Feeling refreshed, Wei Changying sat straight on the imperial couch, slowly picking grapes in the frozen cheese with a silver spoon. She was enjoying the same service as Madam Song‒ an ice tank in each corner of the room, with four maids fanning and four chief maids around her. The chief maids were working separately, one massaging Changying's shoulders while another gently pounding her legs, and the other two were carefully drying her hair with a handkerchief. As for Mrs. He, she was holding a handkerchief and crying in earnest after ordering the maids to serve Wei Changying out of the bath.
“Madam Song is your natural mother and she always doted on you," said Mrs. He, "If you have said any pleasing words, she wouldn't treat you like this..." Seeing Changying's flushed cheeks that have not been recovered after a hot bath, Mrs. He's tears fell from her heart. “She is your natural mother as well as your father's wife. Isn't it reasonable for you to say sorry to your mother? It was more than two hours! Thanks to your clever fifth brother, he asked Miss Song Zaishui for help... If the madam were still embarrassed, how long on earth will you be kneeling? Oh, dear... Look at your little face. Look! Look at that!"
Mrs. He became even sad while talking. What's worse, Wei Changying was still having frozen cheese without responding to her words. So Mrs. He cried out, covering her face with the handkerchief.
Wei Changying glanced at her and swallowed the grapes. "Don't cry anymore," she said frivolously. "Can't you see that I'm alright? It was just for two hours. In the days when I was practicing horse-ride stance with Uncle Jiang, every practice lasted for several hours. And if I dared to move, he would whip me..."
"That fucking old thing," said Mrs. He, pulling off her handkerchief suddenly. Without paying attention to her tears on the face, she gnashed and scolded, "It's all his fault! He is the one who has misled you! When you were little, you looked so delicate like a snowball, and you were the loveliest of all. But that damn wicked old thing turned you into this!"
"What's the matter with being like this?" Wei Changying felt wronged, holding a five-petal sunflower shaped porcelain bowl covered with gold foil and said, "I have practiced for years to become what I am today. And in these years I was healthy and strong. Isn't it great?"
"Practicing martial arts was very difficult," she thought. "How exhausted I was for practicing 12 years without stopping!"
If not that people always tell her that Shen Cangfeng was outstanding among the students of the Shen family, Wei Changying wouldn't have even persisted in practicing. After all, she was not born a warrior.
But her grandfather has already engaged her to a warrior! Wei Changying was a strong person since childhood, so she always disdained to complain. What's more, she would become her husband's wife after marriage, so if she always complained to her parents, they would feel too ashamed to live on.
All she did was aimed to avoid the destiny of being a wife with nothing but a position, while a concubine of her husband possessed everything. Or maybe she would have to bear the concubine's children inheriting the property. And if that happens, she would live a miserable life and die in melancholy without anyone knowing her after a grand funeral...
‒ The thought of such destiny made Miss Wei shiver.
‒ But after all these years, why her efforts aiming to avoid such destiny met strong opposition from her natural mother, wet nurse, and even her brother?
Wei Changying ate a spoon of frozen cheese with anger. "Damn the sewing work, cooking skills, the Women's Commandments and the Women's Principles that emphasize the virtues of being a good woman," she thought, "If all these can ensure women a perfect marriage and help them become beloved by their parents-in-law, how comes the poem of resentment—'the White Flower' in The Book of Songs?"
"Since these things can not guarantee me a peaceful life, why don't I go another way?"
"As long as I am good at martial arts, no matter what Shen Cangfeng is, and whether he has lovers or not, beating him up indoors is the best way to live a happy life."
"Since this guy is quite famous in the distinguished families, I guess he would never tell anyone that he was beaten up by his wife."
Wei Changying believed that her way was the best way.
"No matter what happens, I will always stand still!"
Wei Changying's mother Madam Song and her wet nurse Mrs. He both cared for her, but it seemed that they hoped she could be obedient to her husband.
Having grown up in all the love, Wei Changying believed that a good life meant to live the way she wanted. If she pleaded for her husband's love by possessing those virtues of good women, she would puke blood in grieve before she receives the love!
‒Briefly speaking, there is only one situation in Miss Wei's life‒ being doted by all the people, including her elder family members. Therefore, she could never please others. Even if the person were her childhood-arranged fiancé, she would find a way to let him satisfy her!
"It's not easy to be a daughter of a distinguished family," Wei Changying thought. "I have tried so hard..."
Seeing Wei Changying's aggrieving expression, Mrs. He pulled her handkerchief and almost shouted, "It's good for you to be healthy, but the ladies nowadays have to learn sewing and read the Women's Commandments and the Women's Principles, and you should look delicate as well. If you don't like the Four Arts, at least you should be as diligent as those embroidery and sewing workers, or learn how to make a string bag and cook several dishes!"
She was distressed and said, "Tell me, Miss! Can you achieve any of those I have mentioned?!"
"...There are too many," Miss Wei said with an unpleasant look. "Cut down them!"
Mrs. He wiped her eyes with pleasure. "Well then," she said, "which one would you like to learn first? Making string bags or cooking?"
...After staring at the ceiling for a while, Wei Changying said, "Is there anything that can make me move? Not just staying indoors?"
"Well," after thinking for a few seconds, Mrs. He said, "what about planting flowers? This is also an elegant activity. If you do it well, you can give some to your aunts and sisters-in-law. This can bring you a reputation for caring plants and leave a good impression on your husband's family..."
Wei Changying looked bored and said, "Is a family like us short of gardeners? What's more, even if I become very good at planting, in case my future husband doesn't like plants, isn't it a waste of time for me?"
Mrs. He agreed and said, "You are right. Well... What about playing instruments?" She then lowered her voice, "In the future, you can achieve marital harmony by playing music with your husband in the moonlight. What a wonderful scene!"
"What can a warrior like Shen Cangfeng know about musical instruments?" Wei Changying said with a cold humph, "Hopefully I wouldn't play music to a person who thinks the music noisy. He might kick the instrument!" When Mrs. He was about to console her, she clenched her fist and said to herself, "I'm not a kitty cat! If he dared to do this, I would beat him up with the stand!"
"Miss!" Mrs. He went green in the face and yelled to her. "Poor Miss! It's all that damned old uncle Jiang's fault! You are the daughter of an eminent family, so you should look and act delicate, your words should be soft, and you should remember to be elegant in every expression... How, how could you beat your fiancé! Huh?!"
"I am saving against a rainy day," Wei Changying sighed as she said. "Granny He, I guess that Uncle Jiang has been cursed by you hundreds of times since I was a little girl, but still nothing happened to him. Don't think about him anymore... Here, I have finished the frozen cheese. I want another one!"
Mrs. He forgot about Uncle Jiang immediately. She wiped her face and asked gently, "More grapes as usual?"
"More grapes as usual," Wei Changying nodded.
Mrs. He said kindly, "Have less ice or you'll feel cold. There's ice in the room too."
Wei Changying touched her long hair and casually replied, "Ok." She felt that her hair was about to dry.
A few moments later, Mrs. He prepared the frozen cheese with more grapes and less ice. As soon as Wei Changying ate one grape, Mrs. He returned to the topic, pulled up her sleeves, and continued to scold, "That uncle Jiang is the son of a bitch! You should no longer learn from him! That kind of person can never marry a decent woman even if he has died eight times! What does he know about? You are going to be the Head Mother in the future, so you can not be misled by that damn person..."
Staring at the small cup, Wei Changying had her chin in one hand and smiled as she said, "Uncle Jiang taught me martial arts. How could he mislead me?"
"All in all, he deserves being killed for thousands of times," cursed Mrs. He, the servant of the Wei Family. Her family had been the servants of the Wei Family for generations. She breastfeeded Wei Changying. She was loyal to Wei Changying and treated Miss Wei as her treasure. To Mrs. He, all the mistakes Wei Changying has made were other people's fault. She would always think, "How nice Miss Wei was! But she's now cheated by the evil."
Wei Changying was punished several times by Madam Song because she insisted on practicing martial arts. Therefore, Mrs. He hated Uncle Jiang so much that she had to curse him twice a day‒ before and after Wei Changying practices martial arts, even when Wei Changying was safe and sound.
If anything happened on Wei Changying‒ such as being punished today‒ Mrs. He had to curse at least for several hours.
Anyway, Wei Changying and the maids were used to it.
While Wei Changying was eating frozen cheese and listening to Mrs. He with amusement, someone knocked at the door. She put down the silver spoon immediately and ordered, "Lvyi, go and have a look, quick!"
The maid called Lvyi put down the massage hammer and opened the door in the outer room. They then heard Song Zaishui complaining as she walked in. "Well, well, Changying," she said, "I was having a good nap while Changfeng woke me up and asked me to plead for you. I came under the hot sun and asked Madam Song to set you free. And you? So you are resting here, eating and drinking without caring about me?"
Wei Changying immediately asked her to sit. She then ordered the maid Lvbin to stop massaging and take another frozen cheese for Song Zaishui. "My dear cousin," Wei Changying said with a smile. "My mother has nothing to be afraid of. She likes you the best and always tells me to learn from you!"
Song Zaishui's pretty face still lingered with anger. "How couldn't I be afraid of my aunt," she said coldly. "Don't you know that I never wanted to return to the capital? These days I have made a lot of excuses to avoid seeing my grandaunt and aunt! Look what you two have done! You refused to commit your fault, and your brother woke me up and asked me to plead for you because he cared for you. I thought you would think about me after I have helped you. Even sending me a servant and giving an excuse could help me out!"
She was so furious that she pounded the carved red sandalwood table. "You heartless people," Song Zaishui said as she gnashed her teeth. "Look what you've done! Changfeng thought everything's fine as soon as I arrive! And what about you? You just went away without thinking about me until now! Aunt Song has asked me several times when I will return the capital!"
"I've been shameless enough to live here for four months. Don't you think I have lost my face already?!" Song Zaishui said with anger.
Wei Changying graciously took over the frozen cheese served by Lvfang and personally handed it to Song Zaishui, "My dear cousin, you need to calm down," she said, "It's all because of Changfeng! He didn't tell me about this! I thought he would send someone to thank you. Cousin, please take a look at my face. I've been badly tanned and just came back home to bathe and change my clothes. I haven't even recovered yet! "Song Zaishui took a bite of the frozen cheese and said angrily, “You deserve it! Knowing that everything will be fine if you just yield to me. But you are so stubborn every time. From my perspective, this is only because your mother's temper is too good to be so courteous to you. Otherwise, you have already been punished by the family doctrine! ""How is that possible?" Wei Changying smiled and said, "She is my mother. If she doesn't love me, who loves me?"Song Zaishui sneered and said, "Knowing that he loves you so, you are heart
In the great Vi Dynasty, people respected the hereditary house and despised poor scholars, so the election was according to the genealogy, but the common people were not included in the genealogy at all. As time passed, no poor family could get in the top grade and no influential family would fall to low grade.And all the influential families in this country were also not treated equally. According to the example of the previous dynasty, the family would be Gaoliang, which was the highest grade, if they had Three Counselors of State in the last three generations; the lower grade was Huayu, which had Directors; the grade of Jia had Chief Ministers, Ling, Hu; the grade of Yi had Ministers; the grade of Bing had Executive Vice Ministers or Grand Masters; the grade of Ding had Vice Ministers. The grades from high to low were: Gaoliang, Huayu, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.However, in this dynasty, there were six families above the grade Gaoliang, all of which had b
Mrs. Pei was hesitating, but Od Madam Song first said, "Why doesn't Changfeng come today?"Compared with others, Madam Song could pay her respects later according to the practice since she was in charge of the household, which was also the special permission granted by Old Madam Song. However, everyone else had to get there earlier because this established rule had been in effect for over a decade. Without seeing Wei Changfeng at the moment, the Old Madam Song asked naturally.However, Old Madam Song's tone was not exasperated, but concerned because Changfeng was her first grandchild.Hearing this, Wei Changying was also stunned. She looked at Song Zaishui and said, "I don't know."Song Zaishui replied in a low voice, "Just at noon, cousin Changfeng went to Mingse House to find me, but later I did not see him when I went to the Xianshuang Court to find cousin Changying."Old Madam Song frowned and said, "Find out quick
When the others left, Old Madam Song didn't let Madam Song rub her shoulders. She took Madam Song's hands away, and said in a grave tone, "Yuwei, just now a letter was sent from the capital. It was written stealthily by Zhengyin, referring to Changying's marriage specially!"Pei could detect that Old Madam Song was not in good mood, and so did Madam Song.Originally, she thought that it was Wei Huan or Wei Shengnian who had gone to Fengqi mountain to suppress bandits had trouble, but she didn't expect that it was related to her beloved daughter. Madam Song couldn't help but startled and asked, "What's wrong? Isn't that Shen Cangfeng good?"Old Madam Song had a dark expression and said, "Shen Cangfeng is good." After a pause, she said coldly, "He is so good that it makes someone has an idea he shouldn't have!"Madam Song stood up with a changed face, and asked angrily, "Who is it?"Madam Song showed an indecisive and so
Madam Song returned to the house in a gloomy manner. Huamei, the chief maid, carried up an Agarwood drink for her as usual. She held the drink with her slender fingers in joy. The moment when Huamei was about to say something flattered, Madam Song glimpsed the drink and immediately thought of the Agarwood Bead Bracelet mentioned in Wei Zhengyin's previous letter, which was gifted to Wei Lingyue of Zhiben Hall in public deliberately by Madam Su, the mother of Shen Cangfeng. All of a sudden, anger rushed up so fast from the bottom of her heart that she knocked over the silver cup.It flew out and fell to the ground. Huamei, who was totally unprepared, was poured over. Fortunately, there was no other consequence except that her clothes went wet, as the drink was just put in the cold well.She looked up in surprise but could only see Madam Song's livid face and angry eyes—although she didn't know what was wrong, she was still agitating! With her legs softened,
"This is it?" Although the sun has set, the room was brightened by six melon-shaped green gauze palace floor lamps.Sitting straight at one side of the couch, Song Zaishui was in a yellow shirt embroidered with tulip patterns and a dress colored green and white. A pair of string bags, made with colored silks braided at regular intervals into elaborate clusters, looked brilliant on the light-colored dress.Her hair was made into a "fairy knot", her hands were as white as jade, holding a round silk fan which was half covering her face, with her eyes looking at Wei Changying, who was sitting on the other side of the couch. A faint smile appeared on her face as she slowly asked, "So you secretly asked Lvfang to bring me here after sunset... Only to make string bags for you?"Wei Changying was also in a yellow shirt, but she matched it with a water-colored fairy dress. To please Song Zaishui, she brought her a cup of tea with both hands and said, "M
The next day, Wei Changying excitedly repeated Song Zaishui's words to Madam Song.After hearing this, Madam Song immediately asked, "Who gave you this idea? "Wei Changying pretended to be angry and said, "Don't you think I can figure out such an idea?" She then smiled and said, "It's my cousin's idea.""If you had such an idea, why didn't you tell me earlier so that you can continue practicing martial arts?" Madam Song sneered as she said, "I know you the best. Do you know how many excuses you have made to practice martial arts since you were little?"Wei Changying stuck out her tongue and said, "Look what you've said. Although I'm obsessed with practicing martial arts. I'm not stupid! Do you think I'm that stupid?""You are not stupid," said Madam Song. Her eldest daughter was so stubborn, lazy and clever. She knew her position in Madam Song's heart and was proficient in taking others' kindness for granted. Facing s
Madam Song's assistance on her children had proved non-rewarding more than once or twice. And this time apparently they still hadn't proved themselves worthy— As Wei Changfeng walked in the door listlessly, he responded a few sloppy good words, almost as if waiting for his Madam Song to send someone out and hurriedly call Wei Changying up. Of course, to prove that she was still a strict, good mother, Madam Song had to make up a straight face, put up a cold voice and slap the desk, “Let that little devil go back to the Xianshuang Court to reflect on her behaviors!"As for the little devil, after returning to Xianshuang Court, whether she would be truly reflecting or just dispatching someone to get frozen cheese for her to eat, or even to learn martial art from Uncle Jiang... Well, no one would dare to tell on her to Madam Song. Therefore, Madam Song would consider her daughter as obedient, and that she actually went back to the yard to reflect on herself, feeling aggriev