Chapter 90 Shen Qingtan, kneel down!
Everyone was shocked by Liu Ruojiao's behavior. Her behavior was really against etiquette and too inappropriate for public occasions.
The next moment they were shocked by Shen Qingtan's birthday gift.
Inside the box was a folded embroidery, and on the exposed side of the embroidery was a white-haired pheasant standing on a plum branch.
They thought they were seeing things, after all, there was only one embroidered surface.
Besides, Shen Qingtan was well-known in the capital for her knowledge, good manners, and virtue. It was absolutely impossible for her to use birthday gifts to mock the wife of the Earl of Yongyi at her birthday banquet.
Liu Ruojiao's face changed. She grabbed the embroidery and shook it open. It was still a pheasant standing on a plum branch. It was not a misunderstanding at all.
This piece of embroidery hurt Lady Yongyi's eyes. The smile on her face froze and her hands were shaking with anger.
Pheasants are a hidden pain in her heart and also a taboo for her.
Because her father named her Xu Zhishi, the officials' wives in the capital jokingly called her Zhishichu, which is another name for chicken. Over time, some people even mocked her as a pheasant.
Although Xu's ancestors had served as third-rank officials, each generation was weaker than the previous one. Their family was considered a declining official family and lived in poverty.
In order to marry into the Earl's Mansion, she worked hard on her female virtues and was almost a model for women in the capital. She also established a good relationship with the niece of the wife of the Earl of Yongyi, and with the help of the latter, she was able to marry into the Earl's Mansion as she wished.
Others laughed at her and said that she was like a pheasant flying onto a branch.
But after she entered, she realized that the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion was just an empty shell, strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
Shen Qingtan deliberately gave her such a birthday gift at her birthday party, which was simply hurting her heart!
"Big sister, why did you give such an embroidery to my aunt?" Shen Mingzhu pretended to be surprised, frowning. "My aunt praised your filial piety a while ago and said that your embroidery skills are very good. Will you personally embroider one for her birthday this time?"
She saw the shocked faces of Liu Yue and Ting Xue, then looked at Shen Qingtan's pretending to be calm, and her heart finally settled down.
I'm afraid Shen Qingtan could only guess that they would deal with her in the Yongyi Marquis's mansion. She never expected that they would find out that the birthday gift she prepared for the Marquis's wife was an embroidery, and then deliberately replace it with this pheasant embroidery?
She glanced at the screen out of the corner of her eye. Behind the screen sat a nobleman who attached great importance to etiquette and filial piety.
If Shen Qingtan's actions caused dislike among the nobles, she would never be able to gain a foothold in the official family circle in the future.
"Big sister, you've always been very methodical and impeccable. You definitely wouldn't make such a simple mistake." Shen Mingzhu glanced at the wife of the Earl of Yongyi, as if to excuse her. "Does this pheasant have any other story behind it?"
The word "pheasant" was pronounced in a particularly high tone, and the wife of the Earl of Yongyi turned pale when she heard it.
Shen Mingzhu was completely unaware that her word "pheasant" had hurt Lady Bo, and she just thought that Lady Bo was angry because of the embroidery that Shen Qingtan had given her.
She said to the lady of the aunt's house, "Aunt, please don't get too angry and let my elder sister explain first..."
"She did it on purpose!" Lady Yongyi pressed her violently heaving chest with one hand and pointed angrily at Shen Qingtan with the other: "Even a girl like you who grew up in the countryside understands this. How could she, a lady from a noble family who has been raised as a clan wife since she was a child, not understand this?"
When Shen Mingzhu heard the wife of the Earl of Yongyi call her a wild girl, her face froze.
Lady Bo glared at Shen Qingtan angrily: "I think you have climbed up the ladder of the Duke's Mansion, and just a few days ago you were named the Grandson's Wife. Now you look down on me, your aunt."
Liu Ruojiao glared at Shen Qingtan with eyes blazing with fire: "Cousin, although my family may not be as good as the Duke's Mansion, it is still an Earl's Mansion, and my mother was personally appointed as a Royal Consort by the Emperor. If you humiliate her, a Royal Consort, like this, then are other Royal Consorts the same as pheasants in your eyes?"
When the other guests who were watching the play heard this, their faces changed immediately.
The ladies present were basically women of noble birth. They looked at the pheasant embroidery with their brows tightly furrowed.
"Second Madam Zhao, although you are the wife of the heir apparent of the Duke's Mansion, your status is much higher than that of the Earl's Mansion, but so what? After all, you can't transcend filial piety, right?"
"Isn't that right? In my opinion, the good reputation she had always had was all fake. Now that she's climbed up the social ladder, her true colors are revealed."
"I used to envy the Duke's Mansion for being able to marry a woman of her talent and virtue. Now it seems that my ancestors must have been very lucky not to marry her."
The eldest lady glared at the crowd coldly, "Just mentioned the pheasant, and the pheasant on the embroidery hasn't said anything yet, and so many people are getting so upset? I hope they didn't poke themselves in the face."
She originally wanted to wait for Shen Qingtan to explain, but when she saw these gossips getting more and more outrageous, she couldn't help but stand up.
The few people who were talking seemed to be strangled by the eldest lady, their old faces turned red and they felt very unhappy.
"Well, Mrs. Zhao, what are you talking about? We are only speaking the truth."
"She even dared to give her aunt a pheasant. Is she still afraid of our gossip?"
"Sister-in-law, you are not a good protector. She is not only the wife of the grandson of the mansion, but also the mistress of the mansion in the future. You have to speak the truth and convince everyone."
The Second Madam stepped forward and said, "If it's a misunderstanding, we'll apologize to our niece-in-law. If it's not a misunderstanding, she'll have to give an explanation to Madam Bo."
Shen Qingtan took a step forward and stood in front of the eldest lady. Before she could speak, Madam Shen's voice came from the door.
"My dear, you don't have to protect Tan'er. If she does something wrong, she will be punished. This is the rule set by our ancestors."
Madam Shen came over upon hearing the news, with a stern face, and scolded Shen Qingtan: "Kneel down!"
When everyone saw Madam Shen coming to teach Shen Qingtan a lesson, they all stood up straight and wanted to see how she would explain the embroidery.
Shen Qingtan stood straight and looked at Madam Shen with a cold gaze: "Why should I kneel?"
"Shen Qingtan, what have you learned about the rules and ways of dealing with people that the Marquis' Mansion taught you on a daily basis?"
Mrs. Shen said angrily, "How dare you humiliate your aunt like this at her birthday party? This is simply against filial piety. Kneel down and kowtow to your aunt to admit your mistake."
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