Chapter 98: Chapter 85, Position and Responsibility !
Daohua thought the matter of changing seats should have just passed, but unexpectedly, Master Shen shifted the conversation and looked at her again. Eldest Miss, today I changed your seats, do you have any thoughts?” Thoughts, what thoughts?
Daohua’s mind began to race.
The master is fair in his dealings, not fearing the powerful, doing everything according to the rules?
Watching Master Shen’s eyes shimmer with a wise glow, Daohua shook her head; it probably wasn’t this, the master likely didn’t want to hear her flatter, even though she couldn’t find good words to say.
So, what did he actually want to hear?
Master Shen did not rush Daohua, calmly picking up the tea cup on the table, and gently took a sip.
Hmm… the tea of the Yan Family was quite good, though not as exquisite as other families’ tea, this was just ordinary jasmine tea, but it tasted refreshing and delightful, invigorating one’s heart.
After a moment of silence, Daohua hesitantly began to speak, “In a family, everyone has their own place, one shouldn’t usurp others’, but also shouldn’t let oneself be usurped?”
Upon hearing this, Master Shen raised his eyebrows, seemingly fairly satisfied with the answer, however, he said nothing and merely gestured for Daohua to continue.
Daohua glanced at the master’s expression and continued, “Sitting in different seats, one needs to shoulder different responsibilities. Like me, having a good seat, I should bear greater responsibilities.”
Hearing this, Master Shen showed a smile, approvingly said, “Eldest Miss, it’s very good that you can think of these points from changing seats.” After speaking, he looked at the other three young ladies in the room.
The second miss was frowning in contemplation, seemingly struck by a thought;
The third miss… was still feeling aggrieved and sad about the earlier seat changing, her eyes were still reddened;
The fourth miss was shifting her gaze and fidgeting from side to side, obviously not taking the words of Yan Yishuang to heart.
At this moment, Master Shen had a preliminary impression of the four Yan Family young ladies.
Master Shen turned to Daohua, who was waiting for his judgment, with a smile, “Eldest Miss is right, with different positions come different responsibilities. The resources of a family are always limited, those who enjoy more resources must give back more to the family later.”
“Nothing in this world comes without effort; you are now enjoying the protection and nurturing of the family, and it must be returned in the future.” “My changing of seats is meant, first, to show you the rules of seniority and distinction between legitimate and illegitimate, and second, to hope that you understand your own place within the family and the responsibilities that come with it.”
“Eldest Miss, as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yan Family and the eldest among four sisters, you are considered the most honored, and having received good treatment, you must bear your own responsibilities. For instance, setting a good example for your younger brothers and sisters, taking up the duty of teaching and supervising them usually.”
At the beginning, Daohua felt what was said made sense, but at the last part, she disagreed somewhat.
Where had she enjoyed good treatment?
The food, clothing, everything used, was the same for everyone.
Well, not exactly the same.
She had her own courtyard to live in, and even a small manor as her private property.
Though the manor was bought with her own silver, without her distinguished father’s influence, she, a young lady, may not have been able to buy it, let alone keep it.
With this thought, her treatment did seem to be somewhat better than that of Yishuang and the other two.
Master Shen kept a watchful eye on Daohua, seeing her initial disagreement followed by an approving nod, he felt another wave of satisfaction towards the eldest daughter of the Yan Family, seeing her as a teachable individual.
Feeding oneself at the rear courtyard of a large household was not an easy task; as female educators, their biggest fear was encountering pupils who were dull and unresponsive to instruction.
Despite being invited into the homes under the pretense of educating all the young ladies, the reality was different; while education was provided to all, the teachers’ efforts were primarily focused on the children born of the principal wife.
First, no matter how favored a concubine might be, the principal wife was the one who engaged their services and provided them with their stipends;
Second, due to an unspoken rule among the aristocratic families, it was imperative that the children of concubines did not outshine those born of the principal wife, as this could destabilize the family. Of course, there were exceptions.
For instance, if a concubine was especially favored, her children could be treated no differently or even better than those of the principal wife. However, such households with lax rules seldom remained prosperous for long.
Another scenario was when the legitimate offspring were utterly incapable; in such cases, the children of concubines might have a chance to stand out.
No matter the situation, these instances were quite rare.
Therefore, their main responsibility was still to educate the children born of the principal wife.
As such, the natural talents of the legitimate offspring were crucial to the ease of their teaching; after all, parents tend to be biased towards their own children, and if they didn’t excel, it was undoubtedly the teacher’s fault.
The eldest daughter of the Yan Family before him was teachable; the second daughter was gentle and obedient, unlikely to cause trouble; the fourth daughter was active, and with the right interests, she wasn’t too tough to teach.
The most difficult was the third daughter, who had started to weep silently… Having seen so much drama in these rear courtyards, she would be honest- most concubine-born daughters brought ruin upon themselves.
Whether the principal wife was concerned about her reputation or the relationship with her husband, except for a few extremely jealous ones, most were quite accommodating, and having the concubine-born daughters marry smoothly wasn’t a difficult task-as long as they behaved properly.
Yet, some concubine daughters regarded themselves too highly, creating all sorts of drama to compete with the legitimate daughters; it was no wonder that the principal wives could not stand it!
“Wuuu~”
Seeing Yan Yishuang’s crying intensify, Master Shen beckoned her own maidservant: “The third miss is struggling with some issues. Let her go back and rest for today. Escort her to her courtyard, then go to the main house and explain the situation to Madam Li.”
Thus, Yan Yishuang was escorted out of the classroom by the maidservant.
Once she had left, Master Shen calmly began to check the learning progress of Daohua and the other two students.
Noon time.
Daohua emerged from the schoolroom filled with admiration and couldn’t wait to share with Madam Li, “Mother, this Master Shen you’ve hired is truly remarkable.”
She had rearranged the seating order and then subtly explained the relationship between position and responsibility before checking their learning progress, and then the lesson began.
In the classroom, she cited classics and told various stories with ease, creating
a lively and engaging atmosphere.
Seeing her daughter’s happiness, Madam Li also smiled, “As long as you like her. This Master Shen is very learned and well-experienced. All the major families in Xingzhou like to invite her. You must study hard under her, especially the aspects of etiquette and propriety.”
The world is very critical of women; if you want to live freely and avoid criticism, you must be well-versed in etiquette.”
Daohua, clutching Madam Li’s arm and resting her head on her shoulder, reassured, “Mother, don’t worry, I will study hard..”