After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 95 Aunt Pan Comes to Beg

While three generations were preparing for the imperial examinations, Lin Yueniang and her two daughters, who lived far away in Changshou Village, Changshou County, were finally about to set off.

Madam Jiang was initially very opposed to a group of women traveling alone, but unfortunately, all the men in the family were already in the prefectural city, taking most of the men with them.

He wanted to send his steward to the county to hire a few more bodyguards, but his daughter-in-law and granddaughters stopped him.

Lin Yueniang didn't say much, but simply had her best-skilled maid demonstrate a set of sword techniques.

Then he had two maids spar, one with a sword and the other with a spear. Their moves were fierce and ruthless, and an expert could tell that they had not been practicing martial arts for long.

Those without martial arts skills would only exclaim how amazing it is, let alone Madam Jiang, an old lady who hardly ever leaves the house even once a year.

Madam Jiang was stunned; how could a woman from the inner quarters ever witness such a powerful and resounding scene?

"Good, good, Mingfei is so filial. The people who buy things for you are all capable and useful!"

"Sigh~ Unlike my son, that heartless fellow! He wouldn't even buy me a maid who knows martial arts for protection, he rarely even sets foot in my courtyard to pay his respects!"

Lin Yueniang had no way to respond to this.

Right? That's your own son, old lady. You can criticize him yourself, but if someone else says something bad about him, even if you don't get angry on the surface, you'll still be unhappy inside.

Saying no? Isn't that contradicting the old lady? Oh, so you, the daughter-in-law, think your mother-in-law is wrong?

So at this point, just smile and remain silent.

Lin Yueniang smiled and told the maids to leave.

As for why the two daughters weren't allowed to demonstrate the double swords and the nine-section whip?

Haha, although Madam Jiang is not a bad person, she has been brainwashed by feudal ethics for decades. How could she possibly stand to watch her own granddaughter wielding swords and spears?

What kind of behavior is that? As for a daughter-in-law wielding knives and guns, or scaling walls and roofs, isn't that unchaste and immoral?

Why are you brandishing knives and guns? Are you trying to abuse your husband? Why are you scaling walls and roofs? Don't you need a ladder when you're having an affair?

Haha, it's better to avoid trouble.

It's enough to let people know that the maids know martial arts; feudal ethics are actually lenient towards those who sell themselves into slavery.

This is not to say that those who sell themselves into slavery are no longer bound by social norms, but rather that most people believe that those who sell themselves into slavery are the private property of their masters. Although they are still human beings, they are more like 'commodities' or 'property'.

After chatting with Lin Yueniang for a few more minutes, Madam Jiang told her to take the children back home.

Lin Yueniang, who had just returned to her own courtyard, was about to instruct Cui'er to have the maids pack their luggage for the trip when someone came to the courtyard.

"Greetings, madam."

"Greetings to mother."

Aunt Pan brought her two daughters to the door.

Lin Yueniang asked the group to sit down, guessing their purpose for coming.

Aunt Pan accepted the tea offered by the maid, her envy barely concealed.

She still only has one son, Que'er, by her side, and Que'er is getting old and it looks like he'll be getting married soon.

Once Que'er gets married and has her own children, she won't be able to serve him personally anymore.

He had no one left to use, while his wife had plenty of manpower.

Not to mention the madam, the eldest and second young ladies each had two maids by their side.

Her two daughters are now quite old, and they have no one to take care of them, so she has to do everything herself.

I don't know if the old lady forgot or what, but there hasn't been any arrangement made.

The old lady, though over fifty, was still sharp of hearing and sight and showed no intention of relinquishing her control of the household. Lin Yueniang, the lady herself, was in no hurry either.

But Aunt Pan was anxious. She couldn't reason with the old lady, but she knew it would be easier to talk to the madam.

Even for the sake of her own reputation, the lady would still consider the daughters of concubines.

In the few moments it took to drink tea, Aunt Pan's mind raced with thoughts of how to begin.

Seeing that the lady remained unmoved, Aunt Pan finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Is Madam packing her bags? Is she preparing to leave for the prefectural city?"

"Yes, we'll set off tomorrow."

Lin Yueniang didn't hide it from her, since they were leaving early the next morning and there was no need to keep it a secret.

"So rushed? This is too hasty..."

"It's been delayed for too long. If my mother-in-law hadn't caught a cold and I, as her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, hadn't had to stay to take care of her, I would probably be in the prefectural city with Mingfei preparing for the exam by now."

"Yes, yes, yes, the young master's imperial examination is important. The old master and the master are both by his side this time, so Madam doesn't need to worry."

Besides, our young master is the top scholar in the county examination, so he will definitely pass the prefectural examination. If he passes the second examination, our young master will become a student of the first degree, right?

Oh dear, the master and the old master are both students who have passed the imperial examinations. Now our Jiang family has three students who have passed the imperial examinations!

Other villages might have only one or two students who pass the imperial examinations, but our family has three! That's truly remarkable!

Lin Yueniang's mood improved when she mentioned her son. This Aunt Pan's understanding was limited; what did a mere student count for?

Her son, Mingfei, is going to take the imperial examination to become a scholar. She'll be the mother of a future scholar, and her son won't be content with just becoming a child scholar like his father.

“Being a child scholar is not considered a proper academic achievement. My father-in-law is too old and his health is not good enough to take the provincial examination, and my master has no interest in this.”

Mingfei will continue to strive for advancement, but it's uncertain whether he will participate in the academy examination this year, which is only one or two months away.

"Oh my, really?! Then I'll congratulate you in advance, Madam!" Aunt Pan said obsequiously.

She showered him with compliments, but Lin Yueniang waited for her to continue.

This woman brought her two daughters on this trip; she certainly didn't come solely to praise her son.

Sure enough, after saying a long speech, Aunt Pan changed the subject, "However, there is something I don't know whether I should say or not."

Lin Yueniang glanced at her, put down her teacup, and said, "Just say what you have to say."

Aunt Pan covered her face with a handkerchief, feigning weakness, and said, "I know I shouldn't trouble you, Madam, but you are about to depart and have important matters to attend to."

However, I have no one to rely on right now, and my two daughters are getting older. Although they are born out of wedlock, they will still be the sisters of the scholar in the future, won't they?

My status will be different from now on; I can't continue like before without a personal maid to serve me...

That would be a loss of face for the scholar, wouldn't it? Therefore, I would like to ask Madam if you could spare two maids from your room for me.

The third and fourth daughters dared not overstep their elder sister's bounds; each was assigned only one maidservant.

Lin Yueniang sneered inwardly. This Aunt Pan really knew how to scheme; she actually dared to set her sights on her room.

Was her maid an ordinary maid?

Although they were very ordinary when they were bought, after a year of training, the older ones are now capable of serving as half-guards, and they are rare and precious female guards on the market!

Lin Yueniang scoffed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm. "If the concubine doesn't have enough people around her, why don't you ask the old lady for more?"

My mother-in-law is still the head of the household, and I can't overstep my authority. As a daughter-in-law, I can't do things in a way that surpasses my mother-in-law's.

Besides, I only have a limited number of maids in my room, and they were all bought by Mingfei in the prefectural city and given to my mother and me.

All monthly expenses are paid from the residence in the prefectural city, and the money comes from my son. I can't possibly use my son's money to subsidize others.

The word "others" was emphasized heavily, and Aunt Pan looked embarrassed, but she still gritted her teeth and was willing to put aside her pride for the sake of her two daughters.

"Yes, it was I who was out of line. I shouldn't have coveted the people who were so capable by Madam's side, but these two children are indeed pitiful."

"Pitiful? Is it because you lack food or clothing? Or is your house drafty and leaky?"

"No, no, it's just that..."

There's no one to help her dress and comb her hair; she doesn't have the air of a young lady. Can you say that? There aren't even fifth or sixth daughters here.

The maid who used to serve Consort Qin ran away, but the wet nurse stayed to take care of the children. However, neither of the two women had any maids with them, so the wet nurse's job was simply to make sure the children were fed and clothed.

"Alright, when you pay your respects to the old lady, mention it to her. She's been busy and ill, so she probably hasn't thought of many things."

"It's nothing. My mother-in-law is kind and gentle, and very easy to talk to. Just tell her the truth about your situation; there's no need to hold back."

"Yes……"

Aunt Pan was speechless. Where did she get the idea that the mistress was easier to talk to than the old lady? She regretted coming here first.

Sigh, let's not bring up the second request for now. It's pointless to bring it up; we'll just get rejected anyway.

After all, the young master had said that he would come back in two years to take his daughter to the prefectural city to study under the female teacher.

It's only been a year, the time hasn't come yet, so let's be patient and wait a little longer.

After all, her daughter is older, so it will be her daughter's turn first, and the fifth or sixth son won't get there first.

Even if the madam doesn't agree, the three of them can go directly to the Seventh Young Master for help! The Seventh Young Master won't abandon his sisters.

The three women bowed and took their leave. Lin Yueniang breathed a sigh of relief. "Cui'er, tell the maids to pack their things. We're leaving tomorrow morning!"

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