Chapter 457 - Being Known for Talents or Filial Piety, Which One Was Better?
Chapter 457 Being Known for Talents or Filial Piety, Which One Was Better?
"Grandma, it's not the right time for me to stay in Duke Xing's Mansion. I'll leave the mansion and live in another place for three years!" Shao Wanru said in a soft voice, but looked very serious. She stared fixedly at Rui'an Great Elder Princess with her watery eyes full of persistence and firmness.
She showed no intention of hesitating or shrinking back, as if she did not know that she had said something extremely shocking.
No one had heard of a Miss of an aristocratic family who left the backyard and lived in another place for three years.
"What are you thinking?" Great Elder Princess didn't refuse her directly and said in a soft voice. She loved her granddaughter dearly, but also knew that this child was smart. Although plenty of things had happened in Jiangzhou Prefecture, this child managed to come to the capital city anyway.
Just because of this, Great Elder Princess would not really consider that she was being childish.
"Why did the First Miss of Shao's Mansion leave home and live in another place?" Shao Wanru said slowly after sorting out her thoughts.
The First Miss of Duke Xing's Mansion known for her talents? Rui'an Great Elder Princess frowned. She didn't like Duke Xing and his wife, so certainly didn't like their son and daughter either.
She heard that both of them were outstanding, but they went out to study and were not at home. The First Young Master went down to the south of the Yangtze River to study. He only returned home once in a while, and was basically not at home.
The First Miss was in the Yuhui Nunnery in the suburbs of the capital city. It was said that she set her heart on learning painting from a nun in the nunnery, which was equivalent to meditating in the Yuhui Nunnery. Because of this, she even got a better reputation.
"You want to use Shao Yanru's excuse?" Great Elder Princess frowned in disagreement. As the first one coming up with this, Shao Yanru could be considered ambitious, well-mannered and elegant. However, if Shao Wanru did the same thing with the same excuse, she would be considered exposing herself to ridicule by imitating Shao Yanru and losing her own individuality.
"Grandma, I'm not going to do the same thing. I'm different from her. She intends to meditate in the mountain like an ancient virtuous lay Buddhist, learn painting skills from the well-known nun Pushan and thus give an impression of being pure and elegant and not being stained by the mortal world. So she left home for a period. People describe her as a naturally elegant girl with extraordinary spirit when speaking of her."
Shao Wanru smiled slightly and said with slightly gloomy eyes.
In the last life, Shao Yanru was the same. She seemed to be free from worldly cares without being stained by dust, and everyone considered her as unsullied as jade, as pure as snow in the sky. At that time, everyone thought that she was going to marry into Prince Yue's Mansion. Unexpectedly, the Emperor took a fancy to her for some unknown reason, so she married into the imperial palace.
However, although she married into the imperial palace, she was the emperor's favorite imperial concubine. Afterwards, she even colluded with Chu Liuyue to kill Shao Wanru.
Others only described her as pure as cloud, but they did not know that she was so vicious. All of the hardships Shao Wanru had suffered in the imperial palace at that time were almost brought by her.
Going to the Yuhui Nunnery to learn painting brought her a noble and pure reputation and the simple mind different from that of other Misses of aristocratic families, as if wealth and honor were nothing but floating clouds to her.
She had learned painting in the Yuhui Nunnery for half a year. After that, she became the most elegant and outstanding noble Miss in the capital city with a painting she presented to the Empress Dowager for her birthday.
Counting the time, Shao Yanru was still in the Yuhui Nunnery located in Mount Donghua. Reluctant to have her meditation disturbed by others, she even didn't go down the mountain on the Spring Festival. Others only said that she was strong-willed, but only she knew whether it was true.
Shao Wanru was sure that on the eve of the Spring Festival, Shao Yanru not only went down the mountain, but also met Qin Yuru and might have given her some "implicit" advice!
Mount Donghua was a small mountain outside the capital city. Although it was similar to Mount Hua, it was not the real Mount Hua and was quite far away from the real Mount Hua.
Mount Donghua was very famous, and the most famous site on Mount Donghua was the Yuhui Nunnery. It was the largest nunnery around the capital city and had once been a nunnery bestowed by the imperial family.
Nun Pushan was a Miss of an aristocratic family around the south of the Yangtze River when she was young. Afterwards, she shaved her head and became a nun because of something and became extremely famous in the capital city for her painting skills. Numerous aristocratic families wanted to invite her to teach their daughters, but they were all rejected, for she said that the disciple she accepted must meditate with her.
Shao Yanru gave up the wealth and rank of Duke Xing's Mansion and really learned painting from Nun Pushan, which became a story passed on with approval at once. People became increasingly appreciative of this First Miss of Duke Xing's Mansion. Nowadays, how many Misses could bear the tranquility in the nunnery and get up early in the morning and do morning classes with a group of nuns?
Some madams and Misses had met this First Miss of Duke Xing's Mansion in the nunnery. Speaking of this First Miss Shao, they only described her as a fairy who had come to the mortal world by chance with a great blessing.
"In this case, how can you leave home in a justified way?" Great Elder Princess asked in confusion.
"Grandma, do you think that Duke Xing's Mansion can find out the truth of yesterday's fire crash and give us an answer?" Shao Wanru asked gently with a slight smile.
Great Elder Princess shook her head after thinking for a while. Seeing that her granddaughter seemed to have a ready plan in her mind, she knew that it was extremely difficult or even impossible to check it out.
Up to now, she hadn't figured out how Shao Wanru got the kerosene and found such a good opportunity to ruin Wang Shengxue and Dongxing's plot and trapped the entire Duke Xing's Mansion.
"Do you think they will suspect me?" Shao Wanru asked again.
"Of course they will. I heard that the courtyard was prepared for the marriage of the First Young Master of Duke Xing's Mansion. He once said that he wanted to live in Qinghua and your father's courtyard and clean the screen wall where your father practiced calligraphy!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess said angrily.
When Hao'er came over in tears and told her that, She was so angry that she wanted to go to Duke Xing's Mansion and argue with Old Madam immediately, but was stopped by Nanny Gao.
"They want the yard which has been burnt down today. They also want the old residence of my parents. These years they might have meticulously decorated the yard with not only some pieces of stuff of their mansion but also some pieces of stuff of my mother. So they won't allow me to live there. Besides, the yard where my parents once lived is a symbol of identity. The one living there could be considered the legitimate heir!"
Shao Wanru said coldly.
"They are outrageous! How dare! Hao'er is the heir of Duke Xing's Mansion!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess became furious. She beat the armrest of the chair and said angrily, "If it weren't for their aggressiveness, your parents wouldn't have been forced to leave Duke Xing's Mansion. It's all their fault. How could they have the cheek to bring this up now?"
As long as she thought of what had happened at that time, Great Elder Princess would be furious. Over these years, every time she woke up from her dream, she felt extremely distressed. If she had known that her daughter would end up like this, she would have tried every means to prevent her daughter from marrying into Duke Xing's Mansion and prevent the emperor from giving the edict.
"Grandma, let's talk about it later. According to the current situation, Hao'er can be the heir, while the First Young Master can also be the heir. After all, the current Duke Xing is his father, while my father is only the former heir of Duke Xing's Mansion."
Seeing that Great Elder Princess was so angry that her eyes turned red, Shao Wanru comforted her hurriedly.
Great Elder Princess let out a sigh of relief. She knew that it was true, but she couldn't get over it. Why could they inherit Duke Xing's Mansion after trapping her daughter and son-in-law, while her daughter and son-in-law died, left only a pair of orphans and even left Zhuozhuo outside for such a long time?
Thinking of this, she wished that today the fire could fierce enough to burn down the entire Duke Xing's Mansion.
Great Elder Princess knew that her thought was a little too extreme. Nevertheless, she just found it difficult to cool her anger.
"Grandma, let's take it slow. I'll spend three years outside. After three years, I'll grow up and have the right to speak. When the time comes, they can't treat me as a child any more, and we can think of a way to seek justice for my parents. But in these three years, you should prevent Duke Xing's Mansion from determining the heir!"
Shao Wanru comforted Great Elder Princess. She had planned this long before. Although she didn't like Duke Xing's Mansion, she would get Hao'er back what belonged to him.
Although being known for talents was admirable, what about being known for filial piety? No one could say anything about it.
In the confrontation between talents and filial piety, she wondered which one was more useful!
"I know. They didn't succeed in determining the heir in so many years, and they won't succeed now!" Great Elder Princess nodded. Duke Xing had presented the memorial for determining the heir again and again, but she had tried every means to make the Empress Dowager and the emperor turn it down every time.
Hao'er had been young and ignorant before, but now he became sensible. When the time came, she would show the members of Duke Xing's Mansion that her grandson was promising and didn't grow into a profligate childe from a little bully.
Unknowingly, Great Elder Princess began to follow Shao Wanru's train of thought.
"Duke Xing's Mansion can't find out that I have something to do with the fire crash, but everyone saw that I almost got killed. The high-quality kerosene, the fact that I've just been recorded in the pedigree on that day and the time when I was about to take a bath, all of these could prove that someone in Duke Xing's Mansion intended to plot against me and trap me."
Shao Wanru took Great Elder Princess's hand and analyzed the situation.
Great Elder Princess nodded repeatedly as she heard that. She held Shao Wanru's hand and looked at her clear and sharp eyes. Although Great Elder Princess had always been tough, she couldn't help shedding tears at this moment.
If it weren't for being in a dangerous situation all this time, such a little girl would have only done some embroidery in her bedroom now!
But now, she was plotting like a little adult. It was all because of Duke Xing's Mansion!
Clenching her teeth and swallowing the tears in her eyes, Great Elder Princess looked increasingly determined. No matter what her granddaughter wanted to do, she would support her and never let her be bullied again.
She squeezed Shao Wanru's slender hand with a little force, as if she could give her strength by doing that.
Sensing the strength from Great Elder Princess's hand and seeing the unreserved love in her eyes, Shao Wanru felt warm in her heart and became increasingly determined. She almost said word by word, "If I mention that I want to go to a nunnery and observe mourning for my parents for three years at this moment, what do you think of it?"