Chapter 507: Xu's Wife
Song Yuntang arrived at the Prime Minister's residence at 10 a.m., which was not early but not too late either.
Jinshu took the invitation and handed it to the steward of the prime minister's mansion.
"This is the letter from the Prime Minister's Mansion to our wife. Please take a look at it, housekeeper."
The butler of the prime minister's mansion took the note and looked at it, then glanced in the direction of Song Yuntang with a suspicious look on his face.
Isn’t it said that this year’s number one scholar is from the countryside, and his wife is also from the countryside?
The woman in front of me had simple makeup and clothes, and her skin was fair and delicate. She looked to be about the same age as my young lady, and her appearance and temperament were no less than hers. She was completely different from the rural woman in the rumors who was old, had dark and rough skin, and dressed in a rustic way. Could I be mistaken?
He came forward with the invitation.
"Madam, are you sure you are the first wife of this year's top scholar, Mr. Xu, Madam Xu?"
Song Yuntang nodded slightly, looking unperturbed by praise or criticism.
"Yes, what's the problem?"
"No... no problem." The housekeeper closed the invitation and gestured to the mansion, "Madam Xu, please come in. The ladies are talking in the hall right now."
It is not difficult to foresee what expressions those ladies will have when they see Madam Xu.
That's exactly what I said.
Hearsay is worse than meeting in person.
…
In the main hall, the ladies' topic had shifted away from Song Yuntang. They were chatting about jewelry, rouge, and the latest popular clothing in the capital when they suddenly heard a maid come to report.
"Madam, Madam Xu is here."
After saying this, he stepped aside and opened the curtain in the main hall to let people outside in.
As soon as the maid finished speaking, the hall fell silent, and almost everyone looked towards the door with curiosity.
The next moment, Song Yuntang, wearing a purple cloak with a snow fox fur collar, walked into the hall with his head slightly lowered.
After coming in, he took off his cloak and handed it to Jinshu.
The woman was dressed simply and looked fresh and pleasant. Compared with the well-behaved women in Beijing, she had a more spiritual aura. From the moment she stepped into the hall, her presence immediately caught people's attention.
None of the ladies in the hall had ever seen her.
When they saw the person coming, they looked at each other in confusion, unable to believe their eyes.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Song Yuntang smiled knowingly. She looked up at the lady sitting in the main seat and nodded slightly.
"Hello, Madam Zhuang."
After a long while, Tang Wanhua asked suspiciously, "Is this lady the wife of this year's top scholar Xu Qingye?"
Song Yuntang nodded generously.
"Exactly."
The ladies who had originally wanted to ridicule her for her ordinary, old-fashioned appearance, which was not presentable enough, but who had wanted to show off in front of Tang Wanhua, were now at a loss for words.
Such a beauty, judging from her appearance alone, is indeed impeccable. No wonder Lord Xu protects and cares for her so much, and even rejects the Zhuang family's solicitation for her in front of the emperor. It turns out that he is a beautiful lady hidden in his golden house.
Let’s talk about her clothes.
Although simple, none of them are ordinary stuff.
Lord Xu had only been working in the Hanlin Academy for half a year, but she was really willing to spend all his salary on herself for an ordinary party.
If a woman like this manages the household, sooner or later she will squander all the family wealth.
"Mrs. Xu, how could you be so ignorant? As a new bride in the capital, Mrs. Zhuang specially sent you an invitation. You should have come earlier. We have been waiting for you for so long in vain."
Song Yuntang did not show any sign of stage fright. She faced the lady who had just spoken.
"Madam, you are too kind. It's not too late at this hour, right?"
As she spoke, she looked at Tang Wanhua.
"I wanted to come earlier, but it was freezing cold, and I had a baby at home who needed to be taken care of. Plus, this was my first time attending a gathering like this, so I was a little nervous, so I was a little late. I hope Madam Zhuang will forgive me."
Looking at her neither humble nor arrogant expression, Tang Wanhua smiled.
"It's okay. Why didn't Madam Xu bring the young master with her?"
Song Yuntang had a perfect smile on his face.
"The child is still young, and we were worried that he would disturb the lady's party. In addition, the elders in the family were worried that the child would get cold on the way, so we kept him at home."
Looking at the way she spoke to others in a generous and calm manner, she was completely different from the country woman I imagined.
Maybe she recently found a nanny in Beijing to learn from her.
However, her family background is ultimately her shortcoming, and she is not worthy of the title of this year's top scorer.
"Mrs. Xu, please find a seat and sit down." Tang Wanhua said.
Song Yuntang nodded and led Jinshu and Xia Ning to the back.
Just then, Zhuang Zihan led a group of sisters into the hall in a hurry.
"Mother, I heard that Madam Xu is here. Where is she?"
As he spoke, he looked around the hall, and when his sight passed over the unfamiliar face of Song Yuntang, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he only paused for a moment and quickly looked away.
In her mind, Mrs. Xu should not be like this.
Without Tang Wanhua's introduction, a lady cast her eyes in Song Yuntang's direction.
"Look, isn't Madam Xu sitting here?"
Zhuang Zihan was stunned for a moment, then followed the lady's gaze in the direction of Song Yuntang. When she saw the unfamiliar face that had just passed by and surprised her, her face was filled with disbelief.
I was just discussing with my sisters about how Mrs. Xu was an old woman with rough skin, ugly appearance and unpresentable clothes.
As a result, the woman in front of her, who was about the same age as her, turned out to be Mrs. Xu?
Not only was she surprised, but the ladies behind her were equally surprised.
This is completely different from the Mrs. Xu they imagined!
Zhuang Zihan frowned slightly.
"I heard that Madam Xu gave birth half a year ago. Looking at your figure, you don't look like someone who has given birth. Are you a fake?"
Hearing this, Song Yuntang couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's just assume that what Miss Zhuang said just now was a compliment to me." She continued, "But then again, why would I pretend to be Madam Xu? What's the point of pretending to be Madam Xu to attend this kind of banquet?"
Zhuang Zihan was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
On second thought, I felt that she was right.
Xu Qingye is now in the Hanlin Academy and is highly regarded by His Majesty. She will have many opportunities to be active in the capital in the future. As his wife, she will have to deal with a lot of social interactions in the capital. You can ask someone to impersonate you once, but you can't ask someone to impersonate you every time.
Her question just now was indeed a bit redundant.
But she still found it hard to believe that a girl from the countryside could have such good looks and temperament.
Look at that skin, so tender that you can squeeze water out of it.
No wonder there have been rumors in the capital over the past six months that Lord Xu loves his wife and family, and after finishing his duties at the Hanlin Academy, he never hangs out with his colleagues and always goes straight home.
It turned out that there was such a canary at home.
But, what about the canary?
She is of humble status and is ultimately unworthy of Lord Xu.
Zhuang Zihan forced a smile.
"I have wrongly blamed Madam Xu."
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