Chapter 22
Here it comes, here it comes!
This tacky famous scene finally came. Luo Chaoyan rolled her eyes inwardly. Do you have to be proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting before you can go out and meet people? Women in ancient times had to face a lot of rules and etiquette, which was hard enough in itself, and they also had to work hard to learn all kinds of skills. It’s fine if she marries well, but if she marries badly, she will have to stay alone in an empty house.
She felt that her mother was the luckiest person, as she could follow her uncle on the ship and do business, and experience all kinds of cultural customs. In the end, she married her father, a wife-servant man. They are much happier than these seemingly wealthy and powerful families.
Old Madam Huo originally allowed Cui to act hypocritically for the sake of her granddaughter-in-law Ye Shuang'er. Now Cui wants to embarrass Luo in public. Isn't this a disguised slap in the face of their Huo family? When beating a dog, one has to look at its owner. Does Cui want to break off relations with the Huo family?
She glared at Cui with a dignified look, and was about to attack her, but she saw her daughter-in-law gently shaking her head at her, motioning her to look at Luo Chaoyan. She understood instantly that it depended on how Luo would respond.
Well, in the future, no matter who the people are or what the occasion is, Luo, as the young lady of the Huo family, will always have to learn how to socialize.
However, when they heard what Luo Chaoyan said, they regretted it so much.
"Mrs. Cui, do you want me to compete with Sister Ye?" Luo Chaoyan looked at Ye Yusu, who was lowering her head behind Mrs. Cui, with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Ye Yushu looked at her in panic, then shook her head, "No... No!"
"Great! My Yushu is always proud of her painting skills. Why don't you let her see today that there is always someone better than you, so that she won't be so ignorant of the world." Cui said with a smile.
Luo Chaoyan smiled and said, "Miss Ye, you are pretty and charming, and look like a lady from a noble family. You can tell at a glance that you learned from a great master. How dare I show off my skills in front of an expert and make myself look bad?"
Ye Yusu was almost scared to tears. In the past, with her personality, she would have shown off in such occasions. However, Luo Si Niang was present when she had an argument with Huo Rui at the Su Mansion that day, and when Huo Rui was kidnapped at Puguang Temple.
If she is irritated and she speaks out in public, her future reputation will be ruined.
She hurriedly tugged at Cui's clothes to stop her from speaking any further. She regretted it so much that she didn't dare tell her parents about what she did on impulse. Fortunately, the Huo family didn't come to ask for an explanation. She thought that since her brother-in-law was already married, as long as she avoided the Huo family, these things would be revealed over time. Now her mother insisted on rushing her forward to bring bad luck.
"Mother, I am not feeling well today so I won't embarrass myself." Ye Yusu looked at Cui in a pleading voice.
Cui frowned, not understanding what was wrong with her daughter today. Ever since she saw the people from the Huo family, she was like a frightened bird, no longer having the pride she used to have.
no! No matter what, she would make the Luo family lose face in public today to show the Huo family's contempt for their Ye family.
"Since my sister is not feeling well, I will ask Madam Huo for some advice!"
A clear voice came from outside the door, and everyone looked up. Then I saw a girl wearing a light pink long dress with wide sleeves, a golden hibiscus hairpin in her hair, and a touch of peach blossom makeup between her eyebrows. She was very radiant.
She walked calmly to the front of the crowd, bowed gracefully to the elders present, and then looked at Luo Chaoyan. Since they are of the same age, there is no need for them to greet each other. They just need to slightly raise their chins to show greeting.
Cui was naturally very happy to be interrupted, and she smiled and said, "Young Madam, this is the daughter of Marquis Gu, Miss Gu San! She is a talented woman in our capital who is both good at poetry and literature."
"Seeing is believing. Legend has it that there is a pair of talented women in Kyoto who are both virtuous and talented. Now that I have seen them in person, I feel ashamed of myself." Luo Chaoyan just felt that she was amazed.
"Young Madam, thank you for your praise. It's just an empty title. I hope you can give me some advice." Gu Xinyu said lightly.
Luo Chaoyan looked carefully at the woman in front of her. This Miss Gu San seemed humble, but in fact she was arrogant. But she has reason to be proud. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also very talented.
Tsk tsk! Even she, a woman, found it pleasing to the eyes. etc! The daughter of Marquis Gu? Could this be Gu Er’s sister?
Come on, these two people all think that she stole their marriages and are looking for trouble. Is it necessary for her to not "shine brightly" today?
"Miss Gu San, forget about asking for advice in this competition. I don't think I have any talent, so I admit defeat." Luo Chaoyan thought it was better to be frank. If everyone wants her to show off in the future, she will be very embarrassed. :
Gu Xinyu's lips curled up slightly. She thought that Luo Si Niang was a difficult and capable woman, but now it seems that she is just a fool who is not worthy of being on the stage.
"The Luo family can be considered a family of scholars. Lord Luo was once the runner-up in the imperial examination. I think the young lady has been influenced by him and is probably not bad at music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Why should the young lady be so modest?"
"That's right, that's right, Madam. This is a rare opportunity, so let us broaden our horizons." Cui echoed.
Seeing these two people singing the same tune, Su Qian who was sitting next to them was very disdainful. Gu Xinyu has always been arrogant and conceited, always thinking that she is superior to others. And Cui from the Ye family is not a good person either. Seeing that her daughter can't marry into the Huo family, she wants to make her daughter look bad.
She was about to join in when she heard Luo Chaoyan chuckle.
"It's not that I'm modest, nor that I don't want to compete. I only have a superficial understanding of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. I'm really not proficient in them!"
Luo Chaoyan had no shame at all and looked at everyone with a smile: "My father taught me since I was young that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. He said that a woman does not need to be the top scholar in the imperial examination, as long as she can be sensible and take care of her husband and children." She was really fortunate to have such parents, allowing her to have a truly carefree childhood. She did not have to worry about her future livelihood, nor did she have to attend various training classes like modern children.
"According to what the young lady said, a woman without talent is virtuous. Then a woman with extraordinary talent like Teacher Le Qing is without virtue?" Gu Xinyu asked.
It has to be said that Gu Xinyu's question made Luo Chaoyan the target of public criticism. Le Qing was a talented woman of the time who possessed both virtue and talent. She was deeply respected by many people. Many girls from families of civil officials were taught by Le Qing. When she said this, wasn't she saying in a disguised way that they were people without virtue?
Seeing everyone's faces change slightly, Cui felt a little gloating.
"Huh? Miss Gu, you said this, not me." Luo Chaoyan quickly passed the buck.
"As the saying goes, everyone has their own face. For example, there are people like you who are good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and there are naturally people like me who are not proficient. Some people are kind-hearted, and there are naturally narrow-minded people." As she said this, she also looked at Cui.
Cui was furious. Was she clearly saying that she was narrow-minded?
The people present pursed their lips and smiled secretly, and some nodded, thinking that it made sense.
Luo Chaoyan smiled and said, "Just like the court is divided into civil and military officials, there are generals like Duke Liang who are proficient in military tactics and lead troops to defend our territory, and there are also scholars like my father-in-law, Master Huo, who is well-read in poetry and books and assists in government affairs."
"Who among you can say who is stronger and who is weaker? They just have their own strengths and responsibilities, and they all work for the court."
These words shocked everyone. How could the competitive spirit of just young girls be elevated to a matter of family and national importance? Do you dare to refute this? Of course not!
Gu Xinyu chuckled and said, "What the young lady said is not without reason. However, Xinyu still wants to ask, if a woman with no talent and no virtue insists on marrying a husband with brilliant literary talent, and in the end the couple cannot understand each other's thoughts and aspirations, can such a couple last long?"
Does this mean that she, an uneducated person, cannot communicate and get along with Huo Jin, an educated person? Luo Chaoyan straightened her body and smiled, "I think first of all, no matter whether a woman is talented or not, it all depends on whether she has luck and a good marriage."
Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Luo Chaoyan said nonsense in a serious tone: "A woman should improve her poetry and literature so that she can marry a good family. But my mother, a daughter of a merchant with no literary talent, can marry a considerate husband like my father. This is a match made in heaven!"
"Although my father is not of high rank, he and my mother love each other very much. My mother always says that being contented is the key to happiness. We live a life that is envied by mandarin ducks and not by the gods. I have no regrets in this life."
What kind of fallacy is this? But the women present had to admit that they felt sad. There is no man in any aristocratic family who does not have three wives and four concubines, and they are always full of beautiful women, making them grit their teeth and shed tears.
Although Luo Sanlang was notorious for his ignorance in the past, he is now famous for being a wife-lover. It is said that he does not have any concubines in his room. There are countless women in Kyoto who envy him. Doesn't this comparison make Yin seem lucky?
"For example, I was born in a good family in my previous life, so I am lucky enough to marry a man like Lord Huo in this life." Luo Chaoyan looked at the elders of the Huo family shamelessly, "Of course, I am also grateful to my grandmother and mother-in-law for not disliking me."
Mrs. Huo pursed her lips to hold back her smile and glared at her in reproach.
Old Madam Huo rolled her eyes at her. Could she say that she disliked her now? She was from a kind family, but she was just a cunning and shameless person. After listening to her twisted logic, she was so angry that she laughed. She secretly decided in her heart that she must let her learn poetry and books after returning.
Everyone was stunned by her twisted logic.
Su Qian, who was sitting behind Mrs. Su, saw Gu Xinyu's pretty face turn red and then dark, and then dark and then red, and she felt relaxed both physically and mentally. Mrs. Huo is really interesting. No wonder her brother says she is a wonderful person. It seems that my brother was not exaggerating.
Luo Chaoyan continued, "Let's talk about Miss Gu San. If you are not a fish, how can you know the joy?"
"Well said, Madam!"
The wife of Marquis Jinyang smiled and said, "This woman doesn't need to take the imperial examination to bring honor to the family. It doesn't matter how much poetry and books she has read. The most important thing is to know how to reflect on herself, manage the family well, respect the elders, and be able to spend time with her husband."
Huh? Luo Chaoyan was a little surprised. In this official family, there was a lady with such ideological awareness?
The wife of Marquis Jinyang smiled at her and said, "Young Madam, I think we get along very well. You are welcome to visit my Marquis Jinyang residence when you are free."
When she said this, many ladies showed incredible expressions. Everyone in Kyoto knew that she had a strange personality and never knew how to please others. Not to mention inviting people to your house.
Luo Chaoyan was also a little stunned. This was the first lady who extended a friendly olive branch to her in public! She could feel that Lady Jinyang Hou was not supporting her just because of her identity as Mrs. Huo.
By the way, she seemed to have heard her mother-in-law say that Marquis Jinyang was a third-rank military marquis, in charge of the palace guards. He was the person that the Crown Prince and King Xian were vying to recruit under their command. However, Marquis Jinyang is just like the Huo family, not relying on either side and being a loyal minister, so he is highly valued by the emperor.
Rumor has it that the wife of Marquis Jinyang is illiterate, and that Marquis Jinyang also came from a grassroots background, and that he earned his official position by fighting on the battlefield with real swords and guns.
It has to be said that such a couple was rare in ancient times. Even though he started from humble beginnings and now holds a high position as Marquis of Jinyang, he still loves and respects his wife very much.
However, even so, the wife of Marquis Jinyang was often ridiculed as an illiterate village woman. However, she was an open-minded person and never bothered to flatter the wives of the Kyoto noble families. Therefore, he seldom attended the banquets hosted by these ladies on weekdays, and even if he did, he would just remain silent.
I guess he offered to help her because he felt that she shared the same suffering as him. Or maybe he couldn't stand the opinions of those women who always used the example of a virtuous and talented family as an example.
Luo Chaoyan nodded at her in a friendly manner.
The wife of Marquis Jinyang said, "Miss Gu San, I am very curious. There are not many women like you who are both virtuous and talented in the Yong Dynasty. I just don't know what kind of man is worthy of you? Otherwise, I have to worry about whether your future husband can really understand you and your aspirations."
Luo Chaoyan wanted to clap her hands in admiration after hearing these words. She had made up her mind that she would make friends with Lady Jinyang Hou.
Gu Xinyu felt a ball of anger rising in her chest, secretly hating the illiterate wife of Marquis Jinyang for daring to mock her and embarrass her in front of everyone.
Seeing her sister-in-law's face was about to turn red with anger, Gu Xie hurriedly said, "Then it's not Madam Jinyang's fault. My sister's marriage will naturally be decided by the elders."
Lady Jinyang Marquis nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. I am very busy managing the household affairs on weekdays. How can I be so concerned about other people's affairs like an idle person? That would be like worrying about nothing."
"you!"
Not only Gu Xinyu, but even Gu Xie was so angry that her face turned green.
Phew! Luo Chaoyan almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
The words of the wife of Marquis Jinyang are so heartbreaking! To stop words with words is the highest level of language.
Su Qian couldn't help laughing, it was so satisfying. It seemed that her trip to the Liang Mansion's birthday party was not in vain, as she was able to meet two interesting ladies.
Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, Madam Liang Er hurried to smooth things over: "Haha! It doesn't matter if one is talented or not. In my opinion, as long as one's character is pure and kind, he will eventually succeed."
"Yes! Second Madam is right!" Everyone hurriedly agreed.
Thus, a meaningless competition was aborted. However, after today, the reputation of Mrs. Huo Luo, the wife of Mr. Huo, for being untalented will spread throughout the entire Kyoto city.
A maid ran in anxiously and reported to Old Lady Liang, "Old Lady, the young master and the young master of the Huo family are fighting in the garden!"
this?
Old Mrs. Liang and Old Mrs. Huo looked at each other and hurriedly stood up, both worried that their little great-grandson would be bullied.
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