Her words were loaded with meaning, but An Ran was too lazy to engage in banter with her. Fourth Sister, however, was quick-witted for once and said somewhat shyly, "Sixth Sister's in-laws feel sorry for her, so they bought her a house in the capital so that Sixth Sister and her husband could get married there first, and have a period of adjustment."
Before Fourth Sister could finish speaking, Madam Zhang and Madam Wang praised her, saying that Sixth Sister was blessed and would surely have a good life in the future. Seventh Sister's words had been diverted.
Before long, Zhao herself came to take care of things.
Today, she was wearing a deep purple jacket with gold leaf patterns, and a full set of red gold tourmaline jewelry. She looked very elegant and was in good spirits.
Everyone stood up to greet them.
By this time, Liu Niang had already combed her hair and her makeup was almost finished.
Sure enough, the makeup on her face was a bit too white, which actually concealed her naturally outstanding looks, and her eyebrows looked a little strange. Thinking about how she looked the same way on her wedding day, An Ran almost wanted to cover her face.
The bright red wedding dress hung in front of the large wardrobe in the corner of the wall, looking very gorgeous from a distance.
The Chen family attached great importance to this marriage, so before the wedding, they sent a lot of valuable gemstones, materials, and so on. Zhao did not skimp on these and used them all for Sixth Sister.
Therefore, Liu Niang's dowry was also very generous.
However, Zhao Shi still harbored some ill-gotten gains from her married daughters, like water spilled from a cup, in those days. And since this was a concubine's daughter whom she disliked, Zhao Shi had little desire to help Sixth Sister should she ever need anything in the future.
After a while, Nan Mama said that Lady Qingxiang had arrived, so Zhao had no choice but to lead her people out to greet her again.
The wedding procession wouldn't arrive until the afternoon, so lunch was served at Liu Niang's place.
"Place the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish in front of Ninth Sister," Third Sister said with a smile, in a good mood. "She loved this dish when she was with me. I remember our family's cook made it very well."
An Ran smiled helplessly.
Third Sister still treated her like a child. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Anran always felt that Third Sister was genuinely helping her vent her anger.
She really didn't care about the pointless provocations from Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister.
The sisters rarely ate together. Sixth Sister was the most observant. She noticed that at least half of the dishes on the table were things that Third Sister, Fifth Sister, and Anran liked to eat, and she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
Today is, after all, her wedding day, which is also her last day in the Marquis's mansion. Even if this wasn't arranged by Madam Zhao, it's enough to prove the servants' snobbishness.
Although she married into a wealthy family, it was still not as prestigious as the Prince Yi's Mansion or the Marquis Pingyuan's Mansion.
Sixth Sister felt terrible. She had been feeling a sense of unease about getting married, and Zhao Shi's indifference towards her—neither harsh nor caring, merely fulfilling her duties as a stepmother and preventing outsiders from finding fault—made her eat her lunch before her wedding with a bitter taste.
Seeing Liu Niang's behavior, Shi Niang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If Sixth Sister hadn't been so impatient, she might not have ended up in this situation. Tenth Sister also didn't approve of Sixth Sister's marriage, but Sixth Sister couldn't refuse her parents' wishes.
Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister serve as cautionary tales for her. Now, Tenth Sister is becoming increasingly obedient and composed, determined to see things through to the very end.
After finally finishing lunch, Third Sister said she was tired. Fourth Sister quickly told Fifth Sister and Anran to accompany her to rest, while she would stay here to keep Sixth Sister company.
Fourth Sister seemed quite different today. An Ran couldn't help but glance at Fourth Sister again. The Fourth Sister, who was usually a bit timid, was actually speaking up to help people out of trouble. And when An Ran looked over again, it was as if Fourth Sister was waiting for her, her eyes met hers, and she smiled.
An Ran also curled the corners of her lips slightly, her smile very faint but sincere.
This was exactly the result Third Sister wanted; besides her, Fourth Sister was the eldest among the sisters. Therefore, once she spoke, no one else could say anything more.
Third Sister leisurely led Anran and Fifth Sister away, while Tenth Sister and Seventh Sister went to her room.
As people gradually dispersed, the room became extremely quiet for a moment.
The unease in Liu Niang's heart gradually grew.
It was as if she was about to fall into an abyss, but she couldn't grasp anything; she was all alone.
******
"Fortunately, Ninth Sister married the Marquis of Pingyuan, who is calm and decisive." Third Sister glanced at An Ran and said to Fifth Sister, "Seventh Sister actually had someone speak ill of Ninth Sister in secret, deliberately letting Ninth Sister's husband hear it. She didn't want Ninth Sister to live a comfortable life. How could she think of such a harmful and self-defeating thing?"
Fifth Sister had vaguely heard some things, but she didn't quite understand them. She only understood after hearing Third Sister's words today.
"Ninth Sister's husband has guts; he tied the man up and threw him in front of our parents." Third Sister said cheerfully, "That's how it should be."
Although Third Sister has changed her personality somewhat, she is still a person who is quick to repay kindness and hatred and has a clear sense of right and wrong.
"Seventh Sister is about to get married, she's really being foolish." Fifth Sister shook her head and said, "She's determined to ruin her own life, and no one can save her now."
"Luckily, Ninth Sister has a good temper." Third Sister's anger had not subsided.
An Ran smiled and shook her head, saying, "Just like Fifth Sister said, if she wants to court death, no one will care. She can go down a dark path. Let her do what she wants."
"I'm sure I angered Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister today," Fifth Sister chuckled. "See how much Madam Zhang flattered Ninth Sister, especially Sixth Sister, her emotions were so obvious."
Third Sister finally calmed down a bit. "That's right, Ninth Sister is the wife of Marquis Pingyuan. Speaking of Marquis Pingyuan, when we first met, Ninth Sister was so frightened that she threw down the curtain. Who could have imagined that we would have such a marriage later?"
Before she could finish speaking, Fifth Sister hurriedly followed up with a smile.
An Ran recalled that the first time she saw Lu Mingxiu was when she was in the carriage with San Niang. She had secretly glanced at Lu Mingxiu, but by the time he noticed something was wrong and looked back, An Ran had panicked and thrown the curtain away.
Third Sister then told Fifth Sister about An Ran's reaction back then, which made the usually dignified and composed Fifth Sister burst into laughter.
An Ran was about to cover San Niang's mouth.
The three of them had only rested for a short while when a maid announced that the new son-in-law would be arriving soon and invited the young ladies to the sixth young lady's room.
When they arrived at Sixth Sister's courtyard, a maidservant ran in to report that the new son-in-law had arrived at the gate of the Marquis's mansion.
Third Sister was unwell and naturally wouldn't go to the front yard to watch the commotion. Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister weren't particularly interested either. An Ran might have been willing to take a look, but she didn't want to see Chen Qian and was too lazy to go. Therefore, all news from inside and outside the house was relayed by the maids.
A moment later, the maids ran in excitedly and said that the third son-in-law was testing the new son-in-law on the Four Books. Then they said that the fourth son-in-law had given a couplet, the fifth son-in-law had asked him to compose a poem, and finally the ninth son-in-law had tested the new son-in-law on military strategy.