Twenty squares

  The third girl snorted coldly and sneered: "You haven't eaten anything in eight lifetimes, have you?"

  "You, you're sick!" The second girl's face turned bright red with anger, thinking that this person was purely a dog, why did he bite whoever he caught!

  Yang Lan smiled and said, "Right, don't forget that tomorrow morning you have to get up early to learn etiquette. Zhang Niangniang is a very strict person, if you don't learn well, you'll be beaten with a board!"

  The words made several girls pale, and the second girl asked timidly with her big bright eyes: "Really will be beaten?"

  Yang Lan nodded seriously, "Yes! Even when I was a kid and misbehaved, my nanny would hit me with a board. But you don't have to worry, as long as you study hard, Nanny Zhang won't randomly hit the board. At most, she'll just make you redo it until it's up to standard. Learning more rules will be good for you! With your sloppy rules, my mother wouldn't take you out in public, or else you'd get slapped in the face!" After finishing, she glanced at Third Sister and smiled, then walked ahead with her maid.

  These words made several girls look gloomy and unclear, not only can they go out with Princess Hui Chang, others can too, but only those who have contact with Princess Hui Chang are noble and aristocratic families, are top-level upper-class people's core circle, others can't do it.

  Ancient people attached great importance to status and etiquette, they all lived in their own circles. A hereditary noble family like the Yangs also had its own circle, while Yang Lan belonged to the imperial clan's female lineage, so she naturally came into contact with top-level figures such as princesses, duchesses, and countesses from prominent families. Even a proper daughter like Second Miss couldn't blend in.

  What's the future of a girl? Of course, it's to get married well! Who wants to suffer if they can have good days?! If Hui Chang Gong Zhu can help say a word and take her out to attend a few banquets, it's not impossible to promote my niece, as long as you can also bring her out, after all, we can't let the Yang family lose face!

  Don't want to lose face, you have to learn etiquette seriously. This is not just a matter of politeness, but also how to receive guests and objects, how to entertain officials' wives, and how to respond when encountering danger in the inner courtyard. A girl's reputation is crucial. If something happens at someone else's house, what should she avoid as a girl? How can she stay calm in an emergency? Which places are not suitable for girls to go to? How can she leave a good impression on a group of picky noblewomen? These are all things that need to be learned seriously!

  Yang Lan was two years old and had just learned to walk, she began to learn etiquette, starting from walking and eating. The more profound the family's heritage, the earlier they teach their children etiquette, because as soon as they start learning to walk and eat, they follow the correct etiquette as much as possible to minimize the child's suffering, and also make these etiquettes stay in their bones, it is reasonable to be so.

  When one grows up, etiquette has already been integrated into daily life, and every move is full of elegance and nobility. From head to toe, dressing and greeting people are all perfect, naturally becoming dignified and elegant!

  Some people's families wait until they are about to get married before teaching them etiquette, but that is just learning the surface. That way, it will be even more painful. Many things have become habits, and starting from scratch to learn how to walk, eat, sit, and sleep is not possible without suffering a great deal.

  Therefore, families who love and cherish their children and are not lacking in this aspect will start learning when the child is two or three years old, which is the right time to learn. The child will not suffer, nor will they develop a rebellious psychology, and they will learn smoothly and systematically, step by step.

  It's already quite late for someone like Erjie to be doing this, they have to suffer a bit first, otherwise it won't work out!

  The second girl followed Yang Lan silently to her courtyard, where Yang Lan let her in and instructed Biyun, "Go make a cup of tea and have Li Shifu bring up some better pastries."

  "Yes!"

  Bi Yun smiled and went down to arrange for tea and refreshments.

  Yang Lan looked at the second girl who had been silent all along, her expression on her face was also somewhat worried, and she rarely softened her heart, holding her hand, looking at her seriously and saying: "Second sister, I'm only telling you this as your sister, I'll only say it once and never again. Zhang's aunt is a person by the empress dowager's side, being able to learn from her is our good fortune, she's a talented person, if we can learn even a little bit from her, it will be enough for us to use for a lifetime, even I have to learn too! Learn well, endure hardships and you'll become a superior person!"

  The second girl isn't really stupid, she's just heard that learning etiquette is tough. She was also spoiled since childhood, and suddenly hearing this made her a bit apprehensive. "I know this is for our own good, I may not go out but I know the palace's usual ladies-in-waiting are hard to invite, let alone getting one from Empress Dowager's side to teach us etiquette, this is a rare honor and blessing, I understand! I'm just a bit scared!" After finishing speaking, she nervously rubbed her sleeves.

  Yang Lan smiled, "Don't be afraid, just study hard and ask for advice humbly. Zhang Niang has been in the palace for almost thirty years, she can tell what kind of person someone is at a glance! You're no match for her, so don't try to outsmart her."

  The second aunt thought seriously and remembered that her mother had also said so, letting her follow the rules of the nanny, a rare opportunity to learn and benefit from it in the future. Now the sixth sister is saying the same thing, indeed for her own good!

  So he nodded happily, grinned and said, "I know what to do now! Don't worry, Sixth Sister, I know you're doing it for my own good, I'm not that kind of person who doesn't know what's good for me."

  Yang Lan smiled with a hint of mischief, "This is just right! Come with me and I'll show you the interesting little trinkets that my sealed county sent over. There are several things that girls like to play with, take a few back to tease your silly son!"

  The two girls soon gathered together, chattering and laughing happily. The second girl has a good point - she is straightforward and doesn't hide things in her heart. Unlike some girls who remember every little thing and have a big temper, the second girl won't do that. She is carefree and doesn't mind some things, otherwise she would have been driven mad by the third girl long ago, and wouldn't be able to maintain such an open and generous personality!

  The next day, after paying respects early in the morning, Old Madam pitied Li Qianshu and let her follow along to learn etiquette. Under the leadership of Zhang Mama, several girls studied at the study place, and afterwards they could attend class directly without delaying anything.

  "Now I'll demonstrate the half-squat curtsy, ladies, please watch closely, and then you'll have to do it for me!" Zhang Yaoyao's face wore a smile, looking gentle and kind.

  After the demonstration, everyone was asked to follow and learn once. Several girls did it together, but Zhang Jiajia didn't call out. In less than a minute, except for Yang Lan, the legs of several girls began to tremble and shake.

  The three girls had big temperaments and were the eldest daughters of the legitimate wife, so they had been spoiled since childhood and never suffered any grievances. Therefore, she spoke first, "I'm tired, nanny!"

  "Zhang Ya and Yan Yuese explained, 'This is the first lesson for you girls to learn. If you see a noble person in the palace, even if they don't ask you to get up, would you dare say you can't squat? Look at your gifts, what have they become after squatting? Such behavior in the palace will get you dragged out and beaten with a board. Take another look at the princess's legs, are they shaking? I'm telling you, the princess can squat for as long as it takes to burn a big incense stick without her legs shaking. As for you girls, I won't ask too much of you, just squat for as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea and that's enough!' After saying this, she glanced at several girls before starting to light two thin incense sticks on the incense burner."

  The three girls looked at Yang Lan, and indeed her posture was standard, her legs didn't wobble at all. Not only did they stare at Yang Lan, but also Li Qianxue and several others stared at Yang Lan without stopping, with a complex taste in their eyes.

  At this time, Zhang's aunt walked over in front of everyone and kicked Yang Lan's feet hard several times. However, Yang Lan didn't move a single thread, her body not swaying at all. At this point, none of the girls could help but feel that if they were kicked like that, they would definitely fall down, and now they could hardly stand still.

  Li Qianxue gazed at Yang Lan's calm and unruffled face, biting her lips tightly, with a resolute expression!