"What a pretty little girl."
The third wife exclaimed in surprise and whispered to the fourth wife, "So beautiful, no wonder the young master's nephew took a liking to her."
She had seen many pretty young girls, but Jiang Shuwan's appearance was actually the best among them.
"No wonder my nephew, the young master, has taken a fancy to the daughter of a minor official of the fifth rank. She's so beautiful!" the third wife exclaimed in admiration.
"It is indeed beautiful." The fourth wife nodded in agreement.
Then the two wives' gazes faded.
Even though Jiang Shuwan is breathtakingly beautiful.
However, it doesn't quite fit their aesthetic preferences.
In this era, the ideal daughter-in-law for mothers-in-law and elders is one with striking features, dignified and authoritative.
A bigger face and a more imposing presence can intimidate servants simply by standing there.
It doesn't need to be too pretty, so their son won't be preoccupied with bedtime matters and will focus on his career.
—This is how most mothers-in-law think these days.
Therefore, Jiang Shuwan's beautiful and delicate features would not only not add points to her appearance in their eyes, but would actually detract from it.
Moreover, she is young and has a childish face, so she doesn't look imposing.
Therefore, the third and fourth wives naturally didn't have the same fervent interest as before.
Jiang Shuwan knew, of course, that her appearance did not conform to the aesthetic standards of these elders.
If she wanted to please these elders, she could have simply applied a thick layer of makeup to make herself look less outstanding.
But she didn't.
The fourth rule for surviving in the workplace.
Don't try to please everyone; you'll exhaust yourself doing so.
Jiang Shuwan has a clear sense of direction; she knows where she should focus her energy to reap the greatest benefits.
As long as the big boss, Madam Pei, and the small boss, Pei Yanzhi, like her and value her.
She doesn't care about anyone else.
With Old Madam Pei, the person she most wanted to curry favor with, absent today, she felt lazy and treated today like her first day at work.
Report, get your face scanned, and then go home and sleep soundly.
Jiang Shuwan's mind was completely focused on the warm and cozy bed; she couldn't care less what others thought.
He sleeps later than a dog and wakes up earlier than a rooster.
I'm so sleepy!
Jiang Shuwan covered her hand and yawned.
However, she also knew that Wen was no pushover, so she forced herself to stay alert.
The house has two rooms, one inside and one outside, separated by a silk screen embroidered with plum blossoms.
Wen and the others were all sitting in the inner room, which was just beyond the screen.
Jiang Shuwan followed Pei Yanzhi inside, where people were just peeking out to look at her.
At that moment, she also glanced at them.
They were all acquaintances. The woman in the blue satin chrysanthemum embroidered jacket and skirt was the third wife, and the woman sitting next to her, the fourth wife, was wearing a light blue silk brocade jacket with bright flowers.
Both of them wore dark-colored clothes, which were very much in line with their aesthetic preferences for a dignified look.
The color of Wen's clothes was more subdued than theirs.
She wore an indigo satin long coat with embroidered flowers and a dark gray jacket with gourd patterns. She wore no jewelry, but had several strands of Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around her wrist.
Perhaps it's because he eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist prayers every day that his face has a touch of compassion.
The maids and servants behind Wen were also familiar to Jiang Shuwan.
She also saw two familiar faces, the wedding attendants and etiquette attendants who had just received her reward that morning.
When Jiang Shuwan came in, they were talking to Madam Wen.
As soon as Jiang Shuwan entered, they immediately stood aside. Just as Jiang Shuwan was about to bow, a glint flashed in Wen Shi's eyes, and she grabbed Jiang Shuwan's hand, her turbid tears streaming down her face.
"My child, I'm so sorry to have wronged you. I never imagined you would suffer such a great injustice." As she spoke, she affectionately patted Jiang Shuwan's hand. "Good child, don't be afraid, I will stand up for you."
Without waiting for Jiang Shuwan's reaction, she immediately pointed at Pei Yanzhi and scolded, "You are a promising person. The old lady always taught you. I don't care about you, and I don't dare to care about you. But you are different. You married your wife yourself. On your wedding night, you slept under two quilts. How could you treat her so badly? How can you expect her to live a normal life?"
Wen actually helped her teach Pei Yanzhi a lesson?
Jiang Shuwan glanced at the Wen family.
Wen's words, seemingly helping her, were actually an attempt to sow discord between her and Pei Yanzhi.
After all, on the very first day of their marriage, the husband was already happy because his new wife was being scolded by her own mother.
This is an attempt to drive Pei Yanzhi away from her!
Furthermore, it's very shameful for the groom not to touch the bride on their wedding night...
Wen's words not only sowed discord between her and Pei Yanzhi, but also made her lose face in public.
This can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
Wen Shi was making her own calculations, but the third and fourth wives all thought she was right and looked at Pei Yanzhi with accusing eyes.
The Crown Prince's nephew has gone too far; how could he treat the bride like that...?
He was the one who proposed to the bride...
That's so incredibly insulting...
His gaze toward Jiang Shuwan was filled with sympathy.
It's pitiful that on their wedding night, the couple slept under two separate quilts.
What kind of wedding night is it if there's no bridal chamber?
The bride is so pitiful.
Both wives looked at Jiang Shuwan with pity.
The maids and servants beside them also had different expressions: some were sympathetic, some were watching the spectacle, and some were mocking.
Qingxing was stunned. She didn't expect that Granny Xi would bring up the matter of the bridal chamber directly. Wasn't this going to embarrass her young lady?
Qingxing gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and wanted to tear Xi Mama's mouth apart.
Just then, a girl's clear voice rang out from inside the room.
"Mother is joking. The young master treats me very well. How could he mistreat me?"
"But, last night..."
“That was an agreement I made with the Crown Prince,” Jiang Shuwan said with a smile, looking at Madam Wen and the two wives beside her. “Yesterday, the Crown Prince told his daughter-in-law that he would be taking the exam next year and asked her to understand. She agreed on the spot.”
"To be honest, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Mother and my two aunts. Before I got married, I had heard of the young master's reputation. I heard that he was an excellent student and passed the imperial examination at the age of ten. If you ask me, there is nothing more important in our mansion than the young master's studies."
"Nowadays, most of the wealthy and noble sons who inherit titles in the capital are fond of enjoyment and cannot endure the hardship of studying. They spend their days idly, either riding horses through the streets or engaging in cockfighting and dog fighting."
“It’s rare that the young master is not afraid of hardship, loves reading, and has talent. As family members, we should of course give him our full support. So last night, my daughter-in-law told the young master that we have a long future together and there’s no need to worry about the so-called wedding night. Taking the provincial examination next year is the real priority.”
Upon hearing this, the third and fourth wives were shocked.
"What!"
"The young master is taking the exam next year, and he even wants to be the top scholar in the provincial examination? That's the highest score for the provincial examination!"
"That's not an easy exam. So many scholars take it, but only one person can become the top scholar."
"What's so special about that? The young master even said that he wants me to be not only the top scholar in the provincial examination, but also the top scholar in the imperial examination, achieving the triple honors, and making me the wife of the top scholar."
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