Chapter 506 Public opinion is a murderous knife
The next day, the prime minister's residence was very lively.
Because the wife of the Prime Minister's Mansion posted a lot of invitations yesterday, many ladies brought their children to the Prime Minister's Mansion today. On the one hand, it was to keep in touch with the family, and on the other hand, they also wanted their children to get to know some people and prepare for finding a partner in the future.
Most of those who did not come were family members of officials above the fifth rank. There were very few below the fifth rank. Even if there were any, they just came in to establish connections.
Zhuang Zihan led a group of young sisters to the corridor to drink tea, eat snacks and play pitch pot, while Madam Zhuang entertained the other ladies in the main hall.
In the hall, many people gathered around the Prime Minister's wife and talked.
"Madam Zhuang, I heard from Miss Su Xin that you also invited the wife of the number one scholar today?"
Suxin and Yunjin are Zhuang Zihan's personal maids.
Mrs. Zhuang Tang Wanhua nodded.
"Yes, Lord Xu is a handsome man, and I think his wife is also a virtuous and gentle person. I was curious, so I specially asked someone to send a letter to Mrs. Xu yesterday."
The top scholar rejected the marriage proposal from the prime minister's family in front of the emperor. This was not a secret and everyone in the capital had heard about it.
Originally, there was no such thing. Whether it was a royal family or entering the palace as a concubine, Zhuang Zihan could marry into any family.
But recently I heard that when Mrs. Zhuang was arranging a marriage for her, she encountered repeated obstacles because of this matter.
The ladies present were all shrewd people, and some of them were even more skilled at changing their attitudes according to the situation.
"I heard that Madam Xu was born in the countryside. I guess she is just a person who cannot be on the stage."
Some even made fun of it.
"I heard that she has been in the capital for half a year and has been staying at home almost every day. I don't know if it's because she has done too much farm work. She looks ugly, has rough skin, and looks old. She doesn't know the etiquette in the capital, so she dares not go out, worried that she will make a fool of herself and lose face for her husband."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ladies around laughed.
"Isn't that right?" Tang Wanhua maintained her dignified image. "I think Lord Xu values his first wife very much. Apart from the affairs of the court, he spends most of his time at home with his wife and children. He is rarely seen participating in gatherings with colleagues. By the way..."
She seemed to have thought of something.
"Half a year ago, didn't our Han'er go to Yingshan City? She came back and said that when she went there, she happened to catch the 50th birthday of the Yingshan City Governor, Mr. Yu, and was invited to attend his birthday banquet. Mr. Xu, who had not yet entered the court as an official, also went, but he did not bring his wife. It was said that his wife did not go with him because she was about to give birth."
"I guess she hasn't been able to go out for the past six months. She has been staying at home to take care of her health and children."
Someone nearby looked suspicious.
"The governor is a second-rank official. At that time, Lord Xu had not yet entered the court. Being able to send an invitation to the couple was already a great honor. She actually didn't go? Isn't she really not worthy of the stage?"
"That's right. Nowadays, who doesn't have a wet nurse to take care of their baby when they have one? But she is so delicate that she had to nurse for half a year. Who knows whether she really gave birth to a child or she lied before and didn't dare to go out because she was afraid of being exposed?"
Tang Wanhua raised her eyes and saw the contempt in everyone's eyes, and she suppressed the corners of her lips.
"You can't say that..."
Before she could finish her words, she saw a lady taking her arm.
"Madam, please don't make excuses for her. She is just a country woman. Are you afraid of us saying something behind her back? Lord Xu values her because he is a noble person. I heard that country women age quickly. When she is old and ugly in a few years, I don't believe Lord Xu can still treat her so well."
The other person did not hide the disgust on his face at all.
"If I were her, I wouldn't be here to delay Master Xu's bright future. I would ask to be dismissed and take some money to go back to my hometown to retire. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than staying in the capital and not daring to go out?"
Some people are already impatient.
"Now that you've said that, I'm really looking forward to seeing what this Madam Xu looks like."
Some people stepped on Song Yuntang, some remained neutral, and some ladies looked down on people who slandered others behind their backs.
Such a person is two-faced. Today he said such unpleasant words just to please Madam Zhuang, but who knows what he will say about the Zhuang family's affairs behind her back.
It is said that three women make a play.
The stage built in the Prime Minister's Mansion today is quite large, and anyone with a discerning eye can tell who it is for.
Sometimes, public opinion is a killing knife.
Push it in and pull it out.
No blood is involved, but it is deadly.
If Madam Xu was a sensitive and fragile person, it would be good for her to go back and get seriously ill after what happened today.
…
Although he had to go to the Prime Minister's residence, Song Yuntang was not in a hurry.
She knew that there was no good news going to the Prime Minister's Mansion today, and she didn't want to spend too much time dealing with those ladies. After getting up slowly and eating breakfast, she began to look for clothes to wear today.
It’s the first time to attend such a banquet for ladies, so you can’t be too high-profile, nor too shabby.
"Jinshu, go get the light purple winter coat that A Rao had sent over a few days ago, and also the windbreaker with a snow fox fur collar of the same color."
"yes."
Jin Shu bowed and found the clothes that Song Yuntang was going to wear.
The clothes that Jiang Surao sent were custom-made according to Song Yuntang's body shape, and the styles were drawn by Song Yuntang himself. Because they were recent styles, the clothing shops had not started selling them yet, so there was no need to worry about wearing the same clothes as others.
After changing her clothes, Song Yuntang asked Jinshu to comb her hair into a simple bun.
She put all her thick long hair on top of her head, with a small pearl flower matching the color of her clothes pinned on one side and a short tassel hairpin on the other.
When the head shakes gently, the tassels sway gracefully and delicately.
With a pair of warm white jade earrings and a little makeup on her face, her already fair and delicate face became even more bright and charming.
When Song Yuntang got ready and came to the main hall, the elders were stunned for a moment, perhaps because they rarely saw her dressed so formally, and there was a flash of surprise in their eyes.
Mrs. Hu was the first to react. She smiled and looked at him while saying, "I said that our Qingye is a lucky girl. Once Tang'er dresses up, she looks like a fairy from heaven."
Jiang, who was holding the child, also stood up and said jokingly, "Haoting, look at your mother. Grandma can hardly take her eyes off you."
Xu Yongwang did not forget to instruct Xia Ning.
"Miss Xia Ning, please be careful when you go out, don't let outsiders bully our daughter-in-law."
Xia Ning nodded seriously.
"It is my duty to protect the lady."
Song Yuntang looked at the elders with a smile.
"Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, it's getting late. I have to leave. I'll leave Hao Ting to you today."
Jiang said hurriedly, "There are so many people watching over the child at home, just leave him to us without worry. As for you, you should be careful outside."
Xu Yuande also gave instructions.
"Outside is different from home. Think before you act and don't be rash or impulsive."
"My granddaughter-in-law knows."
After saying that, he turned around and left with Jinshu and Xia Ning.
Jiang looked in the direction she left, her face full of emotion.
"Qingye used to be such a pure and simple person. I once thought he was going to become a monk. But if I were Qingye, I would not be able to remain calm when I met such a good daughter-in-law."
Now, both of them have children.
Mrs. Hu burst out laughing.
"You're already a mother-in-law, but you still talk so nonsense."
"So what if I'm a mother-in-law?" Jiang raised her eyebrows and smiled at the two elders, "Aren't I still a junior in front of my parents?"
As soon as the words came out, Xu Yuande and Jiang started laughing again.
…
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