After washing up, Anran had breakfast with Niange'er before she was about to teach him to read when she heard that Princess Yunyang had come to visit with her children.
An Ran didn't have time to change into her guest clothes. Thinking that Princess Yunyang was no outsider, she said to Nian Ge'er, "The princess has brought her older brothers and sisters to our house. You are the young master. Mother trusts you. You can help Mother entertain them well, right?"
This was the first time Nian Ge'er had been "entrusted with an important task," and he felt a great sense of responsibility. He nodded vigorously, promising to complete the task assigned to him by An Ran.
Therefore, by the time Anran led Niange'er to the front of the hanging flower gate, Princess Yunyang's carriage had already arrived at the gate.
"Greetings, Princess." An Ran hurriedly led Nian Ge'er forward to pay their respects.
Princess Yunyang, supported by Emerald, stepped off the carriage on a small stool. Next to her was Jia Niang. Although she was excited to see An Ran, she did not rush over immediately. Instead, she waited until she had helped her younger sister Yi Jie'er and younger brother Heng Ge'er off the carriage before leading the two children to An Ran.
An Ran was not surprised to see a hint of relief flash in Princess Yunyang's eyes.
Jia Niang finally integrated into the family, treating her two younger siblings with the demeanor of an elder sister, always taking care of and showing them love and concern. Although she was still not quite close enough to Princess Yunyang and Minister Tan, Princess Yunyang was already very content.
"Sister!" Jia Niang's eyes shone with excitement as she said in a sweet, affectionate voice, "Sister said she would often take me over to play, but she has never kept her promise."
An apologetic look appeared on An Ran's face.
Since marrying Lu Mingxiu, she has been constantly dealing with big and small matters. In addition, with the marriage of Liu Niang, she has been running to the Marquis's mansion quite often. Even now, she has not been able to have a truly leisurely life. Therefore, she keeps postponing the invitation for Jia Niang to come and live with her.
"So Mother brought us here." Jia Niang's face brightened with a cheerful expression; clearly, she wasn't truly angry with An Ran. "Sister, please don't mind our noise!"
Before she could finish speaking, Princess Yunyang, standing to the side, couldn't help but show some disappointment on her face.
To this day, Jia Niang still calls her mother and Tan Lang father, which is somewhat distant compared to Yi Jie'er and Heng Ge'er calling her "father" and "mother".
But there was nothing she could do. Relationships are built step by step. Seeing Jia Niang becoming more and more integrated into the family, she believed that Jia Niang would eventually understand.
"It's cold outside, come in and sit down." An Ran hurriedly invited Princess Yunyang and her son in.
The Pingyuan Marquis's residence was only slightly smaller than the Yunyang Princess's residence. As the group walked along the covered corridor, they found that even in the cold winter, the Pingyuan Marquis's residence was quite beautiful. Moreover, everything inside was arranged by the Imperial Household Department, with the Empress's decree requiring utmost care and diligence, which no one dared to disobey.
“When I was a child, I also visited the Pingyuan Marquis’s residence.” Princess Yunyang looked at the plum trees in the courtyard and sighed, “It’s still these few plum trees. I remember there was a large grove of plum trees behind them. We were invited to admire the plum blossoms back then. The plum trees here are a hundred times better than those in the Grand Princess’s residence in Lin’an!”
An Ran shook her head and said, "The plum grove behind has been cut down, and now the Marquis has ordered people to plant a new batch, which has not yet bloomed. Once it blooms, I will definitely invite you to come."
Princess Yunyang nodded with a smile.
The group entered the main room.
The children were playing together. Nian Ge'er remembered An Ran's words that as the little host, he should treat the guests well. So, like a little adult, he asked Qingmei and Qingxing to bring him some snacks and honey water. He was the youngest among them, but he acted like a mature man, which made everyone laugh.
Nian Ge'er looked up blankly, somewhat confused. An Ran was waiting for him beside her. When she saw him look up, she gave him an encouraging look and nodded.
Therefore, Nian Ge'er began to entertain the guests with great confidence.
Although Jia Niang really wanted to talk to An Ran and spend some time together, she knew that her mother and sister had something to say, and as the older sister of the other three children, she naturally had to take responsibility. Therefore, she endured it, and when she saw Nian Ge'er take Heng Ge'er and Yi Jie'er to his room, Jia Niang followed.
Princess Yunyang only spoke to Anran after the children had gone to play elsewhere.
"When you went to the Grand Princess of Lin'an last time, did she make things difficult for you?" Princess Yunyang asked.
Chapter 163
Since Lu Mingxiu personally made his stance clear at the last plum blossom appreciation banquet, the Grand Princess of Lin'an has not caused her any further trouble. Therefore, she has temporarily put the matter aside and has not mentioned it to anyone.
"She was just trying to scare me with her words," An Ran said with a smile. "I ignored her. What can she do?"
Princess Yunyang raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes. "I heard that Marquis Lu personally went to protect his wife, making the Grand Princess of Lin'an quite embarrassed."
Therefore, the Grand Princess of Lin'an still made a scene before the Emperor.
Although Lu Mingxiu was verbally reprimanded by the Emperor, he was given a three-day leave. Anyone with eyes could see that the Emperor was protecting his trusted general. Even the Grand Princess of Lin'an felt that she had not gained the upper hand in this commotion.
On the contrary, the Grand Princess of Lin'an became increasingly unpopular with the Emperor.
“The Marquis did argue with her a couple of times.” An Ran’s face flushed slightly. Since Princess Yunyang said so, she must have heard something from elsewhere. After all, there were quite a few noblewomen present that day. “It’s also because the Grand Princess is too domineering, actually trying to interfere in the Marquis’s family affairs. Who in the capital doesn’t know what happened to the Pingyuan Marquis’s family back then? But she insisted on playing the good guy, forcing the Marquis to acknowledge some third aunt and fourth aunt.”
Seeing An Ran hurriedly explaining for Lu Mingxiu, as if afraid that she would misunderstand, Princess Yunyang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Oh dear, look at you, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. Now she's speaking in every word and phrase in favor of your Marquis."
An Ran's face flushed red as she looked at Princess Yunyang and said coquettishly, "You just know how to tease me."
Princess Yunyang smiled and patted her hand, softening her voice as she said, "You did very well. Those Zhu and Luo women came to our door several times, but you didn't let them slip through. You should know that there are many intricacies in this household. You are a smart child, and I'm not worried about you."
“Princess, I don’t understand. The Grand Princess of Lin’an should know that she is not well-liked by the Emperor.” An Ran’s blush gradually faded, and she asked in confusion, “Logically speaking, she should be behaving herself. Instead of keeping a low profile, how dare she come out and take on trouble?”
Back in the Prince Yi's mansion, she interfered in other people's family affairs, trying to suppress the Third Sister and give Li the status of a concubine. Later, Li committed a crime, and she could no longer protect Li. This time, she even wants to muddy the waters of the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion and interfere in Lu Mingxiu's family affairs.
Has she forgotten how she, as a concubine's daughter who had been raised in the Empress's palace, was treated like a quail when the former Crown Prince had his accident?
Now that the one who has ascended the throne is the former Crown Prince's son, Yun Shu, it's quite audacious that she can still act like an aunt.
"What a clever child." Princess Yunyang praised An Ran for her keen observation that something was amiss, saying, "You noticed something was wrong so quickly."
An Ran smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I just feel that the Grand Princess has overstepped her bounds, and the Emperor seems to be too lenient. Even if Her Majesty the Empress is kind-hearted, she wouldn't advise the Emperor to condone the Grand Princess's behavior, would she?"
Princess Yunyang nodded slightly.
"Since you asked, I might as well tell you the truth. If the Grand Princess causes you trouble again, you'll have a plan in mind." Princess Yunyang came over, also intending to give Anran some advice. She said softly, "It's not that the Grand Princess is just domineering. I heard that Prince Rui has something on her, which is why she has no choice but to be controlled by him."
After saying that, she gave An Ran a meaningful look.
Anran was waiting for her to continue, but Princess Yunyang seemed to be waiting for her to figure it out herself, so Anran knew that the princess was testing her.
Could it be that this one sentence has already resolved her two questions?
Calm down and think carefully.