An Yuanliang quickly offered a few words of concern and then left.
The old lady leaned against the black lacquered daybed with its endless swastika pattern, gazing at the old official kiln brocade teacup with ten patterns on the small table.
Lu Mingxiu.
Jiu Niang.
Is there any possibility between them?
******
Anran, who thought she would be able to choose her seat, slept very soundly that night. When Qingxing came to wake her up to take her medicine, she was still drowsy and couldn't open her eyes.
After washing up and combing her hair, still half asleep, Qingmei and Zhimo helped Anran change her clothes and then placed some nourishing porridge and side dishes on the black lacquered marble round table in the side room.
"Ninth Miss, it's getting late," Qingxing said softly. "You've had breakfast, but you still need to take your medicine."
When the topic of taking medicine came up, An Ran immediately became alert.
"Here's what we'll do, Qingxing, secretly pour out the medicine later and say I drank it." Anran hated the bitter smell of medicine the most. It always reminded her of her past life, when she lay on the bed, barely clinging to life with the help of those medicines.
Although she was indeed frightened when the carriage was startled, Lu Mingxiu's timely help ensured her safe escape, and she was no longer afraid. She didn't need any calming medicine.
"No wonder the Crown Princess asked me to personally watch you drink your medicine, Miss." Huaping's voice came from outside the curtain. She lifted the curtain and came in, laughing, "As expected, Miss is unwilling to drink her medicine properly."
Caught red-handed, An Ran gave a somewhat embarrassed dry laugh.
"Sister Huaping, I'll drink it in a bit, don't tell my third sister!" An Ran touched her nose, her big eyes blinking, making people feel indescribably sorry for her.
Hua Ping smiled and agreed.
After having breakfast and taking her medicine, Anran followed Huaping to San Niang's room.
Walking along the covered walkway, An Ran asked in a low voice, "Did your brother-in-law stay at your sister's place last night?"
Hua Ping nodded, and whispered, "The young master stayed with the young mistress, and asked for water again last night—" Before she could finish, she stopped awkwardly. The Ninth Miss was still inexperienced; it was truly inappropriate for her to say such a thing. She quickly corrected herself, "The young master had breakfast before leaving this morning."
An Ran pretended not to understand and calmly nodded.
“Yesterday, on my way to the Princess Consort’s residence, I saw a young maidservant.” An Ran briefly described her appearance and clothing. “Is she from your household, sister?”
Hua Ping thought carefully for a moment before confirming, "Judging from your words, she seems to be a maid in Aunt Li's courtyard."
An Ran's pupils dilated slightly. Sure enough, Madam Li was no pushover; she was still trying to find out about her and Third Sister's affair!
"I sent someone to inquire about what you asked me to do yesterday, Miss." Huaping looked around and lowered her voice, "Yesterday, the young master went to Concubine Li's courtyard twice. The first time, the young master's expression was normal, but the second time, I heard that his expression was extremely unpleasant."
She wasn't wrong; it must have been Li who was behind it. Otherwise, Yun Shen wouldn't have come to see her in person and made a point of asking about her injuries. It must have been Li who stirred things up, which is why Yun Shen became suspicious.
It's no wonder that Li was suspicious; after all, it's not easy to escape unscathed from a frightened carriage.
As it turned out, it was indeed true; Yun Shen must have gone to the Jingzhao Prefecture to verify it. The Jingzhao Prefect would certainly say that it was Marquis Pingyuan who had come to the rescue, leaving Yun Shen no choice but to believe it.
An Ran's heart stirred.
In this sense, Lu Mingxiu not only saved her life, but also unintentionally helped her.
“…Miss?” Huaping saw Anran stop and stare blankly into thought, and couldn’t help but ask, “Ninth Miss, what happened?”
"It's nothing!" An Ran came to her senses and smiled to cover it up, "Let's hurry over, Third Sister is getting impatient."
The sensible person didn't ask any further questions.
"Miss, Dongge'er's full moon celebration is in a few days." Huaping hesitated for a moment, then said to Anran, "I'm afraid the Crown Princess is not in a good mood these days, please bear with her!"
Anran smiled gently.
"I understand!" She looked at the painted screen and said sincerely, "Third Sister is fortunate to have you serving her!"
When they arrived at the main room of the Third Sister, there were two old women dressed in light green vests and wearing two red gold hairpins inlaid with lapis lazuli in their hair, talking to each other. They looked quite respectable.
Seeing that they had finished talking, An Ran went inside. The two old women bowed to An Ran and then withdrew.
Third Sister, however, seemed rather uninterested.
"Third Sister!" An Ran walked up to Third Sister with a smile. Today, she was wearing a lake-blue dress, which made her skin look even whiter and her face as white as jade. She was as cute as a porcelain doll.
When Third Sister saw her arrive, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Is your body still aching?" Third Sister asked An Ran, then turned to Hua Ping and asked, "Did you see Ninth Sister drink her medicine?"
Before Huaping could speak, Anran interjected, "Of course! Sister Huaping just left, and I was just about to take my medicine! We just happened to run into each other!"
Third Sister raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it.
Hua Ping didn't speak, but just smiled with her lips pursed.
Third Sister understood everything. She cleared her throat and said, "From now on, Huaping will watch you drink it until you finish all the medicine that Physician Hu left behind."
An Ran pouted, about to explain, but a glare from Third Sister made her swallow her words.
Her deliberate banter didn't keep the smile on Third Sister's face for long. Soon another maid came in to report on Dongge'er's full moon celebration, and after she left, Third Sister's expression turned sour.
"Your brother-in-law asked you to handle this because he values you!" An Ran whispered, advising, "If he bypassed you and let the Princess Consort handle it directly, it would be a disgrace to you!"
“In the future, Dongge’er will call you Mother and that Concubine Li. When the guests come, it’s because of the Prince’s Mansion and our Marquis’s Mansion. Who knows who Concubine Li is? Even if she is promoted to a concubine, think about it, she is related to Consort Li. Do you think the Princess Consort will really like her?”
Upon hearing this, Third Sister's expression softened slightly.