Grabbing a number for school has always been a way of asking for favors.
I slept until noon the next day.
Although a short separation is better than a new marriage, Chen Cong has been going out early and coming back late for more than a month. I don’t know where he gets the energy to be so energetic.
Ling Wan was sitting in front of the dressing table, her mind still not fully clear, when she heard Mother Yu say that because a concubine in the fifth room was pregnant, Fifth Master Shen had beaten Yao. Now Yao was kneeling in front of Rong'an Hall, asking the old lady to allow her to divorce Fifth Master.
Yao was not a good person, but Shen Jingzhi was not much better. However, Chen Yuanyuan was a little surprised that Yao was willing to divorce.
"The Yao family is broken now, and her mother and half brothers are all looking down on her. How could she really want to divorce? It's just a retreat to advance." Today, Mother Yu wanted to comb Ling Wan's hair into a high bun with flowers, and put double-petaled Wei Zi in her hair, and wear a red silk skirt of the same color. She would be a beautiful, charming, noble and stunning girl who didn't realize it.
"Why do you want to put flowers in my hair today?" Chen Yuanyuan laughed, as if she was going to a beauty pageant.
In fact, she had always known that Xu Lingwan's bright and radiant facial features were perfect for such an elaborate and ornate outfit. Who doesn't like beautiful clothes? But after entering the Shen Mansion, she felt that as the second wife, she had to be low-key and cautious. Therefore, she had always presented a simple appearance in the past year or so.
"We welcome the Goddess of Luo River on May 16th. It so happens that a purple lily flower is in full bloom in the greenhouse today. If you don't wear it in your hair, it would seem like you are letting it down." Mother Yu smiled with her hand covering her mouth, her eyes soft.
In Jiangning, there is a long-standing custom of wearing flowers in one's hair to welcome the Goddess of Luo River. When Xu Lingwan was a young lady, every year during the hairpin flower season, her grandmother, Gao, would dress her up meticulously.
It has been more than a year since she came to the Xu family. When she thinks of the kind and gentle face in her memory, Chen Yuanyuan can't help but feel emotional.
The original owner's biological mother died early, and she was sent to Jiangning at the age of three to be raised by her grandparents.
In Xu Lingwan's memory, her grandfather personally taught her how to read and write, and her grandmother personally taught her needlework, horse riding, and housekeeping. Among the five or six cousins in the family, even though her father's official position was not as high as that of other uncles, she was the grandchildren most loved by her grandparents.
"Back at home, my grandmother would cut the most blooming purple and yellow chrysanthemums from the flower room and pin them in my hair. My fourth and fifth sisters would always accuse me of favoritism." Thinking of the past, Ling Wan couldn't help but curl her lips. "Now that I think about it, although sisters sometimes had their share of needlework, we were the most carefree and happy people in the boudoir."
Jiangning was over 2,000 kilometers away from Kyoto. In ancient times, travel by horse and carriage was difficult, and the distance between people and families was long. Xu Lingwan's marriage was like being separated from her parents and relatives.
"It's my fault. I wanted to please the young lady, but ended up hurting her instead." Mother Yu saw Ling Wan lowering her eyes, and she couldn't help but licking her eyes.
When Madam Gao was choosing a husband for Lingwan, she had never considered the Shen family. The Shen family was powerful and influential, and several of the sisters-in-law came from wealthy families. Although Xu Lingwan came from the prestigious Xu family, she still had a gap compared to the more prestigious Shen family.
What's more, she was going to be a second wife.
She was the only child in the third house. She had no brothers or sisters to help her, and her father was only a local prefect of the fifth rank. In Kyoto, where the rich and powerful were everywhere, Old Madam Xu was worried that her granddaughter would suffer.
But later, the decision to marry Xu Lingwan into the Shen family was made by Lord Xu himself.
The emperor is getting old and the prince is young. As the Shen and Xu families are on the prince's side, they need a stable marriage relationship to tie the two families together.
Xu Lingwan is the best candidate.
The Shen family needs a second wife who comes from a noble family but poses no threat to the emperor, and the Xu family also needs an ally who is powerful and has a good reputation.
Chen Yuanyuan had no way of knowing what the sixteen-year-old Xu Lingwan felt when she heard that she was going to marry a man eighteen years older than her as his second wife, but judging from the fact that Miss Xu San died on the day she married into Chen Cong, she probably didn't want to do it.
"Mother likes flowers, so let's send that pot of blooming violets to Rong'an Hall." Ling Wan smiled faintly and signaled Mother Yu to still comb her hair into a dignified and solemn bun.
Now that you are someone's daughter-in-law or second wife, you should follow the rules and do your duty.
After lunch, Ling Wan took a basket of river fish sent from the farm and went to Minghui Hall to find Lu.
Huai Yin had almost finished his enlightenment courses, and she wanted to see if she could use Lu's connections to allow him to study in the private school of Duke Wei's mansion like Huai Jie and Huai'an.
The Duke of Wei's mansion was the natal home of Lu's eldest sister-in-law, the Qi family. The Qi family was renowned for its strict discipline of their children. So, upon hearing that the old Grand Tutor Qi, who had retired peacefully after three successive dynasties, had opened a school in his home, the prominent families of Kyoto used their connections and backdoors to pledge to send their children to the Qi family, to be taught and disciplined by the old Grand Tutor.
A thorough understanding of worldly affairs is learning, and a sophisticated understanding of human nature is writing. At the age and status of the Old Taifu Qi, he not only teaches learning and writing, but also focuses on cultivating these children of aristocratic families' ability to understand worldly affairs and mediate worldly affairs.
The aristocratic families and the common people can thus gain a small advantage.
As a modern person, Chen Yuanyuan once again thanked Huang Chao for his greatness after hearing this.
But as Xu Lingwan, she felt emotional. Having such a famous online teacher teaching in person, and seeing Huai Yin always envying Huaian and Huai Jie for going to school, she naturally wanted to compete for him.
"Huai Yin is grown up now. He can't stay in the inner house forever."
"Ling Wan wants Huai Yin to attend Qi's private school. Firstly, because Huai An is around, the two brothers have a good relationship and can look after each other when going to and from school. Secondly, if he can receive instruction from a famous teacher, he will feel uneasy, and this can also help to elevate his status so that his situation will be more comfortable in the future." Ling Wan didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly to Lu.
No one knew more clearly than Mrs. Lu about the affair between Mr. Shen Wu and the prostitute of Wanchun Tower. Although she knew the child was innocent, no matter how much she pitied him, she could not change the fact of his background.
"Lingwan, don't mention this matter anymore." Madam Lu shook her head. "Huaiyin is different from Huai'an. Although Huai'an is a concubine, his biological mother is a concubine hired by the Shen family."
Chen Yuanyuan knew, of course, that admission to the Qi Family Academy was as difficult as getting into Tsinghua University or Renmin University High School. Furthermore, Huaiyin's background was awkward, and getting the righteous old tutor to accept such an unwelcome prostitute's son was an even greater challenge.
Last year, Huai'an, a bastard, was able to go because Second Master Shen Shangshu personally asked his teacher for a spot.
Seeing Ling Wan still trying to argue, Madam Lu's tone turned stern, "The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is a matter of etiquette. Last year, Wang Xi caused quite a bit of gossip in the capital because of Huai'an. If you send Huai Yin there again, not only will the Qi family disagree, but the other families will probably come and visit in person to ask the Shen family what their intentions are in allowing a prostitute to study with their legitimate son and crown prince."
"Huai Yin is blessed to be raised in the Second House with your love and care. If he wants more, even if you, Second Madam Shen, can give him without regard for his background or reputation, you still have to ask the Shen family, the Xu family, and Wang Xi if he can afford it!"
This was too harsh. She was saying that she disregarded the reputation of the Shen family, the Xu family, and Mr. Shen Er for Shen Huaiyin.
Ling Wan was stunned by the scolding. This was the first time that her eldest sister-in-law treated her unfairly. She was a little stunned and said, "Sister-in-law, I——"
"Huai Yin's father is Jing Zhi, and his mother is Yao. No matter how unkind Yao is, he still has to call her 'mother', and you are only his second aunt after all. Second sister-in-law, take good care of the second house and give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible. That's the most important thing!" Lu stood up and, with a hardened heart, gave Ling Wan a very faint smile. "I have something else to do later. If you're here for this matter, please go back."
Her second sister-in-law is kind and virtuous, but she is too soft-hearted and doesn't know the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. That's why the concubines in the second room are so arrogant that they dare to do anything and put all the blame on her.
Chen Yuanyuan was inexplicably scolded by Lu and then suddenly kicked out. Before she could figure out why, her body had already reacted instinctively.
"Sister-in-law, if Lingwan said something wrong, you can beat me or scold me, but please don't abandon me, okay?" Since she came to the Shen Mansion, she has relied on her eldest sister-in-law like a sister and a mother.
The eldest sister-in-law is dignified, but she is the most fair and serious person. She has taught her a lot in the past year. She is more coquettish in front of Lu than in front of Shen Cong.
This time, Mrs. Lu was determined to let her figure it out on her own and ignored her.
But she hadn't anticipated that Chen Yuanyuan was a modern person, whose emotional expressions were much more natural and intense than those of the ancients. She began to follow Lu like a little tail, following wherever Lu went. While Lu and the housekeeper discussed matters, she obediently ate snacks and drank tea in the side hall.
The obedient look on his face was just as good as when he met his parents a year ago.
"The Second Madam is young and has a good temper. She is also a victim of the incident that happened to the slave Ding." Mother Wu, who was standing by, rarely spoke up for someone.
Mrs. Lu didn't respond, but her expression eased slightly: "Is Ling Wan still here?"
"She's drinking tea. She said she won't leave unless her sister-in-law forgives her today." Mother Wu laughed.
Mrs. Lu also laughed helplessly: "Forget it, no wonder Wang Xi couldn't do anything to her."
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