Knowing that Shen Nian was about to take up his post, Xia Tian was happy for him.
She went to the kitchen specifically in the evening, and with the help of Ningxiang and Ningxue, she personally prepared a large table of dishes and placed them in Lingyun Pavilion to celebrate for Chen Nian.
As expected, she woke up late the next day because she drank some wine in the evening.
When she hurried to the old lady's yard to pay her respects, she was stopped outside the door by Mu Jin, the old lady's maid.
"The old lady said that since the Crown Prince's wife doesn't know the rules, she should learn them first." Mu Jin handed over the book she was holding. "The old lady also said that if you want to learn the rules well, you must memorize the 'Instructions for Women'. Please copy this 'Instructions for Women' a hundred times. When you have finished copying it, you can come and pay your respects again."
"Madam, do you really want me to copy it a hundred times? You won't let me come to pay my respects until I finish copying?" Xia Tian raised his voice to confirm with Mu Jin.
"Yes, that's what the old lady said." Mu Jin nodded.
"Okay, I understand." Xia Tian respectfully took the book and turned back with Ningxue.
In the old lady's room, Shen Lan held the old lady's arm and asked in confusion, "Grandma, she's just a country girl, how can she read? Why do you let her copy books?"
"Hmph! It's better if she doesn't know me! Does she think that anyone can be the wife of the Crown Prince of the Marquis of Wu'an?" The old lady snorted contemptuously.
"Oh, I see. Grandmother, you want that wild girl to give up, right? Grandmother." Shen Lan shook the old lady's arm affectionately and complimented her.
"You are the smart girl." The old lady dotingly touched Shen Lan's forehead with her finger.
The others looked at the happy scene of the grandparents and grandchildren, and covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs and laughed secretly. The room was peaceful.
Here, Xia Tian took Ning Xue directly back to Jinglan Garden.
Ningxiang saw that the two of them came back so quickly and felt strange, "Madam, why did you come back so soon?" She thought that Madam was late in paying her respects today and would be troubled by the old lady for a while, but they came back just a short while after they left.
"Mu Jin stopped us outside Ruixuan Hall and didn't let us in." Ning Xue said in a low voice.
"Is the old lady angry?" Ningxiang also asked in a low voice.
"Well, the old lady punished Madam by copying the 'Instructions for Women' a hundred times."
"So many?" Ningxiang turned her head and looked at Xia Tian sympathetically. "How long will it take to copy all this?"
Xia Tian shrugged, looking at the two girls in a good mood, "Why are you worried? The old lady didn't say when it will be handed in, she only said that when it is finished, then I can come back to pay my respects."
"But how long will it take to copy it a hundred times?" Why does the lady not seem to be in a hurry at all?
"Isn't this a good thing? If I don't finish copying, I don't have to pay my respects. If I don't pay my respects, I don't have to get up early." Now that the weather is getting colder, getting up at five in the morning is really a life-threatening thing.
"But, will this make the old lady even angrier?" Ningxiang asked worriedly.
"It's okay. I'm an uneducated peasant girl and I can't write, so I have to write slowly. The old lady will definitely understand."
"That's true. Madam is really smart." Ningxiang said admiringly.
"Okay, it's okay. I'll go take a nap first." Xia Tian covered his mouth with his hands and walked to the bedroom yawning.
Ningxue took the book into the room and placed it on the kang table in the warm room, then called Ningxiang and tiptoed out of the room together.
In the afternoon, Xiatian didn't go anywhere and just painted in the study all afternoon.
It was not until dinner time, when Shen Nian returned from duty and went to Jinglan Garden to look for her, that she put away her paintbrush and came out of the study.
"I heard that the old lady punished you today?" Shen Nian sat at the kang table in the warm room, flipping through the "Lesbian Admonitions" in her hand.
"Well, I was late for the greetings today, so the old lady punished me by making me copy the 'Instructions for Women' a hundred times." Xia Tian wiped his hands and pouted, "That's the one you have in your hand."
“How about I go and talk to the old lady…” Before Shen Nian could finish her words, she was interrupted by Xia Tian with a smile, “No need to plead, I think this punishment is good.”
Chen Nian was puzzled, so Xia Tian walked over and sat on the other side of the kang table, and repeated to Chen Nian the reason he had given to Ningxiang and Ningxue.
Shen Nian laughed dumbly, this girl's train of thought is just different from others!
"I can't write. Even if I copy it once a day, it will take three months to finish it a hundred times. Right?" Xia Tian looked at Shen Nian with a cunning light in his eyes.
"Yes!" Shen Nian responded with a smile.
Well, this way she has a legitimate reason not to pay her respects for three months. It's perfect!
Chen Nian had originally thought about helping her copy, but now that she brought up this reason, he simply gave up the idea of helping and let her do it on her own. Anyway, he had plenty of time, so he could just write a little every day and consider it calligraphy practice!
For three consecutive days, Xia Tian hardly went out. Apart from eating and sleeping, he basically stayed in the study painting.
The last time I left the house, I arranged for Ningxue to go and get the seal I had engraved.
When Mu Jin told the old lady that the Crown Prince's wife hadn't left the house for three days and had been confined to her study every day, the old lady's expression eased slightly and snorted, "She's sensible. She thought she could do whatever she wanted with the Crown Prince's support. The Marquis' Mansion will never tolerate her."
"Go tell her again that she can only copy the book herself and cannot let others do it for her, otherwise she will be kicked out."
"Yes, old lady." Mu Jin agreed and stepped back.
In Jinglan Garden, Xia Tian was still a little confused when Ningxiang dragged her out of the study. She shouldn't have gotten into trouble these past few days, right? She hadn't even left the courtyard, so why did the old lady send someone here again?
When she saw Mu Jin, although she was puzzled, she still asked with a smile, "Sister Mu Jin, what instructions does the old lady have?"
"The old lady asked this servant to come and tell the Crown Prince's wife that she must copy the book herself and not let anyone else do it for her, otherwise she will be expelled from the Marquis' Mansion."
"Don't worry, old lady. Although I copy slowly, I definitely wrote it all myself."
"Okay, then I'll take my leave." After saying this, Mu Jin turned around and left.
"Hey, you..." Before Xia Tian could finish her polite words, Mu Jin left without looking back. She touched her nose and turned back to the study.
I thought the old lady had changed her mind and wouldn't let her copy the book, but I didn't expect she was just warning me.
Anyway, she didn't plan to ask others to help copy the book.
Her first painting has been basically completed these days. After framing, it can be sent to Yayizhai for consignment.
The first painting Xia Tian painted was of a tiger descending the mountain. The tiger in the painting was majestic, vivid, and lifelike, as if it was about to pounce out of the painting.
After looking at it for a while, I found that the painting was almost dry. In summer, I covered it with white cloth. I left the study, locked the door, and returned to the warm room.
Sitting on the kang in the warm room, he drank a cup of tea, ate some snacks, then spread out the paper and began to copy the book.
Unexpectedly, the biggest difficulty in copying books now is to hide her shortcomings. Because she studied Chinese painting, she also wrote calligraphy very well. When Chen Nian taught her how to write, she thought she was gifted and could write well right after learning.
Now she defines herself as not being able to write, so she has to write like a beginner, at least in the early stages the copying has to be ugly.
The result was that she spent a long time struggling to write a page of handwriting that looked like dog crawling.
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