"I'll go check your fate. If you're not destined for it, I really don't want to send you there. Once you're in there, don't even think about coming out." Seeing Lanqin's silly grin, Anjia began to worry.
“Mother, the Emperor is selecting consorts, and firstly, they must be Manchus, with the eldest son of the principal wife taking precedence. How can we let Second Sister go? Wouldn’t that just play into Aunt Yang’s hands? Those who know will understand that it’s because you love your daughter; those who don’t will think that Aunt Yang is the most important person in our household!” Lanqin couldn’t help but advise again. Her adopted “mother” was indeed a bit simple-minded.
"This..." Anjia obviously hadn't thought of this. There was indeed some truth to it. Her words would really make Yang even more arrogant.
"Well said! As expected of my eldest daughter!" A deep baritone voice rang out from outside the house, and then the wooden door was pushed open from the outside. A middle-aged man wearing a brown robe and a purple silk vest walked in. It was none other than Niohuru Lingzhu.
“Master!” Madam Anjia stood up and glanced at her husband with a hint of resentment.
Xue'er, who had followed her in earlier, carried an embroidered stool and placed it at the head of the Third Princess's bed. Lingzhu sat down, and Anjia followed suit and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Madam, how come you're not as clear-headed as Qin'er?" Lingzhu glanced at Lanqin, but then turned back to Anjia and said sternly.
This is also why he has neglected Lady Anjia in recent years; this woman is truly all talk and no action. When she was young, her simple mind made her seem gentle and compliant, but now that her children are of marriageable age, she's still so indecisive—how can she share his burdens? He is now a fourth-rank official, a descendant of the Niohuru family, but how long can the halo of his ancestors still protect him? By his time, it's almost gone. Lady Yang, intelligent, strong-willed, and straightforward, is quite suited to his current needs.
Anjia immediately lowered her head obediently and dared not utter a sound.
Seeing the disgust in Lingzhu's eyes, Lanqin was truly worried about her weak mother, but she also realized: relying on a man's affection is really unreliable, and you can only rely on him for a while. If you want to occupy a man's heart for a lifetime, you must become someone he can't live without.
"Madam," Lingzhu said, "since the passing of Empress Niohuru, followed by the death of Consort Wenxi, the glory of the Niohuru family has faded. My ancestor was a founding hero of the Qing Dynasty; how can we allow him to decline? A few days ago, I sent a letter to my cousin Aling'a's family, and we will visit them tomorrow. I see that their princesses are either already married or too young to enter the palace. This is the perfect opportunity for our Qin'er to enter the palace!" A longing gleamed in Lingzhu's eyes.
"Pah! He's just using his daughter to climb the social ladder! What a scumbag! He has three wives and four concubines, and he won't even let his first wife say a word against it!" Lin Mengyao thought to herself.
“Yang’s status is not high enough. Although the Second Princess is outstanding in appearance, she is not born of the principal wife. Even if she goes to the Emperor’s side, she will not be noticed.” Lingzhu continued, “Qin’er, you have been intelligent and studious since childhood. Your needlework, knitting, music, chess, calligraphy and painting are the best among the princesses. Father believes that you can take good care of yourself.”
Lanqin secretly spat in her heart, thinking: You just want to climb the social ladder by using your daughter.
However, she immediately replied obediently, "Daughter will certainly not let Father down. Mother, don't worry, I will be fine."
Anjia was helpless, but there was nothing she could do. She knew that she couldn't change Lingzhu's decision, so she could only say, "Qin'er just fell and has some bruises on her knees. I don't know if it's because Buddha doesn't want her to go. Let's go and ask Buddha what he thinks."
Women like Anjia, who rarely leave their homes, often go out to burn incense, pray to Buddha, or consult fortune tellers when they encounter difficulties. This can be considered one way for them to seek psychological help.
Lingzhu frowned and could only say, "Take Qin'er with you tomorrow. I'll go visit my cousin Aling."
The talent show will last for about a month, and this has only just begun. Lingzhu plans to try and smooth things over with Aling'a; presumably, he will help, since they share the same ancestor.
The next day.
Lanqin, dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a moon-white cloak over it, was helped out of her boudoir by Xue'er and walked along the path in her family's garden.
As Lanqin passed by a rockery, she saw that the peach trees next to the courtyard were full of blossoms, so she stopped and admired them for a while.
Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard the voices of two people talking behind the artificial hill. Listening carefully to what they were saying, both the master and servant were stunned.
"Princess, I never imagined that even though you pushed her into the water that day, you still couldn't stop her from going," a female voice said.
"Sigh, I'm already upset, and you bring this up again." The second princess said angrily. She was holding a peach blossom and tearing off the petals one by one, throwing them into the small lotus pond next to the rockery.
"This servant knows her mistake, Your Highness. I heard that the Third Princess is going out of the manor to worship Buddha today," said the Second Princess's maid.
“Father now hopes she can marry into a higher social class, so of course he will do whatever she wants.” The second princess thought of how she and her mother had cried and begged Lingzhu to take the imperial concubine selection that day, and she hated the third princess even more.
The master and servant on this side stood frozen under the tree, motionless, until the two people on the other side walked along the lotus pond to the other side, only then did they lift their feet and continue walking forward.
Not knowing what Lanqin was thinking, Xue'er couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "Princess, shall we just let it go like this?"
Lanqin glanced at her maid and said slowly, "We just overheard it, but we have no proof. If we rush to Father to argue, it will be difficult to get to the bottom of things. The selection of concubines is the most important thing right now, so let's put it off for now."
Damn, this little brat is really ruthless, even trying to harm her own sister! Sure enough, the women in these deep mansions are all terrifying! Isn't that right?! Lin Mengyao's heart, which had been beating for thirty years, was still slightly shocked by the methods of this little girl from over three hundred years ago.
After hearing Lanqin's words, Xue'er calmed down. What she had just heard was truly terrifying—the Second Princess was actually plotting to harm the Third Princess! However, the Princess seemed much more composed than before!
Xue'er glanced at Lanqin's back and hurriedly followed.
Two sedan chairs were already parked in the courtyard in front of the main courtyard. Lanqin followed Anjia into the sedan chairs and walked out of the Ling Mansion gate toward the most famous temple in the capital, "Huangjue Temple".
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