Lin Wei Xi didn't have a good face all the way, and when she returned to her room, Wan Xing couldn't hold back her excitement anymore. She quickly pulled Lin Wei Xi's sleeve and said, "Miss, you're so amazing! That was your first time playing chess, but able to beat Shizi Consort until she doesn't have energy to turn things around."
After she heard this, Lin Wei Xi's complexion improved, indifferently said: "It's not that difficult. The first time playing it may be disadvantage because of the rules, but it's actually very easy after getting familiar with it. It's much simpler than the proper chess technique. If you two like it, I can teach you."
"Really? Thank you Miss!"
Wan Xing almost jumped up happily, Wan Yue was more steady, but smiled after hearing this. Lin Wei Xi looked at these two lively maids who had not been wore out theirs humanity by the high gate compound, and smiled unconsciously.
She was too far away from this simple happiness.
Lin Wei Xi remembers that in her previous life, she recited thousand character classic at the age of three, went to school at the age of five, and began to learn the four arts (guqin, chess, calligraphy and poetry) at the age of six. A six-year-old child couldn't sit still, let her learn all this, the effect one could imagined. Then a year later, Gao Ran suddenly changed her temperament from her former self. Not only her manner of speak, but she also recognized words and learned guqin much faster than Lin Wei Xi. With such a strong contrast, Lin Wei Xi felt more and more unpleasant. She was scared, so she began to study more seriously.
It was a pity that Lin Wei Xi, a real child, could not compare to the adult in Gao Ran's shell. In class, the master still prefers Gao Ran and frequently praises her by name. The grandmother, father, and brothers in the family slowly but surely changed their attitude. That feeling was really terrifying, watching what was originally hers being taken away, and the loved ones who loved her liked another person more, and she didn't even know what she had to do to stop it.
It seemed that overnight, the family love and friendship that belong to Gao Xi were taken away by Gao Ran, the only one left was her mother Wei shi and her identity as eldest granddaughter.
Of course she was afraid. Sometimes people who were tougher actually more vulnerable. Unfortunately, Lin Wei Xi was this kind of person. In order to regain the attention of her loved ones, and to preserve the dignity as di eldest sister, she began to work harder in private. At school, Gao Ran could master new things in a stick of incense. Lin Wei Xi couldn't do it. On the surface she didn't care, but after returning to her yard, she tried desperately to make up for it, spending double the time to catch up with her lag in class. However, even if she worked so hard, she didn't dare to let anyone knows, Gao Ran could do it easily, but she had to spend a lot of work in private. How could such a thing be known?
She was too headstrong, she would rather smash the silver teeth to invigorate the blood, and never show in front of outsiders how much effort she had done.
When she was ten years old her mother died because of accidental miscarriage, Grand Princess Shoukang was furious and took her to the princess mansion. After that, she lived in the princess mansion for almost a year, and finally escaped from Gao Ran's shadow.
The ten years old Gao Xi really regarded Gao Ran as an insurmountable opponent. It was not until later when she saw the heavenly book she finally understand that Gao Ran was not naturally intelligent. Gao Ran just wore a young shell, with a twenty-six-year-old mind, among six-year-old children she was like a fish in the water. When the peers were six years old, Gao Ran had obvious advantages, but when they reached sixteen or seventeen, the gap was very small.
Lin Wei Xi was growing, but Gao Ran was stagnated. Gao Ran immersed in the false prosperity brought by the age benefit, while ignoring the truth from ancient times, like rowing a boat upstream, if you stop moving forward you will fall back. But Gao Xi since she was a child had worked harder than her peers because of her powerful shu younger sister.
In her previous life, Lin Wei Xi had learned gomoku and checkers in private, and after listened to it once she could also remember Gao Ran's novel song, but Gao Ran did not lay a solid foundation for her four arts.
For Lin Wei Xi, who had a solid foundation in chess, gomoku was not difficult. She understood after practicing two games in private. But for Gao Ran, once deprived of the advanced stuff that modern times brought to her, she had nothing else.
To catch somebody off guard was a powerful method to win, but a general who could only rely on surprise attack, sooner or later he would die from his laziness and arrogance. Gao Ran put too much on superstitious skills, and neglects true strength. Like today's scene, even if Gao Ran tried her best, she couldn't beat Lin Wei Xi, who had already mastered gomoku.
Before Lin Wei Xi playing, she didn't expect that she would win three rounds in a row, completely crushing her opponent. It was also when she was holding the white jade chess piece that Lin Wei Xi suddenly realized that the insurmountable peak that had brought her endless pressure at the age of ten had collapsed. Gao Ran could no longer be Lin Wei Xi's opponent, except in men and women's affair.
Gu Cheng Yao was simply the fatal wound in Lin Wei Xi's heart. She loved, hated, resented and even abandoned herself before she was reborn, but Gu Cheng Yao just didn't love her, what could she do? Following the journey to the capital, Lin Wei Xi for the first time in her life got along with outside male for a long period of time. With Zhou Mao Cheng and other reticent soldier silently took care of her, Lin Wei Xi felt that perhaps she might not be so bad, maybe it was Gu Cheng Yao who was blind.
When Lin Wei Xi looked at Gu Cheng Yao now, the strong love and hatred when she reborn were gone. Now she just wants to see him not living well. If possible, Lin Wei Xi would like to run a few step on him herself.
Today, Lin Wei Xi looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Yan Wang Mansion, and Jingdan Garden which almost exactly the same as her previous marriage courtyard, and realized that she finally reconciled with her past. Lin Wei Xi and Gao Xi had truly merged into one person.
Wan Xing and Wan Yue had been chatting for a long time, and found that Lin Wei Xi hadn't spoken for a while. The two of them asked strangely: "Miss, what's the matter with you?"
"Nothing." Lin Wei Xi stood up and walked to the window, pushed open the delicately carved red painted window frame, looked at the vibrant spring outside the house, her lips lightly rise forming a smile, "I'm just thinking, maybe it's time to find Grand Princess and propose to move in with her."
Even though there was still unwillingness in her heart, but in the end people still need to move forward. Yan Wang Mansion was her past, her ex-husband Gu Cheng Yao and shu younger sister Gao Ran, their love stories would make them tossed each other, Lin Wei Xi should start her new life.
Wan Xing was shocked when she heard this: "Miss Lin, do you want to move? Did someone bully you? Miss, if you feel aggrieved, let's go to Yan Wang. How can you move out?"
"No." Lin Wei Xi said, "I have no relations with Yan Wang Mansion, and if we always live here eventually will cast a bad name. Yan Wang is polite and righteous, considerately letting us treat the mansion as our own place, but we can't really take it for granted."
Wan Xing still wanted to say something, but was held back by Wan Yue. She said: "Miss, this worried slave understands. It's just that... Miss only met Grand Princess not too long ago, to propose to live in the princess mansion. Isn't it a bit too presumptuous?"
Lin Wei Xi stared blankly, she almost forgot that her surname was Lin now. She still regarded Grand Princess Shoukang as her grandmother in her heart, but for Princess Shoukang, Lin Wei Xi was just a junior who somewhat had a close karma with her. It was very rude to want hurriedly move in to the princess mansion when they barely met.
Lin Wei Xi rubbed her forehead with a headache: "Forget it, this matter has to be discussed for a long time. Today's words are all swallowed in your stomach, you are not allowed to say it outside, you understand?"
Wan Xing and Wan Yue hurriedly bowed their heads, "Yes."
Lin Wei Xi's plan to move to her grandmother's place was stranded, and she could only continue to live in Yan Wang Mansion. Lin Wei Xi even moved on to the idea of buying a house in the capital. It doesn't need to be big, a small three entry was enough. Lin Wei Xi over here was still thinking, and after a few days on the other side, Gao Ran's inexplicable headache could be said to getting better. What happened that day was also lightly revealed, Gao Ran was still the kind and generous Shizi Consort.
Lin Wei Xi had already determined to let Gao Ran passed, but Gao Ran refused. Her hostility towards Lin Wei Xi grew deeper, because Lin Wei Xi embarrassed her, Gao Ran had to find other ways to make up for it.
One morning, Gao Ran invited Lin Wei Xi to her courtyard again. Lin Wei Xi was extremely fed up, but she gave Gu Hui Yan face and didn't want to be too ugly with his daughter-in-law at Yan Wang Mansion, so she resisted her disgust.
Not long after Lin Wei Xi sat down, she saw Ning Fu brought a gilded rabbit-shaped incense burner from outside. The carving was exquisite and the base even inlaid with fine rubies.
Whether the materials or craftsmanship, it was an incomparable treasure.
Lin Wei Xi's eyes hurt when she saw this rabbit-shaped incense burner. Gao Ran put the incense burner on the high table, deliberately slowly lifted the lid, lit the scented stick, and said to Lin Wei Xi: "I am used to light fragrance at home. I'm not accustomed to the smell of agarwood in the mansion. This is the thousand-step incense from the shop under my name. It is the latest fragrance this year. Is it alright for you to smell it, Miss Lin?"
Lin Wei Xi didn't even look at it, and said coldly, "The guest follows the host, you can burn it if you want."
At this time, Tao mama came out from the inner room with a delicate and complicatedly carved lacquer box in her hand, her expression seemed anxious: "Where did Shizi Consort's filigree golden sapphire buyao go? A complete set of sapphire head ornament, why is this one missing?"
Inside and outside the house the maids respond one after another, after a while, this gorgeous buyao was finally found, Lin Wei Xi personally watched them put the buyao into the lacquer box. The luminous gems and glided shells on the lacquer box complemented each other, it hurt people's eyes.
Lin Wei Xi didn't know what to say. If Gao Ran wanted to scare her away with her family background, she should change a set of fine porcelain tea sets calmly. Showing off gold and silver jewelry, what is this?
But Tao mama was still incessantly chattering in her ears, saying that this sets of head ornament was especially given to Gao Ran by Duke Yingguo madam, how much Shizi and the old lady (furen) valued Gao Ran and so on. Lin Wei Xi couldn't bear it, and asked carelessly: "Since the Duke Mansion put this kind of importance to Shizi Consort, why I haven't seen your house madam (taitai) come and talk to Shizi Consort in the past few days?"
Tao mama chattering stopped all of sudden, even Gao Ran's expression was stagnant.
Madam (taitai) and grandma (nainai) were common addresses in large families. The grandchildren generation married women usually called it grandma (nainai), and mother-in-law's generation usually called madam (taitai). Only in the household that was granted honorable title, can you call it "lady" (furen).
But obviously, no matter if it was madam (taitai) or lady (furen), these titles have nothing to do with the concubine room.
Lin Wei Xi didn't plan to wait for an answer. She looked at the rabbit-shaped incense burner that was spitting incense, and gave a second blow: "This incense burner is made into a rabbit shape, I guess it's a novelty. Are you born in the year of rabbit?"
Gao Ran's expression was obviously embarrassed. Gao Ran was born in the year of dragon, she was one year younger than Gao Xi. The rabbit-shaped incense burner used to belong to Gao Xi, obviously, it was aimed for Gao Xi when it was created.
The people in the room became quiet all of a sudden. Lin Wei Xi was very satisfied. With a smile on her lips, she issued a third blow: "I really envy the Shizi Consort who has ready-made gold and silver wares. In the future, I need to melt and forge new jewelry. Although my dad left me all the land deeds, Jin Shu Iron Deed, and court awards, these gold and silver wares were made under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites and had a special stamp on them. If I want to use gold, I can only go buy outside."
Gao Ran inherited part of Gao Xi's dowry, followed by subsidies from her father and grandmother. It was true that she was rich, but could a dowry from the Duke Mansion was that the same as inheriting the entire Marquis Mansion's property?
Lin Wei Xi was satisfied to see these group of people shut up. Did they actually want to compare wealth with her?
Lin Wei Xi didn't want to care about these people, but they insisted for her to call them out. These people if they were not scolded would they feel uncomfortable?
Gao Ran of course couldn't sit down here anymore, Lin Wei Xi sarcastically went back to her house. But as soon as she sat down, the expression on her face changed.
"Miss?"
Lin Wei Xi called Wan Xing over, and whispered in her ear, "You go out to inquire about Gao Ran's dowry. You don't have to ask about it, just pick up what you can while chatting."
Wan Xing quickly took her orders and left. Lin Wei Xi looked at the delicate white porcelain vase on the pear-wood table, still angry till her teeth itchy.
No, Lin Wei Xi was still a normal human being. She was definitely determined to turn everything over and restart her life again, but seeing Gao Ran's righteously occupied Lin Wei Xi's property, she was so angry that she wanted to poison Gao Ran.
Enough is enough, in the end what is the dowry mean?
T/N:
I'm so confuse about the taitai and furen things. I'm sorry if it confused you too. Both means married women but from what I read taitai is more informal, and in ancient times furen is for titled married women.
In the story Tao mama was talking about the furen of duke mansion aka Gao Ran's grandmother. But I think Lin Wei Xi asked about Gao Ran's mother who is neither a taitai or a furen because she is a concubine.