Chapter 21: Clan School

  Ning Fengbi didn't expect Shen Qianshan to speak to her, and she was taken aback for a moment. However, she quickly regained her composure and lowered her head, saying calmly: "Third Master said you were looking for a doctor in the palace, how come? Didn't you find one?"

  Shen Qianshan heard her say this, and knew that the other party was unhappy in their heart. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in his heart, so he naturally didn't bother to urge Ning Fengbi to stay behind, and nodded: "The palace has already sent two female doctors down, since Miss says so, I'll take my leave."

  After finishing speaking, he bowed to Old Lady Jiang again and then turned around and walked out of the door with big strides.

  Everyone here is curious, so Old Lady Jiang asks Ning Fengbi what's going on. After hearing that Third Master had unintentionally diagnosed the illness of Eldest Princess, Yuan Shi couldn't help but exclaim: "I really didn't expect it, Third Master looks ordinary, but it turns out he has such great skills. If that's the case, why do we need to bother inviting doctors from outside whenever someone in our family is ill? We should just let Old Master diagnose and treat them instead."

  Old Lady Jiang looked at her and coughed, saying in a deep voice: "This is nonsense. Those were the things your Third Uncle did before he entered the Duke's mansion. Now that he has entered the Duke's mansion, should he still continue to do these things?"

  Yuan saw that Old Lady Jiang was displeased and knew she had misspoken, so she hastily laughed and said: "What the old lady is teaching is that my daughter-in-law saw that the third young master of the Wang Manor personally came to invite her and was very polite in his manner, so she was truly delighted in her heart."

  Madam Qu smiled and said, "The Eldest Princess is the current Emperor's aunt. The Empress is the Eldest Princess' daughter, so that young master should be the Empress' nephew. It's rare for someone of his young age to have such a noble status, yet he is polite and courteous without any hint of arrogance typical of imperial nobility. He truly wins people over with his demeanor."

  "Like it or not?" Old Lady Jiang said calmly, "That's a member of the royal family. Although your third uncle went to treat the illness of the eldest princess, that was his benevolent heart as a doctor, what he should do. We ourselves must keep our place and not constantly try to get ahead, lest we be accused of currying favor, did you all hear my words clearly?"

  Although Shen Qianshan now looks like he's only eight or nine years old, his actual age is still young. However, looking at the excited expressions on the faces of his daughters-in-law, even the normally reserved eldest daughter-in-law couldn't help but praise him today. How could Old Lady Jiang not understand their intentions? If they could get closer to the Rui Wang Fu through the three old masters, perhaps these girls would have a chance to rise to prominence. It's no wonder they're thinking about such a good marriage in their hearts.

  The daughters-in-law had their own plans, but as the head of the household, Old Lady Jiang couldn't help but remind them repeatedly, lest these few daughters-in-law, having harbored greedy thoughts, lose their sense of propriety and become a laughingstock in the eyes of Shen Qianshan or Rui Wangfu. Although the Earl's Manor couldn't compare to the Wang Manor, it was still an aristocratic household with its own dignity and pride.

  Madam Qu and Madame Yuan hastily agreed on the surface, saying they would remember Old Lady Jiang's teachings, but whether they truly listened or just pretended to is unknown.

  Mrs. Jiang sighed inwardly, her eyes shifting from the faces of her two daughters-in-law to Yu Shi, who was lowering her eyebrows and eyelids, with no expression on her face, and her eyes were clear and calm, unlike Yuan Shi and Qu Furen, who had a deep thinking look.

  Her expression finally relaxed a bit, and she secretly thought that Master should not have arranged this marriage for the concubine's son, which would only bring shame. But now it seems that being humble also has its advantages, without those extravagant ideas. Speaking of which, the third young master had only said one sentence to Liu Yatou, but looking at the expressions of these two women, they were truly calm, while others had already started to think deeply, alas!

  Old Lady Jiang thought of this and felt a bit disheartened. Suddenly, she heard Madame Qu laughing and saying: "That's right, there's one more thing I need to tell you, Old Lady. Remember how we were talking about finding teachers for the girls? It's all settled now. Currently, there are three Western-style teachers at our clan school, all of whom are renowned scholars. However, they're getting on in years and teaching both an elementary class and a higher-level class is a bit too much for them. Even with rotating shifts to rest, they still spend most of their time at the school. So, we've invited another teacher who's extremely knowledgeable. I heard he was originally a candidate for the imperial exams but had to stay home to care for his parents, which delayed his studies. Although his parents have passed away and he's getting older, he doesn't want to pursue an official career anymore. That's why Master has invited him here. He teaches the girls reading and writing in the mornings and goes to the elementary class to teach in the afternoons. Compared to those three elderly teachers, he's a few years younger, so it won't be too much of a burden for him."

  Old Lady Jiang nodded and said: "Since you all think it's proper, then let's do it this way."

  Ning Fengbi listened below, secretly amused, thinking to herself: "These old gentlemen are now in school, just sitting there nodding their heads and reciting two articles, they can't even explain a few sentences in a day, how can they be tired?" Just as she was thinking this, she heard Madame Qu laugh and say: "As for finding someone to do needlework, it's not necessary to look now, let San Ge (third brother) recommend a skilled person from the needlework room to come over."

  Mrs. Jiang looked at Yu Shi and thought that since Yu Shi had only taken over the needlework room for a little over a month, if she really wanted to ask questions, she should be asking Yuan Shi instead. However, Mrs. Jiang also wanted to see if these three daughters-in-law had any sense of responsibility. Although nothing had gone wrong in this one month or so, the needlework room was such a small place that if they didn't even have this much sense, then there would be no need for them to think about sharing other responsibilities in the future.

  Yu Shi listened to Qu Fu Ren's words, then stood up and said in a harmonious tone: "Please report back to Old Mistress that the daughter-in-law from the Xue family in the needlework room is indeed skilled with needles. Her mother originally worked in the palace and was later married off; she has been learning excellent needlework from her mother since childhood, excelling in cutting, sewing, and other skills. Now working in the mansion, after observing her for two months, I can see that she's a diligent and practical person who doesn't speak much. It would be suitable for her to teach the young ladies needlework."

  Mrs. Jiang naturally knew this Miss Xue, and her needlework was indeed very good, originally only doing needlework for the master. However, she wasn't the best with a needle and thread, but the one who was best at needlework had always been somewhat arrogant, it seemed that Yu Shi had avoided her.

  He nodded and smiled: "This is also reasonable, since there are not many chores nowadays, let Xue's wife take out an hour every afternoon to teach the girls needlework."

  Yu Shi went down, and Qu Fang said that the professor of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting was a musician from Jiangnan, who was recommended by Ning Shibuo. He said that although this person is young, he is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but he is too young and also a man, so Qu Fang has been hesitant.