Hua Ping instantly understood An Ran's meaning.
Since Consort Li and her niece wanted to frame Ninth Miss, but Ninth Miss just stood there perfectly fine and nothing happened, it's no wonder they were angry.
An Ran smiled and offered her a few words of advice before letting Hua Ping go back.
After everyone in the room had left, An Ran's face gradually became serious.
Li's repeated provocations, yet she persisted despite repeated defeats—they were locked in a fierce battle, and it seemed inevitable that a victor would emerge.
While Li was indeed composed when she was away from home, she became much more impatient after returning and giving birth to her eldest son.
Did he put pressure on her? Or was it that the relationship between Third Sister and the Prince was improving day by day, and she couldn't wait any longer?
An Ran was worried that Yun Lan would remain inactive, leaving her unable to find a breakthrough or make a move. Moreover, An Ran guessed that Yun Lan would definitely not tell the whole truth.
To avoid suspicion, Yunlan had only pointed her in the right direction. However, she merely pretended to walk a few steps and never actually reached the location Yunlan had indicated. This time, for some unknown reason, they failed. Would Yunlan tell her the truth?
Anran was certain that Yunlan wouldn't.
An Ran didn't know exactly where their plan went wrong, but if Yun Lan concealed part of the truth, she could extricate herself from the situation. After all, besides her, only her two maids were present at the time; even Yun Lan's maid had been sent away.
Consort Li and the others couldn't ask An Ran's maids.
The three who joined forces were not united from the inside out.
An Ran curled her lips into a smile. Her chance would come when Li Shi lost her patience. (Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.)
Prelude to Chapter 54
Since the day I returned from Qixia Temple, it was as if nothing had really happened in the Stele Forest. The wind had passed without leaving a trace, and it seemed to have ended quietly.
However, Anran, Madam Li, Consort Li, and Yunlan all knew perfectly well that this matter was not over, or rather, its impact was still unfolding.
An Ran didn't have much contact with either Lady Li or Consort Li, but while she was staying at Prince Yi's residence, she spent more time with the Yunlan sisters than with Third Sister.
The more enigmatic An Ran remained, the more uneasy Yun Lan felt. An Ran seemed to have forgotten what happened that day; she hadn't even mentioned Third Sister. She still affectionately addressed Yun Lan as Fourth Sister, leaving no room for criticism. Yet, Yun Lan sensed that An Ran was paying more attention to her in subtle glances and gestures.
Yunlan was even more uneasy, but she couldn't be honest with Consort Li. So she could only pretend that nothing was wrong.
"Fourth Sister, how do you think my writing is?" An Ran handed her newly completed small regular script to Yun Lan, seemingly very humbly asking for advice: "Has it improved at all?"
Yunlan was lost in thought when Anran suddenly called her name, startling her and making her brow twitch. To hide her unease, she smiled and took the calligraphy Anran had written.
To be fair, what Third Sister said that day was right. An Ran's handwriting can only be described as neat. Even Yun Rui, who is only ten years old, writes better handwriting when she is serious.
However, Yunlan had to admit that Anran's handwriting was getting better every day.
"Your handwriting is improving more and more, little sister." Yunlan's words weren't entirely perfunctory; at least half of them were sincere. "Given time, I'll have to ask you for guidance, little sister." Of course, she went a bit too far at the end.
An Ran smiled shyly.
Ever since Third Sister jokingly suggested that Anran study diligently under Yunlan's tutelage, Anran had been coming to Yunlan every day to ask for her guidance. At first, Yunlan thought Anran was doing it on purpose, using the opportunity to spy on her. Little did she know that Anran was genuinely just asking for her guidance on her handwritten calligraphy, truly demonstrating her diligence and eagerness to learn. Yunlan, in turn, had no choice but to set aside her worries and offer Anran some pointers.
That day, San Niang went to the Princess's residence to discuss matters, and An Ran came to Xiu Jin Courtyard to find Yun Lan.
“Don’t laugh at me, my third sister also praised my handwriting, saying it’s much better than before,” An Ran said with a smile. But then her eyes darkened as if she remembered something. “The other day, Aunt Li finally finished copying all the books and sent them to you, sister. That’s when I realized what it means to be outdone. Aunt Li’s small regular script is really good.”
Hearing An Ran mention Aunt Li for the first time in days, Yun Lan felt a pang of anxiety.
Was she trying to test him?
"I've never seen Aunt Li's handwriting before." Yunlan's smile was somewhat unnatural; she didn't want to talk about Aunt Li any further. "Sister, there's no need to rush. With more practice, you'll naturally be able to write well."
An Ran seemed to have been comforted and nodded with a smile.
"Fourth Sister, there are still a few characters I can't write well. Could you please take a look?" An Ran seemed oblivious to Yun Lan's discomfort and took out another calligraphy copybook she had been practicing, asking Yun Lan with great interest.
To be honest, Yunlan's handwriting is indeed very good. Perhaps because she has two younger sisters and her status as a concubine is not prominent, she seems to have an excellent temper and is very patient.
Yunlan's fondness for visiting the Stele Forest wasn't entirely out of affectation; she herself was quite knowledgeable about authentic works by famous calligraphers and painters, and was skilled in both. Anran, in turn, learned a great deal from her.
Of course, An Ran's main purpose was not to actually learn characters from her.
The closer she was to Yunlan, and the more she interacted with her than Yunfang and Yunrui, the more likely Consort Li and Lady Li would wonder if what Yunlan had said about them was really true that day in the Stele Forest.
They all knew that someone sent by the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion to be the heir's concubine and to help Third Sister couldn't just be someone with a beautiful face; she must at least have some shrewdness. Speaking of beautiful concubine's daughters, the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion already had a fifteen-year-old Sixth Sister, who was probably more suitable than An Jiu. But of all people, An Jiu was sent instead…
Li suffered two consecutive losses, both of which were inseparable from An Jiu. Yet, An Jiu was able to make San Niang listen to her every word.
If Yunlan really led her to a secluded corner of the Stele Forest, wouldn't she become suspicious?
It was Feng Er who made a mistake and failed to ruin An Ran's innocence as he had hoped. Was it really as Yun Lan said, that An Ran didn't notice anything amiss at all?
An Ran, however, appeared too calm. After returning, she was no different from usual, except that she was seeing Yun Lan more often and would come to see Yun Lan from time to time.
Could it be that Yunlan couldn't withstand the pressure and leaked something to Anran?
Consort Li was alright, but Lady Li had her doubts. Could it be that Yunlan had done something inappropriate that Anran had caught her doing, and thus Yunlan simply confessed to Anran? And then turned to the Crown Prince's wife, Third Sister?
After all, Third Sister is still the undisputed future mistress of Prince Yi's mansion! Lately, the relationship between the young master and Third Sister has become increasingly harmonious…
At this point, the Li family was already on edge.
With the Princess Consort's people in her courtyard, she felt restricted in everything she did, making things much less convenient than usual. Even sending messages out required her to be extremely cautious and careful.
She was suspicious of everything, including Consort Li; she felt uneasy about even her.
An Ran had been waiting for this moment, waiting for Li Shi to become impatient, waiting for Li Shi to become nervous, waiting for Li Shi to lose control, and waiting for Li Shi to make a mistake!