She lowered her head and met a pair of concerned eyes.
It was Jia Niang!
An Ran let out a long breath, trying her best to suppress the panic and unease in her heart.
In her previous life, she had never met Ding beforehand, and in this life, they were complete strangers; it was impossible for Ding to know her. Moreover, her current identity was that of a young lady from the Nan'an Marquis's mansion. No matter how wealthy the Chen family was, they were still merchants, not comparable to the noble families.
I have absolutely no reason to be afraid of her!
Anran forced herself to calm down, determined not to lose her composure.
"Sister is alright!" An Ran composed herself and gave a faint smile. "Sister was just lost in thought."
Jia Niang nodded, half believing and half doubting.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on Princess Yunyang, and no one except Jia Niang noticed her loss of composure.
"Jia Niang, would you like to see the Princess as well?" An Ran took Jia Niang's hand and led her a few steps to the side. The Princess was surrounded by many people, and Jia Niang was small, so An Ran had to take her to a higher place. Now the distance was greater, and they could only see Princess Yunyang in the distance, her figure indistinct and not very clear.
In order not to cause trouble for Anran, Jia Niang very sensibly shook her head.
“I’ve heard my aunt say that the princess is a great beauty,” Jia Niang whispered to An Ran. “But I still think that my sister is the most beautiful.”
An Ran couldn't help but chuckle.
Just as Anran was about to lead Jia Niang back, Shi Niang rushed over in a hurry. "Ninth Sister, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere! Third Sister wants to see you, come with me quickly."
An Ran lowered her head and, as expected, saw the disappointed look in Jia Niang's eyes.
Seeing this, Shi Niang said softly to Jia Niang, "Good girl, the older sisters are busy right now. How about we play with you again later?"
Although Jia Niang was reluctant, she sensibly let go of An Ran's hand.
"Go find your cousins first, and your sister will come to find you later." Anran knew that Shi Niang must have something to say to her, so she had no choice but to let Jia Niang go back first.
Shi Niang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked away with An Ran. "Ninth Sister, why did that child keep clinging to you?" Shi Niang's tone didn't seem to care much. She didn't even care about the eldest daughter of Scholar Liu, let alone a relative, who was even more distant.
"That child is young and probably shy. He came over when he saw me sitting alone," An Ran said succinctly. "Is there something you need?"
"Go and pay your respects to today's distinguished guests." Shi Niang was both amused and exasperated. Her Ninth Sister was far too calm. So many people would do anything to show their faces in front of the Princess. They had finally managed to get a chance to appear by borrowing the identity of San Niang's younger sister, but Ninth Sister didn't seem to care at all.
“Princess Yunyang has arrived, along with Mother, the Princess Consort, the Concubine, the Lady of the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Dingguo, the Lady of the Duke of Chengguo, and the Lady of the Duke of Anguo.” Shi Niang was afraid that An Ran might mistake one of the people and make a mistake, so she instructed, “Ninth Sister, just follow me.”
Anran nodded readily in agreement.
After the most distinguished guest was seated at the head table, far fewer people came up to chat with him.
The Duke of Dingguo is the current emperor's maternal uncle's family. Before the current emperor ascended the throne, the Duke of Dingguo's family had lived in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for more than twenty years. The empress was also chosen for the current emperor by the Duke of Dingguo and his wife, so the current emperor has a very close relationship with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. As a result, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is known as the foremost family in the capital.
They were even more respectable than the legitimate royal family.
"Sixth Sister, why don't you all come over and pay your respects to the Princess and the ladies?" Third Sister wasn't particularly close to her half-sister, but this time she was intentionally helping them out.
Starting with the sixth sister, the four sisters stepped forward one by one to greet her and were inevitably praised.
When it was Jiu Niang's turn, the wife of the Duke of Dingguo's heir smiled and teased San Niang, "The heir's wife has such a beautiful younger sister, yet she keeps her hidden in the mansion and won't let us see her? Is she afraid that someone will run away and become someone else's wife?"
Third Sister replied with a smile, "My Ninth Sister was separated from me when we were young and only recently returned to the manor. How could I not want you to see her? I haven't seen her for over ten years!"
Princess Yunyang, who had been smiling gently and peacefully, suddenly changed her expression.
"Ninth Sister has ever been lost?" Her tone was filled with impatience and eagerness.
She looked deeply at An Ran, her expression complex and unreadable, containing a sadness and fervor that An Ran could not understand.
“Ninth Sister was lost at a temple fair when she was two years old. Fortunately, a loyal servant in the manor found her and raised her.” Madam Zhao quickly added, “She was in poor health and couldn’t withstand the journey. She has recovered well and has returned from Yangzhou.”
Zhao's answer was the reason given by the Dowager Lady, and it was also the consistent explanation given by the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion to the outside world.
Princess Yunyang nodded, a faint mist seemingly forming in her eyes.
"That's good, that's good." Princess Yunyang said "good" twice, then stopped, her expression showing even more sorrow.
Those who know her well know that this has brought up painful memories.
Princess Yunyang's eldest daughter, Tan Yue, was stolen when she was one year old. Suspecting human traffickers, the search has continued for seven years. The search has never stopped, but the longer it goes on, the less hope there is.
"It's clear that they can still be found." Princess Yi advised Princess Yunyang, "The Ninth Miss returned home safely after eleven years, so your daughter might be able to return home someday too!"
Those in the know all tried to persuade Princess Yunyang.
In this way, An Ran was left standing there in the cold.
Some even inquired in detail about how An Ran had gotten lost and how she had reconnected with the Marquis's residence. Zhao thought to herself, "How could you know that An Jiu was sent away by her grandmother? Of course she could be found." However, given the Marquis's secrets, she couldn't speak openly and could only offer vague answers.
"I no longer desire to find Yue'er." Princess Yunyang's almond-shaped eyes still flashed with pain when she mentioned her daughter. "I only hope that whoever takes Yue'er will treat her well! Then I will be content!"
Everyone offered words of comfort.
"Good child, you are so lucky to be able to come home and reunite with your family." Princess Yunyang turned her gaze back to Anran, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection. She took out a safety buckle with a five-bat knot from her purse and handed it to Anran. "I made these knots for Heng-ge and the others last time. This one is for Yue-jie. It's nothing valuable, just take it and play with it."
An Ran dared not accept the answer immediately.
Not to mention that An Ran could tell at a glance that this mutton fat jade buckle was of fine and warm texture, and was obviously made of the finest mutton fat jade, just the fact that it was made by Princess Yunyang herself, and made for her eldest daughter, made it all the more precious.
Not only the An sisters, but also the other noble ladies all turned their envious gazes toward An Ran.
"Since the princess is so kind as to give it to you, you should accept it. Don't let her good intentions go to waste." In the end, it was the princess consort who spoke up.