LRAB Chapter 28 compares all the women in the hall to clay chickens and earthenware dogs.
Chapter 28 compares all the women in the hall to clay chickens and earthenware dogs.
Shen Shijin was the eldest son of Concubine Yun, born out of wedlock.
After giving birth to Shen Shiyan, her mother's health was damaged, and she couldn't conceive for two or three years. So she promoted her father's concubine to a mistress. After she became pregnant with Shen Shijin, her mother became pregnant again.
The second son, Shen Shiyu, is three months younger than Shen Shijin.
The Shen family was a scholarly family, but Shen Shijin didn't like reading. He preferred riding and archery, and was often beaten by his father when he was young.
It wasn't until Shen Shixi was a little older that she said, "There are all kinds of people, and everyone has their own preferences and talents. Doing what you like will make you more successful. Why force yourself? It's not like there's only one path: studying."
The old man finally gave his tacit approval.
Unexpectedly, her older brother actually made a name for himself.
When Shen Shijin came up to receive his reward and express his gratitude, the brother and sister exchanged a glance and quickly exchanged opinions.
"Big brother is awesome! Big brother is mighty!"
"Do you want some money?"
"No, keep it to get married!"
Li Yuanke's gaze swept quickly over the two of them, and he glared at Shen Shixi. What are you doing, flirting in front of me? Do you think I'm dead?
Shen Shixi looked at Li Yuanke with an innocent expression, inwardly cursing him.
Is Li Yuanke seriously ill? What kind of look is that, like he's catching someone in the act? What did I do?
She dared not do anything in public.
After the willow-shooting ceremony came the dragon boat race, where a group of shirtless men danced wildly on the boats. It wasn't that the concubines weren't allowed to watch; they could watch, but they didn't dare to.
Shen Shixi wasn't interested; she was too hot in the sun.
When the Empress Dowager said she wanted to go back, the concubines all wanted to leave as well, and Shen Shixi followed closely behind.
She should go back early; her grandmother and mother are probably coming to the palace to see her.
Upon returning, Shen Shixi instructed Bai Ping to place the willow branches in a plum vase and told Bai Kui to wait for her family at the palace gate.
She rushed to wash up in the short time she had, and seeing that it was getting late, she changed into the clothes she would wear that evening and got all dressed up.
This time she was truly dressed up in her finest attire, and she instructed Lan Ying to style her hair into a graceful and delicate snake-shaped bun.
She was wearing another set of gold-threaded kingfisher feather headdresses that Li Yuanke had sent over that day.
Old Madam Shen and Madam Shen arrived together and greeted Shen Shixi upon meeting.
"Grandmother, Mother, what are you doing?" Shen Shixi supported one of them with each hand, preventing them from bowing. "It should be me bowing to Grandmother and Mother."
"Once you enter the royal family, things won't be like this anymore." Old Madam Shen looked her over with tears in her eyes. Seeing that she looked quite well and had gained some weight, she was relieved. "The palace is dangerous, my child. You must be careful and protect yourself."
"Grandmother, I know everything. Please sit down and let's talk. Let's not talk about these things anymore," Shen Shixi said. "I saw my eldest brother today. He won the willow-shooting competition. I didn't have a chance to ask him before. Is he planning to join the army?"
"He wants to go to the border to make a name for himself, but he's not young anymore. Your mother and I think we should help him get married first."
"Whose daughter did you choose?"
"Your grandmother's maternal uncle's daughter is a legitimate daughter. She is beautiful and of excellent character. I was thinking of talking to you about her. If she is a good match, I will arrange for your older brother to meet her in a couple of days."
Shen Shixi objected, "I've said before that we shouldn't discuss marriage between relatives within three generations of collateral blood relatives. That cousin is within three generations of us, and although we know each other well, it's still not a good idea."
Regarding my elder brother's marriage, I think we should wait at least two years. It's not a big deal for a man to be a little older. He's only just turned twenty anyway.
Her elder brother was born out of wedlock, so it wasn't easy for the family to find a decent legitimate daughter. That's why they chose a relative's child.
However, Shen Shixi meant that if her older brother achieved some success in his career in two years, then they would have a much wider range of choices when it came time to discuss marriage.
It's not that children born out of wedlock are bad, but in terms of upbringing and educational resources, children born out of wedlock are naturally better.
The Shen family doesn't care about family background, but they do care about character.
Madam Shen understood what she meant and nodded, "Very well!"
Although I don't know why my granddaughter is so determined to oppose marriage between close relatives, she has always opposed it, and no one can make it happen. Rather than stubbornly doing useless work with her, it's better to let go from the beginning.
After checking with the rest of the family and confirming that everyone was well, Shen Shixi felt relieved.
The Shen family has three branches. The older generation were all scholars, weak and unambitious, and none of them held high official positions.
Her second uncle was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Works, serving as an assistant director in charge of agricultural settlements; her third uncle was a seventh-rank official in the Secretariat, a menial job that was insignificant.
The Shen family's unassuming and uncompetitive nature was also related to their upbringing. The grandfather often said, "A single bamboo bowl of rice, a gourd of water, living in a humble alley—others would find such hardship unbearable, yet Hui did not change his joy. How virtuous was Hui!"
After all these years, Shen Shixi is too lazy to make a comment.
She had the four bolts of Shu brocade she had acquired that day brought out, and then selected a pair of gold-inlaid jade dragonfly hairpins, a pair of coral bead double-knot ruyi hairpins, a pair of red gold earrings inlaid with white jade and rubies, and a pair of white jade bracelets inlaid with gold, and asked them to take them back.
"Grandmother and mother should each take two of these four bolts of Shu brocade back to make clothes. The dragonfly hairpin will be given to mother, the ruyi hairpin to third sister, the earrings to fourth sister, and the bracelet to grandmother."
With the Shen family's wealth, they couldn't afford such fine materials and jewelry.
"Xi'er, we can't help you at home, so how can we take your things!" Mother Shen couldn't help but cry.
She was an honest and dutiful woman who couldn't even be harsh on her concubines.
But she was lucky; she met only good people. Her mother-in-law was strict but kind, her concubines were dutiful and didn't compete with her, her eldest son was filial, her husband was a refined and orthodox scholar, and her own children, needless to say, were devoted to her.
Therefore, her belief is always that if I treat others well, they will treat me well in return.
Shen Shiyan had a similar idea, but she was stubborn. The only outrageous thing she did in her life was to fall in love with Li Yuanke and desperately want to marry him.
Shen Shixi asked Bai Ping to help her mother to the inner palace to freshen up and touch up her makeup. Taking the opportunity, the old lady asked Shen Shixi how she was doing in the palace. "Now that you've entered the palace, your grandmother should go and pay her respects to the Empress Dowager."
Shen Shixi said, "Grandmother, there's no need for that. No matter how much help others give, in the end, we still have to rely on ourselves. The Emperor has always been a man of absolute power. I will walk my own path and don't need the family's help."
However, when it came time for her brothers and sisters to get married, Grandma would carefully select them, as it concerned their lifelong happiness. She didn't care about social status, but the person had to be a good person.
"Grandmother knows that your brothers' marriages are not in a hurry for now, and your eldest sister is not yet of marriageable age, so we can wait for two years."
The eldest sister was born to the second wife's mother and was fourteen years old. The second sister was also the legitimate daughter of the third wife and was only twelve years old.
When the time came, the three of them went to Qianyuan Palace together. Chaoyu then helped Shen Shixi and the people she had brought to the Shen family onto a carriage outside the palace. The banquet ended, and they would not have another chance to meet.
Upon reaching the palace gates, they parted ways. Shen Shixi went to the main hall, while the ladies of the court took their seats in the side hall.
Shen Shixi wore her hair in a snake-shaped bun. The kingfisher feather headdress on her head, adorned with gold and gemstones, featured a bright oval ruby the size of an adult's thumb at its center. Kingfisher feathers surrounded the headdress, and four South Sea pearls were adorned with a round ruby nestled in the center.
Two tassels were drawn out from her hairpin, strung with red and blue gemstones on gold thread, dazzlingly bright.
But even such dazzling jewelry couldn't conceal Shen Shixi's radiant face; her jade-like complexion was as beautiful as a lotus, her beauty rich and alluring, uniquely captivating.
She wore an orange-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with gold embroidery of crabapple blossoms, with light green silk ribbons hanging down, light yellow brocade short sleeves, and a golden gauze shawl that fluttered beside her with her steps.
With her face half-hidden by a round fan, her skin was as fair as jade, her face as beautiful as a flower, her cheeks as lovely as peaches, her eyebrows as bright as the moon, and her eyes as bright as stars. She was truly a beauty of unparalleled grace!
Li Yuanke looked at her, paused for a moment, and couldn't help but laugh. So this was her true attire, making all the other women in the hall look like clay chickens and earthenware dogs.