Granny Li helped Yan Ning up and then stood next to the old lady again. The old lady did not ask Yan Ning to sit down, so she could only stand there with her head down and continue to listen to the old lady's teachings.
"What books have you read? Have you thoroughly studied the Four Books for Women?" Old Madam Fucha asked in a calm and unhurried voice.
Having received over a decade of education, Yan Ning had read quite a few books, yet she couldn't find a single one to answer the old lady's question. She only knew the titles of the Four Books for Women, but had never actually read them. Yan Ning lowered her head even further, "Your Majesty, my reading is haphazard, and I haven't studied any of them in detail. I haven't read the Four Books for Women."
Madam Fucha seemed to have anticipated Yan Ning's answer, and was not angry after hearing it. She said to Granny Li, "Granny Li, tidy up the west wing for Madam to live in. As for the etiquette and rules of the Fucha family, you have been with me the longest, so you can teach them!" Although she said this to Yan Ning, the old lady looked at Fukang'an and said, "As her mother-in-law, I can still make this decision."
Fukang'an sat in a rosewood chair, toying with the painted enamel snuff bottle, a gift from the emperor, in his hand. The neck of the bottle was decorated with inverted banana leaf patterns, and it was fitted with a gilded dragon lid and an ivory spoon. The glaze was delicate, the figures were depicted with refined elegance and lifelike expressions, and the shading was distinct and layered. Truly a courtly creation!
Yan Ning glanced sideways at Fukang'an, noticing he was only admiring the snuff bottle in her hand and didn't speak up for her. A slight disappointment crept into her heart. She couldn't help but think of Jiao Zhongqing from "The Peacock Flies Southeast." The ancients valued loyalty and filial piety above all else. Even if Fukang'an loved her deeply, he probably wouldn't go against his mother's wishes. Everyone said that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships were difficult, and now her mother-in-law was from the ancient Manchu Yehe Nara clan! Thinking about all this, Yan Ning felt her spine go weak.
Yan Ning and Madam Fucha were both waiting for Fukang'an's answer. The hall was so quiet that Yan Ning could even hear the sound of cold sweat dripping from her body.
After carefully examining the snuff bottle in his hand, Fukang'an tucked it into the brocade of his robe, which was trimmed with a qilin. He glanced at Yan Ning and replied, "I will obey Mother's orders!" After speaking, his gaze, as warm as the spring sunshine, met Yan Ning's slightly angry yet puzzled eyes.
Inside the west wing of the Peony Hall, Yan Ning looked at the ancient-style books on the table: "Admonitions for Women," "Inner Teachings," "Analects for Women," and "Abridged Records of Female Exemplars," and felt even more resentful towards Fu Kang'an.
"Madam, please change your shoes!" Granny Li stood beside Yan Ning, holding a pair of dark blue satin platform shoes, her eyes fixed on the tassels adorning Yan Ning's feet. Yan Ning smiled slightly awkwardly, "Thank you for your trouble, Granny!" and allowed the maid beside her to change her shoes.
"Please, Madam, memorize the Four Books for Women as soon as possible, so we can learn etiquette and manners quickly!" Yan Ning looked at Li Mama's upright posture and stern, unsmiling expression, and thought of the ruthless and vicious Rong Mama, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. "But Mama, there are some characters I don't recognize." Yan Ning said with difficulty as she flipped through these thread-bound ancient books.
“This old servant is not a teacher and is not responsible for teaching Madam to read and write. This old servant is only responsible for teaching etiquette and manners. Madam, please take your leave!” After saying this, Li Mama gave a slight curtsy, did not even look at Yan Ning, and withdrew.
Yan Ning watched as Granny Li's upright figure disappeared through the doorway of the side room. Knowing she was the old lady's dowry maid and, being an older woman, naturally held a higher status than the other servants in the mansion, Yan Ning didn't take her rudeness to heart. With the few ancient characters she had learned from her father, Yan Ning could vaguely understand the general meaning of the text, secretly rejoicing that she had transmigrated to the Qing Dynasty, the feudal dynasty closest to her own time.
"A woman should stay within her chambers and rarely leave the house. She should come when called and go when summoned. Any disobedience will be met with scolding." Upon reading this, Yan Ning could no longer contain her discontent and recited it aloud. "The Song sisters, Ruoxin and Ruozhao, are also women. Why would they write this 'Women's Analects' to restrain themselves?" Completely baffled, Yan Ning wanted to get up and go for a walk in the courtyard to clear her mind, and even more so, she wanted to find Fukang'an to blame him for abandoning her to the old lady and leaving her behind.
"Don't we need to go inside to serve Madam?" The young maid who had just changed Yan Ning's shoes quietly asked the older maid beside her.
The older maidservant scoffed, "What's there to serve? She's just a fox spirit using her power! She only got the title of 'Madam' by bewitching the General with her face. We're servants from the Old Madam's courtyard, much more valuable than the servants in other courtyards! Besides, the Old Madam only made us call her 'Madam' to appease the General; there's no marriage ceremony yet. Isn't it still Concubine Ying who holds the power in this household? She's just the Madam of the Fu residence, not the Madam of our Fucha family. It's none of our business to serve her!" Her willow-leaf eyebrows grew even longer and sharper with each hurried word.
Yan Ning stood at the door, forcing a bitter smile. It's said that in officialdom, there are many who are adept at reading between the lines. It turns out that even in this secluded mansion, there's no shortage of sycophants. "Ahem..." Yan Ning coughed a few times, feigning annoyance, and the two immediately stopped their conversation and opened the door for her.
"What are your names?" Yan Ning stepped across the threshold and asked the two maids who had spoken. "We are Lotus and Begonia, greetings, Madam!" The older maid curtsied, looking at Yan Ning without a trace of humility. The younger maid, who had spoken earlier, bowed respectfully. Yan Ning looked into Lotus's eyes and said, "Lotus is the recluse among flowers!"
Lotus stared at Yan Ning, watching her walk past with a puzzled expression. Granny Li came out of the main room and called out to Yan Ning in the courtyard, "Where is Madam going?"
As the sun began to set, the golden rays of the setting sun danced on Yan Ning's delicate features. Yan Ning gave a sweet smile. "Granny, you have so much free time. Why don't you come with me to see the General?" She knew that if she didn't persuade Granny Li to accompany her, she probably wouldn't be able to leave the Peony Hall.
“We women are supposed to stay in the inner courtyard and wait for our husbands to return, serving them. How can we disturb them when they are doing important things!” Granny Li said seriously. The deep wrinkles on her face told Yan Ning that the years she had spent in this mansion were something that she could not compare to.
Yan Ning smiled slightly and looked at Granny Li respectfully, saying, "But the teachings of the 'Women's Analects' about serving one's husband are not as you say. The book says that one should be attentive to one's husband's daily needs, ensuring he is well taken care of. One should not let him go hungry or thirsty, nor let him suffer from emaciation or hardship. Now, I am in this inner courtyard, how can I know whether the general is eating, dressing, or feeling hot and cold in the front courtyard?"
Granny Li was stunned. She had not expected the gentle and naive Yan Ning to give such an answer, and for a moment she was at a loss for words.
"What a clever tongue!" The voice of Old Madam Fucha came from the main room. The maid standing by the door quickly lifted the brown silk curtain. Seeing the old lady come out, Granny Li quickly dismissed the maids who were supporting the old lady and personally helped the old lady to Yan Ning's side.
"Yan Ning greets the Old Madam!" Yan Ning curtsied and bowed her head as she spoke.
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