If Sixth Sister had married into a prominent family, it would be more appropriate for them to go and maintain appearances. But they're just imperial merchants; no matter how prestigious their relatives are, how prestigious can they really be?
An Ran thought for a moment, but she really couldn't recall the Chen family having such a relative that she and her third aunt would make a special trip to visit.
Therefore, Anran did not intend to bring Nian Ge'er along.
Before she could finish speaking, a hint of disappointment appeared in Nian Ge'er's large, grape-like eyes. "I know, I'll stay home obediently." Despite his reluctance, Nian Ge'er sensibly agreed.
"Nian-ge'er is such a good boy!" An Ran praised him.
He smiled shyly and lowered his head.
An Ran had other things to do, so he asked Qingmei and Qingxing to take him outside to play for a while.
After lunch, and having successfully put Nian-ge'er to sleep, she dressed herself up again, preparing to go to Third Sister's residence to find her. After all, Third Sister was pregnant and had difficulty moving around, so she couldn't very well ask Third Sister to come looking for her. Since Sixth Sister had sent someone with a message, it meant she wanted to see her first.
Today she was to meet Chen Qian's people, and although An Ran was displeased, she still dressed up carefully. She wore a bright red jacket covered in gold, exuding an air of nobility, paired with a ginger-yellow skirt. Her long, thick black hair was styled into a peony bun, and she wore a set of red-gold and kingfisher-feather headdresses bestowed upon her by the Empress.
The Empress alone bestowed three sets of kingfisher feather headdresses upon the Emperor.
She never wore the same outfit twice, which made Liu Niang and the other two extremely envious. Each of them had thought that if it weren't for An Ran, they might be the ones who had all of this.
After Anran finished dressing, Jinping had already prepared a small purse for giving tips. If a younger person were to come, the lady should always be prepared.
After everything was prepared, Anran went to check on Nian Ge'er in his room and found him sleeping soundly, with the blanket half-open. Anran went over and pulled the blanket back up for him, but seeing that he seemed to be waking up again, she gently patted his back, and he finally slept more peacefully.
The moment Anran stepped out, she didn't notice that Niange'er, who had turned over and was sleeping soundly in front of the tent, had opened his eyes.
Mother, please don't go.
Chapter 138
An Ran instructed someone to take good care of Nian Ge'er, and then took Jinping and Qingxing to the Prince Yi's residence.
When she arrived at Prince Yi's residence, Huaping was already waiting for her outside the door. She only said that Princess Yi had gone to her brother's family home and that she did not need to pay her respects to the princess after she arrived.
An Ran followed Hua Ping to Third Sister's courtyard, where Third Sister personally greeted her under the eaves. Upon seeing her, An Ran quickly took a few steps and supported Third Sister, whose waist was growing increasingly thick. "Third Sister, why did you come out to greet me personally? It's getting colder and colder; you could have just waited for me inside."
With a smile, San Niang took An Ran's hand and led her into the inner room, saying, "It's good that I came out for a walk. I'm always cooped up in the room, and it's suffocating."
The two sisters sat down on the soft couch in the inner room.
Now that Third Sister is pregnant, she gets tired easily and has difficulty moving around, so Huaping and Yinping quickly put two large pillows behind her back.
"How have you been feeling these days, Third Sister?" An Ran asked with concern. "Has my nephew been bothering you?"
Before Third Sister could speak, Huaping laughed from the side, "As expected, Ninth Aunt is the most accurate. The other day, the imperial physician came to take the Crown Princess's pulse and said that the Crown Princess is most likely carrying a boy."
"Congratulations, Third Sister!" An Ran's eyes lit up, and she was happy for her Third Sister.
Only by giving birth to a legitimate son can the Third Mistress secure her position in the household. To put it bluntly, if someone like Madam Li were to appear again in the future, they would have to think twice before acting arrogantly in front of the matriarch, whose position is as secure as a rock.
Third Sister smiled and nodded, her face beaming.
An Ran asked a few more questions about Third Sister's health, and after receiving the reply that everything was fine, the two sisters turned their conversation to Sixth Sister.
"Third Sister, why did Grandmother ask the two of us to go back?" An Ran asked, voicing her doubts. "Although the Chen family is a royal merchant and extremely wealthy, is it really worth making such a big fuss to welcome them? And Grandmother's original intention was not to marry off Sixth Sister like this, was it?"
Like her, Sixth Sister was a concubine's daughter brought back from outside. In her previous life, she herself did not return, so she guessed that there might be other concubine's daughters outside. Perhaps their appearance or temperament were not to the liking of the Grand Madam, so they were not brought back.
Since they were brought back, they must at least have some value.
Both she and Liu Niang were beautiful, and Liu Niang was especially talented in both arts and sciences. It seemed a bit of a pity that she gave herself to Chen Qian.
In front of Third Sister, An Ran was quite frank about her attitude towards her family. She didn't have much affection for the Grand Madam and preferred to be closer to Third Sister.
“The Chen family is indeed wealthy in Jiangnan, but they are not among the top families in the capital.” Third Sister nodded slightly and curled her lips. “You are right. If Sixth Sister hadn’t had that ambiguous relationship with Chen Qian, Grandmother would have had a better choice. At the very least, Sixth Sister would have married into a noble family.”
An Ran agreed, saying that this way they would not let down the great-grandmother who had carefully nurtured the girls.
To be fair, putting aside Liu Niang, Qi Niang and Shi Niang far surpassed An Ran in their skills in needlework, scholarship, and guqin playing, clearly showing that they had put in a lot of effort.
“But since things have come to this, Grandmother has no choice but to accept it.” Third Sister stroked the teacup in her hand, then suddenly sneered, a mocking look in her eyes. “However, our Grandmother will not do a losing business.”
An Ran was slightly taken aback.
Although Third Sister was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an's household, she didn't have much affection for her own grandmother. This seemed a bit strange, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. The fact that the Grand Madam brought back a concubine's daughter from outside the mansion not only hurt the heart of her stepmother, Madam Zhao, but Third Sister, as Madam Zhao's legitimate daughter, must have also felt distressed!
Furthermore, Third Sister was greatly influenced by Zhao Shi. Judging from how she handled the Li Shi matter, Third Sister was someone who couldn't tolerate any injustice. Her grandmother had deceived her and her mother for over a decade; how could Third Sister not be furious?
"Is there any chance that Sixth Sister's matter can be reversed?" An Ran asked, puzzled.
Third Sister shook her head and said, "Sixth Sister's marriage to Chen Qian is a foregone conclusion. However, Sixth Sister cannot marry Chen Qian for nothing. The Chen family is extremely wealthy in Jiangnan, and Grandmother probably has other ideas. For example, perhaps, to go into business together—"
The Dowager was not one to suffer losses.
Chen Qian and Liu Niang got involved in a muddled way. Although the Grand Madam had no choice but to agree, she still felt she should receive something in return.
The Chen family is indeed one of the wealthiest families in Jiangnan, while the Marquis of Nan'an's family is considered a powerful and influential family in the capital. If the two families were to unite…
Thinking about this, An Ran finally understood. The influence of the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion was probably limited, but the third daughter had become the heir apparent's wife, and the ninth daughter the Marquis's wife. There were things An Yuanliang couldn't do, but these two married ladies might be able to.
Third Sister is An Yu's own sister, so it's impossible for her to ignore her. Although An Ran was just brought back from outside, with An tide and An Mu as hostages in the Marquis's mansion, An Ran is also subject to their control.
As expected, the Dowager Lady had a good plan.
Seeing An Ran's expression change, San Niang guessed that she had figured it out.
"I asked you to come over first because I wanted to give you some advice." Third Sister sighed and said, "Have a plan in mind beforehand, what you should agree to and what you shouldn't. You never know when it might come up, but just be prepared."