After Granny Zhao finished reading the gift list from the royal estate where she lived, Lanqin breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself: Good heavens, there's so much stuff that we probably couldn't finish eating and drinking it all in a year!
The Song and Geng families were completely baffled.
Lanqin knew that each of these New Year's gifts would be accepted by someone, so she didn't bother with it. After listening to their lengthy list of gifts, Lanqin instructed the maids to serve tea and snacks to the group. She glanced at the list and told Steward Ma to take the two men out for a meal; since they had come to deliver New Year's gifts, they should be treated well. As for Aunt Gu and Granny Zhao, being women, Lanqin kept them at the table for the meal. Lanqin wanted to chat with these farmers and hear the voices of the lower classes. She herself, like a canary confined in this exquisite inner quarters, lived a life of solitude, never lifting a finger. Sometimes she grew tired of it and naturally wanted to hear what was happening outside.
Niu Baoquan prepared a hot pot for Lanqin, along with seasonal vegetables. Once the table was set, all sorts of dishes were laid out. Lanqin personally invited Aunt Gu, Granny Zhao, and Madam Song and Madam Geng to dine together.
Both women were elderly and had never dined in such a luxurious place before; they were both filled with surprise and anticipation. Seeing the beautiful young maids bringing them stools, they were at a loss for words.
Lanqin warmly invited the two to sit down, and they were so flattered that they didn't know what to do.
Granny Zhao, being older, saw Lanqin's gentle attitude and chuckled, saying, "The concubine is like a fairy in a New Year's painting, beautiful and kind-hearted. This old woman has offended such an honored guest here." With that, she sat down gracefully.
Seeing that Granny Zhao was very outgoing, Lanqin chatted with her, and soon everyone at the table was laughing and talking happily. Suddenly, Lanqin seemed to remember something and asked Xicha to invite the Second Princess over for lunch. The Fourth Master said she was too old-fashioned, so he wanted her to interact more with these working-class people. Although they were poor, they lived happily.
When the second princess arrived, Granny Zhao held her up for a long time, saying how incredibly beautiful she was, and even offered to introduce her to a potential husband. These words made the second princess blush as red as an apple.
"Grandma, why don't you tell us some stories about your village?" Second Princess opened up a bit; she also enjoyed listening to Grandma Zhao talk.
“Alright, how about I tell you a story about a fairy?” Grandma Zhao said cheerfully.
Second Princess rested her chin on her hands, listening as Granny Zhao began her story. The gist of it was that there was a beautiful village girl who, because of her beauty, attracted the attention of a band of robbers. One day, while the girl was out, she was abducted by the robbers, who wanted to make her their wife. However, the girl refused to submit and was ultimately brutally murdered by the robbers. After her death, because of her beauty and kindness, she did not become a vengeful ghost but instead became a fairy, continuing to help the people of the village.
"Grandma, this story isn't true. The girl turned into a fairy, so shouldn't she take revenge on the bandit who killed her?" the second princess said, rolling her eyes.
Grandma Zhao patted the Second Princess's head and said, "No, if it weren't for those bandits, this girl wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't have become a bandit. So in the end, she should thank those bandits for letting her escape from suffering and ascend to immortality."
Granny Zhao then told another story, the gist of which was still a tale of cause and effect, where good is rewarded and evil is punished. Lanqin didn't want to hear another after the first, but the others listened with great interest. Because the women living in the inner quarters of the house usually only had so much space to move around in, hearing Granny Zhao's stories was truly fascinating.
Although Lanqin could basically guess the ending from the first sentence Zhao Laolao sang, she still patiently listened to the rest of the story with Song Shi and the others. From these stories, she could basically conclude that people nowadays are devout Buddhists; they believe in karma and retribution, and that there is both heaven and hell. After death, the soul is immortal, and the deeds done in life will receive corresponding "rewards" in the afterlife.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lanqin. A half-smile appeared on her lips as she glanced gratefully at Granny Zhao. She knew she had made the right decision to invite them to dinner today.
As lunch drew to a close, Lanqin had the two peasant women taken away, giving each of them a small reward before they left. The two women departed, profusely thanking her. The Second Princess, needing to take a nap, also excused herself.
After Nianxue arranged for a maid to bring Lanqin, Songshi, and Gengshi a cup of digestive tea, Lanqin said to Songshi and Gengshi, "I've come up with a way to get Yeheshi to tell the truth. But I need your help, sisters."
Song and Geng exchanged a glance and said in unison, "How can we help?"
Lanqin then dismissed all the servants in the room, leaving only Cui Niang. It wasn't that she didn't trust others, but her scheme relied heavily on cleverness, and if too many people knew about it, it probably wouldn't work.
"Sister, I wish to borrow Peach Blossom's soul," Lanqin said bluntly. It turned out that Peach Blossom's body had already been taken away and given to her parents. Even in the dead of winter, it was impossible to leave a corpse for several days. Since Peach Blossom's family had taken her body, Yehe Clan finally relaxed.
"What do you mean by this, sister?" Madam Song asked, puzzled.
"My sister's intention is naturally to let Peach Blossom's soul go to the Yehe clan. People believe in ghosts and gods and retribution. If Peach Blossom's soul really goes to the Yehe clan, I'm afraid she will be terrified."
After hearing her explanation, Madam Song immediately understood.
“Qin’er, tell me your plan. But I feel that this method is too hasty and the possibility of failure is also very high. It’s not good to scare her,” said Madam Song.
“But I think Qin’er’s idea is excellent. Yehe’s family is now insisting they don’t know anything, and Yuhen has been interrogated, but they still refuse to say a word,” Geng said.
Lanqin couldn't bring herself to use torture, so it wasn't her order. Therefore, the matter of Peach Blossom remained unresolved.
"How do you want us to help you?" Lanqin asked.
“One word: spread it,” Lanqin said with a smile. “As long as the two elder sisters spread the word that they saw Tao Hua in white clothes, until everyone is on the defensive, that will be good. I don’t believe that Yehe Clan is really innocent.”
"Are you trying to force her to believe that Peach Blossom's soul has really come to find her?" Geng asked.
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