The afternoon sun in spring is warm and inviting, and a gentle breeze carries a refreshing coolness. The lush flowers and plants in the garden are full of life, and the fragrance of blossoms and the fresh scent of green shoots wafts on the wind, creating a truly delightful atmosphere. The weeping willows by the artificial lake sway gracefully in the breeze.
In the pavilion not far away, Shi Niang was gently persuading Qi Niang.
Liu Niang and An Ran stood far away by the lake.
"Sixth Sister returned about half a year ago, right?" An Ran, who had been quietly standing by the lake watching the koi, spoke up: "She has been in this mansion longer than I have."
Sixth Sister smiled but didn't say anything, though a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes.
An Ran didn't beat around the bush with her; they were both smart people, so she simply spoke frankly and openly.
“Sixth Sister and I both came into the household from outside,” An Ran said with a light laugh. “Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister were raised by the mistress of the house, so they naturally receive more favor. They are also very clever. If Sixth Sister and I start arguing first, wouldn’t that be exactly what they want?”
The implication was that since they were all concubine's daughters from a later-entering household, why should they rush to kill each other?
Chapter 20 Resolution
Sixth Sister's cheeks flushed slightly as she tried to shift the blame to Seventh Sister in order to exonerate herself.
"Ninth Sister, have you misunderstood something?" Sixth Sister's words were somewhat evasive. She forced a smile and said, "How could I quarrel with my sister? You know Seventh Sister's personality. I was just afraid that if she made a scene, it would be difficult to handle, so I helped smooth things over by saying a few words."
An Ran smiled and looked at her, her clear eyes seemingly seeing through her guilty conscience.
“If anything happens and Mother blames me, my seventh and tenth sisters will naturally be more protected. Even if I am not good at the moment, it takes two to tango. I'm afraid Mother will also think that my sisters are not friendly.”
Sixth Sister's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.
An Ran couldn't care less about that. At this moment, she was being thwarted at every turn in the Marquis's mansion. If Seventh Sister and Sixth Sister joined forces to squeeze her out, and Tenth Sister stood by and watched, she would probably be in constant distress from the fighting.
She wanted to live a more relaxed life.
"Sixth Sister should know that I have younger siblings living outside, so I'm also under their control. Naturally, I have to listen to Grandmother and Mother in everything I say and do. How can I have any say in anything?" An Ran said, considering their similar situations, not only to break the alliance between Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister, but also for Sixth Sister's own good. "At least Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister have their aunt who cares about them, but who cares about Sixth Sister and me?"
The implication is that they have no foundation, and staying true to their place is their only way to survive.
This was a lesson she learned in her short life in her previous existence. Whether Liu Niang could heed it or not depended on her fate.
Human greed is insatiable; like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
Sixth Sister's face flushed red and then turned pale. Finally, An Ran said something heartfelt, and Sixth Sister's complexion improved.
"Let me be frank with Sixth Sister," An Ran said frankly. "Before my grandmother and mother sent people to pick me up, I had no idea that I had any connection with the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion."
"While the grandeur and prosperity of the capital are tempting, I still find the misty, rainy scenery of Jiangnan more appealing." An Ran let out a long sigh.
Sixth Sister raised her eyebrows slightly.
"I didn't mean anything by it, I just didn't want Seventh Sister and you to have any disagreements." Sixth Sister pondered for a moment before saying softly, "I appreciate your kindness, Sister. We're all family, and if we get along well with each other, the elders will be happy to see us."
An Ran smiled slightly, her brows relaxed.
"It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up." She glanced at Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister from afar. She didn't know what Tenth Sister had said, but Seventh Sister's expression had improved considerably. "It's about time. It would be wrong of us to keep Master waiting."
Sixth Sister nodded, and the two quickly caught up with Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister.
When they arrived at Master Han's place, although she had some doubts about how the four sisters had to work together to complete such a Guanyin embroidery, she still reluctantly assigned the task to the four of them.
An Ran only received the decorative patterns for the mounting edges after the embroidery was completed. Although it looked dense and was time-consuming to make, it was simple in style and mostly consisted of repetitive patterns. The important parts were all given to the three sisters, Sixth Sister, Seventh Sister, and Tenth Sister.
Seventh Sister was somewhat dissatisfied with Master Han's assignment.
Just then, Shi Niang gave her a timely wink, and Qi Niang finally refrained from making a scene and reluctantly agreed.
An Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
Even a layman like her could see that this embroidery was only suitable for one person to embroider; four people trying to do it together would just be a disaster. Sixth Sister was probably deliberately trying to mess with her, which is why she said that to Zhao Shi! If it slowed down the progress, it would all be her fault.
Fortunately, Master Han was originally Zhao's dowry maid, so Seventh Sister didn't dare to act rashly and agreed despite her displeasure.
After the four sisters returned from having dinner at the Grand Madam's, they parted ways at the path. Once Anran and Shiniang were out of sight, Qiniang angrily confronted them. "Sixth Sister was assigned tasks by Master Han, yet she didn't utter a single word! Has Sixth Sister forgotten what she told me?"
Sixth Sister shook her head helplessly.
"Seventh Sister, think about it carefully. How could Grandmother and Mother not know how far Ninth Sister is progressing?" Sixth Sister comforted her, "Leaving the most difficult part to her is just a way for us to gang up on Ninth Sister. She will definitely not be able to finish it, and Mother will not be able to blame her."
Seventh Sister remained silent, her face grim.
“But it would be different if we assigned her the simplest task.” Sixth Sister felt exhausted and even regretted asking Seventh Sister for help, but she couldn’t afford to fall out with Seventh Sister. “If all our embroidery portraits are finished, and only Ninth Sister’s easiest part is left unfinished, what will Grandmother and Mother think?”
Only then did Seven Sister's expression soften slightly.
"Sixth Sister is right." Seventh Sister nodded slightly, seemingly not intending to pursue the matter further.
However, before Sixth Sister could breathe a sigh of relief, Seventh Sister suddenly turned around, her eyes, which were usually clear about love and hate, revealing a hint of warning.
"People shouldn't be greedy. If you try to be a fence-sitter, you'll end up losing out on both!"
Sixth Sister was stunned, and her eyes widened involuntarily.
Before she could reply, Seventh Sister turned and stepped over the threshold into her room. Sixth Sister, who had been walking alongside her, faltered and returned to the courtyard a few steps later.
Was Qi Niang's reprimand just an angry outburst? Or is she actually not as naive as she seems?
She suddenly felt a chill run through her body.
Sixth Sister remembered what An Ran had said by the lake.
She was initially dismissive of it, but now that she was back in the Marquis's mansion, who wouldn't want to compete and take a gamble?