Xu Lanyin was helped by them to wash and dress, and then asked, "Is the eldest princess awake?"
What she wanted to ask more was, has the prince consort returned?
Hong Tao smiled and said, "The eldest princess wakes up at 2:30 AM every day. Normally, she doesn't sleep well and won't fall asleep until after Chou Hour. But yesterday, she fell asleep at the end of Hai Hour and slept for over three hours. Nanny Ning and Nanny Li were both smiling as they walked."
Hearing that the great god had a good sleep, Xu Lanyin breathed a sigh of relief. She slept well, and Prince Consort Chai should not have returned to disturb her.
After combing her hair, she saw Hong Tao bring in a tray containing a lacquered and gilded cosmetic box and two jade plum blossom hairpins. She smiled and said, "These were just brought by Nanny Ning. She said the jade hairpins were given to Miss Xu by the eldest princess."
Hong Tao personally put the jade hairpin on Xu Lanyin and said, "Madame Ning also said that at three o'clock in the morning, Miss Xu should go to the upper room to have dinner with the princess."
Xu Lanyin rarely wore makeup at home, but all the noble ladies in the capital wore makeup, and they liked it heavy. So she put on some light makeup, just a little blush and lip balm.
After packing everything up, Xu Lanyin went out. It was already bright outside, and the red morning sun was hanging low in the eastern sky.
The courtyard wasn't large. Aside from a wall on the east side with a moon-shaped gate, the south, north, and west sides were all surrounded by houses and verandas. In the center of the courtyard stood two crabapple trees, still laden with a small amount of fruit, surrounded by a few evergreen potted plants.
Xu Lanyin took a deep breath and walked towards the Moon Gate.
As soon as I exited the Moon Gate, the view opened up immediately. Though it was early October and the weather was cooling, the place was still bustling with life, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Chrysanthemums dominated, with a few roses and orchids. Twenty or so bird cages hung in the corridor, their caged birds singing cheerfully. In the center lay a clear pond, with lilies swimming in it.
Xu Lanyin glanced around and then walked upstairs under the guidance of Hongtao.
The eldest princess seemed to have just worshipped Buddha, and was turning the rosary in her hand. The room was also filled with the scent of sandalwood.
Xu Lan went over to pay her respects to the eldest princess, and was then pulled by the princess to sit next to her.
Xu Lanyin glanced at the eldest princess and smiled, "The eldest princess is in good spirits and looks very young."
The eldest princess laughed out loud and said, "I slept for more than three hours yesterday. Wow, when I woke up this morning I felt refreshed and my breathing was much smoother."
Nanny Ning chimed in, "Yes, I also think the princess's face has become much redder."
Nanny Li, who had gone to the front yard to gather information, returned with a report, "Your Highness, the Prince Consort, the Master, and the Elder Master returned home at the end of the Yin hour this morning. The Elder Master and the Elder Master have already gone to the yamen, and the Prince Consort is still resting in the study in the outer courtyard." Her voice trailed off again. "I heard from Steward Ming that everything went smoothly, and that Nanny Qiu from the Madam's courtyard has been arrested. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
The princess nodded and said, "That evil woman must be severely punished. All the servants in the mansion must be present to witness the execution. All her family and relatives must be sold off. Not a single one of them shall be spared. Humph, what a daring servant! How despicable!"
Xu Lanyin understood that Nanny Qiu should be Old Shen's informant in the Princess's Mansion.
Breakfast was already placed on the kang table in the west room. The eldest princess and Xu Lanyin sat on the kang to eat breakfast.
The kang table was filled with various dim sum, bird's nest soups, and other pasta dishes, including silver thread noodles and wontons. The portions were small, yet extremely delicate.
The old lady looked at Xu Lanyin while she ate. Xu Lanyin ate gracefully and let her look at her.
The eldest princess smiled and said, "I just like to look at pretty young ladies. Because the girl is not only beautiful, but also smart, and has a pleasant voice, which makes people feel at ease."
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "You're too kind, Princess." She added, "I once heard an old doctor say that people with trouble sleeping should drink a bowl of goat's milk or cow's milk before bed, which is good for sleep. Anshen Soup can be taken occasionally, but it's medicine after all. Drinking too much is not good, and it can easily lead to dependence."
The princess had heard Chai Jun say that Xu Lanyin's hypnosis skills were learned from the old doctor, so she automatically imagined that the "old doctor" and the old doctor were the same person. She nodded, believing it without a doubt.
After dinner, the two of them sat on the Luohan bed in the east room. After dismissing the servants, the old lady asked again, "Have you thought about my idea yesterday?"
The old lady is quite persistent.
Xu Lanyin thought for a moment before whispering, "Although I've never met my grandmother, from what my mother has said, she was gentle, kind, well-educated, and law-abiding. But Old Master Chai II, for the sake of money, disregarded the law for embezzlement and bribery, disregarded family ties and persecuted his closest relatives. I think she would rather exist as an individual between heaven and earth than be Old Master Chai II's legal wife and be worshipped with him by future generations. As for my mother, she simply didn't want to be the daughter of a second wife. In her heart, she still considered the Chai family her own, otherwise she wouldn't have felt so sorry for Xiao Ge'er..."
She didn't dare to say that Qin didn't recognize her ancestors, which was unfilial. But Chai Zhengguan was immoral and unworthy of being a father.
The eldest princess nodded, looking extremely satisfied. She said, "Good boy, being willing to acknowledge your ancestors is filial piety. Being able to distinguish right from wrong is wisdom and understanding. Your mother has raised you very well, completely different from Chai Zhengguan's greed. This morning, I also felt that yesterday's proposal was inappropriate. Chai Zhengguan is heartless and reckless. He doesn't deserve a good wife like Qin Huiniang, and good descendants like you, and even less deserves to be worshipped by the descendants of the Chai family. Once the storm has died down, I will find an excuse to expel him from the clan."
Although Chai Zhengguan did not die, he still got his retribution.
Xu Lanyin was initially puzzled as to how the princess could easily let go of Chai Zhengguan, who had nearly killed her grandson and had set his sights on her, just for the sake of the Chai family's reputation. Even more terrifying consequences awaited Chai Zhengguan after he was expelled from the clan.
Xu Lanyin had thought before that after Chai Zhengguan returned home, she would pay someone to deal with the evildoer. But now it seemed that she didn't need to do anything at all.
Then she thought again, the old lady had just been testing her, trying to gauge Xu Lanyin's attitude towards Chai Zhengguan, to see if she could "distinguish right from wrong," if she was "intelligent and sensible." Chai Zhengguan had already been expelled from the clan, so how could his legal wife possibly be worshipped by the descendants of the Chai family? If she truly had greed and ulterior motives, agreeing to let Qin Huiniang become Chai Zhengguan's legal wife would be a joke.
Those in positions of authority, the heads of families, are not simple-minded. When dealing with them, you must be extremely alert.
Xu Lanyin said, "You are too kind, Princess. Although our life in the countryside is hard, my mother has always taught us to be diligent in our duties and never think about things that are not ours."
As for Chai Zhengguan's fate, she was happy and showed it.
The eldest princess continued, "How about getting your mother back to the Chai family? I've come up with another good idea..."
Xu Lanyin's heart suddenly began to tighten again.
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