Chapter Twenty-Five Watching the Play

  Shu Yao and her cousins had met before, the Duke's mansion was only four houses. But there were many grandchildren, in modern times it would be a big family, both legitimate and illegitimate children were counted, Shu Yao's cousins had seven girls, including Shu Yao herself, the old lady had eight granddaughters in front of her, the strangest thing was that the eight granddaughters' ages were not much different, the eldest daughter of the first house, Shu Yu, was born in the 16th year of Kangxi, and the youngest daughter of the fourth house, Shu Ying, was born in the 21st year of Kangxi, only one year younger than Shu Yao.

  The daughters of the Eight Banners nobles all had to go through a selection process every three years, so they were mostly in the same batch as their sisters. Although the food, clothing and living expenses of the sisters were all fixed, those born to wives were slightly better off than those born to concubines, and they would all become officials in the imperial court. However, most of Shu Yao's jewelry and clothes had been arranged by Guwalgiya long ago, making her stand out among her sisters. In the duke's mansion, Shu Yao relied on Guwalgiya, and after marriage, she would rely on her husband. It was inevitable that there would be comparisons between the sisters, but in their hometown, they only spent a short decade or so together. After marrying into another family, their status would determine their fate. Shu Yao understood this vaguely, but as long as her mother said so, she would fulfill her wish to live a leisurely life.

  Shu Yao's family had just returned to the capital, and she hadn't interacted with her cousins yet. However, Shu Yao's harmless appearance made her cousins think that they should be friendly with her, as they knew that her mother, Guwalgiya, was not someone to be trifled with. The second branch of the family, Zhiyuan's household, could see that they had a lot of wealth and that Zhiyuan would soon be promoted. As the daughter of a noble family, Shu Yao's cousins wouldn't easily offend her before figuring out Zhiyuan's true nature. Among them, the third branch's eldest daughter, Shu Jing, who had always been spoiled by the old lady, appeared to be very enthusiastic towards Shu Yao on the surface but actually had ulterior motives. As a duke's daughter, she considered herself superior and thought that Shu Yao's family was back to compete for the title. Shu Yao's attire was even better than hers, so it would be strange if Shu Jing didn't guard against her.

  "Shu Jing can't compare to her older cousin Li Zhiqing in terms of favor, and she couldn't help but feel inferior when Shu Yao returned from Huizhou to the capital. Growing up in a wealthy family, Shu Jing was useless compared to Shu Yao's experiences. Although Shu Jing had made up her mind to make Shu Yao look good, she also knew how to behave herself and wouldn't openly show hostility. With her lively and innocent personality, Shu Jing thought it would be easy to get close to Shu Yao, and becoming close sisters-in-law would be more convenient. However, what Shu Jing didn't know was that Shu Yao had special abilities, which had an additional attribute - whenever someone with hostile intentions towards Shu Yao approached her, she would react, even if she couldn't read their minds. As a result, Shu Yao kept her distance from Shu Jing.

  Sixth Young Mistress may have been taught well by Second Aunt, but in the capital, one still needs to understand some etiquette and learn how to play the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting," said Third Madame Tong Jia with a concerned expression. "The household has hired a tutor for all the sisters-in-law to study together, regardless of whether they are legitimate or illegitimate. Second Aunt, let Sixth Young Mistress attend school as well. A young lady can't just stay at home doing needlework; she needs to learn some characters. In our family, girls need to be educated and will eventually participate in the imperial selection and marry well."

  The old lady frowned, listening to an unpleasant tone. Tong Jia Shi said this to her niece, Li Zhi Qing smiled lightly and pressed down on the old lady's arm, "Grandmother, Third Aunt didn't say anything wrong. After all, being a seamstress would make one lose the elegance of a Banner girl."

  Guar Jia's mouth twitched, and the third wife, Tong Jia, was not afraid. She was like a cannonball, disregarding everything else. In all these years at the Duke's Manor, she had never realized that the old lady doted on her granddaughter Li Zhiqing so much? And this famous niece of theirs in the capital was no pushover either. She wouldn't take losses lying down. Tong Jia wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but she needed to use the right tactics. No wonder the old lady had a tight grip on power at the Duke's Manor, keeping Tong Jia's own children close by. With someone like Tong Jia, it was easy to manipulate her. The old lady was easy to control, and Guar Jia could also make use of her.

  Tong Jia's face stiffened slightly, and she was also aware that this temper of hers couldn't be changed. "Embroidery is also very important, I heard that every year during the selection process, there will be an examination on embroidery skills. Er Ya Tou Shu Wen will definitely have no problem, but I'm worried about Qi Ya Tou Shu Jing, she's clumsy with her hands. If it weren't for her older sister being a good example, I'd be worried sick. Mother, what do you think? Should we invite another skilled embroidery artist to teach them?"

  "There are still many years before Lishu Jingxuan's marriage, and there is no need to make a big fuss about finding a daughter-in-law. Let the second young lady teach her sisters more, so as not to let outsiders see the hustle and bustle of the Duke's Mansion." The old lady's tone was firm and did not allow for debate. "The second young lady you raised is too gentle and quiet, our Duke's Mansion is a family of meritorious deeds."

  "Yes, the daughter-in-law will teach Er Yaotou well." Tong Jia's wife pouted, seemingly not daring to disobey the old lady. The old lady didn't want to lose face in front of her four daughters-in-law, and still hoped that she could restrain Zhiyuan and his wife, so she slowed down her tone, "Wait until Er Yaotou and the others get married through the imperial selection, it's not too late to find a matchmaker then."

  Sanfang's daughters, Shuwen, Shushu and Shuxin, are old enough to participate in the next selection, while Shuyao still needs to wait for another session. Old Lady Sui also makes some sense, after all, it's been many years, no need to rush.

  Guar Jia looked at Tong Jia with great interest, unexpectedly, Tong Jia had made rapid progress in a short moment. She must have done it on purpose, wanting to get close to her biological daughter Shu Jing. Every time she was in front of the old lady, Tong Jia would take advantage of the situation and invite Shu Wen to teach embroidery, making it seem like an innocent gesture. Shu Jing wouldn't dare refuse, and at that moment, she would be reminded of their relationship as sisters. Shu Jing wouldn't have a single thought of pleasing the old lady alone, Tong Jia had indeed performed exceptionally well, knowing how to play tricks on the old lady. Guar Jia was impressed, but wondered how Tong Jia would manage to bring her only biological son, Shu Jie, closer to herself.

  When it comes to Shu Jie, Guajia Shi has only met him twice, but Guajia Shi is very discerning about people. Shu Jie's appearance is not bad, with the air of a rich and noble young master, but he doesn't take things seriously and likes to indulge in pleasure within the inner courtyard, being pampered like a phoenix egg. The glory of the Duke's mansion is good for now, but if disaster strikes, Shu Jie won't be able to bear the weight of responsibility. Tongjia Shi may have the heart but not the strength, and the old lady doesn't take Shu Jie seriously just because she dotes on him too much. If she doesn't sternly teach him a lesson now and make him learn to take responsibility, Tongjia Shi will regret it in the future.

  Gua Lijia despises men who are weak and irresponsible, while Gua Lijia is very proud. Eldest son Shu Xuan may be obsessed with reading books, but he is absolutely not muddled in major events. Second son Shu Yi, only one year younger than Shu Jie, finds it easy to fool around with Shu Jie and even gets him to help count his money after being sold out by Shu Yi.

  Shu Yao stood with her head bowed, appearing to be respectful and gentle, but in reality she was catching up on sleep. This skill of being able to sleep while standing was a remarkable one. Suddenly, she heard a voice speaking: "How is Sixth Sister's embroidery?"

  Just now, because of her proud words, Guajia's mouth couldn't help but droop down. Shu Yao raised an eyebrow and looked at the curious-looking Shu Jing, honestly shaking her head: "Not good, my embroidery is not good."

  This was already Shu Yao being considerate and exaggerating a bit. The first time Shu Yao embroidered flowers, the peony was so poorly done that nobody could tell it was a flower. To comfort Shu Yao, whose fingers were pricked full of needle holes, Shu Yi had once insincerely said: "It's quite like one." As for what it resembled, Shu Yi really couldn't say. Shu Yao rarely made an effort, wanting to prove that she could master feminine skills, and embroidered another peony. However, the well-embroidered handkerchief was sewn onto Shu Yao's clothes, causing her to cry loudly. Zhi Yuan and his wife, Shu Xuan and Shu Yi, fell silent before bursting into laughter. Nobody was more talented than Shu Yao.