A qualified wife 2
The former Wang was good at managing her subordinates, so although the three concubines often complained about other people's affairs, they did not dare to really hurt the mistress.
Chen Yuanyuan thought about it and agreed. Television dramas often depict concubines vying for favor with the wife, even sharing equal attention. Some even go so far as to oppress and humiliate the wife, mistreating her legitimate children.
In fact, this is extremely difficult to happen in the real life of the ancient harem.
First, the marriage laws of all dynasties in ancient times protected the rights of the legal wife. The legal wife was married to the man through a formal matchmaker, and according to the requirements of the patriarchal system, there could only be one legal wife.
The children of the wife are considered legitimate, while those of the concubines are considered illegitimate. The strict distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is of great significance in maintaining and continuing the patriarchal system.
For example, the laws of the Tang Dynasty emphasized the superiority of the main wife. Once she became the main wife, her duties were: "to serve the ancestral temple and to continue the family line." She had absolute power over the management and disposal of concubines.
Secondly, from the perspective of actual relationships, the resources that the wife brings to her husband's family are overwhelming.
In ancient times, marriage was based on the importance of matching families and strong alliances. A man of status would marry a woman of equal status according to the family's judgment.
No man with a clear mind would offend and humiliate the family of the wife for the sake of a concubine (even in modern times, men are rational animals. In many cases of extramarital affairs with mistresses, the reason why men do not divorce is mostly because the benefits brought by their wives far outweigh those of the mistress).
Furthermore, if you really encounter a situation like in a Qiong Yao drama where the male protagonist and his concubine are madly in love and want to divorce his wife and make her his legal wife, apart from the patriarchal system behind the male protagonist (the male protagonist used unknown means to convince his family), it is still very difficult to divorce his wife from a legal perspective.
The conditions and restrictions on dissolution of marriage in the laws of various dynasties have almost never gone beyond the scope of the "Seven Reasons for Divorce" and the "Three Reasons for Not Divorcing".
To put it in detail, divorce can be summarized as the wife committing the "Seven Reasons for Divorce", namely: disobeying parents (parents-in-law); □□ (referring to family incest); jealousy (disrupting the family); having a serious illness (unable to live together); talking too much; stealing; and being childless.
However, if the wife is in any of the following three situations, regardless of whether she has committed the seven grounds for divorce, she cannot be divorced, namely: she was married but had no place to go, that is, she still had her parents' home when she got married, but when she was divorced, she had no relatives to rely on; she mourned for three years with her husband, that is, after marrying into her husband's family, she observed mourning for her parents-in-law for three years with her husband and fulfilled her filial duties; she was poor before but became rich later, that is, she was poor when she got married, but became rich later.
Therefore, the wife would hardly care about the concubines unless they threatened their status in the family.
Take Wang as an example. She was born into a prominent family in Taiyuan and had a smart eldest son. After giving birth to the eldest son, she was sure that she could no longer have children, so she took two concubines one after another. This was only because according to family etiquette, she wanted to have more children for the second wife.
So for her, it would preserve her reputation as a virtuous woman while protecting her position as the eldest son in the family. Why not do it?
Xu Lingwan asked Hongyue to take the prepared dividends and reward the three people, and also gave each of them a double-strand gold-inlaid jade hibiscus hairpin.
The three of them thanked her. Just as Ling Wan was about to tell them to leave, Aunt Zhao stepped forward and said with a smile, "I'm a dull-witted woman, but I enjoy tinkering with things when I'm free. I'll be grateful to you for visiting me every morning and evening. I hope you won't mind."
Morning and evening visits, a matter of needle and chisel? This reminded her that she had to find a reason to exempt the concubines from paying their respects every day.
As a person who has difficulty getting up in the morning, Chen Yuanyuan feels that the morning and evening visits are a great torture for her since she came here.
Fortunately, Old Madam Shen only needed the greetings from her daughters-in-law, but even if it was a greeting at six or seven in the morning, she would spend half an incense stick of time every night to mentally prepare herself for this matter, brainwashing herself with the thought that it was not dreams but survival that woke her up every day.
Therefore, there is no need for the concubines to rush to pay their respects to me.
Moreover, from what she had just seen, these three concubines were all very clever. In terms of cunning, Chen Yuanyuan didn't think she could surpass them. Therefore, she decided to minimize contact with them and minimize their interactions. Xu Lingwan's status was still there, so she could simply maintain her authority as the mistress of the household.
Having made up his mind, Xu Lingwan put down his teacup and smiled without saying anything. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a faint cough from the side.
The three people present were all shocked. They never expected that the Second Master was still in the Madam's room at this time.
The three of them were all very kindhearted people. The Second Master was here this time, probably because he was afraid that the young new wife would not be able to control them, so he listened quietly. If they took advantage of their long years in the mansion and the fact that they had children, and spoke in a disrespectful manner, I'm afraid...
The hierarchy was clear, and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was distinct. Knowing Second Master Shen's temperament, the three of them were all terrified. Even Aunt Zhao, who had been a bit talkative just now, was now stammering and dared not speak.
Ling Wan, however, was unaware of this. She muttered several slanderous words in her heart. She had already decided to use the distance from the Fangfei Pavilion where the three concubines lived as a raft, thus avoiding the daily morning and evening visits, and not coming to pay respects except on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.
When Mr. Shen said this, she was not sure what he was thinking for a moment. Could it be that he liked his first and second wives to hang around in front of him every day and be inspected from time to time?
Since they had already spoken, it was not appropriate to sit in the inner room. Then, Master Shen came out with a book and glanced at them indifferently. Seeing that Ling Wan was silent, he called over Chen Madam, who was arranged by Old Lady Shen, and asked, "Are the three concubines missing anything?"
Everyone was clearly here, but he still called the maid to ask questions, which shows that he didn't care about them.
"My dear Second Master, the three concubines have no shortage of food, clothing or other necessities." Mother Chen bowed her head and said respectfully.
"Yeah." Chen Cong responded lightly.
He had no feelings for the three concubines to begin with, and now seeing Qiu and Zhao secretly glancing at him, he felt even more unhappy.
When Wang was alive, she had been frail and sickly since giving birth to her eldest son, so she had secretly discussed with Old Lady Shen about raising a few concubines. When she told him about it, although he was reluctant, he agreed for the sake of the second wife's heir.
The court was busy with many affairs at that time, so in the seven years after Huai Jin was born, the two concubines gave birth to a daughter and a son respectively.
Unexpectedly, Wang went to tell Old Lady Shen that he disliked Qiu and Zhao and therefore seldom visited their rooms. He then secretly took the initiative to marry the daughter of a subordinate of one of her uncles as a concubine. He also said, "Ding is of higher birth than the two concubines and has some knowledge of poetry and literature. I think she would have something to say to the Second Master."
Chen Cong glanced at her indifferently when he heard this. Using the excuse that "the two concubines must not have served her well enough", she thought he didn't know what she was thinking?
Ever since Zhao gave birth to a son, Wang was both delighted and wary, fearing that the birth of her youngest son would divert his attention from Huaijin. So, the following year, she found a woman affiliated with the Wang clan to be his concubine, a mere tactic of maintaining a check and balance among the women of the inner chambers.
However, these were not important. Seeing that Wang was solely focused on Huai Jin, even if she was told that Huai Jin's position was unshakable, she would not listen, so she just let her be.
Six months after Mrs. Ding came into the family, Old Master Shen passed away due to illness. He had little time to think about this matter because he was busy praying for Old Master Shen and observing mourning for Mrs. Wang's illness and death.
Seeing Chen Cong's attitude, Chen Yuanyuan thought to herself that he also didn't like the concubines coming to visit him every morning and evening.
Seeing his gaze drifting towards her, she quickly said, "In that case, if the three concubines need anything, just send someone to tell Madam Chen. Fangfei Pavilion is far away, so a thoughtful gesture is enough. You don't have to pay your respects every day. You can come over on the first and fifteenth day of the month, or on holidays."
When Yu Guangzhong caught a glimpse of someone giving him a look of approval, he felt slightly encouraged, but his expression remained unchanged. "Nothing else, ladies, please take your leave."
Really, since he thought the same as she did, there was actually no need for him to come and calm the situation.
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