of a solution..."
The master and servant walked and discussed as they went, heading deeper into the villa.
Although Guoniang was a young maid, she had been deeply favored by Madam Dou in the past. She also secretly remembered some of Madam Dou's comments about her relatives and friends in the two capitals.
She especially remembered the appearance, preferences, personality, and closeness of these noblewomen in Luoyang.
Lady Chen was arguably one of Lady Dou's least favorite relatives.
Whether choosing a husband, a friend, or a servant, this principle has never changed. Guoniang is also deeply grateful for this.
At this moment, the clever maid couldn't help but worry about Changsun Qingjing's situation: "My lady, you must tell Erlang everything about Lady Chen's visit today—all those things that were unbecoming of an elder, those things that disrespected you and your family. You mustn't let Lady Chen preemptively accuse you and gain the upper hand. Otherwise, if Lady Yang pretends to be kind to Duke Chen, claiming she's wholeheartedly trying to protect you and your husband, and you, in turn, act arrogantly and disregard propriety, Duke Chen might easily sway her and bring it up to Duke Tang. Then, even if you're in the right, you won't be able to explain yourself. My lady, you absolutely must, and I urge you not to forget to tell Erlang how Lady Chen bullies the weak and shows no respect for the young. Erlang will certainly do his utmost to protect you in front of all the relatives..."
“I’m not worried that he’ll believe just one side of the story,” Changsun Qingjing sighed. “I’m just afraid that his actions at Mangshan will be exposed by his aunt, Lady Chen, who’s more than capable of ruining things. Under pressure from the elders, the young master’s change of heart will be trapped by public opinion and the matter will be dropped. Those poor farmers will have just had a fleeting dream of a beautiful dream…”
Author's Note: Finally, the old witch is gone!
I've compiled the comments from the haters and will use Ah Jing's words to refute them one by one. I know you've all felt frustrated, but when you think about how the Empress was the real winner in history, it's the haters who should be feeling frustrated!
A confident girl will only learn from the virtuous and will not belittle herself because of so-called bloodline or social status. Don't the children of the Tuoba family know what their ancestors did?
The Empress in my heart has never been a pushover; she takes revenge on her own and never waits for Erfeng to save her, but she fully trusts Erfeng. This is the kind of top-tier teammate who can execute Plan B. [666]
Erfeng is back tomorrow, guess what will happen next? [Thumbs up]
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