Upon hearing this, An Ran felt both gratified and heartbroken.
After all that happened, even though Third Sister was stubborn, she had suffered enough and had no choice but to bow to reality!
"Good, that's enough from you, sister." An Ran's smile deepened, and she said to Third Sister, "You truly are worthy of being called sister; your magnanimity is admirable!"
Third Sister chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Why did you suddenly think of asking this?
An Ran looked at San Niang and said mysteriously, "I have a feeling that Li Shi will cause trouble again. This time, I will just sit back and watch her make a big fuss so that I can catch her in one fell swoop!"
Third Sister still seemed somewhat incredulous.
"If Third Sister doesn't believe me, shall we go to Luoyue Pavilion and see Dong-ge'er?" An Ran said confidently. "If we're lucky, we might even be able to gain another ally from the Li family!"
An Ran's words confused Third Sister.
"Last time, didn't we make Dongge'er's two scheming wet nurses suffer a great loss and even plant two of the princess's people in their service?" An Ran smiled knowingly. "This time, perhaps we can replace her trusted maids again, and cripple half of her left and right arms!"
"What do you want to do?" Upon hearing this, Third Sister was also somewhat moved.
An Ran smiled and said, "I will have to rely on the Princess Consort's help."
She stopped keeping her in suspense and whispered her thoughts in Third Sister's ear. Third Sister listened calmly at first, but gradually, excitement began to show in her eyes.
If what Jiu Niang said is true, Li Shi will not get along well with the Princess Consort and the Prince, and may even lose her trusted maid.
She sat gracefully on the soft couch, smiling slightly.
Ms. Li, I hope you won't disappoint me.
******
"Your Highness, Mama Qian is back," a maid announced from outside the curtain.
Princess Yi, her eyelids slightly closed, was resting against a large bolster. Hearing the maid's voice, she slightly raised her hand, and the maid who was kneeling in the room massaging her legs quietly withdrew.
Before long, Qian's mother lifted the curtain and came in.
The person who came was the long-faced, dignified mother who had been assigned to the Li family to help take care of Dong-ge'er.
"Sit down." The Princess Consort opened her eyes and glanced at the small stool next to the daybed.
Mother Qian thanked her and sat down.
“From what I’ve observed, that Concubine Li is not someone to be trifled with,” said Mama Qian. “You know the Princess Consort’s personality; she’s impatient with Concubine Li, and Concubine Li doesn’t seem content to be a concubine.”
The princess raised an eyebrow.
Madam Qian then reported everything she had seen and heard over the past few days to the Princess Consort. This included the incident where Madam Li summoned her personal maid and smashed a teacup, as well as Madam Li's venomous gaze…
She and Granny Sun had gone to help take care of Dong-ge'er, so naturally, Li Shi couldn't interfere. But there were some things she might have seen, and even if Li Shi tried her best to hide them, she was still too inexperienced!
"Back then, she climbed into Shen'er's bed. That despicable act was exactly the same as Consort Li's, except that Consort Li was at least more dignified." The Princess Consort appeared calm and collected, but a cold smile appeared in her eyes. "Although it was Consort Li who seduced the Prince, Consort Li had at least cleared the way before entering the Prince's mansion."
"If it weren't for the fact that she has Shen'er's child, there would be many ways to deal with her, and we wouldn't have let her get to this point." Thinking of this, the Princess Consort sighed and said, "Let's not even talk about Third Sister's temperament, her methods are not up to par."
Mama Qian said, "The Crown Princess is quite straightforward, but I'm afraid she won't be able to control Concubine Li. I have a bad feeling about this. Concubine Li lost her composure the other day and smashed the teacup, and that smile of hers... I feel a chill down my spine."
Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort's smile softened even more.
"It's alright. Right now, it's just because she's Dongge'er's birth mother. If she behaves herself, I'll naturally leave her a way out. Whether she's Consort Li's niece or she slept with Shen'er, I can let bygones be bygones." The Princess lowered her eyes, making it impossible to see her expression. "If she goes too far... then she has no reason to exist in this mansion."
Mrs. Qian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly agreed.
“If the Crown Princess were to intervene…” The Princess Consort hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, “If it’s just to give Li a warning and not to harm Dong’er, you can help her.” She sighed and said, “If she can stand up for herself, that’s better than anything else.”
Mrs. Qian readily agreed.
"You should go back first." The Princess Consort waved her hand. "Taking good care of Dong-ge'er is the most important thing. He is Shen'er's eldest son born out of wedlock. He cannot be ruined by Li Shi."
"Yes, I've got it." Mama Qian replied, rose, curtsied, and left.
The princess closed her eyes again.
Third Sister and An Jiu seem to be on better terms than before. Could it be that the grudge between the sisters has been resolved? Or has Third Sister already mastered a way to defeat Li Shi and no longer needs An Jiu to come and help her secure favor?
If Third Sister can grow into a qualified Crown Prince's consort, she would be very happy to see it happen.
She wanted to see just how far these two sisters could go.
******
Not long after lunch, Anran and San Niang rested for a while before heading to Li's Luoyue Pavilion.
This was something that had never happened before. Why would Third Sister visit a concubine and her illegitimate son? However, this time, with the promise of getting rid of Li Shi, Third Sister was much more cooperative.
After finding out when Dongge went to sleep, the two sisters went over to him when he was usually awake.
These past few days, Li had been keeping a low profile, so she wasn't very well informed. It wasn't until the two sisters arrived at the gate of Luoyue Pavilion that Li received the news.
Just then, the wet nurse had finished feeding Dongge'er, and Li was playing with Dongge'er when she heard a maid announce that the Crown Princess had arrived with the Ninth Miss.
Upon hearing that the sisters were coming, Li Shi bristled like a hedgehog. Normally, Third Sister was easy to fool, but with An Jiu added to the mix, things were about to get complicated.
Her face was full of wariness, but suddenly her eyes lit up and an idea came to her. She regained her composure and a smile appeared on her face.
"Quickly, invite them in."