Liu returned to Chunhui Hall. She was still clueless. It was clear that Nian Shi didn't trust her very much, otherwise she wouldn't have refused to tell her what she had done.

Meanwhile, Lanqin was looking for a musician for Ushiha and Bechuk. It was Fourth Master who suggested it to Lanqin, saying that the two girls should learn music and painting, and not spend their days playing around. Although Lanqin disagreed, she had no choice but to find teachers for her two daughters according to the standards of raising young ladies in this era—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

“Master Liang, from now on, Wuxiha and Bechuk will be in your care!” Lanqin didn’t actually know much about the guqin, but after listening to Master Liang, whom the Fourth Master had invited, play a piece, she found it to be truly beautiful and full of ancient charm.

Ushiha and Bechuk sat beside Lanqin. Upon hearing their mother's words, they both trembled, feeling as if Lanqin was about to hand them over to a strict teacher.

"Thank you for your trust, Consort. I will certainly teach the two princesses well," said Master Liang.

“Not just two, there’s also a third princess, who’s four years old this year. Let’s learn together.” Lanqin suddenly remembered the third princess from the Wu family and thought it would be nice for the little girls to play together. The third princess, Namin, had never had the chance to develop a sisterly bond with Wuxiha and Bechuk, so why not take this opportunity to cultivate their sisterly affection?

"Master, you haven't discussed this matter with Princess Wu yet!" Cui Niang whispered a reminder.

“Ruyi will definitely agree. There’s no reason why the Third Princess wouldn’t allow the Third Princess to learn the zither if a musician was hired,” Lanqin said without hesitation.

Seeing that Master Liang was there, Cui Niang didn't say anything more.

After the maidservant took Master Liang downstairs, she arranged accommodations for him. Naturally, he stayed outside the South Courtyard. Ushiha and Bechuk also didn't study the zither in the South Courtyard; instead, they were given a separate place to stay.

"Mother, I don't want to learn the zither!" As soon as Master Liang left, Wuxiha immediately grabbed Lanqin's hand and began to whine.

“Why? This was invited by your father,” Lanqin said.

"That Master Liang looks so serious!" Ushiha pouted, displeased. The little girl, spoiled by Lanqin, was living a carefree life. Without a governess constantly nagging her, and with a mother who had traveled from the future, always giving them toys from that era, she was utterly happy. Now that her father had hired such a rigid musician, the little girl immediately sensed her dreadful life learning the zither was about to begin.

“Bechuk doesn’t want to learn either.” Bechuk’s speech wasn’t very fluent yet, but she knew her sister didn’t want to learn, so she also stopped studying. Now, Ushikha was Bechuk’s leader. If she told her to go west, she would never dare to go east.

Seeing that neither of her daughters was willing to learn, Lanqin wavered a little, so she coaxed, "Alright, then let's discuss it with your father, shall we?"

Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Cui Niang immediately reminded her, "Master!"

Lanqin winked at Cui Niang, then said to her two daughters, "Wuxiha, now your mother will relay your thoughts to your father, okay? But your father is having you two learn the zither for your own good. Girls are truly outstanding if they excel in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, you know?"

As Cui Niang saw Lanqin's words becoming increasingly rambling, a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead: Is this how one teaches their daughter? Isn't learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting meant to improve one's temperament and taste, and to enhance one's self-cultivation?

Seeing that her opinion was taken seriously, Ushiha immediately fell silent. At her age, this girl was already beginning to rebel. Therefore, Lanqin felt it was important to cultivate her daughter's independence and self-reliance, lest she emulate the common flaw of royal women of this era—being too delicate.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Lanqin told the wet nurse to take the two girls back to her room to prepare dinner. She didn't always eat with her two daughters.

"Cui Niang, go to the front courtyard today and tell him that I need to discuss the upbringing of the two princesses, no, the three princesses, with the master. Tell him to come over when he returns," Lanqin said. She had never invited anyone like this before; it was always the Fourth Master who came on his own initiative. But now that two troublesome girls had arrived, she had to keep a close eye on the Fourth Master.

Although Lanqin hadn't paid much attention to the two newcomers at Chunhui Hall, her spies in the manor automatically reported their every move to her. Therefore, Lanqin was aware of Fucha and Liu's recent activities. She hadn't expected Fucha to be so idiotic, and Liu to have grown close to Nian so quickly. This meant these young ladies were all aggressive, eyeing the Fourth Prince like a dog bone, ready to pounce on him. Yes, pounce on him!

Lanqin suddenly burst out laughing when she thought of those two words.

"Master, what are you laughing at?" Cui Niang instructed Si Hua, just in time to see Lan Qin sitting there grinning foolishly.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about how we gave Liu a cold and unapproachable feeling when she came here that day. That's when I saw Liu last year," Lanqin said, changing the subject.

“Liu is originally from Shaanxi, and her father is the governor of Shaanxi, which is the Nian family’s sphere of influence. Their alliance was to be expected,” Cui Niang said.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right. That’s why I’m too lazy to deal with this Consort Liu. But that Lady Fucha, she’s so strange, she offended the Fourth Prince as soon as she arrived,” Lanqin said.

“Master, why are you feeling sorry for her? She’s just asking for trouble!” said Cui Niang.

Lanqin laughed when she saw Cui Niang using words from later generations. It was because she often used words from later generations with the women in the courtyard that they had all learned some of them.

"Master, go and arrange dinner. The master will need it when he returns later," said Cui Niang.

Lanqin nodded, and Cui Niang turned and left.

Watching Cui Niang's retreating figure, Lanqin felt a special sense of attachment. But as time went on, she realized that these women couldn't always stay by her side; she had to find them husbands, that was truly the best thing for them.

"Xicha, you're nineteen this year, aren't you?" Lanqin said to Xicha, who was flicking dust off her back.

"Yes, this servant is exactly nineteen," Xi Cha replied. She was only twelve when she married into the Fourth Prince's household with Lan Qin. At that time, Nian Xue was the only one she could rely on.

"Hmm, Nianxue is already in her mid-twenties. We can't delay any longer," Lanqin muttered to herself.

"Master!" Xi Cha exclaimed in surprise, having also understood the meaning behind Lan Qin's words.

“Xicha, I want to find you a husband,” Lanqin said confidently.