Sun Miaoqing got married.
There was no grand bridal procession stretching for miles, nor a large banquet.
The Guo family only sent two palanquins full of silk and silver as betrothal gifts.
In the large courtyard, only four tables were set up, and only the parents and brothers of both families were invited.
Even the eldest young master of the Guo family didn't come to fetch the bride in person. He just sent a small red sedan chair to carry her in for the wedding ceremony, and that was it.
Chuntao felt extremely satisfied and said cheerfully, "Miss, she used to laugh at us! But look at her own wedding. It's so shabby. Hahaha. People who don't know might think that Young Master Guo was taking in a concubine!"
Li Wanming also found it strange.
Guo's father was a third - rank assistant minister and served in the Ministry of Personnel. He was a high - ranking official with real power in the court.
Even if he looked down on the Sun family, he shouldn't have made his eldest son's wedding so shabby...
Xiao Jingnan put down the folding fan in his hand and said with a soft smile, "It's not that they can't afford a grand wedding. But they've offended someone above..."
He gathered the fan handle and gently pointed upwards.
Chuntao looked up blankly, "Above? Is there someone there?"
Li Wanming knew what he meant. She found an excuse to send Chuntao out and then asked, "Do you mean the Grand Princess? She... won't allow Guo Ziyan to get married?"
But this didn't seem right.
If the Grand Princess didn't allow it, with her power, how could the Guo family still let Sun Miaoqing into the family?
Xiao Jingnan took a sip of tea, placed several small teacups on the table, and gestured as he said:
"My lady, you don't know this."
"Although the Guo family relies on the Grand Princess, Guo Wei was a Jinshi. He is extremely conceited and has always despised the reputation of getting promoted by sacrificing his son as a gigolo..."
"But Guo Ziyan has already got involved with Princess Danyang. It's easy to get into this muddy water but hard to get out. He has no choice."
"So the Guo family is both afraid of and hates Princess Danyang. On the one hand, they rely on her, and on the other hand, they want to get rid of her."
"Coincidentally, Guo Ziyan has reached the age of adulthood and should have been engaged in marriage long ago. So they used the way of arranging a marriage for him to try to keep a distance from the Grand Princess."
Li Wanming asked, "Can they really keep a distance?"
Xiao Jingnan smiled, "Ah, my lady has hit the nail on the head."
He pushed a small teacup forward, "To keep a distance, the choice of the bride's family is crucial."
"First of all, the family's status can't be too low. If it is too low, they won't be able to resist the Grand Princess."
"Secondly, it can't be too high. If it is too high, the Grand Princess will surely not allow it."
"Finally, it's best if the family is on the opposite side of the Grand Princess, so as to form a check. But the opposition can't be too obvious, otherwise, it will anger the Grand Princess."
He sighed with emotion, "So, Minister Guo really has a sharp eye. Looking at the whole capital city, I can't even find a more suitable person than Miss Sun!"
"Her father is a sixth - rank interpreter. The family's status is not prominent and easy to control. Even if they find out the truth one day, they won't dare to make a fuss."
"At the same time, they are in - laws with your Li family and are not completely helpless. And precisely, your Li family has recently spread the news that you can get in touch with the Cheng family of Langya and have won the favor of Princess Chengping."
"Everyone in the capital knows that Princess Chengping and the Grand Princess are on bad terms."
"But the relationship between the Sun family and her is rather roundabout. Even if the Grand Princess knows about it, she can't easily get angry."
Xiao Jingnan drank up the tea in his cup and finally concluded, "The Guo family has chosen their daughter - in - law really precisely."
Li Wanming thought for a while and said, "According to what you said, the Guo family should have begged the Sun family to let their daughter marry in?"
Xiao Jingnan nodded, "Indeed."
"It's a pity that Miss Sun doesn't know these things. In her eyes, she probably still thinks that the Guo family is a family that is too high for her to marry into."
Of course!
Guo Wei was a third - rank assistant minister, while her father was just a sixth - rank interpreter who got promoted thanks to the Guo family's help. How could Sun Miaoqing not cling to the Guo family?
Who could have thought that behind the seemingly imposing Guo family, there would be so many dirty things?
However, if Sun Miaoqing had known these things in advance, would she still have married?
Li Wanming thought for a while and thought: She still would have.
For Sun Miaoqing, family status and wealth were the most important things.
The Guo family's wedding banquet was so shabby, which clearly showed that they looked down on the Sun family. But she didn't make a fuss, did she?
She obediently went through the wedding ceremony, being extremely docile.
However, Li Wanming didn't have the time to care about Sun Miaoqing now.
The most important thing for her now was how to pull her two elder sisters out of the bitter sea.
At first, she thought the problem was money, so she worked hard to make money.
Now that money was no longer a problem, she found that people were actually the biggest problem.
After thinking hard for several days, Li Wanming found Xiao Jingnan and said straight away, "I want to set up an academy."
"An academy?"
Xiao Jingnan was a bit confused by her words at first, but he quickly reacted, "For your two elder sisters?"
After visiting her two elder sisters a few days ago, Li Wanming had been in a gloomy mood, as if there was a fire pent - up in her heart that she couldn't relieve.
Li Wanming said dejectedly, "At first, I only thought it would be a bit difficult to deal with my eldest sister. But who would have thought that it would be just as difficult with my second sister."
It would probably kill her second sister if she was asked to be submissive to get a divorce from the He family.
As for her eldest sister, it went without saying.
"My eldest sister's thinking is becoming more and more rigid, and my second sister is becoming more and more extreme. It's all because of the environment they are in. I was just thinking that if I could find a way to let them temporarily leave their husbands' families, that would be great."
"However, the He family and the Chen family simply won't let them go. Usually, it's even impossible to invite them out for a flower - viewing boat ride. The last time at grandmother's birthday banquet, it was only because of Princess Chengping's face that we sisters were able to meet in a hurry."
"Only an academy is a proper and justifiable way that neither the He family nor the Chen family can refuse."
"Hmm, an academy..."
Xiao Jingnan pondered for a while and said, "It's indeed a way."
In the Great Sheng Dynasty, it was fashionable for women to study in academies.
There was the famous Zangshan Academy in the capital, and there were also county - level and township - level schools in various prefectures and counties.
Even some girls' schools in some places were so well - known that they were even better than boys' schools.
If they used the excuse of studying in an academy to invite Li Wanxin and Li Wanmo out, the Chen family and the He family really couldn't refuse.
After all, it was something that the current Empress Dowager advocated for women to study!
"But there is already Zangshan Academy in the capital. You could just let them study there. Why do you still want to set up another one?" Xiao Jingnan asked.
Li Wanming shook her head and said, "The requirements of Zangshan Academy are too high. My eldest sister and second sister can't get in. Moreover..."
She bit her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Although Zangshan Academy is good, what they teach is nothing more than things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting for self - cultivation."
"Even the so - called Six Arts of a Gentleman they always boast about only adds riding, archery, and mathematics on top of that, and still focuses on etiquette."
"The reason why my eldest sister has become like this is because she adheres too much to etiquette."
"So..."
There was a glint in Li Wanming's eyes, "What I want to teach them is not etiquette, not music, not hobbies, but survival!"
"It's the ability to survive in this world after leaving their husbands, their in - laws, and their father!"