Chen Qian was taken aback when he heard this. Seeing the disapproving look on Ding's face, he knew that she had misunderstood.
“Mother, she’s not one of those actresses’ fangirls.” Chen Qian smiled helplessly, a gentle look in his eyes. “She’s a good girl from a respectable family.”
Ding looked at Chen Qian in disbelief.
"Mother, how did your visit to Consort Li go last time?" Chen Qian abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Did Consort Li accept all our gifts?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Ding said smugly, "Of course. She accepted them all and promised to help us smooth things over."
Chen Qian's face cleared up.
"As expected of Mother, with you personally taking charge, it's naturally a piece of cake." Chen Qian flattered Madam Ding.
She knew her own son well, and Ding knew that Chen Qian's humble and subservient manner was surely motivated by ulterior motives.
"Speak, what do you want to do?" Ding's face showed no joy. She said indifferently, "Let me make this clear from the start: if you want to bring actresses and courtesans home from outside, I will absolutely not tolerate it."
Chen Qian smiled and shook his head.
"How could my son do such a thing?" Chen Qian said gently, "Don't worry, the girl my son has his eye on is from a prestigious family."
Before Ding could recover from her shock, Chen Qian asked again, "When you visited the Prince Yi's residence a few days ago, did you see the Crown Princess?"
Madam Ding was taken aback. How come she didn't know when her son had become acquainted with a lady from a prominent family? She frowned and said, "Of course we've met."
Chen Qian revealed a confident smile.
"The person I've set my sights on is none other than the Crown Princess's younger sister, the Ninth Miss, born out of wedlock to the Marquis of Nan'an's household." Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 63
This is a protected chapter. If any readers accidentally purchased it, don't worry, it will be replaced tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. The word count will increase after the replacement.
This article was exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City; all other publications are pirated. The author works hard to update daily, please support the official version, thank you!
The title of Marquis of Yongning had been passed down for two generations to Qiao Zhan.
(Back then, as a writer under the pen of Sanbi Literature)
Chapter 64
This is a protected chapter. If any readers accidentally purchased it, don't worry, it will be replaced tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. The word count will increase after the replacement.
This article was exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City; all other publications are pirated. The author works hard to update daily, please support the official version, thank you!
Main courtyard.
As Lan Xi turned the corner in the alley, she saw Yue Lin and Tang Li already waiting anxiously for her return at the courtyard gate. Lan Xi felt a warmth in her heart, and the smile on her lips deepened.
"Madam, are you alright?" The two men rushed over when they saw Lan Xi return. Seeing that Lan Xi looked fine and was not as worried and melancholy as before, they were relieved.
Lan Xi smiled and nodded: "It was just that the old lady was concerned about my health and called me over to ask a few questions."
Yue Lin and Tang Li were skeptical, but Ban Xia was completely unconvinced. If the old lady truly cared about Madam, why didn't she send someone to see her? Knowing Madam was unwell, why send her over? There was no reason for that!
Although she went with Lanxi, she stood guard outside when Lanxi went in, and when they came back, even the old woman leading the horse wasn't one of their people. Banxia had no choice but to endure it.
"Madam, Fourth Madam didn't look too good when she came out!" After everyone escorted Lanxi into the house, Banxia hurriedly asked, "She won't cause you any trouble, will she?" Based on her understanding of Fourth Madam over the years, Fourth Madam was never one to suffer a loss. Even if Madam was assertive this time and got in her way, she would definitely find every means to retaliate.
Lan Xi smiled mischievously and said mysteriously, "How could that be? If I make her unhappy, she should thank me!"
Banxia was stunned, and Yuelin and Tangli stopped what they were doing, staring at Lanxi in disbelief. The Madam had so publicly punished the Fourth Madam's people, and the Fourth Madam was supposed to thank the Madam? Only if the sun rose in the west!
"Alright, take these off my head first." Lan Xi reached out and adjusted the hairpins in her hair. The whole set of hair ornaments looked elegant, but it was too heavy, so heavy that she could hardly lift her head.
After hearing Lanxi's words, the three of them quickly set to work together. Yuelin went to find some casual clothes for Lanxi to change into, Tangli carefully took off and put away the hairpins, combs, and other jewelry that Lanxi couldn't name, and Banxia went to pour tea.
Tang Li carefully counted the entire set of jewelry twice before putting it in the box. These were the only two sets of jewelry that the lady could wear out. She was going to a banquet in a few days. Last time she wore the tourmaline set, and next time she would wear this pearl set.
The lady kept changing her hair ornaments, but only these two sets were ever made. Tangli closed the box, feeling a little sad as she thought about how Fang's maid, Cuiliu, had once boasted to them about Fang's seven or eight sets of hair ornaments, including ruby, cat's eye, and tortoiseshell pieces... Two of which were "gifts" from the lady.
The lady is the mistress of the Marquis's mansion! Yet she is less respectable than a concubine!
Lan Xi noticed that Tang Li had slowed down and looked at her with some confusion. Tang Li's eyes were brimming with tears, and she looked like she was about to cry. "Tang Li, what happened?"
"I'm fine!" Tang Li finally came to her senses. Not wanting to bring up Lan Xi's painful memories, she covered it up by saying, "I just got sand in my eyes!"
Lanxi didn't believe this clumsy excuse, but seeing that Tangli didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press further. After Tangli put away her jewelry, she took out the ornaments that Lanxi usually wore. Since she wasn't receiving guests at home, she still had to wear these.
Lan Xi slowly rummaged through the jewelry box, picking out the pieces that were barely acceptable. She, the Lady of the Marquis, was truly too poor! She recalled how her three concubines yesterday were adorned with countless precious jewels, each one more valuable than the last, and they were far more presentable than she was.
"This one will do." Lan Xi picked out a hairpin made of mutton fat jade from the box. Several lifelike peach blossoms were carved on it. The jade was delicate and, although not rich, it exuded a touch of elegance.
Tang Li was very skillful. After taking the jade hairpin, she quickly and easily tied it into a bun for Lan Xi, using only the jade hairpin as decoration.
Yue Lin had already brought over a plain apricot-yellow jacket with floral patterns and a white embroidered skirt.
The two women helped Lanxi get ready, and Zhutao brought in water so Lanxi could wash her face again. Since Qiao Zhan rarely visited, she didn't bother with makeup and just applied some moisturizing cream.
As Banxia brought in the tea, Lanxi leaned comfortably against the soft couch. Looking at the intense gazes of Yue Lin and the others below, a smile played on her lips as she cleared her throat. Just as she was about to share some of her "great achievements" to put their minds at ease, she heard the voice of a maidservant coming from the courtyard.
"Sister Jinzhi, you've come!" She deliberately raised her voice so that the people inside the room could hear her.
Golden Branch?
Upon hearing this name, Yue Lin and the others frowned in unison. She was the Fourth Madam's head maid; the Madam had only recently returned from that mansion, so what was she doing here?
Lan Xi gave Yue Lin and Ban Xia a wink, signaling her to go out and take a look.