Hearing this, Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister, who were accompanying the guests, could only suppress their feelings, no matter how unpleasant they were.
Sixth Sister serves as a cautionary tale for them.
What good are her lofty ambitions? She only told the public she was ill and needed to rest. Her marriage to Fang Ting failed, and instead, she got herself into trouble.
Therefore, even the usually troublesome Seventh Sister became much more well-behaved.
In the small Buddhist shrine.
Although this was the quietest place in the Marquis's mansion, bursts of laughter and chatter still drifted in, piercing her eardrums.
Why, why won't An Jiu let her go?
She already has so much!
Sixth Sister gripped the pen tightly, almost breaking it. Ink left marks on the rice paper; after copying only two lines, another sheet was wasted.
An Jiu is already the future Lady of Pingyuan. She has the favor of Third Sister, the regard of Princess Yunyang, and the special treatment from her grandmother and stepmother... Why should even the little bit of expectation she has left be taken away?
Marquis Pingyuan likes her, Fang Ting likes her, and Chen Qian likes her too! Could it be that marrying Marquis Pingyuan isn't enough for her, and she still has her eyes on Fang Ting? If not, why is she stopping me from marrying Fang Ting?
Liu Niang refused to acknowledge her failure or admit that she had made a mistake, believing that An Ran was the one who had interfered.
Fang Ting had refused her request, so she hated him and wouldn't let him have his way.
Liu Niang hated An Ran so much she almost bled.
If she has a chance to get out, if she has a chance... she will definitely not let An Ran go!
She won't let An Ran get away with this!
Chapter 107
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"Take care, my two elder sisters and Granny Fang!" Mingluo gently smiled and bid farewell to Mingwei and the others, her innocent smile showing no impatience.
Since it was the old lady who summoned them, no matter how unwilling Mingluo was, she dared not pester Mingwei and Mingqian any longer.
Watching Mingxi and Mingwei leave together, Mingling stomped her feet in anger, while a dark and ambiguous light flashed in Mingluo's eyes. Suddenly, her eyes rolled and a strange smile appeared on her lips.
"Sister, since Second Sister and Seventh Sister are so favored, wouldn't it be like we're offering our warm faces to their cold backsides?" Mingluo said with a smile, "Since we have nothing else to do, let's go see Third Sister and Fourth Sister!"
Although Mingling had a bad temper and wasn't very shrewd, she listened to her younger sister completely. Since Mingluo had made the suggestion, she naturally wouldn't object.
"I'm sure Third Sister and Fourth Sister will be happy for Seventh Sister too!" Mingluo chuckled, murmuring in a voice only Mingling could hear, "And Sixth Sister—"
Minglu raised the corners of her lips, her smile sweet.
"They are all daughters born to concubines from the second wife's side, and they have gained the favor of Consort Shu... Seventh Sister is about to rise to the top in one step, and I'm afraid those three older sisters must be overjoyed!"
******
Mingwei thought that Granny Fang said she had something urgent to tell them so that she and Mingqian could get away. However, when she met the old lady, she found out that it really was an urgent matter.
It turned out that the old lady wanted Mingwei and Mingqian to go back immediately to prepare their luggage, so they could leave for the villa in Xishan early the next morning.
"Go to the villa in Xishan?" Mingxi asked, somewhat puzzled. "The villa in Xishan is nice for escaping the summer heat, but its hot springs are the most famous. Even though it's not yet the hottest time of summer, you'll still be sweating buckets. Going to Xishan in the morning and evening..."
As soon as the old lady spoke, Mingwei wholeheartedly agreed with the idea.
At this moment, Consort Shu's actions were so obvious that staying in the capital would only attract the jealousy and hatred of unknown people, and one wrong step could bring trouble to the Marquis of Chengping's household. What worried her most was that once Consort Shu tore down that thin veil, she would have no way out.
It seems the old lady had the same idea, which is why she kept suggesting going to Xishan, far away from this troublesome place.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it!” Mingwei said to Mingqian with a smile. “I’ve never been to Xishan before, and there are even hot springs there. After hearing what Grandmother said, I can’t wait to go and see it!”
The villa in Xishan was part of the old lady's dowry. Apart from Mingqian, the eldest daughter of the main branch, the old lady never took any of her other granddaughters there.
Thinking of this, Mingxi saw Mingwei's envious and expectant look, so she stopped mentioning that she didn't want to go and quickly comforted her, saying, "Then let's go and stay for a few more days this time, and I'll show you around! Actually, hot springs aren't anything special; it's pretty much the same as soaking in a bathtub!"
Mingwei responded triumphantly, took Mingqian's hand, and said coquettishly, "Then it's settled, Second Sister, you can't go back on your word!"
Because the second wife looked down on her illegitimate daughters and rarely allowed them to appear in public, Mingxi had little contact with her half-sisters from the second wife's family since childhood. Now that she saw Mingwei was lively and sensible, she naturally doted on this younger sister. In addition, now that Mingwei was registered under the eldest wife's name, she treated Mingwei as a sister from the same mother.
"You!" Mingxi's face was full of helplessness, but it wasn't hard to see that her eyes and brows were full of smiles. "You only know how to act cute with me, but Grandmother is watching!"
“Because you’re my sister!” Mingwei’s eyes widened as she declared matter-of-factly, “Grandmother, you be the judge, shouldn’t my sister be the one who loves me and indulges me?”
The old lady was initially troubled by matters in the palace, but the interruption from Mingwei and Mingqian made her feel much better. She had always hoped that Mingwei and Mingqian could get along well and support each other in the future, and now seeing the two growing closer, she felt only joy.
"Second daughter, your sister is right!" the old lady said with a smile. "You are her older sister, so naturally you should dote on her more!"
Seeing the old lady's delighted expression, Mingxi knew exactly what Mingwei meant. She pouted and readily agreed, "Grandmother, it's because you spoil her like this that she dares to be so unruly! I won't stand for it if you don't teach her a lesson today!"
"You're right!" The old lady's smile deepened. "You're the older sister, so naturally the responsibility of teaching you also falls on your shoulders."
"Oh no, oh no!" Mingwei looked extremely annoyed, her fair oval face scrunched up like a little steamed bun. She said with a distressed expression, "I wanted to report my second sister to the old lady, but I didn't expect to put myself in such a predicament! Is this a case of shooting myself in the foot? Grandmother, please take back your decision!"
Before she finished speaking, not only the old lady and Mingxi couldn't help but burst into laughter, but even the maids serving in the room couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The room was immediately filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Alright, you sisters hurry up and get ready. We'll set off early in the morning, when it'll be cooler." The old lady instructed, "If you need anything else, just come and get it from me."
Mingwei and Mingqian smiled and agreed. Watching the two walk away hand in hand, the old lady's smile never faded.
"With the Second Miss and Seventh Miss getting along so well, you can finally rest assured!" Granny Xu said with great satisfaction, "That's what real sisters from the same mother should be like!"