At the time, she was somewhat moved, but she also felt that Jiu Niang was only saying that to win her over. Now, thinking about it carefully, it actually makes a lot of sense.
Both Jiu Niang and she were concubine daughters with no support in the mansion. They had only been back in the Marquis's mansion for a short time, so their relationship with the Grand Madam and the Madam was naturally not as good as that with Qi Niang and Shi Niang. Moreover, the two of them still had their aunts, so naturally someone would be looking out for them.
The Ninth Sister, who was so favored just a few days ago, was sent to the Prince's Mansion so casually. Moreover, the Ninth Sister had even helped persuade the Third Sister to stay away. Who knew that she would get herself into trouble?
Is it a case of good deeds going unrewarded?
Although Sixth Sister was glad that the beautiful and insightful Ninth Sister was no longer competing with her, would she one day face the same predicament?
Sixth Sister felt a chill run through her body.
When Jiu Niang first received the news, she must have been in despair.
A wave of sadness, a feeling of kinship, immediately washed over Liu Niang.
If she can't secure the opportunity to marry the Marquis of Pingyuan, she'll end up like Jiu Niang, powerless and manipulated by others...
Sixth Sister's expression hardened.
She honed her talents and studied diligently from a young age, not so that she would come back and lose to her other half-sisters!
******
After returning to her room, Anran began preparing for her trip to Prince Yi's residence.
Since the situation is already set in stone, there's no point in complaining. The right thing to do is to figure out how to deal with what's happening.
"Cuiping, take Qingxing and Qingmei to the trunk and find me some clothes. Only take two red ones, the crabapple red ones, and don't take any other red clothes. Pack out more clothes in pale yellow, light green, sky blue, and lake blue."
"Peach Branch, Peach Leaf, put away all the embroidery patterns, needles and thread, and embroidery hoops that I use, as well as the books and calligraphy books I read," An Ran instructed, "put them all into a box."
The five agreed and went, but only Jinping stayed by Anran's side.
“Girl, is it really true that…” Jinping whispered, still unwilling to accept her fate?
An Ran smiled slightly, her face as exquisite and delicate as jade, yet equally cold. "Otherwise what? The Grand Madam only told me to accompany my sister, she didn't explicitly say I should become her concubine, so what reason do I have to refuse?"
Jinping remained silent.
After accompanying her young lady back from the Grand Madam's place, Jinping almost doubted that she had misheard. How come the Grand Madam hadn't mentioned anything about becoming the Third Son-in-Law's concubine?
Such a big thing, why not just inform everyone publicly?
"It's just that my third sister couldn't accept it for a moment, and the Grand Madam felt that the Marquis's mansion was too impatient to send the illegitimate daughter over so soon after the young master had his eldest son. That's why we went through a roundabout way." An Ran tilted her head and smiled slightly: "There has to be a reason."
“But aren’t you being treated too unfairly!” Jinping spoke up for An Ran. “Even if you go, even if you go—” She didn’t say the words “become a concubine” in the end, but she couldn’t help but say, “How can you go like this without any proper status?”
"What is it?" An Ran's smile deepened, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She replied, seemingly unrelated, "Whatever the Grand Madam asks me to do, I will do it."
Jinping looked at her daughter in surprise.
Since returning from the Grand Madam's place yesterday, the young lady's complexion has improved considerably, as if the pale and desperate young lady was merely an illusion.
"Jinping, I need to tell you something!" An Ran's expression was calm and composed. "After I leave, everything in the house is your responsibility. You need to keep a close eye on Qingxing and the others, and you should also advise Cuiping a bit—"
Jinping was taken aback. She said urgently, "Miss, what do you mean? You're not taking us with you to the Prince's mansion? Even if you're not taking the four children, you should at least take me and Cuiping with you!"
An Ran smiled and shook her head.
“Take you there? That’s a pit of fire. I’m fine with myself, why drag two more people down with me?” An Ran said gently, “I can go by myself without any worries. Even if someone wants to cause trouble, I can avoid getting involved.”
Jinping looked at Anran disapprovingly and said, "This time is different from the last time you went to the Prince's Mansion! Back then, Third Aunt still treated you like a younger sister—but what about now? She probably hates you even more! How can you not even have a close confidant by your side?"
An Ran simply smiled.
"Jinping, you must guard the house well." Anran looked at Jinping seriously and instructed her, "Since I left under the pretense of accompanying Third Sister, the Grand Madam and the others will not take back our house. Guarding it well is even more important than following me there."
"I'll be back." An Ran's gaze was gentle, her tone soft yet undeniably resolute. "It's definitely easier for me to pull myself out of this mess than to drag you all down with me, isn't it?"
Jinping stared in astonishment.
"I will come back." An Ran repeated, not only to Jinping, but also to herself.
She will come back, and not just back to the Marquis's mansion. Perhaps she will have the chance to leave with Anxi and Anmu!
They have always sought wealth and honor amidst danger.
Let her take this gamble and seek lasting stability.
******
Mother He brought people to see the trunks that Jiu Niang had been tidying up.
"Miss, you've brought too little." Madam He glanced at her. Although she had quite a few clothes, the colors were all too plain and pale. She had a lot of jewelry, but she hadn't accumulated much wealth, so her financial foundation was a bit weak. Apart from books and flower embroidery, the Ninth Miss hadn't brought anything else.
Mother He suddenly became suspicious, wondering if Ninth Miss knew what she had been doing.
"I think that's enough!" An Ran gave an embarrassed smile. "I just think that if I need anything from my third sister, I can just borrow it from her. I haven't thought about anything else. Please give me your advice, Mother!"
After hearing this, Mrs. He realized that she had been overthinking things.
Even though Ninth Sister is intelligent and sensible, she is only thirteen years old after all. Where has she ever experienced such a thing? It's understandable that she didn't understand for a moment.
Therefore, Madam He stopped asking her questions and instead led her people to look around while taking notes one by one. Although Ninth Miss was a concubine's daughter, her becoming a concubine for Third Son-in-law was a matter of face for the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion. Although she couldn't compare to Third Miss, it couldn't be too outrageous either.
"The Grand Madam will provide whatever the young lady needs!" Thinking of Anran's future fate, Madam He felt a pang of pity. She said softly, "Young lady, just focus on preparing to go to the Marquis's residence."
An Ran nodded gratefully.