The good news of Madam Xie's pregnancy slightly diluted Cui Shishuo's gloom caused by Zhang Xianzong's promotion to Left Prime Minister. He simply took leave and stayed with Madam Xie in the mansion. It was not until Madam Xie couldn't stand the nagging that he returned to the Ministry of Civil Affairs angrily.
It had been many years after marrying into the Cui Mansion that Madam Xie got pregnant. Madam Cui naturally protected her like a treasure. One moment, she was exempted from greeting her in the morning and evening, and the next moment, she was asked to share the internal affairs in her hands - yes, it was to share, not to hand over everything.
After the birthday banquet, Madam Xie had a lot of leisure time. Now that she has shared some of the housework, she spent most of her time resting every day. People who are used to being busy all day long are suddenly free, and are quite uncomfortable. Xie Miao often goes to the courtyard to chat with her, which can pass the time.
Five or six days later, Xie Miao secretly brought up the topic of Fang Zhiruo.
At that time, Xie Miao was watching Madam Xie make small clothing for her younger brother. She rested her chin on one hand and seemed to be chatting carelessly, "Aunt, have you ever heard of Shuxiang Papermaking Workshop?"
Madam Xie cut the fabric along the traced line, and kept moving, saying: "Shuxiang Papermaking Workshop? No."
That means that the Shuxiang Papermaking Workshop has not yet developed. Well, that's good news.
Xie Miao was overjoyed and said, "I have heard that the shopkeeper of this paper mill is a girl named Fang Zhiruo."
Hearing this, Madam Xie put down the scissors in her hand and said in surprise: "A family's daughter? Papermaking?"
No wonder Madam Xie was surprised. Even though people in Da Qi were lax in guarding against men and women, it was still rare for a family's daughter to show up to do business. Even if there are, they are mostly to do with rouge, gouache, clothes, and jewellery. There was no school for girls in this dynasty, and studying and being an official were all men's business. Therefore, almost no women were involved in paper-making and ink-making.
Seeing the fish take the bait, Xie Miao said with admiration: "Yes, I heard that she is a very powerful woman. She inherited her father's mantle and made paper and books. She has good skills."
She poured a cup of hot tea for Madam Xie. Madam Xie took it and slowly used the tea lid to skim the foam, "Doesn't she have a brother?"
"...Probably not." Xie Miao added: "Her father passed on all his skills to her. She can make paper, and she can make it with her own hands. She can also develop new paper, which is no worse than a man."
"It's a pity after all."
Xie Miao: ?
"Why is it a pity?"
"Sooner or later she will get married. How can she continue making paper after getting married?"
"Why not?"
Madam Xie picked up a candied fruit and bit off a piece. She pursed her lips and continued: "Her husband's family will not allow it."
"Not necessarily, right?"
"It's possible to marry a businessman, but marrying into an official family is out of the question."
Well.
Xie Miao deeply suspected that Madam Xie was beating herself up, but she had no evidence.
She had no choice but to say: "Then don't get married. Regardless of whether you are a merchant or an official, if you don't get married you can continue making paper. If you don't get married you can run a paper mill. If you don't get married you can make a fortune and become the number one businesswoman in the capital!"
Xie Miao clenched her hands into fists and became more and more passionate as she spoke, attracting Madam Xie's cold eyes.
"A-Miao, tell me, what exactly do you want to explore?" Madam Xie said softly.
It's this amiable yet terrifying expression again.
Xie Miao couldn't help but swallowed, trying to avoid eye contact. Suppressing her guilty conscience, she forced her face up.
"Aunt." She blinked and folded her hands on her knees, sincere and well-behaved, "I want to do business."
Madam Xie's hand holding the teacup tilted, and the tea almost splashed onto her skirt. Xie Miao quickly held on to it with quick eyes and hands, and put the tea cup straight back on the table.
"The tea is hot, Aunt, be careful." She said with a smile.
What a considerate and thoughtful niece.
Madam Xie took a breath, and then another breath, and then another breath, and then she was able to suppress her anger and said patiently: "Repeat what you just said."
The air was stagnant for a moment, then Xie Miao said crisply: "Aunt, I want to go into business."
Doing business?
Madam Xie sneered, "A-Miao, you are jesting with me."
She has made it clear that if a woman wants to marry into an official family, she must not engage in business. The fact is that anyone who has studied in school will look down upon businessmen. What's more, the Cui family has been a noble family for generations and has a deep foundation in the court. How can they accommodate a business woman?
Like a flash of lightning, a thought flashed through Madam Xie's mind, could it be A-Miao...
"Aunt, I'm not joking. I'm discussing this matter with you seriously." Xie Miao looked serious and said: "I know that the Cui family is a noble family but I have nothing to do with the Cui family. I'm just staying here temporarily. "
"What about our Xie family?" Madam Xie asked in a deep voice, "Your great-great-great-grandfather was titled Viscount, and your father was also a serious official. Now you ignore the integrity of the Xie family and want to go into business as a woman?"
Xie Miao was quiet for a while, then smiled bitterly, "Aunt, the title of the Xie family has long been taken back, and my father has been dead for many years. As a woman, I cannot study and become an official. It would be ridiculous to talk about preserving the integrity of the Xie family."
Madam Xie's chest rose and fell rapidly, and she said, "You can't study and become an official, but you can marry into an official's family..."
"Like you?" Xie Miao raised her face, her eyes as clear as a lake, "But Aunt, one Xie in the Cui family is enough."
Madam Xie's heart skipped a beat, and she realized that Xie Miao had decided not to marry Cui Muli when she mentioned doing business.
What went wrong?
Madam Xie was full of doubts. It was clear that in the past three years, A-Miao had the same goal as her and was determined to marry into the second house and become Cui Muli's wife.
Seeing her confusion, Xie Miao sighed and said: "Aunt, in the past we were too wishful thinking and ignored the wishes of my cousin and others. After so many years, I have come to realize that instead of wasting energy on marriage, it is better to do something practical."
"What you call serious business is to follow Fang Zhiru's example, show yourself in public and get the smell of copper?"
"It's Fang Zhiruo." Xie Miao corrected her carefully and changed the subject, "Aunt, I went to Baochang Pavilion and Zhiwei Lou with Xining a few days ago."
Madam Xie had heard about this, and although she was still angry, she also showed a satisfied look, "If you can become close to her, you can slowly build a good relationship with the other sisters, which is very good."
You missed the point, Auntie.
Xie Miao held her forehead and said helplessly: "Baochang Pavilion and Zhiwei Lou are places that I never go in or out on weekdays, or in other words, I can't afford to go in and out at all. Just a toy or a meal costs several hundred taels. But if I can earn money, everything will be no problem."
Madam Xie said: "If you are short of silver, just tell me. Why do you need to earn it yourself?" After saying that, she called Yanzi, "Yanzi, go and get the five hundred taels of silver notes -"
Xie Miao quickly stopped her, "Aunt, that's not what I meant."
Madam Xie was slightly unhappy, "When did you start to have differences with me? Is it because..." She put her left hand on her lower abdomen and frowned: "Because aunt is pregnant, you are angry and want to draw clear boundaries with me?"
Xie Miao couldn't laugh or cry for a moment, "Aunt, what are you thinking about? Of course not."
She looked at Madam Xie's abdomen and covered it carefully, "You have my smart little cousin in your belly. How can I get angry with him? It's not enough to dote on him."
Madam Xie saw that her expression didn't seem to be fake, and the knot in her chest dissipated a bit. She smiled and asked, "How do you know he is a younger brother and not a younger sister?"
Xie Miao shook her head and pretended to be profound, "I certainly know that my aunt is pregnant with a younger brother. If you don't believe me, just wait and see." She then asked, "Does Aunt want a son or a daughter?"
"Son." Madam Xie said without hesitation.
"Why?"
Madam Xie lowered her eyelids and looking confused, "Because of the way of the world, men are always treated favourably."
How could she not know the deep meaning behind A-Miao's words? In terms of status, although she was the second wife and held the housekeeping rights of the Cui Mansion, but the children of the second house are both children of the late Madam He. Even if she gave birth to the child in her belly, there is a huge age difference between them, and there is no way to go beyond it.
She believes that Madam Cui loves her only on the premise that she kept Cui Mansion in order. After all, there was no blood relationship, and some things could not withstand scrutiny.
The servants always follow the wind, but she acts with moderation and resoluteness, and in recent years she has won over the public. But what about A-Miao? She was a relative brought in by herself. She did not have a strong background and was still young. In order to not to make it difficult for her as an aunt, she often swallowed the grievances she suffered. And she is already the wife of the Cui family, so she cannot protect her without any scruples.
If A-Miao were a man, she would be able to study, gain fame, and get an official position. It would also be considered as a justification for her deceased brother and sister-in-law. But she was born a girl, so Madam Xie thought a lot and chose a relatively simple path to success for her: cultivating a relationship with Cui Muli and marrying into the Cui family. All the problems would be solved.
Unexpectedly, Xie Miao changed her mind and was unwilling to marry Cui Muli.
Madam Xie patted her hand and said earnestly: "A-Miao, listen to what Auntie say. As women, you and I have a much harder time than men. It's okay to laugh and joke in private, but we must abide by the etiquette in our words and deeds in public, otherwise it attracts criticism and brings no peace."
The subtext is: if the daughter goes out to do business, it will cause gossip and make it difficult for her to get married.
The words came around again, but Xie Miao did not flinch and instead became more fearless, "The world is harsh on women, so should we obey? The world wants women to obey their fathers at home, so we should obey our fathers at home? The world wants women to obey their husbands when they get married, so we should marry and obey our husband? The world says that women cannot do business, so we should stay confined to the inner house?"
Madam Xie said: "The world is like this..."
Xie Miao's tone was calm but decisive, "Then I will not follow the rules of this world."
Just kidding, she has already lived her whole life again, why does she still care about the world? It's up to oneself to be happy.
Madam Xie had a headache, and she felt that her niece, who had always been obedient, had become frighteningly rebellious, "A-Miao, please calm down."
"I am calmer than ever." Xie Miao said: "Aunt, is there only one way I can go? Follow Cui Muli and ask him to give some love. If I am lucky, I will marry into the Cui family and live with him as a guest. Everything, all my glory and status will be attached to him. If I leave him, I will be worthless. I may die at the foot of the mountain without anyone looking for me. And it won't be long before Cui Muli welcomes new people through the door——"
Madam Xie sensed something was wrong and hurriedly said, "Muli is not that kind of person."
"What kind of person is he, and what does it have to do with me?" Xie Miao chuckled, unable to hide her sarcasm, "I only know that if you put your whole life on others, you deserve to be miserable and hateful."
Madam Xie was stunned when she saw a flash of red at the end of her niece's eyes, looking a bit sad and resentful.
A-Miao, this is... this is...
Xie Miao's gaffe was fleeting. She said loudly and resonantly: "Aunt, I don't want to be anyone's accessory. I just want to be Xie Miao."
The words were precise and the eyes were firm, and there was no room for manoeuvre.
Madam Xie looked at her steadily, then moved her eyes away after a long time. She said angrily: "Since you have already decided, why bother asking me?"
This question is on point.
Xie Miao suddenly lost her momentum then lowered her head. She said embarrassedly: "I was thinking, maybe, perhaps, probably, my aunt could lend me some money first?"
Madam Xie: "..."