Chapter 717 - 716: No Pay Without Work
Wang Yongzhu looked at Ninth Master Lee with a confused face, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked, "Could it be that you don’t cooperate with people who are married?"
She had heard of racial discrimination, class discrimination, but this was the first time she had encountered discrimination against married people by singles; it was quite an eye-opener.
As soon as Shopkeeper Wu heard what Ninth Master Lee had said, he knew things were going to be bad.
Seeing Wang Yongzhu looking over, he quickly said, "No, no! That’s absolutely not what we meant! It’s just that our Ninth Young Master was so surprised to see you, his great-niece, still so young! After all, it’s rare for women in the Capital City to marry so early—"
He said this while wiping sweat from his forehead, giving Ninth Master Lee a meaningful look.
Ninth Master Lee was initially greatly shocked, but, having been a man of the world, he quickly masked his feelings, apologizing with a remorseful face, "I apologize for my excessive surprise; now I should address you as Lady Wang—"
In those times, a married woman could be addressed by her husband’s surname, or she could continue to use her maiden surname and be referred to by the term ’Lady’.
In commoner families, as the woman aged, her title would change from ’Lady’ to the more elderly term ’Dame’.
In more sophisticated urban households, and among those with official ranks bestowed by the emperor, they would be referred to as ’Madam’ or ’Lady’. As they grew older, the titles would evolve to ’Old Madam’ or ’Old Lady’.
Wang Yongzhu was now simply a Scholar’s Lady, so being addressed as ’Lady’ was naturally most fitting.
Therefore, she nodded her head gracefully, "No harm done; as long as you do not refuse to engage in business because I am a married woman, it is fine."