An Ran obediently took out a newly made purse and handed it to Third Sister, smiling ingratiatingly, "This is for Third Sister!"
The background was bright red, embroidered with twin lotus flowers. Third Sister examined it carefully and saw that the petals and lotus leaves were embroidered with great care. Although it was still a bit lacking, her talent was undeniable, so Third Sister nodded in satisfaction.
"There has been some progress."
After playing with Anran for a while, Jia Niang and Yi Jie'er saw that San Niang had something to say to her, so they obediently went to play with Xue Tuan'er. Heng Ge'er and Yu Ge'er were playing together, so the two sisters were able to talk quietly for a while.
"After you get married, will you bring the child to live with you?" With the wedding date approaching, Third Sister had to bring up this question.
An Ran already knew the whole story, and felt only heartache for Nian Ge'er, not disgust. Therefore, she nodded, her face slightly flushed, and said, "I suggested to Marquis Pingyuan that we bring the child over first. But he said it was inconvenient and that we would bring Nian Ge'er over after the wedding."
"What time is it? Why are you still calling me Marquis Pingyuan?" Seeing that Anran didn't seem resentful, Third Sister felt relieved and teased, "Today, the Marquis Pingyuan's family came to present the betrothal gifts. You're definitely going to be their wife now."
An Ran's pretty face flushed even more.
As the two sisters were talking, Huaping lifted the curtain and came in to report.
"It's the betrothal gifts sent by Marquis Nanxiao. It's said there are 120 loads, lined up all the way down the street." This pomp and circumstance is even more lively than when Yun Shen welcomed Third Sister, but Third Sister doesn't care. Instead, she's very happy for An Ran.
"The first few palanquins were bestowed upon us by the palace," Huaping said with a smile. "Who wouldn't envy our Ninth Miss's good fortune?"
Although Jia Niang was playing with Yi Jie'er on the side, she was also secretly listening to Hua Ping's words. Seeing that her future brother-in-law was indeed very good to her sister, she was also very happy.
The Dowager Madam hosted a banquet at Qingde Hall to entertain today's guests.
As expected, the Lady of Qingxiang Marquis and the Lady of Dingbei Marquis came together and even came to see Anran in person.
San Niang initially harbored some resentment, but after being persuaded by An Ran, she gradually let go of the matter.
"It's been a few days since I last saw you, and Ninth Sister has grown even more beautiful." Lady Qingxiang Marquis stepped forward with a smile and took Anran's hand, saying, "It is Marquis Lu's good fortune to have you as his wife."
When Third Sister heard what she said, which pleased her, a hint of joy appeared on her face.
An Ran, her face slightly flushed, greeted the two of them.
Lady Dingbei looked at the dazzlingly beautiful An Ran and couldn't help but sigh. No wonder Ting-ge'er couldn't forget her; who wouldn't like such a pretty young girl? However, Lady Dingbei was even more grateful to An Ran for not taking advantage of her misfortune and seeking revenge.
The Marquis of Dingbei and the Marquis of Nan'an were both prominent noble families, so they naturally wouldn't break off relations over matters concerning illegitimate sons and daughters. Therefore, they discussed arranging a marriage between them, naturally avoiding Fang Ting and Liu Niang.
This whole affair was started by Fang Yu. No matter how much his aunt cried and pleaded, the Marquis of Dingbei had already made the decision that he should marry the concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an, and it was not to be changed.
Before the news of Fang Ting and the young lady from the Marquis of Nan'an's family being together had even spread, Aunt Meng, in her concern, went to some high monk and insisted on having Fang Ting's fortune told. She said that he was not suited for early marriage and even spread rumors that she wanted to cancel the marriage with the Marquis of Nan'an's family.
The news of this incident indeed spread, and the Marquis of Dingbei and his wife were furious. Tingge'er was the most favored son of the family, and she had acted recklessly and committed a grave offense simply because she was Tingge'er's biological concubine.
Not long after, Consort Meng was placed under house arrest in the Marquis's residence, forbidden from contacting the outside world or leaving the house.
Fang Ting remained the most favored illegitimate son in the family, but Aunt Meng wore down the last bit of patience of the Marquis of Dingbei and his wife, and he was no longer as glorious as before.
An Ran had also heard about it, and could only sigh.
"This is a small token of my appreciation; you can keep it to give as a gift later." Lady Dingbei gestured to the maid behind her to bring over a vanity box made of sandalwood. Inside was a set of exquisite tourmaline stones, which, when opened, shimmered with a faint green light, clearly indicating that they were of superior quality.
Knowing that Lady Dingbei was genuinely remorseful, An Ran didn't refuse any longer and readily thanked her and accepted the gift.
Lady Qingxiang also sent a set of ruby jewelry as a dowry gift.
Seeing that An Ran thanked them and accepted the gifts, the two seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and left for the banquet in front.
"You're quite forgiving, not holding grudges." Third Sister looked at An Ran, her expression a mixture of relief and resentment for her. "If you had shown even the slightest dissatisfaction with Fang Ting's affairs, how could Fang Ting have smoothly become his junior official?"
Third Sister was only angry that Fang Ting still had the five-bat net that An Ran had made. Sixth Sister had used it as leverage to smear An Ran.
If he truly loved Jiu Niang, he would have stood up long ago and declared An Ran his fiancée, not allowing anyone to slander her. If it was for the sake of his future, breaking off the engagement would be understandable, but why leave behind the net to remind him of her?
If these words were to reach the ears of Marquis Pingyuan, would they cause a rift between him and his wife?
"Such indecisiveness almost dragged you down with that netting—" Third Sister said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, Grandmother kept an eye on Sixth Sister."
An Ran remained calm and smiled faintly, "Third sister, where would I find any tassels? As you know, I'm not very good at needlework. I can't even make enough for myself, let alone give to relatives."
“Even if there were, you already smashed the jade pendant, and it was thrown out by Sister Huaping and the others long ago.” An Ran smiled slightly. “You can’t just pin a random tassel on me, can you?”
Seeing An Ran's calm and composed demeanor, San Niang knew that Fang Ting's matter was like a fleeting shadow, long gone and without leaving a trace.
It is her blessing to be able to take things so lightly and not dwell on the past.
Third Sister patted Anran's hand and didn't say anything more.
Since today's betrothal gifts have been delivered, many of the maids have gone out to watch the excitement.
News kept getting back to the backyard.
"I heard that the pair of geese were hunted by the future son-in-law himself. Although geese are not particularly rare these days, what is rare is the sentiment behind it!"
"Those silk fabrics, I heard, were bestowed by the Empress. They were all recently presented as tribute from Jiangnan, and many of them were rare treasures from the palace."
"It's as if Her Majesty the Empress herself issued an imperial decree ordering the Imperial Household Department to handle all these betrothal gifts. Even a prince marrying his principal wife wouldn't be more extravagant than this!" The maids chattered, passing on the news they had heard, all looking quite proud.
Chu Tianze smiled warmly as An Yuanliang personally and respectfully welcomed him in.
"And the jewelry, these are clearly made in the imperial workshops, with pigeon-blood rubies, perfectly round pearls... It's one thing that the materials are precious, but the exquisite craftsmanship is truly rare."
"Among the first few loads, there was a pair of phoenix hairpins. Wasn't that a gift from Her Majesty the Empress? How many young ladies could possess such a noble gift?"
Those watching from the front were still somewhat rational in their comments, but the rumors that reached the backyard were becoming increasingly exaggerated.
When the news reached the ears of Consort Li, Consort Lan, and others, it was almost rumored that half of the national treasury had been moved to Lu Mingxiu as a betrothal gift. Although anyone with a modicum of sense knew this was impossible, it still couldn't stop the maids from talking about it with great relish.