Chapter 158: Surely Not That Petty

Chapter 158: Surely Not That Petty

At home, a daughter obeys her father; upon marriage, her husband; if widowed, her son.

The concept of a woman having to obey the 'Three Obediences and Four Virtues' was deeply ingrained in Tang Shubai. Thus, when Qi Liangsheng said he could be Tang Shuyi's support, Tang Shubai's first reaction was that he was right.

But now, Lady Tang asked him, does the Shuyi of today need to rely on a man? Tang Shubai thought about it. The things that Tang Shuyi had done recently, her wit and strategy, were no less than his. Even the Duke of Tang once said that in some respects, he was not as good as Tang Shuyi.

Thinking this way, his sister truly did not need to rely on a man.

However, since Qi Liangsheng had brought it up, he felt it was still better to ask Tang Shuyi. So he said to Lady Tang, "After all, it's Shuyi's affair. You should visit the Marquis of Yongning's residence tomorrow and ask Shuyi what she thinks."

Lady Tang thought it made sense. Even though she believed that Tang Shuyi would definitely not agree, she couldn't make the decision for her and replied, "Alright, I will visit the Marquis’s residence tomorrow."

Having discussed this matter, Lady Tang then said to Tang Shubai, "Just now, Lady Li sent an invitation. She wants to visit, probably still about the marriage between her daughter and our Third Son. I've hinted to her before to consider someone else, but after all, that girl is her own flesh and blood."

Tang Shubai's brows slightly furrowed, and after a while, he said, "If she brings it up again, just refuse. If it really comes to it, I will speak with Li Huaqing."

Li Huaqing was Lady Li's husband.

Hearing his words, Lady Tang felt relieved and started discussing the marriage of Tang's Third Son. She had her eye on a certain lady but believed they still needed to make careful inquiries…

Tang Shubai sat by her side, sipping tea and listening to her speak, occasionally giving his opinion. Suddenly, he felt a sense of tranquil contentment. At the same time, he understood why Qi Liangsheng, despite the abundance of younger girls available, was adamant about marrying Tang Shuyi.

For people of their status, it wasn’t women that they lacked, but someone with whom they could truly converse.

………

Tang Shuyi and Xiao Yuzhu returned to the mansion and first went to see Xiao Yuming. Upon entering the room, they found him playing with a dagger, truly unable to sit still!

"How are you feeling?" Tang Shuyi walked over to ask. Xiao Yuzhu, taking a liking to the dagger in his hand, reached out for it. Xiao Yuming handed her the dagger, saying, "Much better, I'll be able to practice martial arts in a couple of days."

Just half a day and I felt like I was going to suffocate.

"Still, you need to rest a few more days." While saying this, Tang Shuyi thought to herself that she needed to consult the physician later about the possibility of lingering ailments.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yuzhu was playing with the dagger, flipping it back and forth. Seeing this, Xiao Yuming said, "I'll teach you a couple of moves later."

Xiao Yuzhu nodded eagerly upon hearing this, her eyes sparkling. Tang Shuyi did not voice any objections; it wasn't a bad idea for a girl to know some moves.

"How was your visit to the Wang residence?" Xiao Yuming asked.

Tang Shuyi briefly recounted their visit to the Wang residence. Xiao Yuming then pondered, "Mother, do you think, could it be that my father had previously shown favor to the Carefree King?"

Tang Shuyi thought for a moment and replied, "If that were the case, why didn't the Dowager show us such an attitude before?"

"Maybe she didn't know before, and now she does?" Xiao Yuming suggested.

Tang Shuyi pondered again, "Perhaps that's possible. However, there's no need to dwell on it. The reason will reveal itself eventually."

Xiao Yuming nodded in agreement.

After chatting a bit more, Tang Shuyi took Xiao Yuzhu and left. Back at Shi'an Garden, she summoned the physician to inquire about Xiao Yuming's condition and whether there could be lingering health issues.

The physician reassured her, "These are just superficial wounds. The Second Young Master is robust; not only will there be no lingering ailments, there won't even be scars."

Tang Shuyi felt relieved upon hearing this.

After the physician left, she took Xiao Yuzhu to the study to work on the start-up plan for the guild and explained it to her. Xiao Yuzhu might not excel in feminine arts like embroidery or in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she showed some intelligence in this regard, making it not too difficult for Tang Shuyi to teach her.

The mother and daughter spent the entire afternoon in the study, and it wasn't until Cuicloud reminded them that it was time for dinner that they left. Tang Shuyi also mentioned, "Once the plan is ready, we'll send a copy to the Qi residence for Qi'er to review. I suppose he's just like your brother, got a beating."

If she was to nurture Qi'er, she would certainly do it wholeheartedly.

Just as they reached the dining hall, a maid from Lady Tang's side came, announcing that Lady Tang would visit the next day. Tang Shuyi had initially planned to visit the Lakeside Pavilion by Langyue Lake tomorrow, but it seemed that plan had to be postponed.

The following day, after breakfast, Lady Tang came over. Tang Shuyi, accompanied by Xiao Yuzhu, joined her for a chat. After some idle talk, Lady Tang hinted at wanting to discuss private matters, prompting Tang Shuyi to send Xiao Yuzhu out.

"Elder sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Tang Shuyi inquired.

Madame Tang, too, wore an expression that spoke volumes of unsaid words. "Yesterday, Qi Liangsheng came to our house and spoke to your elder brother about…"

Madame Tang seemed hesitant to continue. Tang Shuyi, picking up her teacup, prompted, "What did he say? Is it about Yuchen?"

"No," Madame Tang replied. "He said that he has taken a liking to you and wishes to take you as his wife."

Pfft…

The tea Tang Shuyi had just sipped sprayed out in response, followed by a fit of coughing. Madame Tang moved to pat her back, but Tang Shuyi, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, gestured her to stop. After catching her breath, she managed to say, "This... How did he even come up with such an idea?"

At this, Madame Tang couldn't help but laugh, teasingly adding, "Don't sell yourself short. You're far more capable than those teenage girls. Although Qi Liangsheng is looking for a second wife, he's quite sought after in the capital. Yet, he has his eyes set on you, claiming that if you marry him, you won't suffer the slightest grievance."

Now it was Tang Shuyi's turn to be at a loss for words. She retorted, "Elder sister-in-law, do I look like a fool to you?"

"Why would you say that?" Madame Tang asked.

Tang Shuyi: "If I didn't look like a fool to him, why would Qi Liangsheng say those things to my brother? Why would I give up my independent life to serve him, his mother, and become a stepmother to his legitimate and illegitimate children, all the while competing with his concubines for favor? Only a fool would do such a thing."

Madame Tang burst into laughter and then said, "Let me tell you, men's thoughts are different from ours. They believe that we should depend on a man to live a pitiable life."

Tang Shuyi didn't wish to comment on this, thinking that not just in the deeply ingrained male-dominated ancient society, but even in modern times, many still believe that a woman should rely on a man.

"Elder sister-in-law, please tell my brother to convey to him that we're not suited for each other," Tang Shuyi requested.

She just wondered if this would affect the cooperation they had reached, where Qi Liangsheng was responsible for instructing Xiao Yuchen, and she was to mentor Qi Er.

Surely Qi Liangsheng wouldn't be so petty.