Seventh Sister told everything without reservation. At the end, she added, "Isn't Ninth Sister just relying on her good looks to seduce men everywhere?" She said with disdain, "I've disliked her for a long time. This time, I'm just showing her what's what!"
Aunt Li stared at her in astonishment.
Does she still think she's won this time?
"Although Mother said that it was Marquis Lu who personally ordered Shuangzhi and the others to be tied up, did Marquis Lu not get angry at all? He probably just held back his anger! Ninth Sister must have suffered a great loss—"
Only a few influential people would say such things. Even if Marquis Pingyuan didn't believe it completely, and only half of it, it would be enough for him to suffer a lot. In any case, she had already achieved some of her goals, so her misfortune wasn't in vain.
"Seventh Sister!" Aunt Li immediately interrupted her. "You think you're so clever? Do you even know that you've been tricked by Sixth Sister?"
Seventh Sister opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
"What you're doing is utterly self-destructive. In the end, you'll suffer the consequences, and even if Ninth Sister isn't favored by Marquis Pingyuan, who will truly benefit?" Aunt Li said. "She's been leading you step by step into this pit, and you've actually fallen right in. Do you even have a brain?"
"Sixth Sister does hate Ninth Sister, that's true, but I was the one who brought this up." Seventh Sister disliked Aunt Li's portrayal of her as worthless, and she frowned, saying, "That's right, she was helping me devise a plan. Did Sixth Sister instruct me to do it? Am I such an easily swayed person?"
Aunt Li grew anxious. "Why would Sixth Sister come to you for no reason? Why didn't she go to Tenth Sister? You should think carefully about whether you said it first or Ninth Sister started it!"
Seventh Sister opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.
“I’ve been telling you all day long to learn from Shi Niang, but you just won’t listen.” Aunt Li said earnestly, “Sixth Sister’s reputation is ruined now, but who in the manor doesn’t praise Shi Niang? She’s filial, sensible, and loving to her sisters… Look at how well Shi Niang gets along with Third Sister and Ninth Sister, and also An tide and An Mu. If she treats those two children well, how could Ninth Sister not know?”
"From now on, Ninth Sister will definitely help her with her marriage. Even after she gets married, having such a sister to support her in her own family will give her more leverage in her husband's family." Aunt Li instructed Seventh Sister, "Just look at Ninth Sister. If it weren't for Third Sister's constant support, would Ninth Sister have been able to marry the Marquis of Pingyuan? It was also thanks to Ninth Sister that Ninth Sister was able to verbally agree to be engaged to the Second Young Master Fang!"
Seventh Sister fell silent, seemingly having taken some of Aunt Li's words to heart.
“Although your marriage is already arranged, we can’t let our relationship with your family sour.” Aunt Li sighed. “I’ve struggled for half my life in this small courtyard of the Marquis’s mansion. You are my only child, so naturally I hope you will have a bright future.”
"I understand," Seventh Sister said softly after a long pause. "Don't worry, Aunt."
Aunt Li didn't want to keep Seventh Sister for too long, so she quickly sent her back to her courtyard to rest well that night and dress up properly the next day. The Chen family was coming to urge her to get ready, and there would still be guests at the Marquis's mansion the next day, so she must not show any dissatisfaction in front of others.
Seventh Sister agreed to all of them before returning to her own courtyard.
Sixth Sister was feeling uneasy.
After all this commotion, she was constantly worried that Seventh Sister might have betrayed her.
She had already been confined in the Buddhist hall for over two months for fabricating stories about Jiu Niang and Chen Qian. If Qi Niang were to implicate her again, who knew if her own grandmother would sacrifice her to protect her most favored granddaughter?
After all, the marriage proposal from the Chen family was optional.
Several days passed, but all that was heard was that Seventh Sister and her maid had been summoned by Zhao Shi, and then Seventh Sister was confined to her quarters. Sixth Sister waited anxiously for Zhao Shi to send someone to summon her, and she pondered for days who would admit to or deny the affair.
Sixth Sister was still scaring herself, but there was no movement for several days.
Having finally heard that Seventh Sister had come out, Aunt Li summoned her over. Sixth Sister was still thinking that if Seventh Sister came back, she would definitely come to cause trouble for her.
Sixth Sister had already figured out how to deal with it. She was confident she could appease Seventh Sister, so she was eagerly awaiting Seventh Sister's arrival to cause trouble.
But to everyone's surprise, Seventh Sister didn't come over again until dinner time.
This unusual silence made Sixth Sister uneasy again. It was impossible for Seventh Sister not to resent her at all. But what had happened to make Seventh Sister so silent? Given Seventh Sister's personality, this would have been impossible before.
At dinner time, the Sixth Sister and her sister were supposed to go directly to the Grand Madam's courtyard for dinner. But today, Madam Zhao made them go to her room first.
"Since Sixth Sister is about to get married, I'm afraid it won't be possible for you sisters to stay together like you do today." Zhao's expression was very calm, and this unperturbed demeanor made Sixth Sister unsure of her intentions.
The three sisters quickly pretended to listen attentively.
"You are all daughters of the Marquis of Nan'an's family, of the same blood. After you get married, you will inevitably have to support each other." Madam Zhao said calmly, "If you can't even love your sisters at home, how will you get along with your parents-in-law and sisters-in-law when you get married?"
Sixth Sister felt guilty and dared not raise her head; Seventh Sister listened silently, seemingly different from usual; Tenth Sister seemed to be deep in thought.
Madam Zhao deliberately gave them a few words of advice, fulfilling her responsibility as their legal mother. If they remained obstinate, there was nothing she could do.
The three of them looked like they had been taught a lesson. Zhao didn't say anything more and led them to the Grand Madam's place.
She has done everything she could; now it's up to fate to decide their future!
******
Lu Mingxiu returned a little late today. By the time he got back, An Ran had already washed and dressed. With nothing else to do, she was leaning against the large cushion and slowly flipping through the account book.
Although Third Sister taught her a lot about reading accounts and managing a household before she got married, what truly enabled her to quickly take charge of the vast estate of the Marquis of Pingyuan was her experience in the Chen family in her previous life. Although she was forced to learn the rules by Ding's side, she also witnessed a great deal while working alongside her.
She sighed deeply. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she wondered if the happy life she was living at that moment was just a dream she had made up.
"Ninth Sister, go to sleep if you're sleepy." Suddenly the curtains rustled, and before An Ran could even open her eyes, she heard a deep, gentle male voice in her ear. "I had a meeting at Han Xuan's residence today and came back a little late."
It was Lu Mingxiu.
An Ran quickly got up and placed the account book on a high table to the side.
"I'm not sleepy, I just got up to close my eyes for a while and refresh myself." An Ran said with a smile, "My lord, I had the kitchen keep some warm soup to soothe your stomach, would you like some?"
Lu Mingxiu nodded, and An Ran then instructed Jinping to fetch it.
When Anran helped him change his clothes, Lu Mingxiu was surprised to find that Nian Ge'er was not in their room!
"Did Nian-ge'er go to sleep by himself?" Lu Mingxiu suppressed his excitement and asked casually. Before An Ran could speak, he added, "Boys should be more independent and go to sleep early."
Anran busied herself around him, not even looking up, and said, "I don't know what he and Sili are up to. They went to sleep at Yilan Courtyard."
"Oh." Lord Lu's raised eyebrows softened slightly, and there was an indescribable...disappointment in his tone?
Tomorrow we're going to the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence. After all, it's to deliver the dowry, and as the younger sister, she should at least go and see the Marquis's residence. Third Sister is quite pregnant now, so she'll only go on the actual day of the wedding and won't make any more of a fuss.