Chapter 491 The Palace Maid Wants to Retire (17)
Shi Li had dinner at Wen Shichu's house before leaving. Even though they were going to get married soon, he didn't want to miss any time with his fiancée, so he stayed at Wen Shichu's house, had dinner, and stayed for a long time before reluctantly leaving.
Wen Shichu thought that the Shi family would keep quiet after failing to oppose the marriage with Shi Li. However, he did not expect that Shi Ying was really at a disadvantage and could not stop Shi Li. Instead, he set his sights on Wen Shichu, hoping to make a little palace maid "retreat when faced with difficulties."
The person who came to the door was Shi Ying's wife, Shi Li's nominal mother. This mother came from a prominent family and was the daughter of the Grand Tutor in her early years, so Shi Ying married her. However, she was plain-looking, and her figure was out of shape after giving birth to two sons with Shi Ying, which made Shi Ying dislike her even more. However, her family was promising, and her position as the main wife was secure. Even if Shi Ying had many other women, he dared not do anything to her.
"Are you the retired palace maid that Shi Li likes? You look like a vixen, no wonder you can make him so infatuated that even the daughters of princes and nobles look down on you..." A middle-aged noblewoman with triangular slanted eyes and high cheekbones looked at Wen Shichu with disdain and said harshly.
Wen Shichu usually did not go out. The residents of this place were all well-educated people, with good public security and a quiet environment, so the gate of her house was ajar and not locked. This gave Mrs. Shi and her group an opportunity to push the door open and walk in arrogantly and disrespectfully.
As Mrs. Shi and her companions entered the house, they saw Wen Shichu reading a book on the beauty couch in the corridor. After recognizing him, Mrs. Shi gave Wen Shichu a warning first.
Wen Shichu was almost laughing out of anger. These people broke into her house for no reason, and as soon as they saw her, they started to lecture her with contempt and disdain. Who gave these people the courage?
"Where did this wild dog come from? It actually broke into my house and barked!" Wen Shichu stared at Mrs. Shi coldly and said sarcastically.
"How dare you! Who are you calling a wild dog?!" Before Mrs. Shi could say anything, the maid beside her took the lead and spoke up to scold Wen Shichu on her behalf.
"Whoever answers me is the one I'm talking about." Wen Shichu grabbed the maid's finger that was pointing at her and twisted it hard. The maid screamed miserably. Wen Shichu then let go of her finger and snorted coldly, "I hate it most when someone, no, a dog points his finger at me."
When Mrs. Shi heard Wen Shichu's words, she became so angry that her chest heaved violently, her face turned purple, and she almost fainted. But she was strong enough and did not faint and she managed to pull through.
Seeing Wen Shichu's response, Mrs. Shi realized that Wen Shichu was not an ordinary, submissive woman. She knew that she had met a tough guy, so she finally calmed down and began to introduce herself.
"I am Shi Li's stepmother. Although Shi Li's biological mother passed away long ago, he still calls me mother. I cannot ignore his marriage."
"Oh? Then how do you want to manage it?" Wen Shichu raised his eyebrows and asked, wanting to know the purpose of Mrs. Shi coming to see him.
"You are a retired palace maid in your twenties and you are not worthy of Shi Li. If you had any self-awareness, you should not agree to marry him." Mrs. Shi did not keep the secret but said it directly and frankly.
"I'm 25, and Shi Li is 24, less than a year apart. How can that be considered old? Aren't we a perfect match? People say that a woman three years older than a man is rich, and I'm less than three years older than him, so how can I not be good enough for him?" Wen Shichu said this deliberately, and then he lifted his ink-like long hair, stroked his beautiful face, and said,
"Besides, I am so beautiful. It is Shi Li's great luck that he can marry me. He should feel honored."
"You, you are so shameless! You only have a pretty face, but a low status. You are of no help to him and will only be a burden to him. If you really love him, you should think about him and let him marry a wife of equal status instead of marrying you, a useless palace maid! Do you want to see him miss the opportunity of a lifetime because of marrying you?" Mrs. Shi is worthy of being the person at the center of the palace fight. She can actually "convince people with reason."
If Wen Shichu was a woman who really loved Shi Li very much, but was also self-conscious because of her low status, she would naturally feel guilty after hearing what she said, and would think that she could not help Shi Li, so she would retreat and dare not really become Shi Li's wife.
But would Wen Shichu be a woman who would be willing to sacrifice herself for a man's future and career? Obviously, she was not! She was not one of those "great" women, so Mrs. Shi's "heart-attack strategy" had no effect on her.
Wen Shichu smiled and said to Mrs. Shi: "If he can't improve his career because he doesn't have a powerful wife and family, it means that he is incompetent and can only rely on women and father-in-law. He should blame himself. What's wrong with me? Mrs. Shi is really worrying too much.
But Madam Shi, you don't have to worry. Shi Li is not an incompetent man. He is not like Lord Shi Yingshi, who can only rely on his wife's family to rise to prominence. Shi Li is capable himself. He has earned his current position through military merit, and he does not need the nepotism of a woman."
When Mrs. Shi heard that her words were implying that her husband was a loser who could only rely on his connections to climb up the ladder, her face turned pale. Although this was indeed the case, when Wen Shichu said it, he hit the most embarrassing point of the other person. It was cruel and vicious enough that Mrs. Shi stared at Wen Shichu with eyes that were almost spitting fire.
Wen Shichu smiled as he watched Mrs. Shi's face change again and again, but she had to swallow her anger because she failed to achieve her goal. She endured the grievances, pretended not to be embarrassed or awkward, and continued to persuade Wen Shichu.
"Miss Wen, Shi Li is quite capable now, but he... well, to put it bluntly, he is a little too powerful now, and His Majesty is on guard against him! If he doesn't want to end up like a running dog, he needs someone to help him. He can't think of this now, but in the future, when he encounters difficulties and no one helps him, he will regret not being able to marry into other powerful families in the capital, but instead marrying a useless person like you, which led to his tragic end... What do you think will be your fate at that time?"
Mrs. Shi was a smart person after all, and her advice was well-reasoned and well-founded. If someone had a simpler mind, they would have been convinced by her. But Wen Shichu was a person who was smarter than a ghost. How could she be fooled by these words?
"You might as well be sensible now and take the initiative to give up your position to other young ladies from aristocratic families and become a concubine yourself. This will actually arouse Shi Li's sympathy and make him value you more. What do you think?" Mrs. Shi finally said in a gentle and persuasive manner, as if she was opening her heart to Wen Shichu.
(End of this chapter)
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