261 Don’t Blame Others If You Don’t Respect Yourself
She was just short of saying that Yu Youyao was ill-mannered.
Initially, she did not want to bother with Fifth Miss Lu from the Marquis of Weining’s Residence. However, this Fifth Miss Lu was in a hurry to make her presence known, and it was very annoying.
Only then did Yu Youyao look up at Lu Mingyao. “Fifth Miss Lu is two years older than me. She also has a reputation for talent and virtue in the capital.”
As soon as she heard this, Lu Mingyao’s eyelids couldn’t help but twitch. She had a bad feeling. Then, she heard Yu Youyao say in a gentle voice,
!!
“Please forgive me for being ignorant, but I didn’t know that the word ‘education’ had such a severity. I’ve learned from the teachings of my elementary school, such as ‘Internal Training’, ‘Lessons for Women’, ‘Biographies of Exemplary Women’, and ‘Home Training’. As a woman with ‘education’, I’ve learned something today.”
Lu Mingyao held her breath.
Yu Youyao did not say explicitly that she did not have any upbringing, but it was obvious from her words. Needless to say, she would not be able to escape if she said that she did not have any seriousness. This way, her so-called reputation for talent and virtue would become undeserved.
To destroy a person, it was better to expose and condemn their motives and thoughts.
Only at this moment did she suddenly realize how powerful Yu Youyao was.
She was the most gentle person when she smiled, but she was still smiling when she was told that she had no upbringing.
When she spoke, she was neither fast nor slow, but her words were like a soft knife entering and out of her. However, she could not even refute and could only accept it obediently.
At the side, Cao Yingxue thought about how she had actually let Yu Youyao splash tea all over her face. How could she tolerate such humiliation? She waved away the handkerchief that the maidservant had handed over and pointed at Yu Youyao in exasperation. She screamed, “Yu Youyao, you ill-mannered thing. You splashed tea all over my face and even accused me of being rude…”
Yu Youyao looked at Cao Yingxue. “Seventh Miss Cao is a noble lady from a prestigious family. Since she was young, she has been familiar with all kinds of dogmatic norms. In the Book of the Later Han, Biographies of Exemplary Women and Cao Shi’s Uncle’s Wife, it was said that, “If you can choose your words, don’t say evil words. Wise women do not spread hate on others.”
“You…” Cao Yingxue’s eyes widened in shock. All her unwillingness and resentment were stopped by Yu Youyao’s words. For a moment, she froze on the spot, her eyes red.
The scene was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The young misses, who had originally wanted to help, were so stunned by this sentence that they did not dare to open their mouths.
Which wealthy family didn’t value teaching?
Which young miss hadn’t been familiar with all kinds of teachings since she was young?
These teachings were the only criteria to show if the young misses were well-mannered but it was very different when one of these growing children talked about it.
Yu Youyao chuckled. “The eleventh chapter of ‘Women’s Analects’ is about being gentle. Smile when having tea and water. Talk if you have something to say and act if you have something to do. If you’re idle, you won’t make it far. Don’t learn from foolish women and not understand the root cause. Obscene words and insults will provoke rather than gain respect. I advise women to think before they act.”
As she said this, a faint smile appeared on her lips. It was like a cold wind that blew through a pool of water, revealing traces of coldness. In Cao Yingxue’s eyes, it also revealed a hint of disdain. Her gaze was filled with shame and anger.
Cao Yingxue’s breathing suddenly became rapid. Her chest rose and fell as she opened her mouth. “Shut…”
Before she could say the word “up,” Yu Youyao’s bright lips opened again, and they were so bright that they hurt Cao Yingxue’s eyes. “The ‘Lessons for Women of the Li Family’ states that we should keep love in our hearts, and speak to communicate. The speaker is a cardinal of honor and disgrace. They can determine whether people will be close or estranged. They can also separate or unite differences, cause grievances or revive resentment. Therefore, a virtuous woman should be careful with her words for the fear of slandering otherwise. She should do this regardless of whether she is in front of the Emperor or in a leisurely place. When she hears other people’s words of flattery, she should be indifferent. She shouldn’t be involved in gossip, teasing, spreading hate or doing anything suspicious.”
“Lessons for Women of the Li Family” was a must for women.
Cao Yingxue held her breath and opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say a word. Her angry face turned red bit by bit as Yu Youyao spoke slowly, and her eyes were burning.
Yu Jianjia slowly lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her thick and long eyelashes lowered slightly, covering the darkness in her eyes.
Yu Youyao was really smart. She had been criticized for being ill-mannered. She did not argue, but she was trying to save face in a roundabout way, using the style of a woman. Any young miss who had been taught the style of a woman did not dare to easily argue with her, afraid that they would become ill-mannered.
This way, no one present dared to say that Yu Youyao was ill-mannered anymore. Those who had said that Yu Youyao was ill-mannered previously had really become ill-mannered.
There were four imperatives of a woman: women’s virtue, women’s speech, women’s appearance, and women’s merit.
Just now, when they had mocked Yu Youyao’s actions, they had also violated the virtues of a woman.
Yu Youyao looked at Cao Yingxue with a burning gaze. “The ‘Lessons for Women’ states that anyone who is a woman should be sensible, gentle, elegant and have the four virtues and three subserviences… Their words should be solemn, and their actions should be limited. A woman should avoid private conversations and be quiet. She should have a deep heart and look peaceful.” At this point, she smiled lightly and asked slowly, “I’m a bereaved eldest daughter. I’m not as well-mannered as Seventh Miss Cao. I’m afraid that others will think that I’m ill-mannered, so I’ve read a few more books since I was young. I wonder if I’m right?”
‘Lessons for Women’, ‘The Analects of Women’, ‘Biographies of Exemplary Women’, and ‘Home Training’ were all teachings that daughters of wealthy families had to learn at the age of seven. It was also a necessary standard to measure the upbringing of a young lady.
Even though Yu Youyao was the eldest daughter of a widow, she was still able to grasp these teachings so easily. It was obvious that she had been well-mannered at home.
In comparison, they had been taught by their mother since they were young but were inferior to her, the eldest daughter of a widow.
No one present was a fool. How could they not hear this?
However, Yu Youyao did not say this directly. Instead, she struck her with a soft knife and pulled out with a hard knife. No one present dared to refute her. Wouldn’t they be aggrieved and dare to be angry but not dare to say anything?
Otherwise, wouldn’t they become someone who had no upbringing?
Cao Yingxue was so angry that she was trembling. Her chest kept rising and falling, and her breathing was cold as she glared at Yu Youyao.
In her fierce eyes, Yu Youyao’s bright figure was like a parasol tree in the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence, exuding a majestic and unshakable aura. In particular, her eyes were beautiful and expensive, and were shockingly bright. Just looking at them made her feel very intimidating, so she did not dare to meet her gaze, afraid that she would be intimidated.
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