An Ran recalled the concubine Li she had once met. She looked to be a beautiful woman in her thirties, kind and gentle, always speaking with a hint of a smile. Even though Third Sister treated her rudely, An Ran had been able to turn a blind eye and tolerate it, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with her.
Such people are terrifying.
"Sister Lan's needlework must be exceptionally good," An Ran said with a hint of envy. "I'm clumsy, and among my sisters, my needlework is the worst."
Yunfang nodded and said, "Fourth Sister's needlework is the best among us sisters. Mother Consort even praised her! Fourth Sister is also easy to talk to. Even if the concubines want her to help with any embroidery, Fourth Sister never refuses."
An Ran couldn't help but chuckle to herself upon hearing this.
Doesn't this mean that Yunlan deliberately tried to please the favored concubine?
But this doesn't make sense, An Ran thought. There's no reason to skip over the princess and try to please the concubine. With Yun Lan's intelligence, wouldn't she have thought of this? Was she too eager, or was there some other reason?
"Alright, since you've come all this way, help me pick out some jewelry to go with my clothes." Yunfang pulled Anran into her inner room.
It seems the Princess Consort treats her illegitimate daughter quite well; Yunfang's room is furnished with a complete set of rosewood furniture, and the antiques displayed on the display cabinet are also valuable items. The daybed is covered with a royal blue five-bat floral quilt, and two large, autumn-colored bolsters are placed on top. Silver-striped gauze curtains, a black lacquered mica canopy bed…
Although Yunfang was a concubine's daughter, there were no legitimate daughters in the Prince's mansion, so her treatment was about the same.
Two maids brought over two large jujube wood dressing boxes inlaid with gold and jade, containing a set of pearl jewelry and a set of ruby jewelry respectively.
“I think this set of pearls is very nice.” An Ran thought about the lotus-colored jacket that Yun Fang had made and said, “Wearing pearls makes a person look more gentle and beautiful.” She took the opportunity to praise, “The color and luster of these pearls are so good, they are probably hard to find in ordinary times.”
Yunfang nodded, a hint of pride showing on her face. "This set of jewelry was a gift from my mother. The beads are quite rare in the capital. However..." She seemed to remember something and added, "It seems there are quite a few good things in the south."
An Ran couldn't keep up with her leaping thoughts for a moment.
“Do you remember the last spring banquet, the one where Second Sister invited Princess Yunyang?” Yunfang reminded her, “There was a lady from a wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, I think she was Chen Dingshi.”
An Ran's smile faltered.
She heard news about the Chen family again! An Ran's heart pounded. On one hand, she wanted to stay away from the past, but on the other hand, she was afraid that fate would drag her back again! She really didn't want to have anything to do with the Chen family.
"Did you see the whole set of pearl jewelry she wore that day?" Yunfang whispered to her. "The color and size of those pearls were truly top-notch!"
“It’s not bad.” An Ran’s smile was a little unnatural. “There are many wealthy people in Jiangnan, and the water and land transportation is convenient. There are many merchants from outside, so there must be some good things.”
Yunfang looked slightly surprised and said, "I almost forgot, you came back from Jiangnan."
An Ran smiled.
"Since this Chen Dingshi is from a royal merchant family in Jiangnan, why did she come to the capital?" Anran asked tentatively, seeing that Yunfang was straightforward and eloquent. "I haven't heard my sister mention her."
Yunfang didn't seem to know very well either. "It seems she came with the wife of the Vice Minister of Revenue. Madam Li and Consort Li are from the same clan and often visit our residence. You should know that merchants, especially imperial merchants, naturally need to maintain good relationships with those in the capital."
It turns out that Lady Ding got her position through Consort Li! An Ran was taken aback; this Consort Li was truly incredibly powerful!
Concubines, unlike ordinary concubines, held considerable status within the Prince's residence. They had some freedom, as they could interact with relatives without reporting everything to the Princess.
"I see." An Ran smiled and gave a perfunctory reply before chatting with Yun Fang about other things.
An Ran began to feel uneasy. Getting involved with Consort Li was probably not a good thing! Moreover, Consort Li had suffered setbacks twice regarding Third Sister's matter and was even trapped in the courtyard. Would she ask Consort Li for help?
Consort Li, it's unlikely she'll stand idly by.
******
While An Ran was still worrying about Consort Li, Lady Li, and Lady Ding, Third Sister was busily preparing for the full moon banquet, with an enthusiasm no less than that of the last spring banquet.
She wasn't a stingy person to begin with, and after An Ran's persuasion, she became even more generous.
The last time, Third Sister and the Princess Consort had a good talk. Third Sister brought back two older mothers from the Princess Consort's place. They were not immediately placed in Li's Luoyue Pavilion, but were instead given some cushy jobs in the main courtyard.
An Ran didn't ask any more questions. It's better to leave some things unsaid; too much of anything is bad.
Seeing that she seemed to have resolved her inner conflict, Yun Shen was also pleased. He stayed at San Niang's place every day, and when he went to Li Shi's courtyard, he only went to see Dong Ge'er, and still treated Li Shi with disdain.
An Ran spent her days either helping her third sister prepare for the full moon celebration, or going to find Yun Lan and the others to do needlework or play. This gave both An Ran and her third sister the illusion that An Ran was only there to accompany her sister for a while, and that she would naturally leave after this period.
That day, Yunlan sent her maid to invite Anran over, saying that the three young ladies were composing poems and asked Ninth Miss to come and judge. Anran, who was being held back by Third Sister to help look at the account books, immediately ran away as if looking at the accounts would kill her.
Third Sister couldn't help but shake her head with a smile; after all, she still had the mind of a child.
No sooner had Anran left than Jinzhi came in to announce that Consort Li wished to see the Crown Prince's wife.
Third Sister frowned.
Although she punished Aunt Li by making her copy books, she didn't explicitly confine her to her quarters. Besides, Aunt Li had come to see her, and if she stopped her outside, Aunt Li might take the opportunity to annoy her again.
If An Ran knew what San Niang was thinking, she would be extremely gratified. She finally realized that suppressing Li Shi wasn't just about shouting and killing, and was willing to think things through.
"Let her in," Third Sister said calmly.
She wanted to see what Li Shi was up to this time. Was she going to cry and beg her to lift her confinement? Or was she going to refuse to copy the books?
Jinzhi agreed and went. Not long after, Li Shi followed her in with her head bowed and obedient. When she saw Third Sister, she knelt down and performed a grand salute.
"This concubine has come to apologize to Madam." Today, Madam Li wore an apricot-white plain embroidered jacket and a moon-white silk skirt, which made her appear even more delicate and pitiful. "I offended Madam before and angered her. I deserve to die."
As she spoke, she kowtowed to Third Sister repeatedly.
Then you might as well just die.
Third Sister smiled coldly to herself, finally managing to hold back from saying those words. If it were before, in her anger, she might have actually said them. And Li Shi would surely be pleased to hear them. That would give her another reason to complain to Yun Shen.
After all, it's okay to think some things in your heart, but it's wrong to say them out loud, as it inevitably leaves others with something to use against you.
As San Niang's mind gradually cleared, she became much more cautious in her words.