More than ten days passed, and one day the winter snow cleared up, and the long-awaited Madam Kong finally arrived. It was said that she was a descendant of a branch of the Kong family in Shandong, and was promoted from a palace maid to a female official. In the past few decades, several emperors have changed, but she has been rotating safely in the position of female official in the Six Bureaus. After resigning from the palace due to illness and old age a few years ago, she has been living in the Rong'en Temple in Beijing for retirement.
Nowadays, many dukes, marquises, or prominent families are in the fashion of inviting retired palace maids to their homes to teach their daughters the rules and etiquette. Minglan understands this as increasing the added value of girls.
This maid had previously raised several young ladies at the Duke of Ying, the Duke of Zhiguo, and the Marquis of Xiangyang. They all said she had a gentle temper and was patient and meticulous in teaching etiquette. Unlike other maids who were quick to punish or spank, she was able to teach etiquette and rules thoroughly. Wang hadn't expected Old Madam Sheng to be so prestigious, able to hire such a distinguished maid. She went to Shou'an Hall several times to express her gratitude.
Having served for decades as a palace maid without any misconduct, Minglan suspected this maid would be a safe woman. Upon meeting her, she was indeed convinced. Madam Kong was a few years younger than the old lady, thin, with small eyes and a low nose. Her round, round face presented a kindly appearance. She wore a plain silver-gray brocade jacket trimmed only with fur at the cuffs, and a simple white jade plaque with a diagonal ruyi pattern on her head. Her attire was simple.
She had been about to bow to the old lady, as was customary in the palace, but she was quickly helped to her feet. They were old acquaintances, so they sat on the kang and chatted. Despite her ordinary appearance, her words were so eloquent, her every gesture graceful and fluent, modest and dignified. Sheng Hong and Wang Shi sat beside her, smiling. Hua Lan's face flushed with excitement, and she remained restrained, not daring to say a word. Mo Lan sat elegantly, maintaining a perfect smile as she listened to the two elders' conversation. Wang Shi was afraid that Ru Lan would be ignorant and betray the Sheng family, so she hadn't allowed her to come.
"Lord Sheng is an upright official and governs with virtue. He is well-known in the capital. Now he has many children and grandchildren, and the young masters and young ladies in the mansion are all as beautiful as orchids and snow-capped trees. The old lady is really blessed." Madam Kong said with a smile.
"I am so lucky to have a busy man like you here. I am leaving my eldest daughter to you. If there is anything wrong, just punish her without any restrictions." Old Lady Sheng smiled and pointed at Hualan.
"What are you talking about, old lady? Although I look a little respectable today, it's just the face given by you nobles. After all, I'm just a slave in the palace. In my opinion, rules are used to demonstrate virtue and clarify ethical behavior, not to torment people. Rules must be learned, but not memorized. Just study them with your heart. Besides, how bad can the old lady's granddaughter be?" As Kong Ma said this, she glanced at Hualan casually. Hualan seemed to be encouraged. She sat upright with her back straight and her eyes expectant, as if expressing her determination with body language.
"It's all thanks to mother that Madam can come here this time. When Madam is free to teach Hua'er, she can also tell us about things in Beijing so that we country people who have been away from home for many years can broaden our horizons." Wang said.
"From Quanzhou to Dengzhou, from south to north, there are rich resources and prosperous people, and the sky is high and the sea is vast. Madam, you have seen mountains and rivers, and know the customs of all corners of the world. Your knowledge should be better than that of me, an old woman who has never moved out of my home all my life. Madam, you are too modest." Madam Kong smiled modestly. These words made Wang's pores feel relaxed and comfortable, and she smiled even more.
Madam Kong spoke slowly, but without sounding dragged out. She didn't say much, but each word was perfectly timed, allowing everyone to understand. She was respectful and agreeable, and Minglan, watching from the side, was deeply impressed. Wang and Hualan had expected a strict nanny and were prepared for hardship, but they were surprised by Madam Kong's affability. They were delighted and grateful to Old Madam Sheng. Wang had already prepared a room and servants for Madam Kong, but Madam Kong politely expressed her desire to stay overnight at Shou'an Hall to catch up with the old lady, and Wang naturally complied.
That night, Madam Kong slept in Old Lady Sheng's warm room.
"You actually agreed to come. I wouldn't have dared to invite you." said Mrs. Sheng.
"I'm really fed up with those powerful families. Each of them has a thousand faces, and they're always scheming. I've been guessing people's minds all my life, and even in my dreams I'm thinking about the minds of those nobles. I thought I could have a few days of comfort after resigning, but I didn't expect it to be peaceful. So I simply took your as an excuse to escape from the capital and have a few days of peace. Besides, I'm old, and I have to return to my roots." Nanny Kong changed her previous calmness and looked tired.
"Have you found a place to stay? If you need any help, please come to me." Old Mrs. Sheng looked sad.
"No need, I've already found one. I have a distant nephew in my hometown. He has no parents and I have no children. It's just right for us to live together. Besides, you know I won't live for many days, and I don't want to be restricted anymore." Madam Kong looked relieved.
Old Madam Sheng showed a hint of sympathy and whispered, "Your life hasn't been easy. You were already engaged, and the nameplate for entering the palace clearly had your sister's name on it. Yet, your stepmother used your name to impersonate you and forced you into the palace, ruining your life."
"What's not easy?" Madam Kong smiled generously. "I've experienced more wonderful things in my life than most people. Not to mention what I've eaten and used, I've met three emperors, five empresses, and countless concubines and noble ladies. It's really eye-opening! I was able to live to sixty without worries about food and clothing, so there's nothing to complain about. But my sister got married, had an affair, poisoned her concubine and mother-in-law, was divorced, and lived a notorious life. My stepmother lost everything for her and finally died in poverty. I'm much better off than them." She laughed and said, "When I heard the news, I secretly drank a whole bottle of Laojiao to celebrate!"
Old Madam Sheng smiled and said, "You are still the same. You appear respectful, but you are actually unruly and uninhibited inside."
Madam Kong said with a hint of sadness, "How else could I have gotten through this?" Then, she suddenly turned to the old lady in a strange voice, "How did you manage to cultivate your character to such an extent? Where did your former elegance go?"
Old Madam Sheng shook her head and said helplessly, "Hong'er is not my biological child after all, so why bother to be annoying? Besides, I'm tired. What's the use of all the upheaval I went through back then? It was all in vain."
Nanny Kong sneered, "I think you are going backwards as you grow older. Don't you think that Queen Jing'an had a much harder life than you did? Two of her sons died, and her daughter was taken away. The royal family couldn't get married and leave, so what could she do? She was happy when Emperor Taizong doted on her, and she was also happy when he ignored her. What did she say to us back then, 'A woman's life has too few things that go as she wishes. She has no control over her birth and marriage. She should find some fun for herself, drink and sing, and think about how short life is'; although she didn't live long, she lived happily every day. After her death, Emperor Taizong missed her every day, and later he fell ill..." Nanny Kong's voice gradually lowered, and Old Lady Sheng looked at her blankly, thinking of that unrestrained and free-spirited woman.
Madam Kong sighed deeply. "Fortunately, the late emperor eventually made her youngest son his heir, so she left an heir. I've listened to her and never taken anything disgusting to heart. I play dumb when I should, humble when I should, eat when I should, and enjoy when I should. This life hasn't been in vain. If someone entering the palace back then had a stubborn temper like you, they would have died eight hundred times already!"
Old Madam Sheng recalled her innocent youth with a melancholy look. After a while, she shook her head and changed the subject: "Okay, stop talking. How about my house?"
Madam Kong rolled her eyes and said, "It's a mess, there are no rules; and you are the first one with the most no rules!" She seemed to have been suppressed in the capital for a long time, and finally got a chance to speak freely. Old Madam Sheng had no choice but to let her continue.
"Your old grandfather was a man of character. He built up a huge fortune. Two of his three sons were successful. Before he died, he divided the family property himself. But the bad thing was that not long after he passed away, your husband also passed away. If it weren't for you, Lord Sheng, a bastard, would have been chewed to pieces by that black-hearted uncle. How could this property be passed down? You had money at that time and you were still young. The old Marquis Yongyi and his wife were still alive, so it wouldn't be difficult for you to remarry. Even if Jinling and the capital were not good places to live, you could just find a place far away to live. A man marries, his sons live their whole lives, and you can live a simple life yourself. Isn't it wonderful?! But you insisted on keeping your chastity for your conscienceless husband, registering the bastard as your own, supporting the entire Sheng family, and then finding him a tutor, taking the imperial examination, marrying him off, and having children. And then, you retired after your success and shrank into a corner like a living dead? You are really outrageous!" Madam Kong almost pointed her finger at Madam Sheng's face.
"Although you are not his biological mother, you are his stepmother, and you are very kind to him. You can just stand tall and act arrogant. What do you have to worry about? Let me tell you, sons are all ungrateful. They forget their mothers after getting married. If you don't take yourself seriously, he will be happy to leave you aside! Our dynasty governs the world with filial piety. If he shows any disobedience, he will forget about staying in officialdom! You should at least live a comfortable life, even if not for yourself, then for your precious little girl." Nanny Kong said, nodding towards the pear blossom cabinet.
Old Madam Sheng was spitted all over her face, but she had no way to refute it. Finally, she had something to talk about, so she hurriedly said, "By the way, what do you think of my girl Ming?"
Madam Kong tilted her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Very good."
Seeing the expectant look on Old Lady Sheng's face, she added a few more words: "That child has a pair of beautiful eyes, indifferent, clear, and open-minded. She seems to understand everything, but she is not cold and aloof. She is cheerful, steady and polite. She knows not to attract attention in front of others. She is better than you. You are worthy of your love and care for her."
Old Madam Sheng rolled her eyes at her and said, "What do you mean by darling? I treat all my granddaughters the same."
Madam Kong waved her hand impatiently, "Stop pretending! How many times did you add food to her bowl at dinner just now? Every once in a while, you'd tell her, 'Ming Ya'er, eat more!' Then, after a while, you'd say, 'Don't be picky.' Every time she put her chopsticks into a dish, the housekeeper next to you would remember it. Do you think I'm blind? Cai'er was sleeping, and you left me here for so long, insisting on watching her take her medicine and go to bed. You probably waited until she was asleep before coming here."
Old Madam Sheng was helpless: "The child sleeps a lot, but she is never sound asleep. She wakes up several times a night, and sometimes wakes up crying in the middle of the night. I know she is sad but can't say it. She tosses and turns at night, but she is fine during the day. She still follows me to read and learn to read, and sits obediently listening to me, an old woman, telling stories. It's strange to say, she is not as literate, capable of writing and painting as Aunt Lin, nor as smart and likable as Hua girl to make me happy, but I think she is the most caring." She said with a look of melancholy.
"That's because you've grown up. You've been wronged for half your life, and you finally understand that you should judge a person by his inner qualities. No matter how flashy he looks on the outside, it's not as important as his honest character. It's also because you've been alone for too long. Now that you have a child to keep you company every day, no matter how pretentious you try, you can't help but be careful." Nanny Kong's eyes were sharp and her words hit the nail on the head.
Old Madam Sheng pointed at her and cursed, "You old thing, with such a sharp tongue, why didn't you die in the palace? I'll let you out and cause trouble for others."
Madam Kong glared: "Of course. Haven't you heard that good people don't live long, but evil deeds last for thousands of years?"
As they spoke, the two old men laughed together.
After laughing for a while, Old Lady Sheng wiped her tears and craned her neck to look at the pear blossom cabinet. Nanny Kong stopped her and said, "Don't look. You won't wake your little granddaughter. Didn't she drink a whole bowl of tranquilizing soup? If she had woken up, she would have made a sound. Come back soon. I have something to tell you."
Old Madam Sheng thought about it and turned back. Madam Kong said sternly, "I am a commoner from Shandong, and you are the daughter of a noble family in Jinling. It is fate that we met because of Empress Jing'an. I have some advice for you."
Old Madam Sheng nodded solemnly, and Madam Kong continued, "I know you've been wronged for half your life, fighting tooth and nail, but to no avail. Your heart has turned cold, and you refuse to remarry, choosing instead to stay with the Sheng family. But let me ask you, how many days do you have left to live?"
Seeing that Old Lady Sheng looked sorrowful, Madam Kong continued, "Queen Jing'an said something before she died, and I'm passing it on to you today. As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Life as a woman is not easy. We have to do everything we can, and what happens next is up to God. Raising a child is not easy for our parents, so we can't waste this life in vain. We should live our lives to the fullest, day by day. Since you are still breathing, you must live well. Speak out when you see injustice, and scold when you see something wrong. Bring out your airs as the eldest daughter of the Jinling Xu family and enforce the rules of the mansion. Not only will this make your life more comfortable, but it will also set a good example for your descendants of the Sheng family. Isn't that right?"
Old Madam Sheng's eyes were red, and she wiped the corners of her eyes gently with a handkerchief. "After all, we are sisters. Now, you are the only one who is talking to me like this. I appreciate your kindness. ... At least I have to hold on until Ming Ya gets married."
Seeing that her advice had been successful, Madam Kong was very pleased: "You are right to think so. The Sixth Miss is still young and will have to rely on you in the future. I don't ask her to become rich, but I hope she can find a good family smoothly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
