Mature and steady, obedient and sensible... these are all too much of a bad thing.
If she has too deep an ulterior motive, even if she helps Third Sister, Third Sister might still feel that she is really aiming for the position of a concubine.
An Ran sighed heavily, thinking that she should find an opportunity to explain everything to Third Sister.
When exactly is the right time? (JustL)
Chapter 45 Plans
The Marquis of Nan'an's residence, Rong'an Hall.
While Zhao was still at the Grand Madam's place, and calculating the time before Anran arrived at Prince Yi's residence, a guard who was escorting Anran returned to report that the Ninth Miss's carriage had encountered an accident.
The Dowager Lady and Madam Zhao were both startled.
Fortunately, she heard that someone came to her rescue, and Ninth Sister was safe and sound.
Later, Third Sister brought news that it was Marquis Pingyuan who saved Ninth Sister, thus escaping danger.
"It's truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva that Ninth Sister is safe and sound." Madam Zhao was genuinely praying for An Ran, since An Ran was going to help Third Sister, and she didn't want anything to happen to her on the way, preventing An Ran from going.
"How did the Marquis of Pingyuan end up running into him?" The Grand Madam's eyes flickered slightly as she slowly turned the prayer beads in her hand.
The visitor quickly recounted what had happened on Zhuque Street that day. Marquis Pingyuan was known for his low profile, and the Prefect of Jingzhao didn't want to make a scene and appear negligent, so they deliberately suppressed the matter. Therefore, not many people knew that Lu Mingxiu had saved An Ran.
The old lady nodded slightly.
"Go and prepare some tonics and send them to Ninth Sister," the Grand Madam said to Zhao. "It's a bit late today, so we can send them tomorrow."
Zhao hurriedly agreed and went out.
The old lady dismissed all the maids, leaving only Mama He and Mama Su to speak.
"It's a pity that it was Ninth Sister who was rescued by Marquis Pingyuan today," the Grand Madam sighed.
Madam He and Madam Su exchanged a glance, understanding her meaning. The Ninth Miss had already been sent to the Prince Yi's residence; if it had been another girl, perhaps a marriage could have been arranged.
“If we can use this opportunity to reconnect with the Pingyuan Marquis’s family, it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” said Mama He. “In the end, it would bring our relationship with the Pingyuan Marquis’s family even closer.”
The old lady nodded.
"What if we could bring Ninth Miss back?" Madam Su tentatively suggested. "Ninth Miss is so beautiful. Even if Marquis Pingyuan is heartless, heroes have always found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Perhaps he might even take a liking to our Ninth Miss..."
“I’m afraid Madam won’t agree,” Madam He shook her head and said, “Ninth Miss went to help Third Miss, and I’m afraid she is not comparable to the other young ladies. How long has Ninth Miss been back? Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been Ninth Miss who went back then.”
The Dowager Lady twirled the prayer beads on her wrist and said in a deep voice, "The Marquis of Pingyuan's attitude is currently ambiguous. He has neither refused outright nor given a clear answer. I'm afraid he still harbors resentment towards the Marquis's family. Now that he is favored by the Emperor, whether he marries or not is not something we can control."
Both Mrs. He and Mrs. Su fell silent.
Indeed, six years ago, Lu Mingxiu, who had not yet regained his title, was still struggling in the army in the southwest. Zhao had already arranged for her eldest daughter, San Niang, to marry the second son of Prince Yi, and soon arranged for her second daughter to marry as well, as if the verbal promise made at that time was no longer valid.
Lu Mingxiu, who was not yet the Marquis of Pingyuan, was a man of pride and did not utter a word about the unkind actions of the Marquis of Nan'an's family.
The marriage agreement between the two families was only verbal at first; no tokens were exchanged, not a single word was written down, and it was never publicized. If nothing had happened to the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion, it would naturally have been brought up again after the Third Sister came of age.
In a sense, it is the Marquis of Nan'an's family that has wronged Lu Mingxiu. If he refuses to acknowledge this marriage, it will be the Marquis of Nan'an's family that will lose face.
Therefore, neither the Dowager nor An Yuanliang dared to insist on this matter.
"Madam, the Marquis has arrived," came the announcement from a maidservant under the eaves.
Mother He and Mother Su quickly stood up. The checkered Shu brocade curtain was lifted, revealing a handsome face.
"My lord."
"My lord."
The two men bowed to An Yuanliang and then quietly withdrew, leaving the mother and son to talk.
“Mother, you must have heard about what happened on Zhuque Street today. The Prefect of Jingzhao came to apologize to me personally, saying that our Ninth Sister was in danger, but was fortunately rescued by Marquis Pingyuan.” An Yuanliang’s voice was tinged with an undisguised joy.
The old lady nodded slightly, and seeing An Yuanliang's expression, she guessed what her son was thinking.
“Mother, no one knows how Ninth Sister was rescued…” An Yuanliang’s eyes flickered, and he said with some hesitation, “Could you perhaps take this opportunity…”
"Don't even think about it." The old lady refused him outright before he could finish speaking.
The Dowager Lady raised her eyebrows, a cold smile playing on her lips. "You still want to pin the blame for Jiu Niang on Lu Mingxiu? Even if the two of them have been intimate, so what? Even if we bring it up before the Emperor, it's all for nothing unless Lu Mingxiu gives his approval!"
An Yuanliang gave an awkward smile.
“My son also thought that it would be beneficial to our Marquis’s family to further strengthen our relationship with the Pingyuan Marquis’s family.” An Yuanliang explained somewhat awkwardly: “Nowadays, apart from those who have followed the Emperor since he was a prince, the most respectable person in the court is Lu Mingxiu.”
The old lady remained silent.
Although the Nan'an Marquis's mansion has improved somewhat compared to twenty years ago, and it made the right choice before the Emperor ascended the throne, An Yuanliang's abilities can only go so far.
Among the prominent families in the capital, the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion was not even ranked first.
“That’s precisely why we mustn’t anger Lu Mingxiu.” The Grand Madam raised her eyes and said, “Tomorrow, just prepare a generous gift to express your gratitude, and don’t mention anything else.”
An Yuanliang frowned, seemingly somewhat disapproving.
"You need to be patient and proceed step by step." The Grand Madam was afraid that he might do something inappropriate in the heat of the moment. After all, the old marriage agreement between the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion and the Nan'an Marquis's Mansion was something he had blurted out while drunk. The Grand Madam added, "Start making contact first, and you won't have to worry about not having a chance to bring it up later."
An Yuanliang cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and agreed.
"Go ahead, I'd like to be alone for a while!" The old lady looked tired.