The Training of a Noble Lady - Chapter 33: Su Ping

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As the year draws to a close, the interactions among the major aristocratic families have become more frequent. Since the previous Marquis of Xuanwu and his wife both perished in Yizhou, although the old lady is still holding the fort, the lack of a capable and energetic matriarch has led the major families to refrain from sending invitations to the Marquis of Xuanwu's residence unless it's for a very necessary occasion. Now, a new Marquis of Xuanwu's wife has emerged amidst much fanfare, and the Marquis of Xuanwu is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor. Without any ulterior motives, all sorts of invitations are pouring into the Marquis's residence, with various pretexts and reasons.
Li Zhiyi remained composed in this situation. Having attended various banquets with her mother since childhood, she was adept at navigating the complex relationships among different ladies. Her two aunts were also quite shrewd. With the guidance of Madam Tang, Li Zhiyi declined some unimportant or inappropriate offers. For anything she couldn't figure out, she consulted with Madam Tang. After several such discussions, she gradually developed a clear understanding of the Xuanwu Marquis's network of connections.
When Li Zhiyi was young, she earned a reputation for elegance. When she reappeared in public, she had her hair styled in a married woman's bun, and she was more humble and magnanimous in her dealings with others. Even the ladies of a prominent family like the Li family in the capital, who were not particularly fond of such a new and powerful family, praised her, saying: "She lives up to her reputation for elegance."
Finally, she attended a banquet hosted by Princess Pingnan. Princess Pingnan didn't send out many invitations, only inviting about ten ladies, including Li Zhiyi.
The Prince of Pingnan and the former Marquis of Xuanwu had a very close relationship, and the Prince of Pingnan was a staunch royalist, essentially standing on His Majesty's side. No matter who the new emperor was, he would support him to the end. This did not conflict with Tang Wenxu's interests, so both morally and logically, she should make an appearance.
There was nothing particularly interesting at the banquet. Among the group of ladies, Li Zhiyi was relatively young, so the Princess Consort of Pingnan was considerate and specially invited her youngest daughter, who had just returned to her parents' home, to accompany her.
Even the youngest daughter of the Prince of Pingnan, who was a princess, was specially summoned, and for a moment the ladies all thought more highly of Li Zhiyi.
The princess was gentle and romantic, and even after getting married, she did not lose her girlish innocence. She was quite easy to get along with, and Li Zhiyi was much more relaxed than before after such an important banquet.
Inside the luxurious carriage of the Marquis of Xuanwu's residence, thick carpets were laid out. The inner and outer rooms were separated by an exquisite screen with a painting of ladies. The outer room was filled with the aroma of brewing tea, while the inner room was filled with the fragrance of incense. Li Zhiyi sat on a small couch with her eyes closed, resting, while Rong Gu massaged her shoulders.
Li Zhiyi sighed with enjoyment, feeling that all the fatigue of the day had been melted away by Rong Gu's skillful hands.
Rong Gu did not lessen her strength, but spoke softly: "The servant has already sent a group of people, twenty in total, and they all seem quite good to me."
Li Zhiyi opened her eyes and sat up straight: "What do you think, Aunt?"
"Let's not even mention the rough and sturdy maids. Madam needs someone to serve her personally, and in my opinion, there are a few who are quite clever. There are also some who are good-looking and have good figures. Finding one or two honest ones and training them properly should be enough..."
Hearing the conversation inside, Alan brought in tea and said, "I don't care about other servants, but if you want to serve Madam, you have to get past me first."
Rong Gu glared at her, then, thinking of the mess Wang Tun had caused recently, she said, "That can't be taken lightly. You can know a person's face but not their heart." Several seemingly kind and honest people had gotten involved in Wang Tun's affair.
"Don't worry, Madam, leave this to me."
Ronggu teased her, "Look at how unreliable you are! You should let Madam find a husband for you."
Li Zhiyi sipped her tea, listening to the two's back-and-forth conversation, but her mind was elsewhere. It was time to begin preparations for the concubines.
The next day, the nanny led a group of people to select a candidate for Li Zhiyi.
There were about twenty girls, the oldest no more than fifteen and the youngest only twelve. A few of the bolder ones secretly peered into the large courtyard and saw a graceful figure being escorted by several servants. The newcomer was quite tall, dressed in fine clothes, with beautiful skin, and a voluptuous figure. Even though they were far away and couldn't see her face clearly, everyone assumed she was the mistress of the Marquis's mansion. One of the younger girls was so captivated by her that she was scolded by her nanny and lowered her head again.
The old woman bowed and said, "This old servant greets Madam." The young girls behind her knelt down in a row.
"Get up, everyone."
Li Zhiyi glanced around and nodded: "Raise your heads, everyone."
Everyone looked up, and several of them had flushed faces from nervousness.
The old woman, wanting to impress the lady, pointed to a few and said, "Madam, these are all clever ones, and these two are honest, hardworking, and quite strong."
Li Zhiyi carefully examined the group and found that they were indeed similar to the ones Rong Gu had just pointed out, so she had Alan give them some reward money.
The old woman smiled and thanked her.
Li Zhiyi then selected two more people she had previously chosen, making a total of eight. The remaining people who were not selected were assigned to other courtyards.
Although the old woman found it strange that Li Zhiyi had chosen two women with good figures, she had heard of Li Zhiyi's methods before, so she didn't dare to say anything and led the maids away.
Li Zhiyi agreed to Alan's request and asked her to discipline the new maids. Alan assigned them to do some sweeping and cleaning work in the courtyard.
"The two women that Madam chose are quite good-looking and have good figures, but one of them looks a bit dull."
"The other one looks more lively." This one has the most well-proportioned figure, very bright eyes, and two dimples when she smiles.
"Let's take a look first. If it seems suitable, we'll have to ask if she's willing." In her view, no woman would want to be a concubine unless she was from a poor family.
Li Zhiyi suddenly remembered that Tang Wenxu had a concubine she hadn't met. Concubines weren't allowed to pay respects to the mistress, and since she'd been so busy after marrying in, she'd even forgotten the concubine's name.
"Did the Marquis already have a concubine?"
Ronggu said, "That concubine's name is Su Ping. I thought Madam had forgotten about her." But she didn't think it mattered. After all, even the Marquis couldn't remember her, so she was just like a maid.
Su Ping was originally a lowly maid. The opportunity to become a concubine came about at a banquet. It is said that Tang Wenxu drank too much and had sex with her in a daze. The next day, she was carried to the position of concubine and placed in a corner of the courtyard by Wang Tun. He also generously provided her with a maid. However, Tang Wenxu seemed to have forgotten about this person and never went there again. Su Ping also rarely left the courtyard and was very quiet.
"Let's bring her over." If she's a pleasant person, she could mentor her, saving her the trouble of training a newcomer.
Rong Gu saw through Li Zhiyi's thoughts and disagreed: "Madam, that concubine is probably not docile." Even the Marquis's drunken outburst was suspicious; it might have been orchestrated by this concubine.
Li Zhiyi did not change her mind and said seriously, "Send someone to call them."
Ronggu's heart skipped a beat, and she went in response.
Li Zhiyi watched Rong Gu's hurried departure and sighed inwardly. Since coming to the Marquis's mansion, even Alan had changed, but Rong Gu remained the same. Although she was good to her, she always remembered the instructions from Luozhou and was thinking about how to help her secure the emperor's favor. She was rather stubborn in her thinking on some matters, while Li Zhiyi had her own plans and methods.
Looking at the empty room, Li Zhiyi sighed silently and began grinding ink to write an invitation for her friend.
The invitations were written, and Su Ping arrived.
Li Zhiyi thought Su Ping would be a mature woman with a good figure, but she turned out to be a thin woman with an ordinary face, around eighteen or nineteen years old, with a somewhat bitter appearance. She didn't seem like the kind of woman Tang Wenxu would be interested in.
It seems he was really drunk that day.
"Please sit down."
"This servant dares not," Su Ping said, her head bowed slightly, still standing respectfully.
Li Zhiyi didn't want to force her, so she just looked at her and asked, "Are all the necessary supplies complete?"
"Reporting to you, Madam, everything is fine."
After this back and forth, Li Zhiyi still couldn't find out anything, so she gave her some fabric and sent her back.
"Madam, shall we also bestow some gifts upon Qiuyu?" Alan asked.
Li Zhiyi laughed, "I'm so busy I'm dizzy. Just bestow them all at once, and send someone to check if there's anything else that needs to be added to the courtyard." She then praised Alan, "Alan is becoming more and more like a head maid."
Alan was overjoyed; after being at the Marquis's residence for so long, he had finally received such a formal compliment.

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The Training of a Noble Lady - Chapter 33: Su Ping

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