When Lanqin was helped down from the carriage by Nianxue, the two maids were even more excited than Lanqin when they saw the two large characters "Ling Mansion". They had also served in the Ling Mansion since they were young, but they had much more feelings for this place than Lin Mengyao. Moreover, they had not seen their relatives for a long time. This time, in addition to Lanqin being able to visit her family, the two of them could also see their own families.
A servant had already rushed off to inform Lingzhu and his wife. Since Lanqin had returned suddenly without sending a letter or a messenger beforehand, and Lingzhu was at Yangshi's place, Anjiashi led her nanny and maid to greet him.
"Qin'er!" As soon as Anjia stepped out of the main house and arrived at the porch, she saw Lanqin walking through the gate and heading towards the main house.
"Mother!" Lanqin rushed forward and threw herself into Anjia's arms. Several maids wiped away their tears, and Lanqin couldn't help but shed tears as well. Although they had just met not long ago, the Fourth Prince's mansion could never compare to being at home.
"Alright, my Qin'er, stop crying. You're back now! Come, let your mother take a good look at you." Madam Anjia took Lanqin's hand and looked her over from side to side, while Granny Wang beside her also shed tears.
"Mother, where is Father?" Lanqin was dissatisfied that Lingzhu had not come out. After all, she had married into the prince's mansion. Why was only Anjia Shi there on her first visit home?
"Come on, let's go inside and talk. Your mother has already sent a servant to call your father and brother Zheng." Anjia took Lanqin's hand, and the group went into Anjia's room amidst tears and laughter.
Just then, Lingzhu arrived together with Anjia's eldest son, Zhengming.
Lanqin glanced at him and did not bow to her father as she usually did. Although she was only a princess now, she was assigned to the Fourth Prince by Consort De, which made her more noble than everyone else present.
"Lingzhu, pay your respects to Consort Niu!" Seeing that Lanqin remained silent and Anjia looked rather embarrassed, Lingzhu knew that his daughter was probably dissatisfied with him. So he simply bowed formally and gave Lanqin a proper greeting.
"Father, get up quickly. You're making Qin'er feel terrible." Lanqin then stood up, personally helped Lingzhu up, and smiled warmly at her brother who was standing beside her.
"Why didn't Consort send someone to let Father and Mother know so they could make preparations? How is Fourth Prince? Is everything alright with me at Fourth Prince's residence?" Lingzhu asked Lanqin after everyone had returned to their places.
"I asked Fourth Master for permission to come back this time, so it's not really a formal visit home," Lanqin said to Lingzhu. She didn't have the same feelings for this adoptive father as she did for Anjia, because she had long seen through what this old man Lingzhu was planning: he didn't love his daughters at all, but just wanted to use them to make connections with powerful people and pave the way for himself.
"Father heard that women who marry into the princes or the imperial family are not allowed to easily return to their parents' home. Since Fourth Master has allowed you to come back like this, does he dote on Qin'er very much?" Lingzhu asked again.
"You'd better hurry up and order someone to prepare lunch. Qin'er has finally come back, and you're asking her all these questions. Don't let the concubine get tired!" Madam Anjia continued, quite displeased. "This noon, just invite a few of the young men and women in the manor to come and see me. It's fine if the others don't come!"
The other person Anjia mentioned was naturally Yang, who now had everything she wanted in the mansion. Since Holland entered the palace, her power had become even greater than before. Lingzhu, in order to get her daughter to speak on his behalf to Emperor Kangxi, now indulged her in everything.
Lingzhu felt a little embarrassed after being told that by Anjia, but with Lanqin present, he could only force a smile and say, "Your mother is right. Your father will personally arrange lunch for you and invite a few of your brothers and sisters to come and meet you later." After saying that, he actually got up and left.
"Brother Zheng, why aren't you saying anything?" Lanqin said to Niu Gulu Zhengming, who had been sitting next to Anjia Shi, after Lingzhu left.
“Alas, your brother failed the Imperial Academy examination this year. Your father is only concerned about that Yang family now. I asked him to think of a solution for your brother, but he hasn’t taken any action yet.” Anjia’s face darkened as she said this.
“Mother, don’t worry. Your son will definitely work hard to pass the exam next time. Your sister has come back for a long time, Mother should be happy,” Zhengming said to comfort her.
“Yes, the Imperial Academy exam is held every year, right? Brother, if you prepare more thoroughly next time, you’ll definitely pass with flying colors.” Lanqin took Anjia’s hand and said coquettishly.
"Oh, you silly girl, you're always trying to make people happy. Alright, the three of us should be cheerful today." Anjia finally stopped worrying and said to Zhengming, "Where's your wife? Lanqin's back, shouldn't she come out and greet her?"
Lanqin wasn't familiar with her elder brother Zhengming, let alone his wife, Shi. Zhengming gave an awkward smile and whispered, "Please don't take offense, sister. Yushan is newly pregnant, and the doctor said her pregnancy isn't very stable. She must stay in bed for the first three months and can't move around freely." Zhengming explained.
"My sister-in-law is pregnant, Mother. Why didn't you tell me when you came to the manor last time? I could have brought some gifts for my future nephew. Anyway, I brought some this time too. I'll go see my sister-in-law later." Upon hearing this, Lanqin didn't think much of it and immediately started to go see Shi Shi, but Anjia Shi had already put on a long face again.
"My sister has finally returned, so let's spend some time with Father and Mother first. I'll go and help Yushan over to meet you later," Zhengming said immediately when he saw that Anjia's expression was not good.
“Zheng’er, go and see how your father is preparing. I want to talk to your sister alone,” said Madam Anjia.
After Zhengming left, Anjia grabbed Lanqin's hand and said earnestly, "What is your status now? How can you go to see her? I didn't like Shi when she first married into the family. She bewitched your brother, making him unambitious and disrespectful. Now that she's pregnant, she says he can't get out of bed."
Lanqin knew that Anjia had always been dissatisfied with her sister-in-law, but she hadn't expected the dissatisfaction to be so great that even her pregnancy couldn't dispel it. She sighed silently and could only comfort her, "Mother, my sister-in-law is pregnant now, which is a big deal. Please don't take it to heart. If my brother has a child soon, Father will naturally consider his needs more."
Upon hearing this, Anjia paused for a moment, then said happily, "I'm getting senile, you're absolutely right. As long as she can give birth to a boy safely, your father will be able to think more about Zheng'er for the sake of his grandson."
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