Meigetsuin.

Hanrong heard from the second-class maid below that the first snow had arrived in the Peony Courtyard, so she hurriedly went out to greet it.

"Sister Chuxue, what brings you here?"

Hanrong's warm treatment of Chuxue wouldn't arouse suspicion from others, since Chuxue was the young mistress's maid, and they were expected to curry favor with her.

Chu Xue said kindly, "Young Madam, please invite Aunt Shen over for a chat."

Hanrong was taken aback—inviting Concubine Shen? Could it be that the young mistress was planning something?

Although the young mistress always presented a kind and approachable image to the outside world, how could she, as the young mistress's informant, be fooled by this facade?

If the young mistress truly didn't care about Concubine Shen, she wouldn't have allowed her to report Concubine Shen's every move to the Peony Courtyard.

Chu Xue gave Han Rong a subtle look, and Han Rong nodded, "Sister Chu Xue, please wait a moment, I'll go and inform them."

"Thank you for your hard work, Hanrong," Chuxue said with a smile.

Hanrong entered the room.

Seeing that Aunt Shen was sitting cross-legged on the bed playing cards, he respectfully said, "Aunt, the first snow from Peony Courtyard has arrived. She said that the young mistress would like you to come over and sit down for a chat."

Chen Mianmian paused in her solitaire game—should she go sit down? Talk to her? Tsk, this girl definitely has ulterior motives; she should avoid her if possible.

"Have you forgotten that I was confined to my quarters by the Crown Prince for ten days?"

Hanrong was taken aback.

"Regarding what happened last night, when you came back, the young master wanted to leave, and I wanted to chase after him. The young master asked you to stop me and said he would confine me for ten days. Do you remember?"

Hanrong suddenly realized, "This... this servant thinks that was just the young master's words in a fit of anger. How could the young master bear to confine his concubine?"

Chen Mianmian said meaningfully, "Silly girl, a master is a master and a slave is a slave. I am just a lowly concubine and cannot be arrogant because of his favor. I must do whatever the young master asks me to do, otherwise what if I anger the young master and fall out of favor? Go back to Chuxue and tell her that after the confinement ends, I will take the initiative to pay my respects to the young mistress and offer her tea."

He thought to himself—this is a great achievement for Fengchu! A brilliant ban!

Hanrong tried to persuade her a few more times, but seeing that her aunt still refused, she had no choice but to go and give a reply.

Upon receiving the news, Chu Xue was taken aback and hurriedly returned to the Peony Courtyard.

A short while later,

The news reached the Peony Courtyard, and Jiang Yinjin was also surprised, "Confined? The young master dotes on Concubine Chen so much, how could she be confined?"

The first snow, "Hanrong said that she didn't know what happened between the two, only that they had quarreled. When Hanrong returned yesterday, the prince was walking out angrily, and then he came to our Peony Courtyard."

Jiang Yinjin narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then said, "Call Chuyu and come with me to Mingyue Courtyard."

"Yes, young mistress."

Afterwards, Jiang Yinjin took Chuxue and Chuyu with her, without any other servants, and went to Mingyue Courtyard.

Meigetsuin

When the young mistress arrived, all the servants ran out to greet her.

Jiang Yinjin smiled dignifiedly and elegantly, "No need for formalities."

Hanrong said, "Young Madam, please come to the main hall and sit down. This servant will go and find Aunt Shen right away."

Jiang Yinjin waved her hand, "No need, I'll go see her directly."

Hanrong naturally listened to the young mistress and completely disregarded her own concubine Shen's wishes, letting the girl in.

When Jiang Yinjin entered the room, she was stunned for a moment, because, just as Hanrong had said, Chen Mianmian was sitting in front of the dressing table, as if she was... admiring her own appearance?

Mentioning Shen Mianmian's beauty, Jiang Yinjin's eyes flashed with disdain—she was just a skinny horse who used her looks to please men; no matter how beautiful she was, she was still a skinny horse.

Lost in her own beauty, Shen Mianmian belatedly noticed someone entering and hurriedly stood up. "Young Madam has arrived? This servant greets Young Madam."

He then complained, "Hanrong, why didn't you say so sooner? I could have gone out to greet the young mistress."

Jiang Yinjin walked over with a smile, "Sister, don't be so polite. I'm just dropping by casually, no need for any announcements. I was hoping you'd come over for a visit, but then Hanrong said you've been confined to your quarters by the Prince. What happened?"

"ah?"

Chen Mianmian was taken aback—why was she under house arrest? This…right, why was she under house arrest again?

"I only remember arguing with the young master, but I can't recall what we argued about. Young mistress, could you give me some time to think? I'm sure I can remember."

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it; she genuinely couldn't remember.

But Jiang Yinjin heard Chen Mianmian's earnest words as a provocation.

Jiang Yinjin suppressed her slight anger, "If you can't remember, then don't think about it. It's not a big deal anyway. Couples always make up after a quarrel."

"..." Chen Mianmian—no, aren't you two the couple? Aren't you being honest with yourselves?

Jiang Yinjin looked at Shen Mianmian and said, "It is truly unfair to make my sister a concubine, but I have just married into the Marquis's mansion and am new to this place. I dare not overstep my bounds."

Chen Mianmian said, "Young Madam, you flatter me. I come from a humble background, and this lowly concubine is most suitable for me!"

Jiang Yinjin sighed softly, "A while ago, I had a small gathering with a friend, and she told me some things about 'thin horses,' saying that you are all lonely and pitiful girls."

Shen Mianmian became alert—the female lead coming to her place was like a weasel paying respects to a chicken—she had no good intentions!

Jiang Yinjin said, "I feel sad whenever I think of you. So I came up with a plan these past two days."

Shen Mianmian immediately declined, "I thank you for your consideration, young mistress, but I am very happy with my current life and have no complaints."

Jiang Yinjin ignored what the other person said and continued, "I can't make decisions beyond my rank, but Madam can. I think the young master should try to help you."

Chen Mianmian's lips twitched—What did I tell you? I'm waiting here.

The young master has only been married for a few days. Not only did he not consummate the marriage with his wife on the wedding night, but he also tried to secure a position for his concubine. How could Lady Anning be happy about that?

The lady was certainly furious and took her anger out on her.

Shen Mianmian said honestly, "Thank you for thinking of me, young mistress. I am very grateful to you. But I really don't care about status. I just want to live a peaceful life."

Jiang Yinjin was puzzled—why was this happening?

In her previous life, Shen Mianmian cared most about her identity and always emphasized that she had a free and equal soul.

Even if Chen Mianmian were reborn, would her personality change drastically?

Jiang Yinjin pursed her lips and continued to provoke, "By doing this, you've wasted the prince's sincere heart."

"Young Madam, you are wise. We 'skinny horses' are born to be playthings; this is our professional code of conduct! We don't talk about feelings!"

"..."

Jiang Yinjin frowned slightly—although she didn't know what went wrong, could Shen Mianmian's lack of desire be related to her status as a "skinny horse"?

Her eyes flickered, and she continued, "I met with a friend, and she told me about a legendary woman named Ran Niang. Ran Niang was also a former 'skinny horse' (a euphemism for a prostitute who worked as a prostitute), and she was with a scholar from Jiangnan. The two of them defied societal norms and persisted in their struggle, eventually moving everyone around them. In the end, Ran Niang married the scholar as his principal wife."

Shen Mianmian's lips twitched—was she being made to learn from Ran Niang and become cannon fodder in the resistance? No, this can't go on, or this female lead will never stop.

Thinking of this, Chen Mianmian feigned surprise, "Really? What's the scholar's name?"

"..." Jiang Yinjin's expression stiffened slightly. "I don't remember the name, but I can't be wrong about this matter."

Chen Mianmian's tone was more sincere, "Young Madam is beautiful and kind-hearted. Could you help me find out the name of that scholar? Or I can ask my former colleagues about it later. Such a good person who is not afraid of worldly conventions deserves my utmost respect."

The subtext is: That's good enough. If you keep trying to fool me, I'll take it seriously!