The Lady of the Duke of Qing was genuinely grateful and delighted to see her, and her own heart softened a bit.
She let out a long sigh and said earnestly,
"Now, it's a foregone conclusion that you'll enter the mansion. Before long, the betrothal gifts from the Prince of Ning's Mansion will be carried into your Li family. Have you thought about how you're going to live your life from now on?"
Li Wanming wiped the tears from her face and looked up with a smile. "Don't worry, Lady of the Duke. I know it's not easy to be a noblewoman in a prominent family. In the future, I'll surely rein in my edge, be cautious in dealing with things, and do my best to manage the affairs of the mansion well. I won't let that deep and secluded mansion swallow me up..."
She thought that even if her words weren't perfect, they were at least reasonable. But to her surprise, the Lady of the Duke of Qing frowned again sharply.
"I said you were a block of rotten wood, but now you've really become an uncarvable log!"
She slapped the window lattice with her palm, looking quite indignant. "If you really do that, you'll be trapped in the inner courtyard for the rest of your life!"
"Receiving guests and managing household affairs in the back courtyard of the Xiao family. Even if you do it extremely well, how is it different from an ordinary noblewoman?"
"Even if you finally receive the imperial title and become a first - class noblewoman, it's just an imperial favor obtained through your husband. What does it have to do with you?"
"Were all your impassioned words just to coax an old woman like me?"
Li Wanming was completely confused. "Lady, I..."
She had no idea where she had gone wrong.
She was about to marry into the Prince of Ning's Mansion and become the heir's wife. If she didn't say that she would be cautious and manage household affairs, what else could she say?
She couldn't very well say that she would surely cause a great upheaval after entering...
Li Wanming knelt on the ground, looking dazed and confused.
She only felt that the Lady of the Duke of Qing was really strange - tempered and moody. One second she was smiling like a kind - looking Bodhisattva, and the next second she turned cold - hearted!
She was already of an advanced age. How could she change her mood faster than turning the pages of a book...
The Lady of the Duke of Qing was still dissatisfied and said impatiently, "Fine, fine! Since you're so stupid, it's useless for an old woman like me to say more! Mingfeng, take my token and go to those old guys in the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy. Tell them that I'll take charge of this academy. It's the Chinese New Year. They can all go back. There's no need for them to stand here in the cold wind."
After saying that, she angrily lowered the carriage curtain and ignored Li Wanming.
The little maid with twin buns answered and took the token. She went to negotiate with the officials in front of the academy.
Li Wanming knelt in front of the carriage, full of doubts and hesitation.
Her situation was really awkward.
It wasn't right to leave, and it wasn't right to continue kneeling either.
She thought for a while and then respectfully kowtowed. "The Lady is kind - hearted. Your timely help this time is like sending charcoal in snowy weather. Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain... Wanming will remember it."
After saying these words, she didn't get up. She still kept her forehead against the back of her hand, maintaining a respectful kowtowing posture.
Although the Lady of the Duke of Qing had a strange temper and her words were hard to understand, she had stepped in to save Zhaoyu Academy.
Just for this, it was worth Li Wanming to perform such a grand ceremony.
After a while, a soft sigh came from inside the carriage.
"Miss Li, don't mind an old woman's blunt words. Life in a prominent family is not just difficult because of those troublesome social interactions."
"If you stay in the Prince of Ning's Mansion for the rest of your life, the things you want to do may never come true."
Li Wanming was extremely puzzled.
Stay in the Prince of Ning's Mansion for the rest of her life...
She was about to get married. If she didn't stay in the Prince of Ning's Mansion for the rest of her life, where else could she go?
She couldn't be thinking about getting divorced before even getting married, could she?
This wasn't a contractual marriage. It shouldn't be that easy to do so.
Li Wanming wanted to ask more, but then she saw Mingfeng coming back with the token. "Sir, I've taken care of everything. The instructors of our academy will come to take over tomorrow. The officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy said they'll go back now. They also asked me to send their greetings to you!"
The Lady of the Duke of Qing responded with an "um". "In that case, let's go back. I've been out for half a day. I'm tired."
Li Wanming quickly stood up, stepped aside, and bowed. "I respectfully see off the Lady of the Duke..."
She used to think that she was smart and resourceful, especially her sharp tongue. When she retorted, her words were as sharp as blades and she never showed mercy.
Even in front of noble people like the Princess of Chengping and the Grand Princess, she had never suffered a great setback.
But today, she had repeatedly been frustrated in her speech.
It seemed that every time she said a word, the Lady of the Duke of Qing would refute it, leaving her completely lacking in confidence and almost afraid to speak.
When Mingfeng walked past her, she suddenly stuffed a piece of candy into her hand and said with a smile, "This is the maltose I made myself. Have it. It's really sweet!"
A feigned angry scolding came from inside the carriage. "Mingfeng! You little rascal, you're causing trouble again! Usually, when the elder sisters in the academy ask you for a piece of candy, you won't give it to them even after they've said so many nice words. But now you're so eager to give it to her."
Mingfeng turned her head and replied crisply, "Those elder sisters are so proper and boring. I won't give it to them!"
After saying that, she jumped onto the carriage, made a face at Li Wanming, and then got into the carriage.
The carriage wobbled away.
Li Wanming looked down at the piece of candy in her hand.
It was a small piece of maltose, amber - colored and the size of a soybean. It wasn't made very well. You could still faintly see some small dark impurities inside.
Li Wanming put the candy into her mouth. The sweet taste with the aroma of malt spread out, rich and fragrant.
It wasn't good - looking, but it was very delicious.
Her heart suddenly felt lighter.
If you can't figure something out, don't think about it anymore.
The Lady of the Duke of Qing was right about one thing. Her marriage into the Prince of Ning's Mansion was a done deal and couldn't be changed.
As for how to go from there...
Oh, who cares!
There's always a way out when the car reaches the mountain, and the boat will straighten itself out when it reaches the bridge.
Whether she'll spend her whole life managing the affairs of the mansion and end up wasted, or there'll be a whole new world... Those are all things for the future. They're not something she can control now.
What she can be sure of now is that the weather is nice today, Zhaoyu Academy doesn't have to close, and... the candy in her mouth is very sweet.
The sun was shining, and there was a sweet piece of candy in her mouth. This was enough to make her happy.
Li Wanming was in a good mood. She hummed a tune and turned around... Then, she saw a commotion in front of the academy. People were pushing and shoving.
Chen Lin was squeezed in the crowd, shouting angrily,
"It was an imperial edict to seal up the academy. It was an order personally given by the Empress Dowager! How can you say it won't be sealed? You corrupt officials must have taken Li Wanming's silver... You're colluding with merchants, taking bribes, defying the imperial edict, and undermining the laws of the country!"