Chapter 497 The Palace Maid Wants to Retire (23)
Wen Shichu used to be a retired palace maid. She was old and of low status, but she suddenly got lucky and married Shi Li, realizing the dream of all women to "rise to the top and become a phoenix". She also made her husband crazy about her and he accompanied her everywhere all day long, turning a cold general into a pleasure-loving playboy.
Moreover, Wen Shichu was arrogant and disdainful of even dealing with other women from official families. She rejected all invitations and did whatever she wanted. She was not a good wife who could help her husband with socializing at all. Therefore, Mrs. Wang felt that Wen Shichu seemed to be the same type of woman as her - the "beauty that brings disaster".
Of course, this was Mrs. Wang’s own inner thought. She wasn’t so foolish as to say it out loud. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to live anymore.
Mrs. Wang felt that she and Wen Shichu were "fellow travelers", so she was the first to come forward and greet Wen Shichu. She didn't want to win over Wen Shichu, after all, there was no need for her to do so. She just wanted to get together with Wen Shichu so as not to appear isolated. She knew that her reputation was not good.
Wen Shichu had no idea that Mrs. Wang was having so much fun. She was just politely responding to other people's greetings.
"Mrs. Shi, I really envy you." Mrs. Wang lowered her voice, looked at Wen Shichu with bright eyes, and said.
Wen Shichu was a little curious: "What do you envy me for?"
"I envy General Shi for doting on you so much! He must love you very much, otherwise he would ignore the eyes of the world and accompany you to have fun everywhere." Mrs. Wang answered enviously.
"Isn't Censor Wang doting on you too?" Wen Shichu recalled how Censor Wang doted on his wife - he heard that Madam Wang was afraid of heat and suffered a lot in the summer, so Censor Wang would build an ice cellar in several rooms every winter and prepare enough ice so that Madam Wang could live a cooler life in the summer.
Madam Wang sneered, "What kind of favor is that? He just treats me as a plaything. He praises me when he likes me, but who knows what will happen to me when he doesn't like me anymore? It's just that I'm good at martial arts, so I can still please him temporarily..."
When Wen Shichu heard this, the gossip gene in his body immediately started to stir. This sounded like there was an inside story. Could it be that the rumors that Censor Wang was completely bewitched by his new wife were false?
"But didn't he ignore his deceased wife's children just for you?" Wen Shichu asked in a low voice. She didn't know why Mrs. Wang was so intimate with her and told her these private and confidential things, but this did not hinder her curiosity.
"Do you believe it? He sent his eldest son to study at Mingli Academy, saying that he banished his eldest son to another place because he offended me. But in fact, Mr. Wang was afraid that I would harm his son, so he deliberately sent him away. And his daughter, he was afraid that I would teach her bad things, so he sent her back to the ex-wife's parents' home to stay away from me, her stepmother... Haha, he thinks I'm a tiger and a wolf!" Mrs. Wang said sarcastically.
Wen Shichu's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't expect the situation here to be like this. She immediately looked at Mrs. Wang with sympathy.
Mrs. Wang saw her look and immediately smiled, saying, "You don't have to sympathize with me. I took advantage of his 'pampering' and got a lot of benefits from it. My eldest and second brothers were promoted to official positions, my nephews were admitted to the Imperial College, my uncle became an imperial merchant, and most of the Wang family's property was moved back to my mother's home..."
Wen Shichu's eyes widened instantly. Seeing this, Madam Wang couldn't help laughing and said, "You didn't expect it, did you? There is no love between us, so the only thing left is interests. He wants to scheme against me and ruin my reputation, so I have no choice but to fight back and make some benefits for myself."
Wen Shichu immediately gave him a thumbs up: "Well done!"
"Don't you think I'm cruel, greedy and reckless?" Mrs. Wang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What kind of vicious and greedy behavior is this? Isn't it a reasonable way to get your own rewards?" Wen Shichu said.
"Yes, that's right. It means to get your rewards reasonably... I like your character so much. Can I come to your house to play with you in the future? I heard that you never accept invitations from others. Can you make an exception for me?" asked Mrs. Wang.
"Of course I can. You're so interesting. I don't think it will be boring to play with you." Wen Shichu agreed immediately. "As for the other ladies, they didn't just come to me. They all have their own plans. I don't have the patience to deal with them, so of course I rejected them directly."
So Wen Shichu made an interesting and unique friend at the Queen's flower-viewing banquet.
The other female members of the family looked at the two of them talking excitedly and felt that they were birds of a feather and had similar tastes. They also knew Wen Shichu's unruly personality and that he would not give face to anyone, so they did not go up to disturb them.
Finally the queen came out, said some polite words, and then let everyone go back to socialize, or rather, to appreciate the flowers.
Wen Shichu was summoned by the Queen as expected.
The Queen seemed to have become a different person, her whole person became radiant and radiant. Wen Shichu, who was completely different from the ordinary palace maid before, was a little dazed. She suspected that the person she saw before was not Wen Shichu, but another palace maid. However, even if she denied it in her heart, she could not change the fact that Wen Shichu was the former Shangyi female official in her palace.
"Madam Shi, I never thought that you would be blessed with a happy future. After leaving the palace, you would be able to have a happy marriage with General Shi. It's a pity that you and General Shi had no interaction before, otherwise I could have granted you marriage in advance, so that you wouldn't have been delayed for so many years." The queen said regretfully, as if she really felt sorry for Wen Shichu and Shi Li for wasting their youth.
"I appreciate the Queen's kindness. Although the fate between me and the general came late, it came at the right time and in the right place. It is for this wonderful marriage that we met each other at the right time and in the right place. If it were a different time or place, the results might be different, so we don't think it's a pity." Wen Shichu said with a smile.
The Queen's smile froze for a moment, and she picked up the teacup and drank the tea. Wen Shichu's words were not just to say that he didn't care about her arranged marriage, and didn't care about their late marriage? This was clearly to give her face as the Queen.
The queen was somewhat unhappy, thinking that Wen Shichu was ungrateful, but her status was different now, and for the sake of her son, the queen had to endure this. After all, her son had not yet been named the crown prince, and she had to win over Shi Li. Only if Shi Li stood on her side would her son have the best chance of ascending the throne, so she had to "endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden."
If Wen Shichu knew that she was thinking this way, he would definitely roll his eyes at her. Are you kidding me? She wants to use others, but others don't want to let her use them. Is this an insult to her? How shameless!
(End of this chapter)
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