Qin Luoxia had thought that her mother-in-law, being a princess, would be difficult to serve.
After all, back in Ming County, Old Lady Jiang had been an extremely particular person.
Every time she looked at Qin Luoxia, she found something dirty about her.
She would criticize everything from head to toe.
And she barely spoke to her, as if speaking to her would lower her own status.
It was always Old Lady Jiang's elderly maid who spoke on her behalf.
But now...
The elderly maid was dead.
Old Lady Jiang was also dead.
So, surviving was the most important thing - being alive was better than anything else.
If a mere exiled lady could be so haughty, then surely a real princess would have her nose in the clouds.
But the reality was unexpected.
Qin Luoxia had worried that Princess Huiyun would look down on her non-noble background and perhaps arrange for some noble lady to become a concubine.
She had heard that the Emperor had bestowed a secondary consort upon the Seventh Prince.
Just imagine, at their age, the Emperor was still giving away women as rewards - it was terrifying to think about.
At first, Qin Luoxia thought perhaps Princess Huiyun was just being affectionate in front of her son.
After all, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships in the village had many variations.
Some mothers-in-law would act incredibly loving in front of their sons and others, but when alone with their daughters-in-law, they would find fault with everything - showing two completely different faces.
But then her husband went to his study.
The princess, who had just been maintaining a dignified and loving appearance, suddenly threw herself into Qin Luoxia's arms, crying.
Princess Huiyun kept saying, "You've suffered so much, you've truly had such difficult years."
With her husband not present, Qin Luoxia didn't want to engage in pretense.
She asked directly, "Mother, you won't look down on my humble background and try to arrange concubines for my husband, will you?"
This question caught Princess Huiyun off guard.
"Arrange what people?"
Qin Luoxia told her about the news she had heard today about the Emperor bestowing a secondary consort upon the Seventh Prince.
Princess Huiyun hadn't really adjusted to her role as a mother-in-law. She was like Madam White Snake - she had given birth to a child, and by the time she saw him again, he was already grown up, successful, and even a grandfather himself.
She didn't know how to interact properly, let alone put on airs as a mother-in-law.
She just wanted to give countless treasures to make up for all the years she had missed.
But sending beautiful women was definitely not on her list of options.
After all, Princess Huiyun herself was a proud beauty and found such actions beneath her.
"My royal brother has become senile. We shouldn't concern ourselves with their affairs. Little Qin, don't let those ladies in the capital brainwash you with nonsense about being a virtuous wife by sending concubines to your husband, while secretly fighting with those concubines causing chaos. Some people only take concubines because they have no children to inherit their family legacy and have no choice, while others do it because the men are greedy and lustful, using their wives' virtue as an excuse. The truth is, people are naturally selfish - they don't want to share good things with others, let alone their own husband."
Qin Luoxia felt somewhat embarrassed by her mother-in-law's words.
Then she hugged Princess Huiyun tightly: "Mother, you're so kind. I lost my own mother when I was very young, and with no elders at home to teach me, I don't understand many things. I'm always afraid of being ridiculed. Now that I have you as my mother, I'm not afraid anymore. Thank you for teaching me these things. In the future, if anyone criticizes me for not taking concubines, I'll tell them that's what my princess mother taught me."
Princess Huiyun felt something odd about these words.
But she supposed it made sense.
She felt that her daughter-in-law had indeed had it tough, growing up without guidance, yet still managing to take such good care of her husband and child. She was truly a good girl, a good child.
"Yes, just tell them I taught you that. We're not afraid. If anyone bullies you or speaks ill of you, tell mother, and I'll stand up for you."
After Princess Huiyun finished speaking, she saw her daughter-in-law nodding continuously.
Worried about her being bullied in court circles, Princess Huiyun gave her straightforward daughter-in-law detailed advice about dealing with people.
"When you meet people with ulterior motives, just keep a stern face, don't be too friendly. If you don't want to talk about something, just smile briefly and brush it off. If you encounter someone particularly chatty and can't avoid them, you don't need to respond - just stare at them for a while, and they'll naturally stop talking. Most people follow the pattern of flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak, so they usually won't deliberately make things difficult for you. If anyone does try to bully you, don't worry - if you want to scold them back, do it; if you want to fight back, do it. Mother will support you. If you can't fight back at the time, it's fine - come tell mother, and I'll help you get revenge."
Qin Luoxia: ...
How did her mother-in-law's advice seem to get more and more outrageous?
Was this really the right way to teach?
She turned to see Mianmian listening very attentively on the side.
Qin Luoxia felt that her daughter was already quite unruly.
She had heard that when officials reported her husband to the court, one of the accusations was that her daughter had supposedly robbed money from a Secretary's son...
Although it was later proven to be false accusations,
Qin Luoxia wasn't entirely sure in her heart - it seemed like something her daughter might do.
The young girl had always been somewhat unpredictable.
When she was very young, Qin Luoxia had felt that the little girl wasn't much like her, as if she came from some distinguished background.
Now it made sense - she was a princess's granddaughter, of course she had an impressive background.
Now she could see where Mianmian's arrogant and troublemaking tendencies came from - it was from her grandmother, the princess right in front of them.
She was already quite bold; if she learned more from her grandmother, the combination would be unimaginable.
Qin Luoxia gave her daughter a stern look and said as lovingly as possible, "It's late, Mianmian, go to bed. Mother needs to talk with your grandmother for a while longer."
Jiang Mianmian was quite sensible - when her mother called her by her full name, she knew to be obedient.
She left reluctantly.
She had wanted to hear more about her grandmother's glorious past.
After sending her young daughter away, Qin Luoxia continued to maintain an eager-to-learn expression as she sought guidance from Princess Huiyun.
Princess Huiyun noticed the reluctant look in her granddaughter's eyes as she left, and couldn't help but shudder slightly.
She thought back, wondering if she had said anything inappropriate.
Teaching a daughter-in-law should be different from teaching a granddaughter.
Princess Huiyun now felt both proud that her granddaughter was like her and worried about the same thing.
With the daughter gone, only Qin Luoxia and her mother-in-law remained.
After the interruption, Princess Huiyun wasn't sure what else to teach.
But under her daughter-in-law's trusting and admiring gaze, she had to continue somewhat awkwardly.
"You shouldn't be too good either, always thinking only of your husband and children. A woman should take care of herself, pay attention to her appearance, and dress beautifully."
As she spoke, Princess Huiyun couldn't help but look her daughter-in-law up and down.
Come to think of it, she had quite good features.
A large oval face, thick eyebrows and large eyes, fair skin, long legs and a slim waist. The more Princess Huiyun looked, the more she realized that her daughter-in-law was actually quite beautiful, just in a different way.
Unlike the typical petite beauties, but definitely attractive in her own right.
Her son actually had quite good taste.
After all, people tend to see things through their own filters.
If a princess's son had really married an ugly farm woman, it would have been embarrassing to be seen with her in public, and she would inevitably suffer by comparison.
Princess Huiyun, being at the pinnacle of beauty standards in their era, not only was beautiful and high-ranking but also naturally knew how to dress well.
Her daughter-in-law dressed too properly and plainly.
The daughter-in-law wasn't suited for modest colors; she needed something more brilliant.
With those long legs, although she couldn't wear revealing skirts as the lady of the house, there were ways to show off her leg and waist curves.
There were undergarments and tied pants beneath the robes.
As the princess looked her daughter-in-law up and down, her mind was already filled with various matching outfits and jewelry.
She would take care of everything - the poor child had grown up without anyone to dote on her.
Princess Huiyun chatted with her daughter-in-law until late into the night, until her son came over looking weak.
Jiang Changtian came wrapped in his robe, and perhaps due to the wind, he coughed twice as he entered.
Then he said to Princess Huiyun, "Mother, it's late, you should rest."
Turning to Qin Luoxia, he said, "Xia-mei, it's too cold, I need you to soak my feet - I haven't done it today."
Qin Luoxia quickly stood up: "Oh yes, yes, I forgot. Come, I'll prepare the medicine."
Even though he was her own son, Princess Huiyun felt a bit disappointed seeing her son's sickly appearance.
Having to take care of such a husband every day, her daughter-in-law really had it tough.
Foot soaking couldn't be left to the servants; it had to be done by Little Qin.
As if hearing Princess Huiyun's thoughts, Jiang Changtian weakly explained to her: "Xia-mei knows the acupressure points. Usually, while soaking my feet, she helps massage the points, which helps me sleep better. Mother, did you sleep well? Should we have Xia-mei massage your feet as well?"
Princess Huiyun: ...This is too much. After I gave you a massage, you still want your wife to massage your mother's feet.
Although Princess Huiyun didn't have modern egalitarian views, she had just been having a pleasant conversation with her daughter-in-law, forming a united front. Then her son suddenly demanded his wife to serve her.
Even though he was her own son, Princess Huiyun felt somewhat uncomfortable about it.
"I don't need it. You two go and get some rest," Princess Huiyun held back from lecturing her son, deciding to wait until they became more familiar with each other.
Qin Luoxia didn't dare to say anything. She knew nothing about acupressure points - it was always her husband who helped wash her feet and massaged her pressure points.
She worried that if she spoke, she would give herself away.
Qin Luoxia obediently followed her husband away.
Princess Huiyun sighed again, feeling sympathy for her daughter-in-law's situation.
What a lovely girl she was.
...
