The elderly woman and the two little girls laughed and played for a while, and Shen Layue felt extremely comfortable. Yes, she really had returned to ten years ago, back to the most carefree period of her life.
With her mother deceased, Grandmother was worried that Lin Shi might not treat the two girls well, so she naturally had them brought to her residence. Because of this, the other branches of the Shen family were rather displeased. However, in the Shen household, the Matriarch’s word was final, so none of them dared to speak ill behind her back.
In theory, Shen Layue should have met her stepmother and several aunts while staying with her grandmother. However, at this hour, no one had come to pay their respects, and even after she had been ill for several days, no one had come to offer condolences. Layue felt puzzled.
However, she didn’t ask too many questions about it; she could inquire about these matters from Jin Xin once she returned to her quarters.
Glancing at the time, Shen Layue felt she had stayed long enough and stood up to take her leave. She clearly remembered that at this time, the old nurse Yu would come to teach her etiquette. Since she had rested for so many days already, she couldn’t afford to be lazy now that she had recovered. In the morning, she had already sent Jin Ling to inform Nurse Yu.
To speak of it, Layue had always had a good memory, but now that she had been reborn, she seemed to have an even clearer recollection of when events would occur. Was this another benefit of being reborn? She didn’t know, but such changes were always good.
Hearing that Shen Layue wanted to return to study etiquette, the Matriarch nodded with a smile.
The Matriarch naturally kept abreast of all major and minor affairs within the estate. Earlier, she had already heard from Nurse Song that Layue wanted to resume her etiquette studies today, and she strongly approved of this.
Learning more etiquette would always be beneficial, even if she eventually didn’t enter the palace but married into an ordinary family.
After bidding farewell to the Matriarch and exchanging a few playful words with her younger sister, Layue curtsied and left.
“Nurse Song, this girl seems to have become more sensible,” the Matriarch remarked. Nurse Song was now the only person the Matriarch could truly confide in.
Nurse Song had been the Matriarch’s personal maid since childhood, and the two had grown up together. To continue serving the Matriarch throughout her life, she had even remained unmarried. Their relationship was far from that of an ordinary mistress and servant.
Since theirs was not a typical servant-mistress relationship, they naturally had fewer inhibitions when speaking with each other. Also, since Nurse Song had never married and had no relatives to attend to, she was naturally the most impartial.
“That’s right. This old servant also noticed that the young lady has changed slightly. Previously, although she was clever, she had never been so diligent about studying etiquette,” Nurse Song smiled.
The Matriarch, of course, was well aware of this and nodded with a smile.
Indeed, even if a girl was clever and lively at the age of ten, she would still dislike being bound by rules. Previously, Layue had always found excuses to slack off!
Seeing the Matriarch’s expression, Nurse Song signaled to a maid to take the fourth young lady out. Upon seeing the chance to go out, Shen Yi was delighted and obediently allowed the maid to tidy her up.
Though a four-year-old girl might be lively, she was still easy to look after. Having been raised by the Matriarch since childhood, she had a gentle temperament, and the maids all liked her.
After they left, the Matriarch spoke up, “It seems she’s become more aware. In another five months, there will be the grand selection. Without studying hard, how can she survive in that prestigious place?”
Nurse Song came behind the Matriarch to massage her shoulders. “Nurse Yu will surely teach the young lady well. After all, the person you personally selected must be trustworthy.”
The Matriarch sighed softly.
“In recent years, the Shen family has gradually declined. The best among the younger generation, Master Wen, is only a fifth-grade junior scholar in the Hanlin Academy. Among the younger ones, Ping’er dislikes scholarly pursuits. If he wants to succeed through the military examination, it will be even harder.”
It seemed as if the Matriarch was talking to herself, yet also chatting casually with Nurse Song, suddenly shifting the topic to others.
Nurse Song had served the Matriarch her whole life and naturally understood her meaning. It seemed that the Matriarch still felt sorry for the eldest daughter. If the eldest daughter was chosen to enter the palace, without family support behind her, she would face many hardships and heartaches. Even without saying it, they could all imagine.
“The young lady is talented and beautiful, and with Nurse Yu’s guidance, she will surely thrive in the palace.”
Thrive in the palace? The Matriarch gave a bitter smile. How easy was that?
“Whether she gets selected or not is another matter. For now, we must prepare thoroughly.”
“Yes.”
While the Matriarch was filled with worries, Shen Layue was diligently studying her etiquette.
Looking at Nurse Yu before her, Layue recalled some past events from her previous life.
Speaking of Nurse Yu, she was indeed an unusual person. Originally a palace nurse, who would have thought that, at over fifty years old, she would suffer a serious injury in an accident. Although the injury wasn’t life-threatening, it left a hideous scar across her face.
With such a disfigured appearance, she could no longer remain in the palace. Being a sensible person, she quickly resigned.
Since then, she had traveled from family to family in the capital, teaching etiquette to young ladies.
Despite this, noble families, even if they respected her skills, were naturally reluctant to employ someone with such an appearance. Those who did employ her were usually newly risen aristocrats or declining noble families.
Moreover, the young lady of the house had to be brave enough.
Although Nurse Yu’s appearance was frightening, Layue wasn’t afraid of her. Despite her terrifying looks and strict demeanor, she was actually a very good elder. The knowledge she imparted had greatly benefited Layue.
Smiling sweetly at Nurse Yu, Layue curtsied slightly.
Nurse Yu had expected that after several days of rest, Lady Shen would have forgotten some of her etiquette. However, seeing her perform the movements precisely, she felt pleased. It seemed that the young lady was indeed a quick learner.
Nurse Yu then respectfully returned the greeting and cleared her throat.
“I see that although the young lady rested for several days, her etiquette remains sharp. That is very good. If you neglect your manners due to illness, even if you feel it’s understandable, others will see it as a grave mistake.”
“Your teachings are correct, Nurse.”
Layue thought to herself that Nurse Yu was indeed a good person. She found it strange that, during her time in the household, she had encountered mostly kind people—even her stepmother, whom she disliked, hadn’t been too bad. Yet, once she entered the palace, everything changed.
Different factions would appear, each with better acting skills than the last.
Even her cousin, Yu Lan… Layue smiled. Was this the fate of being involved with the same man?
Seeing Shen Layue obediently respond, Nurse Yu felt somewhat satisfied. However, noticing a moment of distraction in the young lady, she gently reprimanded her.
“Miss, do not often lose yourself in front of others. Not only is it disrespectful to those you are conversing or interacting with, but it may also plant the seeds of future troubles. Even if only servants are around, do not often lose focus. How can you know what conclusions those around you might draw from your expressions?”
Of all the young ladies she had taught, the eldest Miss Shen wasn’t the most outstanding, but she was among the quickest learners.
Nurse Yu naturally knew that Miss Shen was preparing to enter the palace for the selection. Thus, she was stricter with her than with others.
“Layue understands,” Shen Layue replied obediently.
Seeing her respond so obediently without any sign of displeasure, Nurse Yu’s opinion of Miss Shen rose another notch.
Indeed, Nurse Yu wasn’t only teaching etiquette to Miss Shen from the main branch of the Shen family. There was also the second young lady from the second branch, Miss Wan Rong. However, after only one day of study, Miss Rong had feigned illness, and later, the second madam had requested the Matriarch’s permission to stop her studies.
Observing the eldest young lady, Nurse Yu thought, “Indeed, she is a promising student.”
Nurse Yu was not a secretive person. Since the family had paid a large sum to hire her to teach their daughters, she naturally did her utmost.
However, today’s events surprised Nurse Yu. No matter what she taught, Miss Shen from the main branch could perform it correctly on the first try—whether it was greetings, responses, or etiquette, she did everything properly.
Was she truly gifted? Yet just a few days ago, she wasn’t as good as she was today. Nurse Yu thought for a moment. Perhaps during her rest, the young lady had not wasted time, and instead, had practiced diligently.
This misunderstanding arose because Nurse Yu was strict and naturally appreciated young women who were disciplined and clever. She assumed that Shen Layue had practiced more after returning to her quarters, unaware that Layue had already spent ten years in the palace in her previous life.
There were breaks during etiquette lessons, but unlike usual, Layue did not wander around the courtyard with her maid, Jin Xin. Instead, she sat obediently beside Nurse Yu.
She asked questions about the upcoming palace selection.
With a sweet and innocent expression, she asked questions that never offended.
Though strict, Nurse Yu also understood that the Shen family had hired her specifically to train Miss Shen for the autumn selection.
Therefore, she thoroughly explained the palace etiquette and rules to Shen Layue.
In fact, Layue had already decided that in this life, besides flattering the emperor, she would also cultivate a good relationship with the Empress Dowager. In her previous life, she had not pursued favor and had held a low rank, so she had not done so. But this time, she would not make the same mistake. Overall, the Empress Dowager was far more reliable than the emperor.
Everyone knew that Nurse Yu was an experienced palace servant, but few knew that she had once served in the Empress Dowager’s palace when the latter was still the Imperial Noble Consort. If Layue hadn’t spent ten years in the palace, she wouldn’t have known this.
Although she hadn’t been one of the most favored palace maids in the Empress Dowager’s court, she had still served there.
Layue knew that Nurse Yu wouldn’t know everything and wouldn’t speak much, but she was no longer a thirteen-year-old girl on the surface. Skillfully and subtly, she probed for information about the Empress Dowager’s preferences.
She concealed her intentions very well, and Nurse Yu never imagined that a mere teenage girl would play such mind games with her. Thus, she inadvertently revealed some of the information Layue wanted to know.
By the end of the day, both parties felt very satisfied.
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