As Chen Qian gazed at the solemn palace before him, a romantic thought still stirred within him.
This little girl doesn't look like the daughter of an ordinary family. Even her maids are more respectable than the young ladies of ordinary families. She is probably from a noble family.
Chen Qian suddenly had a crazy idea.
He wanted to know who the little girl was.
******
When Yunlan met up with Anran and Qingxing, she was holding her jade pendant in her hand.
She was about to speak to Anran with a joyful expression when she looked up and noticed that Anran's eyelids looked somewhat swollen. She quickly asked with concern, "Ninth Sister, what happened to you?"
An Ran looked at her calmly, curled the corners of her lips and said, "It's nothing. I just got some dust in my eyes and rubbed them too hard, and then I squeezed out a few tears, which is why they're swollen."
Upon hearing this, Yunlan looked puzzled and said, "The temple is thoroughly swept every day, and there's very little dust. Could it be that you went to some remote place—"
Before she could finish speaking, An Ran raised her eyebrows and looked directly at her.
Yunlan felt a little guilty under his gaze, smiled, and swallowed her words before finishing them.
"I was just helping Fourth Sister find her jade pendant, and I unconsciously ended up in the same place as Qingxing." An Ran curled her lips into a half-smile and said, "There are so many places, how could we possibly get lost?"
"It seems Fourth Sister's jade pendant is doomed. Congratulations, Fourth Sister, for not losing such an important item." An Ran emphasized the word "important" and said with a smile, "It's getting late, we should go find Fangniang and Ruiniang."
Yunlan smiled and nodded, without saying much, but a hint of anxiety still showed in her eyes.
She didn't understand why An Jiu had returned unharmed. This wasn't what that person had promised her—
At this moment, An Ran was filled with anger.
An Ran was almost certain that Yun Lan had done it on purpose. She hadn't lost the jade pendant at all; what was her purpose in separating herself from Qing Xing and Hua Ping?
An Ran recalled Yun Lan's words and actions when Yun Fang and Yun Rui were about to leave in front of the Stele Forest.
She acted seemingly naturally and smoothly, but in reality, every word she uttered contained hidden calculations.
She deliberately left herself behind because Yunrui was young, and then used the excuse of taking care of Yunrui to send away her maid and accompanying old woman, so that no one could say anything. In the end, only the four of them remained in the Stele Forest.
Every step of this was meticulously planned by her.
Although An Ran did not fully understand Yun Lan's intentions at this time, it was certain that Yun Lan had malicious intentions!
The thought that it was because of her that she had met the person she least wanted to see in her life fueled An Ran's hatred even more.
But before everything was clear and before she had solid evidence, she couldn't be too obvious. All her deductions were just guesses and couldn't be used to question Yunlan.
Moreover, we are still outside at this time.
An Ran took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the restless emotions in her heart.
I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then... An Ran suddenly gritted her teeth, forcing back the tears welling up in her eyes.
Both Yunlan and Anran were daughters of concubines, and Yunlan's status as a concubine was not prominent, suggesting that Yunlan's life in the Prince's mansion was not easy. Seeing that Yunlan always wore the jade pendant, it was clearly something very important to her. Anran felt pity for her, but little did she know that this would only lead to her being schemed against.
She couldn't afford to lose her composure before she could figure out Yunlan's true intentions. What grudge did Yunlan actually hold against her? One was an illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Yi's household, and the other was an illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an's household; they had absolutely no conflict of interest.
An Ran followed half a step behind Yun Lan, gazing at the graceful and slender figure before her, when a flash of inspiration seemed to appear in her mind.
Yunlan harbored no hatred towards her; her arrival at the Prince's residence was purely accidental. Within the Prince's household, the only one who hated her to the core was Lady Li. And Lady Li was the niece of Consort Li, and rumors circulated that Yunlan was close to Consort Li…
Anran felt the vague thoughts in her mind gradually becoming clearer.
It is likely that the one who orchestrated all of this was Lady Li and Consort Li.
But identifying the mastermind isn't enough. What is their purpose? Li Shi dislikes her, and Consort Li will naturally help her niece. If they want to harm her, what exactly do they intend to do?
An Ran couldn't figure it out for a moment.
"Ninth Sister!" Before they knew it, they had almost reached the Thousand Buddha Pagoda when Yunfang and Yunrui came towards them. Yunfang saw Anran walking with her head down and quickly greeted her. "What's wrong? You look so listless."
An Ran looked up and smiled. "It's nothing. I just got some dust in my eyes and rubbed them a little too hard."
Upon hearing this, Yunfang leaned closer to take a look and indeed found that An Jiu's eyelids were somewhat translucent and swollen.
“It’s about time. My third sister is probably going back soon. Let’s go.” An Ran didn’t want Yun Fang to pursue the matter further, so she changed the subject and said, “Isn’t the vegetarian food here amazing? If we don’t go now, you won’t get any.”
Upon hearing this, Yunfang sniffed and feigned displeasure, saying, "So you think I'm such a glutton! I'm not Rui Niang!"
Before she could finish speaking, Yunrui objected. She exclaimed impatiently, "Why did you drag me into this again—you never think of me when it comes to good things!"
The two sisters started bickering again, and Anran hurriedly tried to separate them with a smile. Yunlan just looked at her two younger sisters with a smile on her face and a tolerant gaze.
Upon closer inspection, Yunlan's smile appeared somewhat stiff, and a hint of unease was clearly visible in her eyes.
An Ran had been paying close attention to her expression, and when she saw that she had at least revealed some flaws, it confirmed her previous guess.
She didn't point it out, just chatted and laughed with Yunfang and Yunrui as usual, and occasionally didn't forget to say a few words to her.
Even though Yunlan is mature and composed, she is only fifteen years old. When Yunfang and Yunrui spoke to her, Anran could clearly feel that her reactions were a little slow. This meant that she had something on her mind!
The four sisters returned to the courtyard together, where Third Sister had already returned. Seeing her relaxed demeanor and the smile in her eyes, An Ran knew that everything had gone smoothly.
If this matter is accomplished, not only will Yun Shen be grateful to Third Sister, but even Commander Wang, knowing that it was the Crown Princess who personally intervened, will be thankful for Third Sister's kindness. Third Sister's position will then be even more secure.
Perhaps we can remind Third Sister to prepare a generous dowry for that girl.
"How was your trip?" Third Sister asked them with a smile, in a good mood. "We're usually cooped up at home all day, so it's good to take a walk around now that we're out."