Female guests gradually arrived, and a group of ladies in luxurious clothes sat together in groups of three or four, drinking tea and chatting. There were also more young ladies in their prime, and those who knew each other well gathered together to chat. The female relatives present were either from the families of nobles or high-ranking officials, or at least from families of officials.
Molan seemed to have seen someone. She smiled and stood up and walked away. She walked over and started talking to three or two girls in fancy clothes. Lian Jie'er turned to Minglan and said with a smile, "Your sister is really popular." Rulan looked at Molan chatting and laughing in the crowd, pouted in displeasure, and said, "Not everyone has the ability to be sociable."
Minglan looked over and found that Molan was smiling widely among the group of noble ladies, trying to curry favor with them at every opportunity. She couldn't help but shake her head secretly - if they were not from the same circle, could she really build a true friendship by currying favor with them?
Lian Jie'er's family was of the younger generation and belonged to a small branch. She didn't know many powerful people, and she was too lazy to deal with them, so she continued to sit with the two Lans.
"It's a pity that it's so cold now, and there's a thin layer of ice on the ground, otherwise we could go out for a walk. The late old marquis' wife came from a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River, so this garden is also modeled after the gardens of the south of the Yangtze River. It would be beautiful when spring comes and the flowers bloom." Lian Jie'er looked out the window with regret, as if she really wanted to go out.
Minglan looked at the vast expanse of white outside, curled her toes in fear of the cold, and smiled at Lian Jie'er, "You are a family member, so why can't you come anytime? Wait until the weather is warmer."
Lian Jie'er shook her head and said with a bitter face, "The Princess Aunt is very strict. It's not easy for us relatives who have separated from the family to come here. Besides, she often invites distinguished guests recently, and usually doesn't let us into the garden."
Rulan, who was sulking, finally came to her senses after hearing this and asked, "Could it be the Princess of Jiacheng County? People say the Princess and the Sixth Princess are close friends." Lian Jie'er pretended to be mysterious and said, "I didn't say that;... Oh, who cares? Speak of the devil!"
As they were talking, the maid outside came in to announce that the Sixth Princess and the Princess of Jiacheng County had arrived.
Princess Pingning was the first to go out to greet them. All the female guests who were sitting there immediately stood up, and some followed them out, or stood there politely waiting. The two Lans and Lian Jie'er who were sitting in the corner were not noticeable, and the three girls huddled aside and watched leisurely.
Not long after, a group of women dressed in brocade and pearls came in. In the lead was a beautiful middle-aged woman who was talking intimately with Princess Pingning. Behind her followed a young girl who was surrounded by people. Minglan knew that this was the Sixth Princess and her daughter.
The Sixth Prince's Consort was fair and plump, wearing a bright red jacket with gold embossed patterns. She looked quite amiable. Many female guests gathered around her to greet her. Minglan then looked at the Princess of Jiacheng. She had a graceful figure and a noble bearing, with a charming and pretty oval face lightly painted. Minglan couldn't help but smile and whispered, "The Princess and the Commandery Princess do bear some resemblance."
Lian Jie'er patted Minglan's shoulder and called her a confidant, "You said it very well. I feel the same way, but I can't put it into words!"
The Princess of Jiacheng County was about fifteen or sixteen years old, at the prime of her life. Surrounded by seven or eight noble ladies, she looked like the moon surrounded by stars. She giggled and joked from time to time, and her dancing with long sleeves was surprisingly similar to that of the Princess of Pingning.
Looking at Princess Pingning again, she now put all her enthusiasm into the Sixth Princess, treating her with the same warmth as a real sister. She ignored the others. Rulan glared at her gloomily and suddenly whispered, "Flatterer!"
Minglan was startled and looked around quickly. Fortunately, it was noisy and no one heard it. Minglan quickly pulled Ruolan away from the center of the crowd and found a stool in the corner to sit on. Lian Jieer also followed.
Minglan started the conversation and told Ruolan about the southern scenery when they were in Quanzhou. Lian Jie'er had never left the capital and was very curious. Minglan was so sick at that time that she had no idea. After the two girls asked repeatedly, Ruolan finally became interested and started to talk in detail. The three girls laughed and seemed to get along well.
Just as Rulan was discussing Quanzhou's famous snack, shredded radish and vegetable buns, she was so enthused that Lian Jie'er was practically salivating, when Princess Pingning suddenly said, "...The stage scenery is ready. Let's go over there."
The princess took the arm of the Sixth Princess and led the way out. Later, the ladies and young ladies followed her out one after another, talking and laughing, leaving the maids and servants to slowly clean up the tables, chairs and saucers.
Lian Jie'er jumped up briskly, pulling Lan with one hand, and said with a smile, "Come on, let's go see a play. This time, Auntie has invited the most popular Shuangxi Troupe. Their plays "Xuan Nu Pays Homage" and "Drunkenly Beating the Golden Branch" are very popular in the capital!"
Minglan listened with great interest. Just as she was about to get up from the stool and put down the tea bowl with one hand, a little maid who was cleaning up next to her suddenly tilted her hand and poured a bowl of candied date paste, which had little left, onto the back of her hand.
Minglan let out a soft "ah" and Lian Jie'er couldn't help but scold, "Stupid girl! How did you do that?!"
The little girl was only eleven or twelve years old. When she saw that she had caused trouble, she immediately knelt down to apologize and kept saying that she was not doing her job. Minglan said helplessly, "Forget it, it's just on my hands. It would be troublesome if it was on my clothes." As she shook her hands, she felt something sticky and warm between her fingers.
The little girl was very obedient and quickly said, "Miss, please go to the back and wash your hands. You will be fine after washing them."
Rulan frowned and said, "What about the play? It's almost time to start." Lian Jie'er was a fan of the play and was also anxious. She had long admired the Shuangxi Troupe. Seeing their appearance, Minglan smiled and said, "You go first. I'll come back to find you after I wash my hands."
Lian Jie'er was overjoyed. She gave the girl a few more instructions, then took Rulan away.
Minglan cursed her bad luck as she followed the little girl out from the back and sat down in an inner room. The little girl quickly brought out a basin of warm water, helped Minglan roll up her sleeves, took off her rings and bracelets, washed them carefully, then wiped Minglan's hands dry with a clean cloth and helped Minglan put on her jewelry. In a moment, everything was healed.
Minglan was surprised to see her move so swiftly. As she smoothed her sleeves, she jokingly said, "Your hands and feet are so swift, it seems like you wash people's hands often. Do you often pour date paste on people's hands?"
The little girl was very clever and said with a sweet smile, "Look at what you said, young lady. How could this servant have the courage to do that?" As she spoke, she kept stealing glances at Minglan and praised her, "Young lady, you are so pretty and kind, like a fairy."
Minglan sighed: This is a marquis's mansion after all. Look at the quality of the maids, they use both hands and words!
Then the little girl volunteered to lead the way for Minglan: "Have a walk, young lady. Let me help you. The road is slippery. It's closer to the stage if you walk from here."
Minglan was a directionally challenged person, so she could only follow obediently. As she exited the Chuihua Gate, she saw maids and servants rushing back and forth. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt something was amiss. All the maids and servants serving today were wearing the same blue-green waistcoat, so why wasn't this little girl wearing one? However, she couldn't ask too much about the affairs of the mansion.
The little girl supported Minglan and walked quickly, turning east and west, and walking more and more remotely. Minglan's heart began to beat fast, and she asked again and again, but every time the little girl said: We are almost there.
The more Minglan looked at the little girl, the more she looked like a human trafficker. However, she didn't know the way, so she had to endure it for a while. After walking two entire sections of the corridor and still having to walk further, she came to a secluded flower garden. Finally, Minglan couldn't help herself and shook the little girl off, glaring, "Where are you taking me?"
The little girl pointed ahead and whispered, "Look, young lady, we're here." Minglan was slightly furious and snapped, "What do you mean by 'arrived'? You're setting up your stage in a place where there's no one around?"
Suddenly, a light laugh was heard, and someone said, "Am I not a human?" Minglan was startled and looked up quickly. She saw a handsome young man in brocade clothes and a golden crown, holding the corridor and laughing. Who else could it be but Qi Heng?
Seeing that the mission was accomplished, the little girl bowed to Qi Heng and ran away without a trace. Minglan didn't have time to call out to her and couldn't help but get angry: Have you ever practiced the Hundred Steps Divine Movement?
Qi Heng smiled as he walked over to Minglan and said with a pretentious bow, "Sixth sister, long time no see."
Minglan was angry, but afraid of being seen, so she ignored him and turned to leave. Qi Heng became anxious and quickly stopped Minglan, saying, "It's very quiet here, no one will come. Besides, Chun'er is my maid, so you can rest assured."
When Minglan heard this, she felt that the words were so ambiguous, so she said coldly, "Mr. Qi, please respect yourself."
Qi Heng immediately became amused and reached out to pat Minglan on the head: "Little girl, you're showing off your knowledge to me again. A few days ago, I went to your house and everyone was there, but you didn't come out. What's going on?"
Minglan hastily shook her head away and said seriously, "I'm tired from the journey and feel a little unwell. I'm going to bed and rest."
Qi Heng frowned and scolded, "You little liar, you have loved lying to me since you were a child. I have asked your third brother a long time ago, and he said you were doing very well. You were still alive and well two hours before I came." As he said that, he was about to pull Minglan's ear.
Having been betrayed once each by the two siblings within the same day, Minglan was furious. She pushed Qi Heng's arm away and shouted, "Are you the king of heaven? When you come, our whole family has to come out to welcome you! Are you unhappy without me?"
Minglan used some strength, her face flushed with anxiety, her porcelain-white skin so tender that you could almost squeeze out water. Qi Heng's heart suddenly moved, and he grabbed Minglan's arm, leaned over and whispered, "I just want to see you, you know."
The tone is gentle and the feelings are lingering.
Minglan almost vomited blood. From childhood to adulthood, she had never given him a good look and had never said a few nice words to him, but he just loved to tease her. She didn't know when he made up such a story in his mind. Seeing Qi Heng grabbing her arm and getting closer and closer, she could almost smell his masculine scent. Minglan became anxious, made up her mind, lowered her head to take aim, raised her foot with all her strength, and hit him.
Qi Heng stepped back in pain and squatted down to touch his feet. Minglan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said sternly, "Just talk properly and don't touch me!"
Qi Heng watched Minglan stamp her feet childishly, her pout a delicate rosy red. He couldn't help but feel a little obsessed, and said confidently, "If you were willing to talk to me nicely, why would I resort to such a desperate measure?" Minglan sneered, "Master Qi has indeed made progress. If he put this effort into studying, he might be able to get the first or second place in the imperial examination."
Qi Heng's expression changed immediately. He slowly stood up, took a few steps towards Minglan, then stopped again and whispered, "You don't have to be so mean. I know you're angry. I haven't seen you for half a year, so I just wanted to see how you were doing."
Minglan heard the grievance in his words and her heart softened. She knew she couldn't act on impulse. Even if she had to keep her distance from him, she couldn't offend him. So she softened her voice and said, "I'm right here, you see."
Qi Heng looked Minglan up and down carefully. After not seeing her for a few months, Minglan seemed to have changed a lot. Her face was like water reflecting the passing of time, and her eyes were like the bright moon. Qi Heng was slightly distracted and smiled, "You've grown taller, and... more beautiful."
Minglan thought for a moment, then walked up to Qi Heng and asked seriously, "Brother Yuanruo, have you met Princess Jiacheng?"
Qi Heng was stunned for a moment and said, "I have seen it. Why?"
Minglan sighed heavily and decided to speak out. "Brother Yuanruo is a smart man. How could you not know something that everyone in the capital knows? As her son, you should have understood the princess's intentions long ago."
Qi Heng moved his lip, his expression changing for a few moments, and then his expression gradually changed from panic to determination. He suddenly raised his head and said, "But I don't want to. She, she... I don't like her."
Minglan felt powerless and gently advised, "Whether you like her or not is another matter, but you shouldn't come looking for me again. I know you've been close to my siblings since we were young, but now we're getting older, how can you not be more cautious? If you say a few words, everything will be ruined for my siblings."
Qi Heng didn't know what he had figured out, but he actually smiled, his face as beautiful as a flower, with a hint of innocence. He said gently, "I'm not that reckless person, I wouldn't do that. I know what's right and wrong, but your elder brother has been admitted to the Hanlin Academy, so I'm afraid it won't be easy for me to come to your house in the future." He lowered his voice and said softly, "I just want to see you, I miss you so much."
Even though Minglan had been tempered by the courtroom, she couldn't help but blush when such lingering love words were addressed to her. However, facing the iron reality, Minglan tried hard to harden her heart: "Master Qi, please be sensible. I am of humble origin and cannot deserve your kindness."
Qi Heng looked confused and said blankly: "...I just like my sister." She was weird and picky. She was well-behaved and honest in front of others, but lazy and stingy behind their backs. She treated him badly and lied to him and avoided him, but he just liked her.
Minglan felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She forced herself to look him in the eye and said earnestly, "I beg you, please don't mention me in public or behind anyone's back. If there's even a hint of gossip, let alone the Princess, even the Sixth Prince, who can my family afford to offend? Even if it's not the Princess of Jiacheng County, it's not my turn as a mere concubine. Master Qi, you've seen and heard it all since you were a child. How could you not know?"
Qi Heng knew that what she said was true, his face turned pale and his expression became dejected.
Minglan hardened her heart and added fuel to the fire: "Don't come looking for me again in the future. Even if you meet me, you are not allowed to talk to me. If you must talk to me, please be polite! Life is so difficult for girls in this world. If there is any rumor, I will have no way out! You must remember this!" Minglan looked straight at Qi Heng, pleading with him with her eyes, and Qi Heng nodded woodenly.
Minglan sighed helplessly, lowered her head, turned and left. Qi Heng just stared at Minglan's back, and gradually she disappeared at the end of the corridor.
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