0p0 Chapter 117 Reversal!
Chapter 117 Reversal!
"Madam Lu, everyone here today comes with sincerity. I'm afraid it's not a good idea for you to be like this." Madam Huang, the Minister of Rites, covered her face with her sleeves, but the contempt in her eyes was not concealed at all.
After all, she is the daughter of the Shen family, how could she do such shameless things?
If this gets out, it will bring shame to their Shen family!
Being accused in such a face, Shen Ruoyan was not annoyed, but just asked back: "May I ask Madam Huang, what's wrong with me doing this?"
She had a faint smile on her face, not a bit embarrassed or angry about being exposed, and her calm and composed look made it seem that Madam Huang was the one who had no standing.
A lady who couldn't bear to see this said, "Madam Lu, if you have difficulties at home, you can just tell us. Anyway, the Marquis of Changning has already gone to the battlefield, and others won't blame him. There's no need to take out such an ordinary item and try to get the better of him."
They rely on the fact that it is a charity fundraising event, and know that no matter what is offered, someone will buy it, so they are so unscrupulous and perfunctory, which is really disgraceful!
Doing such a shameless thing, not only the unmarried girls of the Shen and Lu families, but even the reputation of the noble ladies in Shengjing will be implicated by her!
"To seek the best of both worlds?" Shen Ruoyan smiled, not disguising her smile. "May I ask, Madam, do you have any evidence?"
"You! Isn't the evidence in your hands?" Madam Huang couldn't stand it and thought it was ridiculous. Did Shen Ruoyan really not understand what people said? Did she have to let others say it so clearly so that she would be completely embarrassed?
"The inkstone in your hand is one that every household has. If you take it outside, it would cost at most a few taels of silver!" Mrs. Huang couldn't see clearly because she was far away, but the style of the inkstone looked ordinary, and there was no gold or silver inlay on it. How expensive could it be?
Others also echoed it. All those present were girls from aristocratic families. Which family didn’t have a scholar?
There are so many things like inkstones. What's so special about them?
However, Zou Miao, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, did not speak. She sat quietly in the middle, letting the voices around her surge without opening her mouth to agree with a single word.
She just sat there quietly, looking at the inkstone in Shen Ruoyan's hand, thoughtful.
"A few taels of silver can indeed buy a very good inkstone, but the inkstone in my hand is priceless." Shen Ruoyan stood up slowly under the questioning gazes of the crowd. She walked to the middle, took out the inkstone in her hand, and showed it to everyone.
"This inkstone is called Gaoyuan Inkstone, which means to look far from a height. It is made of a whole piece of precious emerald stone and was carved by 20 skilled masters over a period of six years."
Gao Yuanyan? !
Mrs. Zou clenched her hands suddenly. Could it be what she thought?
"What Gao Yuanyan? I've never heard of it." Madam Huang frowned. Her impression of Shen Ruoyan had dropped to the lowest point. "Did he just make up a name to frame us?"
"Mrs. Huang, please be careful with your words." Mrs. Zou could no longer sit still and stopped Mrs. Huang before she could say anything more unpleasant.
Then she was slowly helped up by the maid, and walked quickly to Shen Ruoyan's front. She suppressed her inner excitement and asked politely: "Mrs. Lu, may I take a closer look?"
Shen Ruoyan did not refuse, and handed the inkstone to her with a smile, "Madam, please do as you please."
There is actually an interesting story about Mrs. Zou and Mrs. Huang.
The Minister of Rites values rules, while the Minister of Revenue values economy. Others say that if he were to marry, the Minister of Rites would marry a virtuous and knowledgeable wife, who would be a good match for him. The Minister of Revenue would marry a generous and graceful mistress, who would be able to manage the household.
Who would have thought that these two assistant ministers would not play by the rules at all. The assistant minister of rites married a straightforward woman named Huang. Although she also came from a noble family, she was not good at poetry and literature.
On the contrary, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, Madam Zou, was very proficient in playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Before she got married, a good poem of hers could attract many people to imitate her, and she was called one of the ten most talented women in Shengjing. At that time, some people even said that if she were a man, she would definitely be able to pass the imperial examination.
It’s a pity that she is a woman.
This one of the ten most talented ladies in Shengjing is now holding the inkstone carefully and examining it closely.
She looked serious, as if she was looking at some rare treasure. Seeing this, the originally noisy crowd somehow lowered their voices automatically. Later, when Mrs. Zou returned the inkstone to Shen Ruoyan, the whole place was already silent.
"Mrs. Zou, what's the matter?" Mrs. Huang couldn't help but ask, "Is there something wrong with this inkstone? Is it not even worth a few taels of silver?!"
The crowd immediately started to make a noise. "No way? Madam Lu is the wife of a marquis after all. She shouldn't be like this."
"Yes, she will have to go out in public in the future. She should respect her reputation and protect her dignity. Even if she is considering the Marquis of Changning, she shouldn't do such a thing!"
"It's worth a few taels of silver. Even if it's worth ten times, it's only a few dozen taels... It's too shabby..."
The voices of these people's discussions reached Shen Ruoyan's ears. She did not refute or explain in public. Instead, she quietly took the inkstone back in her hand, seemingly casually, but actually carefully and cautiously.
All her actions were seen by Mrs. Zou who was standing next to her. As the words became increasingly unbearable to her ears, she quickly coughed a few times and finally got everyone to stop and look over.
"Everyone, this inkstone is called Gaoyuan Inkstone. Maybe some ladies don't know it, but if there are students taking exams at home, I'm afraid they will know it well."
Mrs. Zou’s words stunned everyone. What did this mean?
"The Gaoyuan Inkstone is made of precious materials, and its price alone is hard to estimate. Most importantly, this inkstone belongs to Shen Mo, the dean of Lishan Academy, who loves it very much. It is said that Mr. Shen Mo used this inkstone to grind and write the four characters of Lishan Academy!"
Students from Lishan Academy spread all over the world, and countless of them became officials in the court.
Shen Mo is a role model for scholars all over the world. In their hearts, Shen Mo's status is comparable to that of a great scholar! Not to mention the inkstone he used, even the pen he used is hard to find outside!
There are also rumors that anything used by Mr. Shen Mo can be helpful in the exam if you can get it.
Didn't the last top scholar put the pen given by Mr. Shen Mo under his pillow and slept for three days before the imperial examination? !
This was said by the number one scholar himself!
In an instant, the inkstone in Shen Ruoyan's hand became a hot commodity in the eyes of everyone.
Even Madam Zou couldn't help but clasp her hands together. She ignored the surprise of the people below and mustered up the courage to ask, "May I ask Madam Lu, how much do you want for this inkstone?"
Her son was about to take part in the Spring Examination. Regardless of whether the rumors were true or not, she wanted to secure a place for her son.
After all, Mr. Shen Mo is the great scholar her son admires the most!