I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

Chapter 76: Han Shi

Lin Wei Xi's expression was faint, her voice was clear and cold, colder than frost colder than snow, high above difficult to reach. At the end of the sentence, when she said "This is the way in Duke Yingguo Mansion", her intonation gently moved upwards. It was definitely a reproach, but for some reason it made people feel comfortable. It seemed that as long as it could attract her attention, it's okay to let her scold a few more words.

Han shi's hand paused, and the earnest smile on her face instantly froze, looking strange and embarrassed. The other people in the Duke Yingguo Mansion looked at each other, with rich expressions on their faces.

The difference between the primary wife and the concubine was very obvious. Concubines couldn't wear true red and could only wear pink. This also resulted in no legal wife would wear pink, even if they could. After Lin Wei Xi reborn, she shouldn't have met Han shi before, but she could easily tell her identity from her hair bun and clothes.

Han shi personally serving tea and water was originally intended to please Lin Wei Xi. She was born from a concubine, and she was the best at acting small. But in large household a concubine was not considered a proper master. At best, it was a semi-slave. Even when they saw their own son or daughter, they still have to bow. Such a humble status had always been despised by the mainstream. If a young lady from official family became a concubine for someone, even if that woman family's official position was much higher than the husband, she would be shun by her close friends and sisters, and they would sever their contact with her. Even a commoner woman, if she was sent to become a concubine of rich family, it was still considered an insult.

The commoner were like this, one could imagine how contemptuous the noble families were toward a concubines. As long as the primary wife exist, even if she has not given birth to an heir, was not favored by her husband, or so sick she had one breath left, she was still the wife. The offering to the ancestors, dealing with the guests, weddings and funerals could only be performed by the primary wife, and the concubine couldn't go out of the inner courtyard and welcomed visitors outside no matter how spoiled. Even if the primary wife died of illness, there was no place for the concubine to come forward. If the visiting madam found that the one receiving them was a concubine, if they had a big temper it wouldn't be surprising for them to turn around and leave.

The reception from a concubine was regarded as an insult by many primary wife madams, let alone the one that sit here was Yan Wangfei. People in Duke Yingguo Mansion certainly knew that the concubine couldn't come out to meet guests, but Duke Yingguo Shizi's wife, Wei shi, had been dead for seven or eight years. Han shi gave birth to the only son of Shizi. Duke Yingguo old madam treated this grandson like a treasure, she was also amiable to Han shi. The above declared their stands, and the people below followed suit. Therefore, Han shi often wandered outside. Many ladies and grannies of Duke Yingguo Mansion tacitly avoid mentioning it, and Han shi's transgression was let go.

In the past, other madam who came to the Duke Yingguo Mansion as guests turned a blind eye when they saw Han shi. The other womenfolk of Duke Yingguo Mansion were also there, Han shi was just mixed in with the crowd. Which madam would be so bold, pointing out the rudeness of Duke Yingguo Mansion. In addition to etiquette, there were also human sentiments. They wanted something from Duke Yingguo Mansion, so of course they would not offend the favored concubine of Duke Mansion Shizi's and the birth mother of Yan Wang Mansion's Shizi Consort.

No one expected Lin Wei Xi would directly and bluntly bring Han shi up in front of everyone. The room suddenly went silent, and the ladies of the Gao family looked at each other, their faces were wonderful. Usually the other madams who came to the Duke Mansion was polite, and everyone in the Gao family was used to such fawning. Although the object of the politeness was not Duke Yingguo Mansion, rather the Duke Mansion's in-laws, Yan Wang Mansion, but anyway, Gao Ran's surname was Gao, there was no difference between the two.