"I just heard that Madam Han's husband is a newly appointed scholar who passed the county examination this year. Your husband must be very learned, right?"
Madam Han was a pampered wife who would praise her husband to everyone she met, saying how outstanding he was and how good he was to her.
She likes to praise herself and she also likes to hear others praise her, even though the person praising her husband right now is Liu Yingying.
"Of course, my husband started learning at the age of three and could recite the Thousand Character Classic by the age of five..."
When Madam Han praised her husband, the pride and smugness in her eyes were impossible to hide.
Of course, she never intended to hide it.
Such a wonderful husband should be shown off!
"Ahem... Wait a minute, I have a question I'd like to ask Madam Han. Would Madam Han be so kind as to answer it?" Liu Yingying interrupted her.
"Go ahead and ask!" Mrs. Han said with a wave of her hand, clearly in a good mood.
"If Scholar Han is as learned and talented as Madam says, then how come he could even misinterpret the famous saying of Chen Jiru, a great Confucian scholar of the previous dynasty?"
"This...this is impossible!" Madam Han never expected that Liu Yingying would question her dear husband right off the bat.
How can this be?
"How could my husband be wrong? He's a scholar!"
"Even though you are a lady of the county, you can't just spout nonsense here and damage my husband's reputation for talent, can you?"
Madam Han seemed determined not to let things rest until Liu Yingying gave her a reasonable explanation.
Liu Yingying lowered her head, covered her mouth, and smiled before continuing;
"You just said that your husband often tells you at home that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Does he know that this saying comes from the great Confucian scholar Chen Jiru of the previous dynasty, and that Mr. Chen's complete saying is that a man's virtue is his talent, while a woman's lack of talent is her virtue."
"It means that a husband who possesses virtue but does not flaunt it is truly a man of great talent, and a woman who possesses talent but does not flaunt it is truly a woman of great virtue!"
"How did it come to the point in Han Xiucai's mouth that women must be illiterate, ignorant, and only submissive and obedient?"
"This..." Madam Han was speechless, not expecting Liu Yingying to refute her like this.
Some of the women present looked shocked, while a few couldn't help but look at Liu Yingying with admiration and respect.
Liu Yingying scoffed again; "Although Master Chen has long since passed away, his disciples are all over the world. Zeng Wentian and the two prime ministers in the court today are both disciples of Master Chen. Han Xiucai has only just passed the imperial examination, yet he dares to so shamelessly distort the meaning of Master Chen's famous saying. Isn't he afraid that Master Chen's disciples will come after him later?"
"This..." Madam Han's expression changed slightly, her heart filled with both shock and anger.
Wasn't Liu Yingying just a peasant woman? How does she know so much?
She originally thought that after she humiliated Liu Yingying today, the latter would have no choice but to accept it obediently.
But to his utter surprise, he was the one who was proven wrong by Liu Yingying.
Mrs. Han herself hadn't read many books, and for a moment she couldn't find any words to refute Liu Yingying.
What she was more worried about was whether what Liu Yingying said was true, and whether these words would affect her dear husband's future.
"Yingying, well said!" Old Madam Ye also cheered for Liu Yingying at the right time.
Han's behavior today was truly disgraceful, and Old Madam Ye was genuinely angry, her sharp gaze sweeping over her.
"Today is a joyous day for the Ye family. My wife and Lady Ning'an have taken a deep liking to each other, so I would like to recognize her as my goddaughter. From now on, she will be the great-aunt of the Ye family."
"Originally, for such a happy occasion, my Ye family simply invited a few families with whom we had a good relationship to come over for a meal and to witness the occasion."
“Furong County is only so big. Some people admire the virtue of my godsons and want to come to the Ye family to ask for a drink and make a good connection. I thought this was a good thing, but what do you mean by this, Madam Han?”
"The words you uttered on this occasion were all directed at my goddaughter. Could it be that you have some kind of grudge against the Ye family?"
"No! How could I possibly have any complaints about you, sir!" Han's expression changed drastically, and the explanation almost came out of her mouth.
The old lady's face was cold, and she snorted, "So you have a problem with Princess Ning'an?"
This time, Madam Han didn't rush to refute, but for some reason, she suddenly said something.
"That's not it, it's just that my husband's teachings are always like that, and I think what he says makes sense..."
Good heavens, she really thinks everything her dear husband says is right!
Some of the more opinionated women present looked at Madam Han speechlessly.
Madam Ye raised an eyebrow; "Oh, so you're saying that Scholar Han has some dissatisfaction with Princess Ning'an? That's why you spoke so rudely to her in this setting today?"
Old Madam Ye was also angered by her, and at this moment she spoke without any politeness, showing no respect to Madam Han.
Since Han dared to stand up in such a situation and say such inappropriate things, she should have thought about the consequences!
Madam Han's face was ashen, and she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
She couldn't understand how Liu Yingying, an illiterate peasant woman, could be recognized as a goddaughter by the Ye family.
Her husband was so disgusted by Liu Yingying's behavior that he constantly instilled in her the idea that such a woman lacked virtue... which led her to also despise Liu Yingying.
"Madam, please don't be angry. It's such a joyous occasion; it's not good to get upset..." Lin Cuicui appeared beside the old lady without anyone noticing.
She was originally sitting at the table with Zhao Di Huiyun, at the table with the Ye family's grandchildren.
She couldn't stand it anymore when someone dared to humiliate Liu Yingying like that.
Although Lin Cuicui had only just begun her education, the child was quick-witted and clever, which made Old Madam Ye take a liking to her at first sight.
In addition, she was Liu Yingying's goddaughter, so she also had some influence with the old lady.
When she stood up to speak, no one interrupted her.
"Madam, I have a question for you."
"What's the question? Ask away, child." A slight smile appeared on the old lady's wrinkled face.
Lin Cuicui: "In our Taoyuan Village, Zhaodi's father recently returned home in glory. I heard from the adults that he became an official in the capital, a seventh-rank Hanlin compiler. There's also our Furong County's new magistrate, Lord Yang. I want to know, between these two and Scholar Han, whose official rank is higher?"
"Look at the question you're asking, child. Let's not even talk about Zhao Di's father. Just look at Lord Yang. He's a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination twice, while Scholar Han still needs to pass the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination... before he can even qualify for an official position."
Lin Cuicui nodded thoughtfully; "Oh, so that means Scholar Han is actually just a commoner?"
Madam Han was extremely embarrassed, but she dared not speak recklessly again.
mouth.
“But my godmother is a title bestowed by His Majesty. Even Zhao Di’s father and Lord Yang have to dismount and pay their respects when they see her. And you…” Lin Cuicui suddenly looked at Madam Han with a sharp gaze.
"And your husband is just an ordinary citizen, so what right does he have to criticize my godmother? And you even dare to publicly humiliate my godmother in such a setting?"
The lady was startled, never expecting that such a little girl could have such an aggressive demeanor!
"No... I didn't mean that..."
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