The fact that they deliberately held such a grand ceremony for a son born out of wedlock probably indicates that they were considering taking the child in and raising him themselves!
There are two problems at hand.
First, is Third Sister willing to cooperate? Persuading Third Sister is a major challenge. After all, just ten days ago, Third Sister hadn't given in!
Secondly, would Madam Li be willing to give up the child? Madam Li had endured and bided her time before returning to the Marquis's mansion, and had just given birth to a son. How could she easily let go? She wasn't stupid; she must have thought that if Third Sister spoke up, given her current status, she definitely couldn't compete with Third Sister and would surely be taken away.
Will she just sit and wait to die?
An Ran recalled the Li Shi she had seen in San Niang's courtyard that day, whose gentle eyes could melt hearts. No matter how cold San Niang's attitude was, or how harsh her words were in her admonitions to Li Shi, Li Shi never showed the slightest grievance or resentment.
Therefore, An Ran had long ago concluded that Li was not a simple person.
Will the Grand Madam and Zhao's plan succeed?
Although it seems like the best solution now, An Ran has a nagging feeling that something is amiss. (Just Love Network)
Chapter 33 Washing Three
The Marquis of Nan'an's residence sent a generous gift to Li on the second day after she gave birth.
When Nan Mama came to report, Anran and her three sisters had just come out of Zhao's place. Anran was a step slower, and when she slowly walked to the corridor, she heard Zhao and Nan Mama talking inside.
She listened intently for a moment.
"...Look at Third Aunt's face, she doesn't look well!" Nan Mama's voice was not loud, but full of worry. "After seeing the gift list I sent, Third Aunt's face darkened even more, and she questioned me about why you prepared such a generous gift."
Although she couldn't see Zhao's expression, An Ran could guess her anxiety. Zhao was very worried and sighed, "This child is so insensible! Everything I do is for her own good! Now that Li has given birth to a son, she doesn't even think about her own future!"
Nan Mama offered Zhao a few words of advice, then replied, "When I went there, the Crown Prince and Princess Consort were in Li's courtyard looking after the child. I secretly asked Huaping, and she said that Third Aunt only went to see the child once and never went back, and didn't even hold the child."
An Ran's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that since Li's child was born, Third Sister hasn't even bothered with the pretense of respectability? What will the Princess Consort and the Heir Apparent think of Third Sister? Right now, they are all immersed in the joy of the child's birth; who can remember Third Sister's grievances?
If Third Sister does anything slightly inappropriate, the Princess Consort and the Heir Apparent will both think that Third Sister is immature and unworthy of being the Heir Apparent's wife!
Sure enough, the sound of porcelain shattering on the floor came from inside, followed by Zhao's angry voice. "Third Sister is so inconsiderate! Won't this give someone something to use against her? How will she bring Li's child over to raise?"
Nan's mother kept trying to persuade her.
"Ninth Sister, what are you thinking about?" Seeing that An Ran had fallen far behind, Sixth Sister asked curiously, "Why have you stopped walking?"
An Ran suddenly came to her senses.
She quickly shook her head and smiled, "It's nothing! I'm coming right away."
Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister walked ahead. Upon hearing this, they turned around and glanced at An Ran. However, Seventh Sister curled her lips in disdain, while Tenth Sister smiled kindly.
"When we go to Third Sister's place tomorrow, shall we all wear the same clothes?" Seventh Sister suddenly turned her head to Tenth Sister and the other two and said, "Just like when we went to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion last time! If everyone wears the same clothes, they can tell we are sisters!"
Tenth Sister and Sixth Sister found it difficult to respond.
They and Seventh Sister had two sets of identical clothes, which they had worn when visiting the Duke's Mansion and the Prince's Mansion, always looking neat and tidy, a beautiful sight indeed. But Anran, who had entered the mansion later, did not have any. Seventh Sister's words were a clear dig at Anran.
An Ran focused solely on walking with her head down.
"Ah, I forgot about Ninth Sister!" Seeing that the two remained silent, Seventh Sister feigned a sudden realization. She looked at An Ran with a half-smile and said, "Ninth Sister, I spoke without thinking, please don't take it to heart... How about you wear something the same color as ours tomorrow? It won't be too conspicuous!"
But An Ran still ignored her, seemingly lost in thought.
Seventh Sister felt a little embarrassed, as if she had swung her arm and thrown a punch with all her might, only to hit a ball of cotton.
"Alright, Seventh Sister," Tenth Sister said with a smile. "I accidentally tore a piece in my pink dress, and I just took it to Aunt Liu's to have it mended a couple of days ago. The sky-blue jacket that Mother gave you the other day is really beautiful! Why don't you wear that, Third Sister?"
Sixth Sister also came out to persuade her, "Tenth Sister is right. That dress is a nice color and is perfect for wearing at the end of spring."
Only then did the angry Seventh Sister's expression soften.
After they parted ways on the path, only Shi Niang and An Ran remained, walking side by side.
"Ninth Sister, Seventh Sister has always been like this, so don't take it to heart," Tenth Sister said. "Don't take it too seriously either."
An Ran smiled upon hearing this, indicating that she didn't care.
In truth, she didn't care. The provocations from Seventh Sister along the way were far less impactful on her than the words of Nan's mother to her stepmother.
Li's child has just been born, and Li, who has just given birth, probably doesn't have the energy to sow discord or do anything underhanded. How could Third Sister hand over her own weakness first?
If Third Sister continues like this, without Li Shi even having to do anything, Third Sister's image in front of the Princess Consort and the Heir Apparent will be completely ruined.
"Go back and rest early, we have to go out tomorrow!" Anran saw that Shi Niang was going to persuade her again, but she was too lazy to deal with it, so she said, "Tomorrow is Third Sister's special day, we can't be late."
Shi Niang smiled and agreed.
But when she glanced at An Ran, who seemed to be hiding a lot of things on her mind, she couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
What a good day for their third sister! It's more accurate to say it's the most difficult day for their third sister! Shi Niang grew up with her third sister since childhood and witnessed how her third sister was raised as a pampered daughter at home. Now that something like this has happened, it's no wonder she's furious.
She had already heard from Aunt Lan that her stepmother and grandmother had discussed it and were planning to publicly announce that Li's son would be raised by Third Sister. Their plan was clever, but Third Sister was afraid she wouldn't accept it.
Who knows what kind of mess tomorrow will bring...
******
The next day.
An Ran got up early to wash and dress, changing into a pale yellow jacket and a white embroidered skirt. After changing, she looked in the mirror for a moment and then asked Cui Ping to help her tie her hair into two buns. Looking a little childish at this point shouldn't be a problem, right?