Ningxue Courtyard.
After parting ways with Shi Niang, An Ran went inside to let her hair down, changed into some casual clothes, and immediately took out the book that Mr. He had given her again, and began to flip through it thoughtfully.
Since she was unwilling, she had to admit that they were, after all, sisters, and it was unreasonable for the gap between them to be too large.
Therefore, she missed Jinping's unspoken dilemma.
"Miss, it's getting late, you should rest." Qingxing stepped forward to trim the candle wick and said with concern, "You don't need to put all your effort into this short time."
An Ran closed her book upon hearing this and smiled teasingly: "You're absolutely right. Even if your daughter tries to cram here at the last minute, she can't catch up with those three young ladies."
"Miss, you know perfectly well that's not what I meant!" Having spent this time together, Qingxing had gotten to know Anran's temperament quite well. She knew Anran was calm, resilient, and good-natured, always amiable and unpretentious, yet her actions commanded respect. "You're just teasing me!"
An Ran smiled without saying a word. Her relationship with Qingmei and Qingxing had grown even closer over the past few days, and she was in a very good mood.
Some are happy, some are sad.
After spending a day with Anran, Jinping thought long and hard, and discussed it with Cuiping for a long time before deciding to tell her everything she knew.
Originally, she was supposed to be in the back organizing Anran's trunks. These past few days, the Grand Madam and the Madam had been frequently sending things over, and as Anran's head maids, she and Cuiping naturally had to keep a register. She lingered outside the screen in Anran's inner room for a long time, until Anran couldn't wait any longer.
"Jinping, Cuiping, come here—" An Ran unexpectedly called out to the two of them.
Following An Ran's voice, Qing Xing also saw the two of them.
An Ran smiled at Qing Xing, who then silently curtsied and tactfully withdrew.
"My two elder sisters, especially Jinping," An Ran smiled gently under the lamplight, her face as beautiful and captivating as a pearl in the morning dew. "It's been a whole day, so please speak your mind!"
Chapter 11 Temptation
Jinping's breath hitched.
Was she making it that obvious? It turns out that Ninth Sister knew about all the struggles she went through that day!
“I know that my two older sisters have always been honest with me, so please speak your mind.” An Ran frowned and sighed softly, “I am different from my sixth sister. My sixth sister brought back her mother, who used to serve my grandmother. Not to mention that it was respectable, at least she had someone to help her plan things. Now that Xi’er has also gone out, I often think that it would be nice to have two confidants by my side.”
An Ran has already made things clear; it would be incredibly ungrateful to try and cover it up any longer.
"To answer your question, Miss, it's not that we want to hide it from you, but we've only heard rumors, and we can't be sure." Jinping didn't intend to conceal anything, but no one could be certain whether it was true or not. She stammered, "It's called a rumor, but judging from your words, it's probably pretty accurate—"
The way the rumors were framed so subtly... I wonder what kind of astonishing story it was. Anran thought to herself.
“There is a marriage proposal, and I’m afraid we’ll have to choose one of you and the other three girls,” Jinping said.
An Ran was slightly taken aback.
Is this why they brought her and Liu Niang back?
"Have you heard of the Marquis of Pingyuan?" As if she had made up her mind, Cuiping gritted her teeth and said, "It seems that our Marquis's family and the Marquis of Pingyuan's family were originally engaged."
Marquis of Pingyuan?
An Ran blinked, looking completely bewildered. She truly didn't know such a person existed.
Seeing that Anran truly seemed completely unaware, Jinping felt a growing anxiety. They had all returned from outside, and their young lady was completely unprepared, yet the Sixth Miss was indeed outstanding in every way... and her age was also the most suitable.
"The Marquis of Pingyuan has been in power for four generations and is a first-class marquis whose title is hereditary. The current Marquis of Pingyuan, Lu Mingxiu, is a favorite of the current emperor and is highly regarded." Cuiping said, spilling the beans, "Our Marquis of Nan'an and the Marquis of Pingyuan are old friends. It is said that our Marquis and the former Marquis of Pingyuan arranged a marriage between their children."
An Ran sensed something was off.
Since a betrothal had been arranged beforehand, the only women who could be worthy of the current Marquis of Pingyuan are his legitimate daughters, the Third and Fifth Sisters. The most likely candidate is the eldest legitimate daughter, the Third Sister.
If Marquis Pingyuan is so good, why did Third Sister marry the second son of the Prince of the County? Back then, the Dowager Lady, Zhao Shi, and others did not know that the Prince of the County's heir would have an accident... In that sense, Marquis Pingyuan, as a close minister of the Emperor, should have been a better choice than the second son of the Prince of the County.
Something must have gone wrong.
"Has the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion experienced any turmoil?" An Ran, remaining detached, was able to grasp the key point. "Why has the engagement been delayed until now before you've thought of fulfilling it?"
Upon hearing this, Jinping and Cuiping couldn't help but show a hint of admiration.
Ninth Sister guessed correctly.
"Eleven years ago, Marquis Pingyuan was involved in a case concerning royal secrets. The old Marquis Pingyuan died in prison, and the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion declined for a time." Jinping continued, speaking softly, "Ten years ago, when the new emperor ascended the throne, it was thought that the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion would be exonerated, but it wasn't. Until four years ago, the emperor suddenly transferred Marquis Pingyuan back to the capital and overturned the old Marquis Pingyuan's case. After that, Marquis Pingyuan rose rapidly in rank and became a favorite of the emperor."
Anran listened attentively.
These few words sound simple, but there are probably many untold twists and turns behind them. However, she finally understood why the two families did not become related by marriage. It was probably because when Third Sister and Fifth Sister were of marriageable age, the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion was in decline, so how could Madam Zhao bear to marry her daughters to them?
It's likely that even the Dowager Lady and the Marquis of Nan'an felt that Lu Mingxiu was not a good match, which is why they allowed Lady Zhao to arrange marriages for her two other daughters.
Although An Ran was not familiar with the situation of the nobles in the capital, he did know a little about the emperor of this dynasty.
The current emperor, Yun Shu, was the legitimate son of the late Crown Prince Wenping. The Crown Prince's family was plotted against by his uncle, Yun Xu. Fortunately, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion protected the Crown Prince's legitimate son and uncovered Yun Xu's conspiracy ten years ago, allowing Yun Shu to reclaim the throne.
When Yun Shu seized power, wealthy merchants from the Jiangnan region recognized him as the rightful heir and generously donated funds to support his army. Chen Qian's family was naturally one of these far-sighted merchants, and thus later became imperial merchants.
From then on, they became even more wealthy and proud.
An Ran understood that the old Marquis of Pingyuan had committed a crime eleven years ago. If he had been wrongly accused, the new emperor would surely have exonerated the former officials to win over the people after his ascension to the throne, but that was not the case. Perhaps that was the reason why even someone as wise as the Dowager Madam could not have foreseen the later reinstatement of the Marquis of Pingyuan's family!
Now that the legitimate daughters, Third Sister and Fifth Sister, have already married, the opportunity has fallen to the remaining illegitimate daughters.
Something still seems off...
An Ran showed no joy on her face, and did not feel as if a pie had fallen from the sky.
"Would Marquis Pingyuan still acknowledge this marriage?" A thought flashed through An Ran's mind, and she finally realized what was wrong. "After this incident, Marquis Pingyuan is probably too busy complaining about the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion to even think about marriage. With Marquis Pingyuan's current status, there are countless noble ladies in the capital waiting to marry him!"