"You little rascal, did you just eat honey? Your mouth is so sweet!"
Shi Niang chuckled twice.
After paying their respects to the Dowager Lady and Lady Zhao, the four of them each took two carriages to meet up with Third Sister.
As usual, Anran rode in one carriage with Shi Niang, while Liu Niang and Qi Niang rode in another.
"Ninth Sister, will Her Majesty the Empress come this year?" Tenth Sister asked with some longing. "I heard that Her Majesty the Empress went to Princess Yunyang's birthday party a few years ago with the princes. But she hasn't gone since Her Majesty gave birth to the little princess."
"Now that the little princess is three years old, I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress will come in person."
A few days ago, I heard from Third Sister that Her Majesty the Empress would be coming in person. This wasn't a secret, so Anran was happy to tell Tenth Sister. "Judging from Third Sister's words, it's highly likely that Her Majesty the Empress will be coming in person."
Upon hearing this, Shi Niang couldn't help but show a hint of excitement on her face.
If I could see the Empress, even just to show my face, and if I could receive a word or two of praise, that would be even better!
Seeing this, An Ran couldn't help but smile.
Even someone as mature and shrewd as Shi Niang has moments of joy!
They came out early, so they soon met up with Third Sister on Zhuque Street and headed to Princess Yunyang's residence together.
When they arrived at Princess Yunyang's residence, they found that they were already quite late; the carriages outside the residence had already driven far away.
"Now everyone's trying to flatter her, but how many girls does Princess Yunyang even notice?" Third Sister sighed softly, seemingly with a sense of melancholy. "No wonder people outside say that Princess Yunyang is arrogant and haughty."
After listening, An Ran recalled what Third Sister had mentioned about the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion.
When it comes to adding flowers to brocade and providing charcoal in the snow, do the person receiving the flowers and the person providing the charcoal know which sentiment is more profound?
When Third Sister entered with Anran and her sisters, everyone reacted in various ways. Some acquaintances came over to greet them, while others avoided them; among those who were not familiar with them, some looked on with curiosity, while others looked on with disdain.
An Ran, however, remained calm and composed.
Seeing this, Seventh Sister couldn't help but mutter to Sixth Sister and Tenth Sister, "It's all because of Ninth Sister that we're looked down upon."
Although her voice was low, Anran and San Niang, who were walking in front of her, had already heard it. Anran was too lazy to pay attention to her, but that didn't mean San Niang would either.
But since they were out in the open, Third Sister's methods would certainly not be simple or crude. She called Seventh Sister to her side with a smile and said gently and kindly, "Don't forget, who gave you the right to be here? If you dare to talk nonsense again and ruin your sisters' reputations, even if you are my sister, I will not be lenient."
Third Sister always had a smile on her face, but her words were extremely stern. Seventh Sister knew her Third Sister's personality; she always kept her word. Therefore, she could only nod reluctantly.
The three were on their way to the main courtyard to offer birthday greetings when they unexpectedly ran into the three eldest daughters of the Marquis of Qingxiang's household.
The marriage between the Marquis of Nan'an and the Marquis of Dingbei fell through, and Lady Qingxiang also felt that her sister-in-law had acted improperly. Lady Dingbei did not want to create a rift between herself and her sister-in-law, so she had no choice but to tell her about her concerns and what had happened in her family in recent days. After listening, Lady Qingxiang comforted her, and the matter was dropped.
A few days ago, Miss Zhou took Anran to "bump into" Fang Ting and praised her cousin to the skies, calling him the most wonderful man in history. Now, thinking back, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and sorry for Anran.
Even now, Miss Zhou refuses to believe those rumors.
"Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Third Miss." An Ran went over first, greeting the three with a smile, seemingly unaffected by the annulment of the engagement. Her attitude remained as warm and friendly as ever.
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Qi Niang and the others came over to greet each other, and An Ran stepped back, not wanting to compete with them.
Suddenly she saw a small, pale yellow figure running up to her, panting, and stopping in front of her. The figure looked up and called her "sister."
“Jia Niang.” An Ran couldn’t help but smile.
At this time, she was embroiled in rumors. She didn't know many people to begin with, and few came to greet her. Even those who did look at her mostly did so with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. Perhaps they thought her "courage was commendable"? Rumors were flying everywhere in the capital, growing increasingly unbearable in private. The fact that she could still calmly attend Princess Yunyang's birthday banquet showed her incredible resilience.
No, it's probably because they think she's "shameless"!
Jia Niang's face was full of anger. She said to An Ran, "Sister, I don't believe those slanderous words about you! Don't listen to those bad people spreading rumors!"
An Ran felt a warmth in her heart.
Even her own sisters could speak ill of her, but this young girl, whom she had only met two or three times, said she firmly believed in herself.
"Thank you, Jia Niang." An Ran smiled and patted Jia Niang's head. Before she could say anything more, Jia Niang's two cousins came over together.
Unlike their previous attempts to ingratiate themselves, this time the two sisters looked down on An Ran. They pulled Jia Niang away from An Ran, saying with disdain, "Come with us now. If you run off again, we won't take you out next time."
Jia Niang wanted to say a few more words to An Ran, but she couldn't resist her two older cousins and was taken away by An Ran, who looked at her reassuringly.
Today, Princess Yunyang's residence has been newly decorated to celebrate her birthday banquet.
Many people had already arrived in the main courtyard. Before An Ran could take a closer look at the layout of the courtyard, the maidservant of Princess Yunyang came to greet her.
She was dressed in an indigo-blue jacket, and her hair was adorned with a hairpin inlaid with red gold and lapis lazuli, suggesting that she was of considerable status. She came over to greet the three sisters, and then smiled and said, "The princess has been talking about this all morning, wondering why the Crown Prince's wife hasn't brought her sister yet."
Hearing this, others couldn't help but look at the Third Sister and her sister with higher regard.
Doesn't the princess know about the rumors circulating in the capital today? Everyone found it utterly absurd; could it be that the princess is intentionally trying to elevate him?
When the three sisters went inside, everyone was stunned, realizing what true respect they had received.
"Ninth Sister, come here quickly." After Princess Yunyang and the other two came to offer their birthday wishes, she called An Ran to her side with a smile and said to her sister-in-law from her maternal family, "This is the Ninth Sister I mentioned to you. What do you think? Isn't she a very beautiful young lady?"
The wife of the heir of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, and the sister-in-law of the Princess of Yunyang, had already received a signal from her sister-in-law and hurriedly held An Ran's hand, praising her for a long time.
Meanwhile, outside the Yunyang Princess's residence, the Southern Marquis's horse was stopped.
"Hello, Second Uncle." Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 79