"But I'll make this clear from the start. If this doesn't work out—" Sixth Sister's eyes seemed to hold two blocks of ice, chilling and menacing. "You'll just have to wait to be shattered to pieces."
Intimidated by Liu Niang's sinister aura, Cui Xi trembled with fear.
"Come closer and listen to me. Tomorrow you will do just that..."
******
Liu Niang dressed elegantly and dignifiedly to show off her good background as a girl from a noble family.
Ding gave her a lot of jewelry materials, which made it easier for Liu Niang to choose the best ones and dress herself up to look even more radiant in front of the guests.
Lady Wang, the wife of the Ministry of Revenue official, had met Liu Niang once at a banquet. Now that they met again, they exchanged a few pleasantries.
"You are so lucky to have married Sixth Sister as your daughter-in-law." Wang Shi naturally wanted to flatter Sixth Sister. She smiled and said, "Not to mention her beautiful face, which is pleasing to the eye. Her temperament and personality are also first-rate."
Ding said with pride, "Don't laugh at me, but I think Sixth Sister's good qualities go far beyond these. Her needlework is one in a million." Ding took the opportunity to show Wang the purse that Sixth Sister had embroidered, and said with no small amount of pride, "Being able to marry Sixth Sister as my daughter-in-law is truly a blessing from the ancestors of the Chen family."
Liu Niang blushed and lowered her head shyly.
Upon hearing this, Wang went to see for herself and found that Liu Niang's embroidery was exquisite and worthy of Ding's praise.
"Where is your Qian-ge'er?" Madam Wang asked. "Is he still busy with business?"
Mrs. Ding nodded slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness, but her eyes were full of pride. "His father said he wanted to train him in these business matters, so he handed them all over to him. He's been very busy these days. The Chen family business will eventually be handed over to him, so how can he not work hard?"
Before she could finish speaking, Madam Wang quickly added a few words of praise.
Ding and Wang went on some business together. Wang invested two hundred taels of silver, which was soon recouped and quickly doubled. Therefore, Wang trusted Ding and her son very much. How much wealth could a mere mistress have? She was counting on preparing more dowries for her daughters, and the money would come from here.
Liu Niang listened attentively, without being impatient or interrupting. She would only respond with a smile when asked a question.
The conversation turned to An Ran. "Isn't the Lady of Pingyuan Marquis the ninth sister of the eldest mistress?" Madam Wang asked knowingly. She replied, "I saw her at the Grand Princess's residence a few days ago. Her temperament and appearance are both first-rate. It's obvious that she and the eldest mistress are sisters from the same family. They are truly as beautiful as delicate flowers."
Wang Shi awkwardly pulled An Jiu Niang to praise her, but Liu Niang felt no joy at all. Her anger was rising in waves. It was one thing for her to be looked up to now, but it was all because she was San Niang's younger sister and Jiu Niang's older sister.
They all wanted to use her to establish a connection with the two sisters.
Madam Ding also laughed and said, "That's right, Sixth Sister and her sister have a very good relationship. A few days ago, she even sent someone to deliver some things and inquire about her sister, afraid that her sister might be wronged while staying in our house. You know, I dote on Sixth Sister, and I would never let her suffer in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, Liu Niang felt a little guilty.
An Ran had no time or inclination to inquire about her. These people were people she had hired from outside, taking advantage of Ding Shi's absence to have them come to the Chen residence under the guise of being family members of the Pingyuan Marquis's household. Afterwards, she only said that An Ran had sent them, subtly implying that she and An Ran had a good relationship.
“You’re not such a mean-spirited mother-in-law!” Madam Wang quickly flattered, “The two sisters have a good relationship. The Lady of Pingyuan Marquis is just worried about her older sister. If the Lady of Pingyuan Marquis were to come to the mansion in person, she would be relieved immediately.”
Thinking that Liu Niang and An Ran were sisters, Ding thought that they wouldn't be so disrespectful as to refuse to invite them over for a meal. So Ding agreed, "I will host a banquet another day and invite Liu Niang's sisters to get together. However, I have only been in the capital for a short time, so I will have to ask you to come and help me out."
Wang was naturally delighted with such a good thing. Although she might not be able to see An San Niang, seeing An Jiu Niang would already be a pleasant surprise. She said cheerfully, "With your words, I will definitely come. Just let me know when you've set a date."
The two of them were having a great time chatting back and forth, but Liu Niang, who was standing to the side, was feeling rather uneasy.
Originally, it was just a visit to the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence, and Jiu Niang would never have turned them away so easily. But if they were to invite Jiu Niang over... she probably wouldn't come.
Ding really has a good plan! But let's see if she can still talk and laugh and say such things when her son's good deed is exposed in front of others.
"The heir apparent of Prince Yi's mansion, isn't she the eldest madam's third sister?" Madam Wang seized the opportunity to steer the conversation toward the third sister, "I heard that the heir apparent hasn't been coming out much these days, and I heard that she's about to give birth?"
Madam Ding smiled and said, "That's right. The Princess Consort is heavily pregnant and only came out for the two days when Sixth Sister went out. It's getting colder and colder now, so since then, the Princess Consort has been resting at home. When I heard Sixth Sister say that, I was terrified. If the Princess Consort were to have a miscarriage because of this, we would feel so bad."
Although she said that, there was not a trace of fear on her face; she looked completely smug.
"This is because the Crown Princess dotes on her younger sister. Sisters are naturally closer." Madam Wang naturally wouldn't expose Madam Ding's mistake, so she smiled and said a few words of praise, "It's also because the eldest mistress is so lovable. With such looks and charm, who wouldn't love her?"
Sixth Sister returned to the manor only half a year ago, while Third Sister had already married long ago. They had almost no contact on a daily basis, except for a brief meeting when Third Sister returned to her parents' home. Madam Zhao disliked illegitimate daughters and was not fond of Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister, who grew up in the Marquis of Nan'an's manor, let alone Sixth Sister, who was brought back from outside.
Her fox-like, beautiful face only reminded Zhao of the person who had seduced An Yuanliang.
Third Sister was naturally influenced by her mother, and she treated her half-sisters indifferently, without showing them much care. An Ran was an exception.
Therefore, Liu Niang couldn't help but find it laughable that Wang was lying through her teeth.
"The other day, the Crown Princess said that Sixth Sister is good at needlework and asked her to make two little clothes for her nephew." Ding casually showed off the purse she was wearing, which was a gift from Sixth Sister. "Sixth Sister's work is quite neat."
Sixth Sister was already skilled at needlework, and after seeing it, Wang Shi's praise was genuine. "Madam's embroidery skills are superb, surpassing even the masters of the Heavenly Clothing Pavilion."
Sixth Sister quickly offered a few words of modesty.
"The Prince Yi's mansion has everything, and as the eldest son of the heir apparent, he naturally has countless good things. The heir apparent's wife only asked the eldest mistress to make some small clothes; it's just that the sisters are close," Wang said with a hint of envy.
The Third Sister's household was naturally not lacking in good embroiderers. The things prepared for the eldest son, whether by the Princess Consort or Zhao Shi, were countless and meticulously selected, filling several rooms. The Third Sister had only mentioned it to An Ran to hone her needlework skills.
If the other party were Sixth Sister, Third Sister wouldn't even open her mouth. Even if Sixth Sister eagerly delivered it, Third Sister wouldn't give her a kind look, considering that Sixth Sister had caused trouble at Princess Yunyang's residence and even tried to frame An Ran for Chen Qian's affair with her.
Ding and Wang exchanged pleasantries, one deliberately flattering the other showing off, and they chatted quite happily.
Liu Niang listened attentively to their conversation while keeping track of the time.
Seeing that the time was almost right, Sixth Sister deliberately steered the conversation towards the plum blossoms. There were several beautiful plum trees in Ding's backyard. Chen Qian had put in a great deal of effort to acquire this house. Even the landscaping in the courtyard was designed by a master landscape architect specially invited from Jiangnan.
The scenery is different in each of the four seasons, and whether it is borrowed scenery or intentionally arranged, it is worth seeing in all four seasons.
After lunch and some conversation, I felt a bit sleepy. The weather was nice, so I thought it would be good to go for a walk. Living in the capital is not easy; even though the Wang family were officials in the capital, they only had a three-courtyard house, which was considered quite good.
The fact that the Chen family could buy a four-courtyard house with an additional side courtyard is enough to demonstrate their wealth.
The group walked along the covered walkway towards the Ding family's backyard.
As soon as they passed through the hanging flower gate, they saw a man and a woman in the distance, their clothes disheveled, pulling and tugging at each other in front of the west courtyard, their actions quite ambiguous.