novelhk Chapter 112 Women and Politicians
Chapter 112 Women and Politicians
Tang Ling'er was well aware of such a simple truth. She wasn't truly naive; it was just that her preconceived notions were still limited to the Tang family's status as a merchant family in Lin'an.
"Big sister is right, but Sister Yuhe did mention that she wanted to befriend Sister Wan... and several of my close friends are also very curious about Sister Wan."
Tang Ling'er's words made it sound as if the Second Miss was only meant to be a spectacle for others to watch. Hua Yan and the other three stood behind the Second Miss, and apart from the bewildered Mingyue, they were all truly annoyed, but because of their lowly status, they had no right to speak in front of their mistress.
The second young lady looked around at the room's furnishings and said indifferently, "Thank you for your hard work, second cousin. To me, whether they are daughters of high-ranking officials or daughters of noble families, they are just irrelevant people. Seeing them would only cause me trouble."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ling'er was initially incredulous, then a hint of displeasure surfaced in her eyes. "It's been years since we last met, and my cousin Wan is still as aloof as ever. There are many important people in the capital, and you never know when you might need their help. With your aloofness, Grandma and Aunt Yun must be disappointed."
After hearing what the second young lady said, Tang Yu'er looked at her with new respect. "Sister Wan is new here, so it is indeed not appropriate for her to hold a banquet and show off so soon."
Rumors about the deposed crown prince are spreading like wildfire in the court, and the power struggle between the third and seventh princes is intensifying. Smart people choose to lie low; for example, the ninth prince found a pretext to leave the capital. Haven't you noticed that many officials have recently stopped getting married? They're afraid of causing a big commotion and attracting the old emperor's attention. If you displease the emperor, he'll certainly have many ways to make things difficult for you.
Since Aunt Wen did not come to the capital, the Third and Fourth Misses had even less presence in the Tang family. At this moment, the Fourth Miss couldn't help but say, "Isn't what my cousin said right? We've just arrived in the capital, shouldn't we get to know more young ladies so that we can help my brother?"
Hua Yan, this human-shaped vase, was speechless upon hearing this. Aunt Wen's two daughters hadn't inherited a single trace of her cunning. Where did Fourth Miss get the illusion that a concubine's daughter could befriend the noble ladies of the capital? She probably wouldn't even get a chance to be someone's follower.
Tang Ling'er shared the same thought as Hua Yan, so she didn't respond. She was also annoyed by the Second Miss's words, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
An awkward silence fell over the room for a moment, but fortunately, Tang Yu'er and the second young lady were quite used to it. They were both relaxed, one with a blank stare, sitting in a chair, lost in thought, while the other casually stared at the pattern on the teacup.
As for the Fifth Miss, she was secretly feeling sorry for the little golden pig her mother had given away, and had no intention of speaking from the start. The Sixth Miss, on the other hand, never competed for the limelight and always gave off a lazy vibe. At this moment, she sniffed the air, secretly analyzing the formula for the incense in the room, and finally concluded that too much juniper berries had been added, and that smelling too much of it was unpleasant.
Only the third young lady looked nervously at the three legitimate daughters, feeling extremely embarrassed because of her younger sister's careless words.
Thanks to the teachings of Granny Gao and the daily evening lectures from Aunt Mei, Hua Yan and the other three maids entered a meditative state, focusing their eyes and minds. The other maids remained motionless from the beginning, clearly understanding that maids were merely human-shaped vases.
Laughter echoed from Shou'an Hall as the Dowager Lady and the Old Madam reminisced about the past in the inner quarters of the mansion. The Old Madam was finally able to laugh about the unbearable first half of her life.
Before entering the capital, the old lady had thoroughly investigated the situation of the other two branches of her family. The more detailed the information she heard, the higher her lips curled up. Even the long journey on the passenger ship seemed to lessen the fatigue of the trip.
Indeed, seeing one's opponent in a worse situation than oneself is a truly delightful and pleasant experience.
Madam Yun smiled gently along with the other women, her eyes glancing towards the front yard.
The women gathered together, enjoying tea and admiring flowers with graceful manners, their conversations filled with lively and pleasant scenes. The men, on the other hand, shared a room, discussing political matters closely related to their families.
The front courtyard of the Marquis's residence.
Outside the carved window lattice, several emerald bamboos swayed gently in the wind, the rustling of their leaves echoing the distant birdsong. Inside the study, Marquis Huai'an, Tang De, and Tang Xian sat facing each other across a large rosewood desk.
After a moment, Tang Xian spoke: "The Ninth Prince has been appointed as the Imperial Inspector to inspect the Jiangnan region. He recently sent a secret letter ordering me to go to Lin'an under the pretext of inspecting the Floating Gloss Brocade. It seems he intends to take action against the Prince Zhan's residence openly."
The first Marquis of Huai'an started his career as a vanguard soldier, charging into battle in the most important battle against the Wu Dynasty. Due to his merit of being the first to scale the walls, he ultimately turned his fate around, thus the Tang family has military blood. This is most evident in Tang De; just looking at his broad forehead and wide nose, one would definitely think he was a military general.
At this moment, he said in a deep voice, "Cousin, please be careful on your journey. If the Prince Zhan's residence is destroyed, the Third Prince will lose his most important support. What about the Seventh Prince?"
"We must proceed simultaneously and catch him off guard. Consort Min made a wrong move..."
After the important matters were discussed, Tang Xiancai casually mentioned a minor matter, "My lord, since the Crown Prince has caused trouble, the Emperor may need an outlet for his anger. The matter committed by the Rongxing Earl's Mansion can be reported forward."
Tang De couldn't help but look at Tang Xian. His distant cousin was truly ruthless, showing no mercy even to his brother-in-law. "With the evidence you provided, Minister Liu will naturally receive a report, and I'm sure the censors will act quickly..."