Chapter 313: Thinking Too Much
Jing Wan studied them once through, and before she could speak, Gong mama nevertheless opened her mouth first, “This place doesn’t have men, so why is Miss Pei using a veil? Is it looking down on our wangfei, feeling that wangfei cannot look upon your true appearance? Or the appearance too ugly and not fit to be seen, fearing to startle our wangfei? If it’s the latter, then so be it, but if the former, is this the upbringing and propriety of an influential family young lady?”
These words were truly blunt. Even Jing Wan was a bit speechless. Her own mama’s anger seemingly was a bit big?! However, she didn’t say anything wrong either. Her own people’s stage, she naturally can’t tear down.
But the other party won’t be aloof, especially the people serving Miss Pei, those two eyes practically shooting flames. Ultimately, they kept their status in mind, and didn’t immediately retort. The things carved into their bones also didn’t allow for them to do something rude. This was their pride as the servants of an influential family. That’s right, similarly as servants, yet they looked down on all people in the same social class outside of large influential families. In Jiangnan, they have always used their nostrils to look at those servants of official manors.
So what if a qin-wangfei? The etiquette and manners of those serving by the side, wasn’t it still sloppy? On their faces it wasn’t obvious, but their eyes revealed disdain and disproval.
Were the servant girls by Jing Wan’s side that lacking? Naturally no, just compared to these people, who have started learning etiquette since childhood, having all kinds of rules all integrated into their daily habits, etiquette and manners for them wasn’t etiquette and manners, but rather a common habit, so naturally Jing Wan’s servant girls would be lacking by a chunk. However, Jing Wan didn’t care at all. Something carved from the same mold, what was there worth caring about? The people by her side, even if able to be trained as such, she still wouldn’t want.
“Your Highness wangfei, allow one to speak, it’s not that our miss is looking down on your Highness, just usually when going out, it’s all like so, accustomed to……….”
The Pei clan young lady suppressed the humiliation and anger just now in her heart, lifting her hand to stop her mama from continuing, removing her veil, and revealing her stunningly beautiful appearance. “Greatly hoping that wangfei does not blame, truly just accustomed, and didn’t really have the intention of disrespecting your Highness.”
Jing Wan smiled, “No harm.” She then let someone serve up the tea and desserts, inwardly thinking to herself, as expected to be beautiful beyond words. In Jing Wan’s eyes, for the so called beauty, it’s extremely difficult for there to be the so called number one, yet she also has to admit, this girl, among the all the women she’s seen before, her beauty really took first place. Jing Wan nonchalantly casted Gong mama a glance. Seeing her completely unmoved, this is not showing one’s emotions, or this Pei clan daughter’s beauty is still inferior to the former Imperial Noble Consort?
Compared to the two young ladies, Jing Wan was actually dressed very casually. From top to bottom, there was just the two three hairpin on her head, and a string of buddhist beads wrapped around her wrist. At first glance, she seemingly appeared a bit shameful, but in reality, this wasn’t the case. Anyone with a bit of discernment would all be able to tell, on her, not a single one wasn’t a find good, showing off a kind of low-key yet simply elegant luxuriousness.
This kind of carefreeness, and also this easy-going manner, made the meticulous towards every single detail Pei clan daughter strangely feel she’d fallen short.
Jing Wan didn’t deliberately say anything to them either, purely just idly chatting. Jing Wan perhaps was inferior in beauty, and inferior in scholarly talent, but this kind of situation, she was entirely skilled in handling. In terms of age, she was actually almost a year younger than this Pei clan daughter. However, regardless whether it was experience or knowledge, it was all above the other party’s. Setting aside the various aspects of her previous life, just in terms of this life, having a passion for travel notes and various studies, and things such as history books, also having skimmed through, the books studied in her earlier years weren’t in the minority, and after marrying Li Hong Yuan, she practically discussed current political affairs of the world everyday. With one’s knowledge and experience continuously advancing, even if the other party was of great scholarly learning, even if quoting the classics, as long as it’s not especially deviating, even if she’s not proficient in the original text, she can still grasp seventy-eighty percent, so truthfully speaking, she really wasn’t afraid.
The Pei clan daughter also had the intention of sounding out Jing Wan’s depth. After all, she was her greatest enemy. Precisely the so called ‘know yourself, know your enemy[1]‘. That way, she can better plot her next step.
As such, the usually appearing gentle and also treating people kindly, but in reality possessing her own noble arrogance, from beginning to end maintaining a certain distance with others Miss Pei changed her usual attitude, becoming much more intimate, making the Miss Min next to her constantly cast side glances. However, because she herself was a relatively open-minded girl, she didn’t mind being neglected either. As for seemingly being completely unable to insert a word, this bit, she also wasn’t overly bothered. In any case, compared with the crowds and flocks of scholar girls by her side, she wasn’t as good in flattering, so had long come to acceptance.
As time passed, Jing Wan just sighed. As expected of a young lady meticulously cultivated by a first class influential family. Even if growing in the boudoir, it was still possessing out of the ordinary learning and knowledge. Just, this kind of young lady, why want to go become a concubine for no reason? Is it truly having the highest resolution of ‘the family clan gave me a luxurious life of brocade clothes and jade meals, so I ought to dedicate everything to the family clan’, or is it that she herself already possess an enormous ambition, heading for the ‘mother of the world’ position? Perhaps possessing both?
(T/N: I always wonder if Jing Wan is aware that she’s also not too different in the respect that she too is willing sacrifice herself for the Luo family. At least her original goal in marrying Li Hong Yuan is precisely for this very reason.)
Compared to Jing Wan, the waves in Miss Pei’s heart were much more violent.
Previously, she had confidence that even if she’s temporarily a concubine, she still won’t be a concubine for her whole life. What she relied on wasn’t just her beauty and scholarly talents, but further relied on her knowledge and wisdom. She firmly believed that she not only can become a virtuous wife, maintaining his inner residence, she also can become his strategist, assisting him in obtaining the throne. This was an advantage that other women won’t possess. Her understanding towards Jin Wangfei really wasn’t much, for the most part, all originating from her own great-grandfather, but just this bit, she firmly believed. Jin Qinwang, that kind of man, because holding the pearl of wisdom, won’t abstain from talented women. On the contrary, in her eyes, the more intelligent, the more he will like. Even if there’s an error in her guess, she can still aptly adjust.
But after conversing with Jin Wangfei, this self-confidence of hers was abruptly declining. She disdained to use her beauty to surpass Jin Wangfei, but the advantage she thought she had, in reality, the other party was further superior to her. Despite not wanting to admit, this was still an indisputable fact.
This wasn’t even the most serious. From what she learned from her great grandfather, Jin Wangfei was even younger than her, residing in the Jin Wangfei position not long, and although also born from a scholarly family, compared to the large influential families, they were still too lacking, so in her predictions, the other party must be inferior to her in every aspect, but in reality, this wasn’t the case at all. Setting aside that bearing and cultivation that seemingly appear as if arising from having resided in a high position for many years, there was also that knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed those of the same age, making her strangely feel that she was actually facing an elder with penetrating insight, and that it wasn’t her having the intention of sounding out the other party, but rather her receiving the other party’s guidance. This kind of feeling truly was too awful.
The blow the Pei clan daughter suffered wasn’t light, for a time producing doubt towards herself, doubting whether or not continuing on like this was correct. Can she really be as her great grandfather said, stand at the highest position, and become the family clan’s pillar of support? However, this mentality didn’t last for too long. Although suffering a blow, this meeting in advance was still the benefits greater than the harm. At least it let her wake up, letting her become aware that her opponent wasn’t easy to deal with. Her previous aloofness and even contempt was just thinking too highly of herself.
On the surface she was gentle, but deep down cold and detached. She indeed looked down on many people, but she still possessed self-awareness.
The place she believed to possess the greatest advantage, in the beginning, can’t be used, but she possesses another sharp weapon, beauty. How many men can there be in the world that are unable to be moved by beauty? And Jin Qinwang was already a ‘well known individual’ in this area to begin with. Regardless of what methods she uses, as long as she can have the person coaxed over first, then naturally she’ll have a way make him never turn back again.
What Jin Wangfei possessed, she also possessed, and what Jin Wangfei didn’t possess, she similarly possess, so no matter how one looked, her odds were greater.
Jing Wan probably wouldn’t have thought that in this extremely short period of time, this biao niece’s thoughts already took this many turns. If she knew, she probably would just say, Miss Pei, what all is this, purely thinking too much.
[1] Quoted from Sunzi’s ‘The Art of War’
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢