Chapter 377 Pretending

Chapter 377 Pretending

With this in mind, Xie Wanniang gave the two children a series of instructions.

The two children were a little confused, but they listened attentively and remembered everything.

After giving instructions to the children, Xie Wanniang called over Yang Xiaowei and Shanzi's younger brother, Xiaohe.

These two were chosen by her to accompany the children into the palace as servants.

Besides these two, Xie Wanniang also arranged for Lady Wang to go there as well.

Although Lady Wang was originally a servant of the Empress Dowager, she still had many acquaintances in the palace. Moreover, out of respect for the Empress Dowager, not only the palace eunuchs and maids, but even the Empress and the concubines of the six palaces had to give Lady Wang some face.

With her around, the children will be safer and less in danger.

Lady Wang realized that Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan didn't even want their child to go through the initial one-month trial period, so she secretly gave Xie Wanniang a suggestion behind her back.

She suggested that Xie Wanniang make the two children "just happen to fall ill" when they were about to enter the palace, "so that although the two young masters would inevitably suffer a little, they could reasonably avoid the selection of companions."

Xie Wanniang sighed and shook her head. "If I only had one child who met the requirements, I would definitely do it."

But if she has two children and both get sick at the same time, it would be too obvious that it's fake.

Although she and Jiang Yuan were still favored by the emperor, he would still be uncomfortable if he realized that they treated the palace like a monster.

Fortunately, there are quite a few people who want to take this role as a study companion, so her two children still have a good chance of being sidelined.

She instructed Lady Wang, "Nothing else matters, I only ask that the two children leave the palace safely every day."

Lady Wang was a shrewd person; after a moment's thought, she understood the unspoken meaning in Xie Wanniang's words.

She curtsied and said, "Princess, rest assured, this old woman will certainly not fail in her mission."

Xie Wanniang rubbed her temples. "Luckily, they don't have to live in the palace."

Otherwise, even if she had to lose face, she would still play the role of an irrational doting mother who spoils her son.

According to the instructions from the palace, each child entering the palace to be selected could bring one or two attendants with them.

Xie Wanniang had a son and a daughter who needed to enter the palace, so she arranged for three people to accompany her, placing them in the middle of the pack.

Every morning, the two children were personally driven to the palace gate by the mansion's coachman, or rather, Shanzi, who always pretended to be the coachman. Then, accompanied by three royal ladies-in-waiting, they would go to study with the princes and princesses on time.

As Xie Wanniang had instructed, both children performed neither exceptionally well nor mediocrely in terms of academics or personality.

Overall, they were just two mediocre kids who were so obedient that they were boring and uninteresting.

Under Xie Wanniang's anxious and close monitoring, the two children successfully survived the month-long selection period.

Although they were often ridiculed by other children, both openly and secretly, because their performance was not outstanding, the two children remembered their mother's repeated admonitions and did not impulsively show their talents in the name of pride.

When everything settled down, the children who had not been selected successfully left the palace. The two children, feeling wronged yet a little proud, chatted with Xie Wanniang.

Xie Wanniang held one child in each arm, comforting one with a few words and kissing the other's forehead, giving the two children plenty of love and soothing.

The two children clung to their mother for a while, and their mood finally brightened completely.

Fearing that they would reveal their true colors once they relaxed, Xie Wanniang detained them for a period of time to prevent them from showing their true selves to outsiders.

With their mother and a host of servants and guards entertaining them in various ways, the two children didn't insist on going out to make friends with their own age.

It wasn't until three months later, when the matter had completely died down, that Xie Wanniang stopped keeping the two children under her control.

She began to take her two children out more often with a purpose.

Of course, it wasn't about frequently attending banquets and social engagements. Instead, she would sometimes go to see the mountains and rivers, plants and animals, sometimes stay at the estate for a while, and take the children to try outdoor activities such as horseback riding, fishing, mountain climbing, and picnicking. Sometimes she would also have private gatherings with her family members, as well as a group of female relatives, including the Du family's wife, who was already on good terms with her.

These families, including her maternal family, all have children of similar age to her son and daughter, and they have all interacted with An and Linlin before. Even if the number of visits increases now, the children will only be happy and will not feel uncomfortable.

Her change of heart struck many as strange and unusual.

Those who were gossipy or deep-thinking would ask her about it when she went to the banquet.

Xie Wanniang was just waiting for them to ask, so she took the opportunity to "casually" reveal, "My two children were too strictly controlled by me when they first came to the capital. They're a bit too well-behaved. That won't do. Children need to be more lively and clever."

She didn't deliberately publicize it, but there are never any secrets in the circle of officials' wives; gossip, big or small, can spread quickly and widely.

Some people think less and simply sigh about how difficult it is to be a parent after hearing the news, while those who are well-informed and always like to overthink things suspect that she is trying to salvage the situation after the fact.

It was no secret in the upper circles of the capital that both of her children performed poorly when the princes and princesses were choosing companions.

Those who prioritize self-interest and like to project their own experiences onto Xie Wanniang's position think that if they were her, they would probably also learn from their mistakes and make changes.

After all, no matter how capable the parents are, if their descendants are not successful and cannot uphold the family's reputation, then their family's wealth and glory will be like a flash in the pan and cannot last long.

Those people secretly gloated about this. In their view, Xie Wanniang was too domineering, which made the two children stupid and completely lose their spirit, becoming dull and boring, just like two puppets who only knew how to follow the rules.

They generally didn't have a high opinion of Xie Wanniang's belated attempt to salvage the situation.

In their words, children aren't clay; how could they obediently become whatever Xie Wanniang wanted them to be molded into?

Many people secretly gloated, but because of Xie Wanniang's fierce style, they wisely refrained from going so far as to confront her.

However, His Majesty the Emperor, after hearing the rumors circulating in the capital recently, privately summoned Jiang Yuan to his study.

The two chatted briefly for about half a cup of tea's time. After leaving the palace, Jiang Yuan dismissed the servants and whispered to Xie Wanniang, "His Majesty said he could give our An'an and Linlin two places as study companions, but I politely declined."

Xie Wanniang was startled. "Why did he suddenly bring this up again?"

"Recently, many people in the capital have been gossiping about our family behind our backs. His Majesty believes that the reason you kept the child in confinement was ultimately due to the already extremely dangerous struggle for the throne at that time."

The emperor was truly considerate. After hearing others' gossip and ridicule about Xie Wanniang's family, he began to think about how to make amends.

Since Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang did not perform any further merits, he could neither promote nor reward them. So he decided to add An'an and Linlin to the list of study companions.

He wanted to use this method to send a signal to these shrewd people in the capital that he thought An'an and Linlin were both good people.

Speaking of this, he actually regrets that he didn't have full control over the whole process.

When he was busy with official duties, he only briefly checked the list of candidates when they were first submitted to select study companions for his children.

The emperor neither cared nor paid attention to which children chose afterward, nor whether their birth mothers or adoptive mothers were involved.

Just as Xie Wanniang had mentioned to Jiang Yuan in private, the emperor also felt that it was far too early for his sons to compete for the throne.

Whether it was the children's birth mothers/adoptive mothers who wanted to make arrangements in advance, or nobles, officials, and members of the royal family who wanted to place bets in advance, the emperor did not intend to interfere.

He even wanted to take this opportunity to see what kind of trouble this group of people were planning, so that he could have a better understanding of their situation.

As for the children who were not selected, considering that they accounted for more than half of the total, the emperor even thoughtfully gave them some rewards. On the one hand, this was to reward them for their hard work during that period, and on the other hand, it was to prevent others from having any intention of bullying or ridiculing them because they were not selected.

Even so, some children were still criticized by their families for not being selected, but that was only in private and on a small scale. Unlike Xie Wanniang's son and daughter, who inexplicably became the target of ridicule from many people, it was too cruel for the two young children.

The emperor did not want these young children to suffer such harm because of the matter of companionship, so he planned to place An'an and Linlin with his eldest son and second daughter.

Fortunately, he did not issue an imperial decree directly. Instead, he summoned Jiang Yuan first and asked him about the current situation and feelings of An'an and Linlin. Otherwise, Xie Wanniang, who had done nothing of value, would have cried herself to death.

As for Jiang Yuan, he was very loyal and grateful to the emperor, but his willingness to serve the emperor and risk his life to protect him did not mean that he was also willing for his child to become a companion to a prince or princess at a young age.

Just like Xie Wanniang said, if they want to be parents, they should be. They shouldn't take advantage of being parents to deprive their children of the right to enjoy the wonderful time of childhood.

After all, once most people become adults and enter society, it is difficult for them to have the simple and pure joy of childhood and adolescence.

If they force their children to mature before the age of ten in order to consolidate their power and position, they, as parents, will still feel somewhat guilty.

Xie Wanniang, as the mother, couldn't bear to see her child, at such a young age, treated like a servant, as a companion to princes and princesses. Jiang Yuan, as the father, was naturally reluctant to let him go as well.

Therefore, upon learning of the emperor's intention to summon him, Jiang Yuan declined the emperor's offer without hesitation.

His words were very polite and considerate, and the emperor felt grateful and touched by his good intentions. However, the emperor also sensed his deep concern that his own child would be entering the palace and competing with a group of children who were "exceptionally talented" or "likable."

As the emperor and father, he naturally disapproved of parents spoiling their children.

He and his brothers, as well as his own sons, all started competing with others from a young age, and this competition, if not handled well, could even cost them their lives.

Like raising poisonous insects, the emperor believed that this was the only way to make his children grow up quickly.

But then he thought again that Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan only had one son and one daughter. With such few offspring, it was only natural to spoil them.

For a fleeting moment, he even had the urge to ask Jiang Yuan if he wanted to take a concubine, but in order to maintain his dignified and proper image as a monarch, the emperor ultimately did not show his gossipy desires.

Knowing it was just a false alarm, Xie Wanniang was finally able to relax.

She said to Jiang Yuan, "Fortunately, His Majesty is not the kind of person who would make decisions for others under the guise of doing what is best for them, otherwise I don't know what I would do."

Before the imperial edict was issued, there was still room for maneuver. Once the edict was sent out of the palace, it would be extremely difficult for them to make any changes.

Jiang Yuan patted her on the shoulder, "It's time we taught those gossiping people outside a lesson."

Otherwise, they would all be molded into clay.

Did they really think that just because they gossiped behind their backs, he and Xie Wanniang wouldn't be able to find any fault with them?

There are no secrets in this world.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Yuan submitted a memorial the next day impeaching those families who had gone the furthest in gossiping behind his back.

Although those he impeached were all men from various families, the reasons for his impeachment of these men were different.

Some of these people were impeached by Jiang Yuan for their loose tongues, but many more were impeached for "lax family management" because their mothers, wives, or other female relatives were talking nonsense outside the home.

If someone causes trouble themselves, the worst that can happen is that they lose face and are punished. But if someone's family member causes trouble, not only will they lose face and be punished, but when they return home, they will also have to punish and restrain the women in their household according to the emperor's wishes.

These days, the most common type of family is a large family with three or even four generations living together. Especially if someone in the family is an official or someone is good at making money, then the rest of the family will basically choose to depend on that person for survival.

Many of those who were scolded and punished because of the women in their families were not actually being punished for their own wives or mothers, but were unlucky enough to be implicated by their sisters-in-law, sisters-in-law, or even other relatives who were more distant from them.

But they dared not complain, after all, those people were able to infiltrate the circle of officials' families because of their connections and influence.