Chapter 17: Madam Anguo
Hearing this, Nangong Hua paused.
Pu Qiongzhi didn't know what he was thinking.
But Chunjing had already checked and found out that the old woman was originally a noble lady from the previous dynasty and had been very talented in literature since childhood.
When she was a teenager, her family suffered a disaster and she was hastily married to a commoner. It is said that her husband respected her very much at first. She taught him the skill of accounting, and he used this skill to work as a bookkeeper in a restaurant.
Later, the brother of this commoner family won merit in the army and brought back a lot of money, and his life became better. However, not long after, her husband took a concubine on the grounds that she had no children, and even humiliated her in every way.
Finally, she resigned without taking a penny. After that, she earned some money by writing signs and couplets for Qinlou and opened a small primary school.
"Girls teaching..." Nangong Hua didn't think too much about it. "Why not? Let's choose this library."
His only request to his nephew was that he should not plot treason or implicate his entire clan, so he would rather his nephew did poorly in school.
"..." Pu Qiongzhi was slightly stunned, always feeling that he didn't want his nephew to get better.
However, in her opinion, this library is excellent. Now that she has passed the uncle's clear path, she feels at ease.
When the carriage arrived at the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, Nangong Hua saw the Ninth Prince's carriage as soon as he lifted the curtain.
Pu Qiongzhi was a little confused when she saw him sitting back down. She wanted to look out the window to see what was going on, but he pulled her back.
"Uncle, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?" Pu Qiongzhi was a little confused. The other party pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
Nangong Hua froze for a moment, then let her go. Looking at her stunned expression, he added, "We... are husband and wife."
"..." Pu Qiongzhi really didn't know what expression to make at this moment.
She always thought she was knowledgeable, but she had never heard of a man like Gong Ningbo.
Before she came to Beijing, she thought that dandy boys were all bullies, teasers, and those with bad tempers were either arrogant or unruly...
But the man she married was only interested in romantic affairs, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a gentleman.
However, she always felt that there was something strange about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
She always felt that he was hiding something from her, which made her want to explore the secret.
…
The two got off the carriage and headed towards the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.
The appearance of a handsome man and a beautiful woman naturally attracts attention, not to mention that the two of them are also the topic of conversation among people in the capital after dinner.
The banquet areas for men and women were separated. Pu Qiongzhi was led to the banquet in the backyard by a maid arranged by the Anguo Mansion.
As soon as she appeared, everyone's eyes turned to her.
This Wen Shuan, who was personally appointed by the emperor, is the most popular person among them right now!
You have to know that in the more than 20 years since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has only bestowed a handful of imperial decrees, let alone the bride of a declining earl's mansion!
I heard her mother's family was far away in Jiangnan, and she was just a merchant's daughter, yet she unexpectedly married the Duke of Gongning. Within three days of arriving in Beijing, she had easily donated a large dowry of 800,000 taels!
What a wealthy businessman must have been to be able to give away 800,000 taels as a dowry! And he donated it without blinking an eye!
She picked up the one left by everyone, Gong Ningbo, but she is still so proud of herself, it's really annoying!
Everyone's eyes were on her, but Pu Qiongzhi was not at all nervous. She walked to the table gracefully.
She greeted the old lady of Duke Anguo in a dignified manner and offered her congratulations.
"I thought he was some kind of person, but he's just a young kid! An eighth-rank imperial edict, just a lowly person!"
The old lady of the Duke of Anguo was plump, but she was a dark-faced woman with triangular eyes and high cheekbones. The bright gold jewellery on her head made her complexion look even darker.
She wasn't from a respectable background, and as the hostess on such a beautiful day, she was asking for trouble. But once these words came out, those who wanted to flatter her joined in, praising her and bullying the weak.
"The Duke's wife is a second-rank imperial concubine. Such respectability is not something a cat or a dog can cling to!"
"That's right! After all, there is a difference between the noble and the humble, and a huge disparity in status! A second-rank imperial decree cannot be purchased with money!"
"The descendants of the Duke's Mansion are all promising. My son told me that the young master is very good at studying! The old lady's blessing is still to come! Unlike some people, whose family is unfortunate..."
Pu Qiongzhi sat down without changing her expression. She did not respond to the previous words, but instead turned her attention to the last lady.
She pretended to be surprised and asked, "I wonder which academy the son of the Prince of Jingkang attends? Could it be Qinglan Academy?"
"Of course, my son and your young master are classmates. Anren has just married into the Earl's Mansion, so I'm afraid she doesn't know her nephew yet. My son said that the young master of the Earl of Gongning's Mansion is often scolded by the teacher, and he has a lot of his uncle's style!"
The wife of the Prince of Jingkang also spoke harshly. After a few words, many women in the audience began to laugh at Pu Qiongzhi.
Pu Qiongzhi's beautiful eyes turned, "Then Madam, you are still too negligent towards your son."
"I went to Qinglan Academy two days ago and found that many young masters stayed overnight there. Their food was worse than even that of the lowest-ranking maidservant around me."
After hearing what she said, everyone's expressions changed.
Qinglan Academy also has some prestige in the capital, and many children study there.
Although not everyone can pass the exam, they have learned the etiquette very thoroughly, and they can be assured that the library provides food and accommodation.
But if the environment is like this, they will definitely not let their children suffer like this!
"Not only that, that teacher heard that I was helping the people in the suburbs of Beijing, and he even wanted to ask me for favors and money!"
"At first, I thought Brother Yu was naughty, but after this trip, I found that this library is really unbearable."
"Madam, my son Yu often sneaks out of the academy to return home. I'm afraid it's because he's hungry. After all, children are still growing up. I wonder if your son will be affected if he stays in the academy for a long time?"
After Pu Qiongzhi said this, many people began to recall details about their own children.
Especially the wife of the Prince of Jingkang, she stood up directly.
When she heard her son talk about the food at Shuyuan, she thought he just couldn't get used to it...
Her family has strict morals, so she is strict in educating her children.
Thinking of how her son always made such a fuss and refused to go to the library every time he came home, she began to have doubts.
What if what Pu said was true? If her son didn't grow tall or was weak, she would have no place to regret it!
Thinking of this, the wife of Prince Jingkang felt heartbroken and could not sit still.
Seeing her expression, she was obviously suspicious, and many of the other ladies looked worried.
Pu Qiongzhi, however, did not let them off so easily. "The Gongning Marquis's family has been a family of nobles for generations. Three generations ago, all of them sacrificed their lives for the country. If you think that such a heroic family is unfortunate, I have nothing to say. But when you bully their descendants, you should think more about your own ancestors in the underworld. How could they defeat our martyrs?"
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