All the way until she held the generous rewards bestowed by the Empress in her hands, receiving congratulations from the surrounding young maidens with smiling faces, and seeing no more calculating looks or schadenfreude in their gazes, Miss Zhou still couldn't quite believe what was happening.
Mother was right—the Empress truly was an extremely generous and kind-hearted person.
She had won her gamble!
Rubbing the smooth, luminous red jade bead bracelet in her hand, Miss Zhou felt the urge to cry at this moment!
After barely managing to deal with her father who had suddenly become countless times more amiable, Zhou Han almost ran to the rear courtyard, to the residence belonging to her own mother.
Though this was supposed to be the dwelling of the legitimate mistress of the prestigious Shaoging Manor, the courtyard now stood empty and desolate, with only a few elderly servants barely maintaining appearances.
Seeing how much thinner her mother had become in such a short time, Zhou Han's eyes welled up with tears again:
"Mother, I succeeded! You don't know—today the Em... Empress, and even His Majesty praised me! Her Majesty said my calligraphy was excellent, my poetry was wonderful, and she rewarded me with many fine things!"
"Your daughter, I... I..." Thinking of everything that had happened these past few days, Zhou Han became increasingly choked with tears.
"Mother knows, our Han'er has suffered greatly."
Holding tightly onto her daughter who had matured too much in such a short time, Lady Jiang's eyes moistened.
Since her maternal family's incident last month, the status of mother and daughter within the manor had plummeted dramatically. She had been frail since childhood, and after marrying into this household for many years, she had only borne Han'er as her daughter. She had never been favored by the grandmother, and now with her maternal family's decline, her only adopted son had been sent away by her husband days earlier to study elsewhere.
Thinking of all the slights they had suffered in the manor recently, someone as intelligent as Lady Jiang knew full well that this was likely a form of pressure.
Forcing her to take action herself to eliminate this liability for the manor. Perhaps even waiting for this storm to pass...
Her daughter's marriage had not yet been arranged—she could not hand over her daughter's future to others.
Taking a deep breath, Lady Jiang pulled her daughter into her embrace and said as gently as possible:
"Did Han'er get to see the Empress today..."
"Yes..." Zhou Han nodded emphatically:
"The Empress is indeed as beautiful as the rumors say. I'm afraid there's no one in this world as beautiful as her, no wonder..."
"No wonder she can keep the current Emperor's haarem virtually empty?" Lady Jiang chuckled lightly, but her voice clearly carried disapproval.
"Everyone knows the current Empress isn't well-versed in literature, her abilities are just average. Earlier, there were people who whispered privately, saying the Empress only has her looks..."
"But Han'er, do you yourself think this is right?"
Zhou Han was stunned for a moment as Lady Jiang continued:
"Setting aside other matters, just look at those concubines in your father's rear courtyard—aren't there some with outstanding appearances? But look, how long does a man's novelty last?"
"But in fact, Han'er, what Mother wants to tell you today is that a person, especially someone who can live their life well, must have particularly remarkable strengths..."
"Like the current Empress—how many people arbitrarily belittle others based on their own preferences, especially looking down on and slandering what they themselves lack, wishing to crush them into the mud? And Her Majesty? Despite being mocked and suppressed for her poetry and literature in earlier years, she can still openly praise others' talents and give talented women opportunities to showcase their strengths..."
"Such breadth of mind and courage..."
"Han'er, you must remember—when looking at a person, be good at discovering their strengths rather than always focusing on their shortcomings..."
"When you see someone living well, what you should think isn't 'why them,' but rather that this person must have merits that you lack, even if they don't have many advantages in the worldly sense!"
"Besides, what's wrong with relying on one's appearance?"
Facing her daughter's clearly bewildered expression, something shifted in Lady Jiang's eyes:
"Those with talent rely on talent, those with looks rely on looks, those with family background can also depend on their family background—ask yourself, what's the difference between these three?
Ultimately, they're all ways to live better lives. Since that's the case, why distinguish between high and low, noble and base!"
As long as the goal is achieved without harming others, do the methods really matter? And why should they be looked down upon?
People say looks are unreliable, that love fades as beauty fades—but are family backgrounds necessarily reliable either?
Thinking of her own situation, a hint of mockery unconsciously appeared in Lady Jiang's eyes. Her dark gaze returned to her still-confused daughter:
"Mother knows that what I'm saying today is different from what you've heard before, and different from everything you encounter in daily life?"
"But Han'er, ask yourself—who exactly set these so-called rules in this world? That women should be virtuous and kind, manage household affairs, and also be neither proud nor jealous?"
"Men can say without restraint 'a virtuous wife supports my lofty ambitions,' they can marry well and then rely on their wife's family with peace of mind, but if a woman wants to use a man to achieve her goals, she gets cursed as shameless! Lacking proper feminine virtue!"
"If these are the so-called rules, then how laughable they are!"
A touch of desolation unconsciously entered Lady Jiang's eyes:
"No wonder she can keep the current Emperor's harem virtually empty?" Lady Jiang chuckled lightly, but her voice clearly carried disapproval.
And even use these to arbitrarily criticize and suppress other women.
"Everyone knows the current Empress isn't well-versed in literature, her abilities are just average. Earlier, there were people who privately whispered, saying the Empress only has her looks..."
Virtuous, kind, and proper—neither proud nor jealous! Hah!
Lady Jiang couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
"Not to mention distant examples, just take the current Empress—what does it matter if she's not well-versed in literature? What does it matter if she's not skilled in palace affairs? What does it matter if she keeps the Emperor to herself with no other women in the haarem for years? None of this prevents her from enjoying the highest honors in the world for a lifetime!"
"These noblewomen and young ladies in the capital—no matter what they think in their hearts, who doesn't offer flattery and attention on the surface, considering her favor and recognition as the highest honor?"
Relying on looks? Being able to maintain supreme beauty and radiance day after day for years, firmly grasping the current Emperor's affections, and using this to obtain everything she wants—isn't this also a kind of ability?
Jealous? Who would truly dare say such a thing?
Gently holding her daughter, in the quiet room, Lady Jiang spoke slowly:
"Han'er, the main reason Mother is telling you all this today is to let you know that you don't need to care about others' rules and idle gossip.
Being aloof and proud isn't necessarily bad, but as your mother, I hope that no matter when or where, you can always be clear about what you want, and then make good use of every advantage you currently have."
"Those who can maximize the potential of the limited cards they hold are the truly intelligent people..."