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When Jiang Yan arrived at the main hall, Prince Duan, Shangguan Zeyu, and Princess Xiao Yiqing had not yet arrived, but the other wives from the other households had all arrived.
There were six people in total. Three of them immediately straightened up and bowed when they saw Jiang Yan, but the other three refused to bow and even looked at Jiang Yan with disdain, snorting.
Jiang Yan didn't pay much attention to this. She simply nodded slowly to them and, with Huang Ying's help, sat down in her proper place.
One of the three women who did not bow to Jiang Yan was Madam Wang, whom they had met by chance on the way. Another was a woman with a fair complexion and slanted eyes, and the third was a woman with an oval face and peach blossom eyes. They were all the same and not likable.
Madam Wang seemed to be speaking to the two ladies beside her, or perhaps she was speaking to Jiang Yan in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh dear, I can't even describe it. It's clearly just a pheasant, but it thinks it's a phoenix reincarnated. It doesn't even look in the mirror. It's so embarrassing!"
The other two women who did not bow to Jiang Yan simply covered their mouths and giggled shyly, like chickens squawking.
Jiang Yan felt utterly contemptuous, but her face remained as calm as still water.
Huang Ying felt uncomfortable hearing this, looked at her, and seeing that she didn't care, she could only pretend that she hadn't heard it.
Madam Wang then said, "I heard that she was born out of wedlock, so although she is the eldest daughter, she has no status. I wonder if this is true or not?"
The woman with slanted eyes said, "Who cares? It's definitely going to be short-lived..." After saying that, she exchanged a glance with Madam Wang and the woman with peach blossom eyes, and then they all laughed.
Jiang Yan still didn't take them seriously, sitting there calmly, staring straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing her so numb and uninteresting, the three men gave her a disdainful look and went to talk to the other three ladies.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a maid dressed in pale yellow rushed in.
"The Princess Consort has arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, please prepare yourselves."
Everyone held their breath and sat upright in their seats, craning their necks to look towards the exit.
Jiang Yan was flustered and confused, afraid of being discovered, so she kept her eyes down and did not dare to look at the door.
"The Princess Consort has arrived."
With a servant's loud shout, a beautiful woman, shimmering with gold, walked in gracefully, carefully supported by two maids.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but look over. Upon seeing her, he was struck by her breathtaking beauty and undeniable elegance. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: She was just as noble as the princess portrayed by the beautiful actress!
"Welcome Princess Xiao." The six ladies stood up in unison and bowed to Princess Xiao.
Jiang Yan followed suit, immediately standing up, nodding slightly, and bowing.
Princess Xiao smiled and walked to the seat of honor, then slowly sat down and said, "Sisters, there's no need for formalities, please sit down."
"Thank you, Princess Xiao."
Jiang Yan lowered her eyes and slowly sat down with the other ladies.
Madam Wang chuckled lightly, "Your Highness looks so beautiful in this outfit, even more beautiful than the fairies in the heavens. No wonder the Prince dotes on you so much."
Upon hearing this, Princess Xiao's face immediately lit up with a smug smile, but she deliberately scolded, "You're so sweet-talking!"
Madam Wang smiled and glanced at the others, then asked, "Ladies, do you think Princess Consort is even more beautiful than a fairy?"
"The princess is truly beautiful; once you see her, you can never forget her."
"The beauty that makes fish sink and geese fall from the sky, the moon hide and flowers blush, that's what they mean by Princess Consort."
"Your Highness is too modest. You are the most famous beauty and talented woman in Zhou Kingdom. What Madam Wang said is the truth, and it is also what the other sisters feel."
"Yes, yes, Your Highness, please don't be modest."
...
Seeing that all six ladies were praising and flattering Princess Xiao, Jiang Yan knew that even if she didn't want to say anything, she had no choice but to speak up.
However, before she could speak, Princess Xiao asked her a question first.
"Sister Ruyi, why are you so reserved? Are you not yet familiar with life in the Prince's Mansion?" Her tone was like a gentle breeze in early spring, warm and soft, blowing straight into Jiang Yan's heart.
“Your Highness, I dare not be presumptuous in your presence. You are as radiant as an autumn chrysanthemum and as graceful as a spring pine. I am captivated by your beauty and have lost my composure. I hope Your Highness will not blame me.” Jiang Yan spoke sincerely, stood up, walked to Princess Xiao’s side, and bowed respectfully to her.
Princess Xiao smiled gently throughout.
"I thank you for your kind words, Sister Ruyi. You are truly beautiful and otherworldly, no wonder the Prince is so determined to marry you."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan sensed the bitterness in her tone and, disregarding everything else, quickly explained, "Your Highness, you are the most worthy of the Prince. I am merely a concubine and cannot compare to you. I will fulfill my duty and will never cause you any worry."
Madam Wang snorted coldly, "It's good that you know, don't even think about trying to gain sympathy from the Prince!"
Jiang Yan ignored her, lowered her head slightly, and stood still.
Princess Xiao laughed and said, "What are you saying, Madam Wang? We are all sisters, all belong to the Prince, and all deserve his favor. Why are you making distinctions?"
Then he said to Jiang Yan, "Ruyi, please take a seat. Dinner will begin soon."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Jiang Yan slowly walked to her seat and, with Huang Ying's careful help, sat down.
At this moment, the lady with peach blossom eyes glanced anxiously at the door and asked, "Princess, it's time for dinner, why hasn't the Prince arrived yet? Should we send someone to invite him again?"
Princess Xiao looked slightly disappointed: "Alas, I'm sorry to disappoint you all! The Prince had something come up and left the manor again. Tonight, we sisters will just have dinner and chat."
After saying this, apart from Jiang Yan being delighted, all the other ladies were saddened and disappointed.
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts during dinner. Although they kept talking, it wasn't as engaging or joyful as it had been at the beginning, and so it ended quickly.
After everyone respectfully saw Princess Xiao off, they left in groups of two or three.
Jiang Yan waited until they had all left for a while before leading Huang Ying back.
Along the way, the lanterns in the Prince's Mansion dimmed a bit, but were still brighter than the night.
Jiang Yan walked at the front, her mind preoccupied, with Huang Ying following behind. The two, mistress and servant, did not exchange a word until they reached the next fork in the road. Huang Ying then exclaimed urgently, "Master, we've taken the wrong path. That's the way to Madam Wu's courtyard!"
"Mrs. Wu?"
"That's the lady in the light purple dress from earlier." Huang Ying pointed to the opposite path for Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan pondered for a moment before walking over: "Is it that woman with the slanted eyes?"
“Yes, that’s her,” Huang Ying said. “She is the youngest daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, named Wu Lanyu. She is fifteen years old and only entered the household last year. I heard that she can sing and dance, and especially write poetry.”
She added, "Madam Wang's name is Wang Qianqian, the same as Madam Shen's."
"Madam Shen? That woman with peach blossom eyes and a chin like a shoe awl?" Jiang Yan paused slightly, then continued walking.
Huang Ying: "Yes, that is Madam Shen, named Shen Qianqian. She entered the Wang Mansion one after the other two years ago. Madam Wang entered the mansion on the third day after Qingming Festival, while Madam Shen entered the mansion on the day of Dragon Boat Festival."
"What does this Madam Shen do?"
Huang Ying: "I heard that the prince rescued the mulberry-picking girl by chance when he went hunting with the emperor. The emperor gave her to the prince as a reward, and the prince brought her back."
"Oh." Jiang Yan fell into thought again, and after a while, asked, "Who were those three who just bowed to me... to this concubine?"
Huang Ying: "These three ladies are very low-key and usually stay in their own courtyards, rarely going out. I heard that they were bestowed upon the Prince by the Empress Dowager a month before you married into the Prince's mansion, but the specific details are not clear to anyone in the mansion."
"oh."
Jiang Yan unconsciously recalled the words Princess Xiao had said at the dinner table: "No wonder the prince insisted on marrying you." She wondered if there were other hidden reasons for "her" marriage into the royal family. Just as she was about to ask Huang Ying, she heard Huang Ying say, "Master, you're back. Come in."
Jiang Yan suddenly realized that they had returned to Pear Blossom Residence while they were talking, so she gave up the idea of asking more questions, sighed, and went inside.
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