"Five days from now, the Marquis of Qingxiang will be hosting a banquet at his wife's house. This year marks the Marquis of Qingxiang's fortieth birthday. You will come with me to offer your congratulations." Third Sister said to Anran, "You should prepare well. Time is a bit tight, so make one of the clothes you wore that day first."
An Ran, however, felt something was amiss.
"Sister—" An Ran asked hesitantly, "Would it be appropriate for you to take me with you?"
Since she was staying at the Prince's residence as a guest, it made no sense for Third Sister to always take her out for social engagements. Yunlan and the other two were the proper young ladies of the Prince's residence, and if this Lady of Qingxiang was an acquaintance of the Prince's residence... it would be inappropriate for her to go along.
"You little rascal. Don't worry, Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister will be there that day." Third Sister waved her hand to reassure her. "The Marquis of Qingxiang's mansion has connections with the Prince's mansion and our Marquis's mansion, so you won't stand out by my side."
An Ran chuckled twice.
"Third Sister, I still have quite a few new clothes that I haven't worn this year." Remembering that her Third Aunt was going to make her more clothes, Anran said, "I don't think you need to make any more. Just pick one to wear."
Without waiting for Third Sister's reply, she had Qingmei and Qingxing bring out all her clothes.
Although the colors weren't particularly vibrant, the fabrics were all of the highest quality. Third Sister glanced at the pale blue, moon white, lake blue, emerald green, and pear blossom white... and couldn't help but frown, saying, "Why is a young girl dressed so plainly?"
“It’s cool in summer!” An Ran said without hesitation. “Wearing this moon-white color, you’ll feel much cooler looking at me, right? I’m doing this mainly out of selflessness.”
Hearing that her story was getting a bit off-topic towards the end, Third Sister chuckled and tapped her forehead. "You always have so many twisted arguments."
San Niang, however, was secretly making plans for her in her heart.
Jiu Niang has fair skin, and wearing bright blue or lake blue makes her skin look even more delicate and refined, like the finest white glaze. Lotus root color, lilac color, and pale yellow are also nice, making her look even softer. She would also look good in begonia red and Drunken Fairy Beauty colors, but since this is a birthday celebration, it wouldn't be appropriate to wear something too flamboyant.
"Third Sister?" An Ran noticed her third aunt hadn't spoken for a while and assumed she was upset about her refusal. She said somewhat nervously, "Third Sister, I—"
Third Sister seemed not to hear. She silently considered the matter and decided to arrange for a needlework master to select some good materials from her dowry to make several more clothes for Anran.
"I'll have Master Jiang come over tomorrow to take your measurements," Third Sister decided.
It turns out her third sister didn't listen to her at all!
Anran was helpless.
"The jewelry also needs to be chosen in advance..." Third Sister pulled Anran along with great interest, and they started discussing how Anran should style her hair and which pieces of jewelry she should wear when going to the birthday celebration.
Third Sister is taking the Marquis of Qingxiang's birthday banquet way too seriously!
An Ran was completely confused by her. Were the two families really that close?
******
Dengma Hutong.
Chen Qian had just returned from outside. He had his horse led away by a servant so he could go and pay his respects to his mother, Madam Ding.
After arriving in the capital from Yangzhou, the Chen family rented a three-courtyard house in the city for the time being, planning to return to Yangzhou in the autumn.
“Sir, I’ve sent someone to Qixia Temple to investigate. Among the women in the temple’s back courtyard that day, there were two families.” A tall, thin servant replied to Chen Qian: “One family was the heir apparent of Prince Yi’s mansion, who went there with the young ladies of the mansion; the other family was the wife of Marquis Qingxiang, who went there with the young ladies of the Marquis’s mansion.”
The Prince Yi's Mansion and the Marquis Qingxiang's Mansion?
Chen Qian nodded, then couldn't help but ask, "Do you know which family that girl I told you about belongs to?"
The servant shook his head.
Chen Qian had originally instructed him to investigate discreetly, and he could only obtain this information by taking the opportunity to befriend the young monks in the temple. Further details would likely only be known to the guest master.
"There were seven girls in the backyard that day." That was all the servant could find out. He said, "I don't know anything else."
Chen Qian frowned.
Such matters cannot be inquired about openly; one can only try to find out indirectly through other means.
"Changqing, try to find out more," Chen Qian instructed. "Just don't let anyone know, and don't let a word of it slip to your wife either."
The servant boy, known as "Changqing," readily agreed.
He wanted to know who the girl was, but what happened next? Chen Qian grew up in a wealthy family and knew from a young age not to do business that would lose money. What was he doing having Changqing do now?
No matter how wealthy the Chen family was in Yangzhou, they could not compare to the noble families in the capital. Whether it was the daughter of Prince Yi or the daughter of Marquis Qingxiang, whether she was born of the principal wife or a concubine, she was not someone he could even dream of.
Chen Qian, who had been a prodigy since childhood, felt a profound sense of defeat for the first time.
"Master is here." The maid at the main door lifted the curtain and announced his arrival.
Chen Qian nodded slightly and entered the main room.
His mother, Madam Ding, seemed to be preparing to go out, with many exquisite gift boxes piled on the black lacquered square table.
"Mother," Chen Qian bowed to Ding Shi, then asked, "Are you going out? Whose family are these all going to be delivered to?"
When Ding saw her son arrive, a smile bloomed on her face. She quickly invited Chen Qian to sit down and said, "Mother is going to see Consort Li of Prince Yi's residence."
Prince Yi's Mansion?
Upon hearing this, Chen Qian's heart stirred. He asked, "Consort Li is so favored by the Prince, yet she doesn't have a child or two?"
"That's why the Princess Consort tolerated her." Madam Ding sneered. "Consort Li is indeed formidable. Among the consorts in Prince Yi's harem, she is the most outstanding. Her family has also benefited greatly from her. Otherwise, why would we be begging her?"
Seeing that his mother was only concerned with the interests involved, Chen Qian couldn't help but feel anxious. He wanted to take the opportunity to find out about the girls in the Prince's mansion, but he couldn't ask them openly.
While Madam Ding was still rambling on about Consort Li, Chen Qian had no interest in listening and instead began fiddling with the things on the table.
He opened a rosewood box with a lotus scroll pattern, inside which were ten neatly arranged pills the size of lotus seeds. At first glance, Chen Qian mistook them for pearls. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were pills.
Chen Qian found it strange and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, what is this? Is it a pill?"