Quick Transmigration: Drama Queen's Daily Life Chapter 1456 - 1445: The Lady Who Doesn’t Seek Status

"Mr. Jiang, you’ve been holding that piece of calligraphy for quite a while—could you let us have a look?" someone asked, itching with curiosity.

"If it can make Mr. Jiang so obsessed and overjoyed, is a great master about to emerge from the boudoir as well?"

"Don’t make such a fuss. Since ancient times there have been countless heroines and women of great talent; they were merely bound hand and foot by rules and rituals."

"Hmph, what heroines, what great women? I say women simply shouldn’t be showing their faces in public—what sort of conduct is that?"

"Exactly. A bunch of long-haired, short-sighted things—their reputations are all just hot air."

"A woman’s lack of talent is virtue; Mr. Jiang, you’re being far too lenient."

"Heh, if you’re so capable, have you ever produced a poem this good?"

"What ’a woman’s lack of talent is virtue’—isn’t it just that you can’t measure up?"

"That’s right. You’ve read yourself stupid, haven’t you? Isn’t your hair just as long? Are you calling yourself short-sighted?"

"Anyone who can say such things—how could his vision be anything but shallow?"

The crowd burst into laughter and banter. The current climate was more open than in the previous dynasty; the Emperor seemed inclined to abolish some of those old rules. This dynasty followed the Legalist school, so those bloated rules and rituals were starting to feel out of step with the times—of course, there was also the intention of using them to rein in the aristocratic families.

Only some scholars felt this move threatened their status, so they held the gradually liberalizing atmosphere in great contempt, and whenever they saw someone behave a little out of bounds, they would sharply criticize them.

But there were also those more keenly attuned to the direction of policy, who faintly caught a scent from above. Why did they study? Not just to serve and be reimbursed by the state, but also to stand out, gain office, and rise in rank. However important rules might be, could they outweigh imperial power? These sour scholars, calling themselves noble and righteous—are you saying the Jiang Family doesn’t understand all this? Then why are they still holding this autumn banquet?

"Enough." Jian Yunchi’s face turned cold. "What nonsense. A woman’s talent is the good fortune of her clan. I myself was taught from the start by my mother. Without her, would I be where I am today?"

"So Mr. Jiang was actually enlightened by the Old Lady!"

"Look at the five great talents of the Jiang Family—without a learned Lady, could she have raised such outstanding pillars of the state?"

"It seems that when taking a wife, one must not only look at character, but at ability as well."

"Indeed. In most families the father is out making a living, and the children spend more time with their mothers. If the mother is muddle-headed and untalented, wouldn’t that hold the children back?"

"That really is the truth."

In an instant, those few who had been preaching rules and female virtues were slapped in the face and left no way to save their pride. Did they not see where they were? Did they not see who had just been praising the young ladies’ calligraphy and painting? Even Mr. Lv Zhu himself had given his approval—are you more learned than Mr. Lv Zhu?

"Since you gentlemen and Jiang Mo differ in principles, then please take your leave first." Jian Yunchi had grown up spoiled and cherished, and he had the ability to back it up, so when he lost his temper he did it on the spot without giving anyone face.

Those few were flushed red with shame at his words and turned away in mortification, while others felt secretly fortunate: good thing they’d been cautious and hadn’t spoken rashly. This was a autumn banquet hosted by Mr. Lv Zhu; to be driven out by him on the spot would ruin one’s reputation among the scholars forever.

"Mr. Jiang, now that the chatterboxes are gone, can you finally let us see this piece? Just what sort of script and what sort of poem has astonished you so?" One of the talented men could no longer contain himself.

Only then did Jian Yunchi smile. He had a table cleared, then very carefully unrolled the calligraphy he had just rolled up and laid it out flat.

After he set it down, he looked proudly at the crowd’s amazed expressions, as if the writing were his own.

"It truly is fine calligraphy!"

"And an excellent poem as well!"

"It’s hard to imagine that such poetry and such script could come from the hand of a boudoir woman!"

"We really are ashamed of ourselves."

"The poetic conception is superb. Mr. Jiang, isn’t this precisely the reclusive life you are always praising?"

"’Plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, I leisurely espy the southern hill. The mountain air is lovely day and night; birds fly home together.’ I can almost see the scene. Whoever wrote this must have a very broad mind."

"Leaving the poem aside, just the calligraphy itself is extremely dashing. If you hadn’t said it came from the ladies’ side, I would’ve thought it was written by some reclusive famous scholar."

"Naturally. She’s my cousin—her talent is not something ordinary people can compare with." Seeing everyone praising it, Zhang Yanwei also grew smug. This was his cousin’s work, after all!

The several scholars who had bet against him earlier now cupped their hands repeatedly. "Zhang Wu, just now we were blind with delusion. We truly did not know that there is always someone better out there."

"On just this one autumn banquet, we’ve encountered such calligraphy, painting, and verse—it shows how harshly the previous dynasty’s rules bound women. We must never be arrogant, nor suppress them, or else how many masterpieces will vanish from the world?"

"These words are very true. After we enter office in the capital, we should petition Your Majesty to make the climate even more open."

"Li Cai, you are truly wise."

"Not at all. I only see my younger female cousins forced to study female virtues every day, rule upon rule gradually burying their brilliance, and I cannot bear it. If I have a daughter in the future, I too hope she can go out and see the mountains and rivers without being condemned."

"Yes. My mother once told me she wished she could go outside the city to race horses and play cuju, but because of the rules, the only places she could go, aside from a few shops, were temples."

"Enough, enough. A young lady’s freedom is something we must strive for. Today, we’ll only look at the calligraphy and savor the poems."

"Did they really say all that?" On the women’s side, when Madam Jiang heard that the talented men had spoken up on the young ladies’ behalf, a knowing smile finally appeared on her face.

Some ladies even nearly burst into tears. "It’s rare that there are men who actually think on our behalf."

Madam Jiang dabbed at the corner of her eye, a faint smile touching her lips. "The talented men my younger brother-in-law invited today are all of like mind. The few pedantic ones have just been asked to leave."

"And so they should. These men only know how to suppress women in order to flaunt their own power."

"We also have you ladies’ talents to thank, for making those scholars look at us with new eyes!"

The Eldest Lady, Jiang Rong, made a slight curtsey. "With support at home, we naturally cannot let our elders’ efforts go to waste. To be praised by the talented men means our years of study have not been in vain."

"You’re all good children."

Yet among those present there were two noble ladies who could not smile: one was Duan Yinyin, jealous that Ye Qiu had outshone her today; the other was Zhang Yanjing.

Though the ladies present were all delighted that their names were being sung, she knew her mother did not want her to stand out in this way. Her mother was even more bound by rules than those sour scholars. If not for wanting her to win a fine reputation and marry into the Imperial Family back then, she would never have allowed her to be this "high-profile."

She thought that when she returned today, she would likely be made to relearn the rules.

Rules, rules—when even the Imperial Family no longer cares about them, her mother alone enshrines them like a divine decree, propping up the aristocratic family’s ridiculous "dignity."