sbdcsierra Chapter 21 Taiming Academy
Chapter 21 Taiming Academy
Lan's last words were almost a scream.
Terrified, Granny Hui quickly grabbed her leg tightly, crying, "Madam, Madam, you mustn't!"
"Lan Yin!" Duke Sheng shouted, his fists clenched behind his back, barely suppressing his anger: "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Don't forget, you're not just that girl's mother, you're also the Lady of the Duke of Sheng's Mansion, the mother of Junyao and the others! Junyao is getting married at the end of the year, and if you cause this scene, how will people laugh at the Duke's Mansion, how will they laugh at Junyao! You're simply... simply..."
The Duke of Sheng was so angry that he was quite agitated, but when he saw his wife with red eyes, he had no choice but to suppress his anger.
"What happened today was my fault. I only saw that she had some strength and grew up in the countryside and didn't know any rules. I was worried that she would lose her sense of propriety and that it would be too late to discipline her if she caused a big disaster. So I had someone teach her a lesson. Now that I've gone to so much trouble to bring her back, how could I possibly want to kill her?" Duke Sheng took a breath, full of helplessness, and could only explain to Madam Lan in a soft voice.
Granny Hui also seized the opportunity to advise, "Madam, I know you always feel that you have wronged the young lady, but the young lady will eventually have to make a name for herself in the capital. There are certain rules that she must understand. Otherwise, she will not only bring trouble to the family, but also harm herself!"
“She won’t, she won’t,” Lan blurted out instinctively.
She didn't know where her stubborn trust came from; even though she didn't know the child, she just felt that she wouldn't really do anything reckless.
"Alright, go back and rest. I assure you, as long as she behaves herself in the future, whether she wants to be the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion or not, she will still be a daughter of the Duke's mansion, and I will not mistreat her," Duke Sheng said with a headache.
"Is that all?" Lady Lan stared stubbornly at Duke Sheng and asked, "So you just don't agree to send Yunzhu away, is that it?"
“Yunzhu cannot be sent away.” The Duke of Sheng frowned and looked at Madam Lan: “Madam Lan, the Duke of Sheng’s mansion cannot be without its eldest daughter. Even if you want to acknowledge Lu Yangyang, she cannot.”
Lan looked at the man she had shared a bed with for over twenty years with disappointment, closed her eyes, wiped away her tears, and turned to leave.
Granny Hui hurriedly got up and followed.
"Madam, Madam, you must take good care of yourself!" Granny Hui supported her and earnestly advised her.
"Do you know what he's saying? He's telling me that Yangyang is disfigured and useless, and that he's already being kind by letting her stay." Madam Lan suddenly laughed. "How ridiculous! He's Yangyang's biological father. Back then, I was kidnapped because the enemy wanted to use me to threaten him, which caused Yangyang's premature birth. Yangyang suffered so much, and yet he's complaining that she's useless..."
"Madam, Madam, please don't overthink things. I know you care about the young lady. If you care about her, you should take good care of yourself so that you can watch her grow up and find her a good husband. She suffered in the first half of her life, but now that she's back by your side, she'll surely turn misfortune into good fortune and live a peaceful and prosperous life from now on."
Her words suddenly cheered Lan up a bit. She nodded and said, "You're right. I still have a chance. I can still make it up to Yangyang. I have to live. I have to watch her grow up properly. I have to let everyone know that Yangyang is my daughter."
Hearing this, Granny Hui was finally relieved and carefully helped her walk outside.
Not far away, a young girl who was pruning flowers and trees with her head down glanced over here. After the two left, she quickly clutched her stomach and said to the supervisor, "My stomach hurts, I need to go to the outhouse..."
Then he ran away in a hurry.
……
Yunfang Courtyard.
Sheng Yunzhu had just been helped by her maid to change her clothes and was leaning weakly against the bed.
The head maid, Dianmo, went out to see the doctor off, then leaned over and whispered to Sheng Yunzhu, "Miss, Xiaolian is here."
Sheng Yunzhu frowned, looking somewhat helpless, but still said, "Let her in."
The little maid Xiaolian, who had been pruning the flower branches, was led to Sheng Yunzhu's bedside.
Xiao Lian walked over and knelt down, lowering her voice to tell Sheng Yunzhu everything she had overheard. After a moment's hesitation, she said uncertainly, "I also overheard that Madam and the Duke had a fight. I didn't hear it very clearly, but it sounded like they were talking about sending someone away and getting a divorce. I was far away, so I might have misheard."
Sheng Yunzhu's face turned pale instantly.
After Xiaolian left, Sheng Yunzhu grabbed the porcelain pillow on the bed and smashed it forcefully.
The porcelain pillow shattered into pieces on the floor with a crash.
"Miss, Miss, you must calm down! That girl is far away, she probably misheard. This is the Duke's mansion, and the lady is the head of the family. She would never talk about divorce or anything like that. You must not take it to heart!" Dianmo knelt down in front of the bed and grabbed Sheng Yunzhu's cold hand.
Sheng Yunzhu gripped the blanket tightly, her eyes bloodshot. "I've been fawning over her for over a decade, and it's not even as good as that bitch coming back for a day?"
She clenched her teeth, a metallic taste rising in her mouth.
She would never, ever let anyone take what belongs to her, absolutely not!
In this lifetime, she is Sheng Yunzhu!
No one can compete with her, not a single one!
……
Lu Yangyang had no idea that in the short time she had been in the Duke's mansion, the mansion had almost turned upside down because of her.
No sooner had Lady Lan left the Duke of Sheng's courtyard than someone came to tell the Duke that Lu Yangyang had caused trouble again, throwing people out of the hall and causing Zheng Hui to be crushed in the tailbone by Zheng Ziqian and Sheng Yunzhu.
Madam Sheng never expected that her daughter would encounter such a serious incident, so she had no choice but to quickly leave the Duke of Sheng's mansion with her entourage.
When Madam Li found out, she was so angry that she fainted.
Duke Sheng originally didn't want to get involved in these trivial matters, but thinking of how crazy Lady Lan had just gone, he had no choice but to go to Old Madam Li's courtyard in person to calm her down. He also sent someone to Duke Zheng's residence to apologize, which finally put the matter to rest for the time being.
He even had someone call over Granny Shen to give her some personal instructions.
Lu Yangyang finally had some free time after Sheng Yunjiao and Yan Yue left, but before she could even catch her breath, Shen Mama was watching her and tidying up her desolate courtyard from head to toe.
If Lu Yangyang hadn't insisted on stopping her from planting flowers and trees in the yard, even that vacant lot would have been lost.
After tidying up the courtyard and finishing the clothes, Granny Shen unceremoniously filled Lu Yangyang's schedule with lessons, including reading, writing, needlework, and cooking.
Lu Yangyang was so exhausted by her antics that she was seeing stars. Looking at her schedule packed with classes all day, she was completely dumbfounded.
"Granny Shen, how much do I have to learn in a day?"
Granny Shen smiled and said, "Miss, these are just the basics. The most famous academy in our capital is called Taiming Academy. Taiming Academy is divided into South Garden and North Garden. South Garden is a girls' academy, and North Garden is a boys' academy. The founder of the academy is Lady Hua, who is an extraordinary woman. She single-handedly changed the status of women in the Great Zhao Kingdom. Although they still cannot enter the court, they can study like men. In the past, they could even enter the palace as female officials based on their own abilities."
"Why before? Is it not possible now?" Lu Yangyang was very curious about this female official.
“Since the Empress passed away, the Shanggong Bureau has stopped recruiting from outside the palace and only conducts internal assessments.” Granny Shen paused for a moment, seemingly thinking of something, then smiled and said, “But as you may have guessed, all the women in the capital consider it an honor to be able to enter Taiming Academy.”
“If you don’t want to fall behind others, you must get into Taiming Academy.”
"The entrance exam for Taiming Academy will be held in early August. The list of admitted students will be announced before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and classes will begin after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Girl, you only have two months."