Sunlight fills the front door, while rain and snow cover half the courtyard.
The two majestic stone lions placed in front of the Shangguan Mansion had been polished to a shine by the servants early in the morning. The thick snow on the blue brick ground had also been swept away and replaced with a layer of scarlet felt carpet with a wild pattern, ready to welcome distinguished guests.
Before the vermilion gate, Tianyun's raven-black hair was styled into a flowing cloud bun. The light reflecting off the snow illuminated her face, making her exquisitely beautiful features appear as smooth as jade. At this moment, she leaned against Lingqi, her eyes half-closed, drowsy, as if resting.
The Shangguan couple standing in front of her were straightening each other's clothes, their affection for each other unabashedly displayed, truly enviable to onlookers!
"Your grandmother will be here soon. If you don't stop behaving like this, you'll get another scolding!" Madam Qin glanced back and said with exasperation, "Your grandmother can't stand this kind of behavior from women. You'd better watch out."
Hearing this, she forced herself to stand up straight and pointed to the carriage that was gradually approaching through the hazy mist in the distance: "Mother, look, Grandmother's carriage is here."
The Shangguan couple hurried down the steps to greet them, and she followed a few steps behind.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the mansion gate. A small hand lifted the curtain, and a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old got off the carriage first. Then, an elderly woman in her seventies with graying temples leaned out. Shangguan Ming reached out to help her down, saying, "Mother, be careful."
The old lady was thin and hunched over, her face covered with wrinkles, but her eyes were bright and alert. Her gaze swept over the Shangguan couple before she gave the young girl a wink.
The girl understood and stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Greetings, Uncle and Aunt."
She glanced behind them again at Tianyun, who was dressed in a bright and beautiful outfit. She murmured a few words but didn't dare to say anything. She lowered her head with a sense of inferiority.
Seeing her simple attire, Lingqi thought she was just a maidservant by the old master's side, but she didn't expect her to be the daughter of the second master.
Judging from her age, Tianyun believed she was Shangguan Jingyi, the third son of her second uncle's family. She smiled gently at her and bowed to the old woman, saying, "Greetings, cousin. Tianyun respectfully wishes Grandmother a peaceful life."
The old woman hadn't given her a proper look since she got off the carriage, but now that she finally gave her a glance, she only said indifferently, "Get up."
Knowing that her mother had some resentment towards Yun'er because of Tianlin's matter, Qin Shi was well aware of the situation. Seeing the atmosphere become tense, she quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mother, please come inside and warm yourself by the fire. This winter wind is bone-chilling, and it wouldn't be good if you caught a cold."
Shangguan Ming stepped forward to help her into the mansion.
But the old lady shoved her away. She stared straight at Tianyun, who stood gracefully behind Qin Shi. Tianyun's silk brocade dress exuded nobility, while Jingyi wore a coarse linen dress that had been washed many times. Both of them were girls, but their circumstances were worlds apart.
The old lady couldn't stand it anymore, and her tone became serious: "It's still warm in Wei County. Jingyi didn't bring many warm clothes with him when he came with me. You two are about the same size, so go and pick out some nice clothes for Jingyi." He's not a boy, why raise him so delicately?
The old lady's face was sallow, probably from the fatigue of her days of running around, but when she spoke such imperious words, she sounded full of energy.
Seeing this, Shangguan Ming, who was standing beside him, couldn't bear to see his precious daughter suffer, so he quickly said, "What's so difficult about that? I'll have the embroiderers from the brocade shop come over to the mansion later to take measurements and make a few outfits for Jingyi."
"Why go through all that trouble? Just do as I say! Jingyi, go and pick out a few things that suit your taste. I'm sure your cousin won't mind. Am I right?" She turned to ask Tianyun, not giving the Shangguan couple a chance to speak.
Shangguan Jingyi twisted his sleeves, looking utterly bewildered, and said, "Grandmother..."
She was given a hard time right from the start. This grandmother really didn't like her. A few pieces of clothing were nothing to her, but she knew this was just the beginning. As long as her brother was still imprisoned, such harassment would not decrease!
She sighed inwardly and replied with her eyes lowered, "Grandmother is right. My cousin has come from afar and it must have been hard for her. I can handle this little matter. I will have someone pick out some warm winter clothes and send them to her later."
"That's more like it." Seeing that she was sensible and obedient, the old lady went into the mansion with satisfaction.
Shangguan Ming lagged a few steps behind, afraid that she would be unhappy, so he pinched her little face and comforted her, "Just pick a few things that you don't like to deal with, and Daddy will make up for them for you another day!"
Upon hearing this, a warm feeling seemed to flow through her heart, and she smiled faintly, her sweet dimples appearing and disappearing. "Thank you, Father, I'm fine."
Main room.
"Your brother has been locked up in jail for so many days, have you visited him?" The old lady sat in the main seat, took a sip of hot tea, then frowned and asked Tianyun, who was sitting at the head of the table. The tea was good, but it was too weak; she really couldn't get used to it.
"No, Grandmother," she replied truthfully, her hands clasped on her knees, sitting upright and reserved.
The old lady snorted coldly, her sharp eyes fixed on her, her tone unfriendly: "You've got a hard heart. Have you forgotten that your brother went to jail for taking the blame for you? You're so carefree, forgetting everything in just a few days?"
Granny Wang brought over a charcoal brazier and placed it beside the old lady's feet. She explained, "Grandmother, you've misunderstood. It's not that the young lady forgot, but the prison is heavily guarded, and the prefect has ordered that no one is allowed to visit. Even the master has been unable to find out about the young master's situation!"
The old lady, however, remained unconvinced, her tone still stern: "I'm asking her, does she not have a mouth? Why should you answer for her! Or are you saying that I, an old woman, am not worth her speaking?"
From the moment she got off the bus, the old lady had been relentlessly harassing her. Tianyun knew she was angry and didn't want to say anything that would only make the old lady angrier, but now it didn't matter what she said.
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