Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C139 pt1

Wushuang did not know how the two ultimately came to an agreement, but at least they no longer bothered her.

Nor did they continue to divide the days into daytime and nighttime, but instead, each took a day.

However, as a result, Ji Yang had to learn to handle court affairs. Wushuang wondered why he would agree to such an unrewarding task, suspecting that he had been tricked by Emperor Qianwu again. She did not yet know the specifics of the trickery, but she imagined she would find out in the future.

Taking advantage of her injury and Ji Yang's need to learn how to handle court affairs, Wushuang was finally able to enjoy a few days of leisure.

This day, Mei E and Mei Chang came to the palace together.

The two were quite surprised to see Wushuang looking as though she could barely walk.

How could Wushuang explain that it was the result of her fooling around with the Emperor? She could only say that she had accidentally fallen. After a series of concerned inquiries, the two finally got to the point.

The two had come about the matter of study companions.

With the establishment of the Western Garden Study, it gradually became known to the powerful figures in the capital. Many noble and aristocratic families had become interested, some approaching Emperor Qianwu, others approaching the Emperor Emeritus, and naturally, Wushuang would not be left out.

After Mei E and Mei Chang married, they both successively conceived children.

In these past few years, Mei Chang had given birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest son, Chen Ye, was six years old this year, and the daughter, Chen Tian, was four years old. Mei E had given birth to two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Li Fu, was a few months younger than Chen Ye, the eldest daughter, Li Fangqiao, was three years old this year, and the youngest son was still small, even younger than Shuning.

Now that Chen Ye and Li Fu were both six years old, both families had long hired private tutors to enlighten their sons. However, after studying for more than a year, they remained mediocre. Li Xin and Chen Jin were not good at studying, and they both felt that the tutors were not up to par, presumably dissatisfied with the teachers.

They were just thinking about changing tutors when they heard about the Western Garden Study and became interested.

In fact, Mei Chang and Mei E had known about the Western Garden Study for a long time, but Wushuang had said that to bring people in, they had to wait for the Emperor Emeritus to speak. The two had come to the palace this time to inquire about this matter.

"The Emperor Emeritus has already said that suitable children from good families can be selected to enter the study as companions. I told His Majesty long ago that if we were to choose study companions for Zuo'er and Reng'er, we would choose Ye-ge'er and Fu-ge'er. Go back and prepare, and send them over on a chosen day. However, entering the study is different from studying at home. The rules are strict, the studies are heavy, and they also have to practice martial arts. I'm just afraid the two children won't be able to endure the hardship."

Mei Chang was still as straightforward as before, not caring at all, and said, "How could they not endure hardship? Boys should endure more hardship. If the dragon sons and phoenix grandsons can endure it, they can naturally endure it too."

Mei E nodded in agreement and said, "Second Sister is right. Your Majesty, don't worry about this. My husband also said that the place in the palace where the princes and grandsons are taught to read is the place in the world where one can learn the most. If you want your children to be successful, don't be afraid of them suffering."

It was more than just becoming successful. Being able to set foot in here was equivalent to having a secure future, as long as they were not too outrageous.

"It is a blessing for Ye-ge'er and Fu-ge'er to have such good fortune. We must also thank Your Majesty for planning for them."

"Indeed, we must also thank Your Majesty. I will bring Ye'ge'er to kowtow to Your Majesty another day."

Mei Wushuang disapproved, saying, "There's no need for thanks. They are cousins, after all. Moreover, Zuo'er and Reng'er also like Ye-ge'er and Fu-ge'er. Having them together will provide some mutual support."

Seeing them talk about hardship, Wushuang couldn't help but tell them about the children practicing martial arts at the training grounds that day. Although they understood the reasoning, knowing that some suffering was unavoidable, she still felt sorry for them.

After the three chatted for a while, Mei Chang and Mei E mentioned another matter: Mei Wuxia's recent situation.

***

Speaking of this, it is necessary to mention the Mei family's circumstances.

Although the Mei family produced an Empress, there were no rewards or titles bestowed, only superficial prestige. Among the Mei family's descendants, setting aside those who were still young, only the several Misses, Wushuang, Mei Chang, and Mei E, were somewhat promising.

Mei Chang and Mei E were, after all, biological daughters. Except for Mei E, who lived cautiously due to her aunt's lack of favor, they were never lacking in food or clothing. Mei Chang, of course, need not be mentioned. Because of Aunt He, although she was a daughter of a concubine, she had been favored since she was young.

Wushuang could remain indifferent to the Mei family, only maintaining appearances, but Mei Chang and Mei E could not. They inevitably had closer ties with their maiden family, and naturally knew some of the Mei family's recent circumstances.

Initially, because Emperor Qianwu had shown leniency, Mei Wuxia was not exiled with the Sun family's female relatives, but was instead allowed to return home. After returning home, Cao shi naturally felt extremely sorry for her, and also resented her daughter's misfortune in being born into such a family.

Fortunately, Mei Wuxia had not conceived any children after marrying into the family. Without children and now a widow, remarriage would not be too difficult.

After all, she still held the title of the Empress's cousin. Cao shi was not worried about whether her daughter could remarry, but rather about what kind of family she would marry into.

After Mei Wuxia had rested at home for more than half a year, Cao shi began to look for a next family for her daughter.

Because of this matter, the mother and daughter had a very unpleasant falling out.

Mei Wuxia did not want to remarry, but Cao shi felt that it was inappropriate for a woman to live in her maiden family without marrying. In addition, when Mei Wuxia was still a maiden, she had offended her sister-in-law, Zhang shi, due to her domineering behavior.

Zhang shi knew that her sister-in-law was favored and did not show it back then. Now that her sister-in-law had gone through a lot and made herself more and more miserable, and now that she was under her control, although she was reluctant to show her displeasure due to her parents-in-law, Zhang shi was now in charge of a portion of the household and naturally gave her some subtle hardships.

At the same time, she also said some sweet-sounding but bitter-hearted words in front of her mother-in-law, encouraging her to quickly remarry her younger sister-in-law.

In short, although Mei Wuxia was unwilling, the situation was stronger than her.

On the other hand, Cao shi's search for a husband's family for her daughter was not as smooth as she had imagined. Families with real power and influence were well aware of the relationship between the Empress and the Mei family. Even if they didn't know, just looking at the Mei family's current situation, they could tell that the Empress was not close to the Mei family.

Since they were not close enough, and this eldest daughter of the Mei family had some connection with the rebel prince of that year, they naturally did not want to bring such a person into their home, lest they gain no benefits and instead get themselves into trouble.

But Cao shi was unwilling to consider families of lower status.

After more than a year of such picking and choosing, not only did the whole family grumble, but Cao shi herself was also at her wit's end. She had no choice but to lower her standards again and again. Just then, Mei Wuxia revealed another matter: she was unable to bear children.

Mei Chang and Mei E did not know the specifics, only that it was a result of the harsh treatment she suffered in the Sun family years ago.

Cao shi shed many tears over this matter, lamenting her own bitter fate and that of her daughter.

Mei Wuxia revealed this secret, likely because she truly did not want to marry again, hoping to completely dispel the family's idea. To this end, she even planned to become a nun, saying that since her family did not want to care for her, they should find a place to send her to a nunnery.

Who knew that Mei Zong would scold her severely for it.

At the time, the female members of the family, including Cao shi, did not understand why Mei Zong was so angry. It was only later that Mei Wuxia's eldest brother, Mei Ying, revealed the truth.

These womenfolk casually spoke of shaving their heads and becoming nuns, little knowing that among men, having a woman in the family become a nun was an insult.

This was due to a certain group: the Mount Tai nuns.

Currently, the most flourishing places for courtesans and brothels were none other than the Jiangnan area and the capital. Among them, several schools of pleasure were particularly prominent: the Yangzhou "slim horses" (TN: young girls trained to be courtesans), the Datong "old wives" (TN: older, experienced prostitutes), the Mount Tai nuns, and the West Lake boat girls.

In short, because of the Mount Tai nuns' widespread reputation, both Buddhist and Taoist nuns were greatly affected, as if becoming a nun was not for escaping the world and cultivating oneself, but rather associated with prostitution and lewdness.

Of course, it was not entirely the fault of the nuns in the Mount Tai area. Rather, the world was inherently harsh on women. Most women who became nuns had various tragic backgrounds. They were either abandoned by their families from a young age, or suffered misfortune after adulthood, and had no choice but to seek refuge in the pure, otherworldly realms.

Yet they never expected that even in these otherworldly realms, they could not necessarily find true purity. Either because the abbots were greedy for money, or because they were coerced by others, they were forced to serve people with their bodies even in these otherworldly places, becoming secret prostitutes.

This kind of thing happened everywhere, not only in the Mount Tai area. Even in the capital, Mei Ying could casually name a place that was ostensibly a nunnery, but actually a den of secret prostitutes.

The nuns there were not real nuns either, but prostitutes disguised as wild nuns. Even the government could not control such places. They were not real nuns, so you could not say that they were forcing religious people into prostitution.

In short, because of the actions of this small group of people, the reputation of the entire group was ruined. Therefore, no respectable family would send their daughter to become a nun.

Even her last path was blocked. It was estimated that Mei Wuxia had also given up on herself, no longer being picky, and told Cao shi to just find someone to marry her off to.

But she was Cao shi's own daughter, how could she just find someone at random?

In the end, she found a family. The man was a widower, different from Li Xin back then. This person was nearly twenty years older than Mei Wuxia, and his official position was neither high nor low, serving as a Battalion Commander in the Five Cities Military Commission.

The other party also did not need Mei Wuxia to be able to bear children, because the other party had four sons and three daughters. The sons were both of the main wife and concubines, the eldest was one year older than Mei Wuxia. He was already married and had children. The other ages were in order, the second son was also married, the third son was sixteen, and the fourth son was twelve.

Among the three daughters, one was of marriageable age, and the other two would have to wait a few more years.

The other party's disadvantages were obvious, and their advantages were equally clear—they didn't care whether Mei Wuxia could bear children or not; after all, marrying her was to have a proper wife to manage the household. The family's circumstances were also decent, and the man held the position of Battalion Commander in the Five Cities Military Commission; his official rank wasn't too low. At the very least, marrying their daughter to him wouldn't be too humiliating.

In short, that was the situation, and Cao shi found it acceptable.

If she could have been picky before, she no longer had the inclination to be selective now. This was the most presentable person she could find. She had secretly taken a look at him, and he didn't appear too old.

Moreover, the other party was quite sincere. Although Mei Wuxia was a second-time bride, they were willing to offer some betrothal gifts, with a betrothal silver of two thousand taels.

In the end, Mei Wuxia agreed and married him just like that.

But the story wasn't over, or else Mei Chang and Mei E wouldn't have mentioned her today.

***

After Mei Wuxia married, her days were not good.

Not to mention being a half-way couple, she was disheartened by everything and indifferent to all matters. The widower had married a wife to manage the household. Although he had also considered marital affection, his warm face met a cold backside. Once or twice was fine, but after many times, he became impatient and cooled his ardor as well.

Although this man's original wife had passed away many years ago, he also had concubines, two of whom were not easy to deal with. In any case, the household was already not peaceful. The man wanted to remarry in order to rectify the family affairs, but who knew he would end up with someone like Mei Wuxia? Not only did she not rectify things, but she made the waters even muddier.

This family, with wives who were not quite wives and concubines who were not quite concubines, legitimate sons and daughters, and illegitimate sons and daughters, with two sons who had each married and had children, all lived together in one place.

Mei Wuxia was not valued by her husband, so these concubines and younger generations would also judge people by their status and didn't treat her with much respect. At first, they targeted her subtly, but later, Mei Wuxia suffered some hidden losses from the concubines, which made her husband even more disgusted with her. With one side diminishing and the other growing, her situation was self-evident.

So it is said that even those who are beyond the world may not necessarily find peace, let alone those in the mortal world?

No one would just take a beating without retaliating, especially since Mei Wuxia was not a tolerant person to begin with. If she was dealt with and didn't take revenge, she wouldn't be Mei Wuxia.

After a series of overt and covert struggles, not only was the house made even more chaotic, but the man also revealed a flaw.

This person usually seemed decent enough, but when he was drunk, he would actually hit women.

Of course, it wasn't that he was habitually violent towards women. In any case, outsiders didn't know some of the things that happened. Mei Chang and Mei E didn't see Mei Wuxia every day either. The two of them already disliked her, and after they got married, they couldn't be said to have any close relationship. They only met twice when they returned to their maiden home.

Once, they saw that Mei Wuxia had a bruise on the corner of her mouth. At the time, they didn't know why, but they learned from their respective aunts that she had been slapped twice.

Another time, the two didn't see her, but after returning, they heard from their respective aunts that a few days ago, the Madam had scolded that son-in-law at home, saying that his ears couldn't hold his head, and that he had listened to the concubines after drinking and actually hit the proper wife. Because of this, Cao shi had even gone to his door to make a scene, but it was not known how it was resolved afterward.