Granny Wang watched from the gatehouse, listening to the three girls chatting away in the small kitchen. She chuckled to herself, thinking: This princess is truly an extraordinary woman. Others, when punished, are sickly all day long, or just crying pitifully.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
With suspicion, Granny Wang went over and unlatched the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Zi Ran standing there!
"Granny, is the princess here?" Zi Ran asked with a smile, noticing Granny Wang staring at her with her mouth agape in surprise.
"Of course the princess is here. Why are you here?" Granny Wang couldn't help but look at Zi Ran with new eyes. She was kind enough to come back and visit after Lan Qin's misfortune.
"Don't worry, I have the master's permission, so there's no need to be afraid of being manipulated." Zi Ran walked in and saw that the flower beds where flowers used to be planted had been fitted with small trellises made of short wooden sticks and bamboo sticks, and some tender green shoots were climbing on them.
"Gege, you've planted vegetables?" Zi Ran asked in surprise, unable to believe her eyes.
"Indeed, Princess is not a lady who never lifts a finger. This has truly impressed this old woman." Granny Wang pointed towards the small kitchen and said, "Princess and the others are all over there."
Zi Ran walked familiarly to the small kitchen, where she saw Nian Xue and Xi Cha squatting on the ground peeling potatoes, while Lan Qin was stirring the ingredients in the pot with a large spatula.
"Gege~~"
Zi Ran called out with a hint of excitement.
"Ziran!!"
The two maids turned around and saw Zi Ran standing at the door, so they stood up while holding potatoes.
Lanqin turned around and saw Ziran. She smiled and said, "You do come, just in time for my beer duck."
"This servant is so lucky!" Zi Ran felt much relieved to see that Lan Qin showed no sign of the disappointment she had felt when she was confined.
She walked to Nianxue's side and secretly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to go outside to talk.
Lanqin was focused on stir-frying the duck pieces and didn't notice that Nianxue and Ziran had gone out together.
"What did you say? Master wants me to go over there?" Nianxue looked at Ziran in disbelief.
The latter nodded heavily and said, "Do you think we should tell the princess about this now?"
Nianxue glanced gratefully at Ziran and said, "I see that Gege has finally gotten a little better these days, but she never mentions Master, nor does she let us mention him. I'm afraid she still harbors some resentment towards Master."
Zi Ran sighed and said, "Nian Xue, I think Master seems to want to lift the ban on Gege. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me about Huan Bi. Now he's even specifically sent you to ask her."
When Nianxue heard Ziran say this, she was naturally happy. The princess was someone who liked to travel around, but now she was forced to stay in this one place, which was very frustrating.
After discussing it for a long time, the two decided not to tell Lanqin yet, but to wait until Nianxue arrived and see how things went before making any plans.
Lanqin made a beer-braised duck, then a stir-fried potato shreds with vinegar, and then a soup of leafy greens from the yard. It was all really delicious.
A group of people carried a table and placed it under a large tree in the yard. The warm early spring sunshine shone on them, and they ate heartily.
Zi Ran had lunch with Lan Qin, then said goodbye. Nian Xue made an excuse to see Zi Ran off and then went to the Internal Affairs Department to get some things, and then came out with her.
When Nianxue stood in front of Fourth Master's desk, it felt like an eternity had passed. She carefully observed that Fourth Master seemed to have grown a beard these days, and he had also lost weight, but his face was still as gloomy as ever.
To be honest, Nianxue also harbored resentment towards the Fourth Prince. She resented his distrust of Lanqin and his heartless imprisonment of the princess in the South Courtyard.
"Is she alright?" Fourth Master asked when he saw Nianxue standing there with a wronged look on her face.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the Princess spends her days reading, sleeping, and gardening, and finally has a smile on her face." If Lanqin knew that Nianxue was standing in front of the Fourth Master saying these words, she would definitely have stopped her.
"Growing vegetables?" Fourth Master asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Gege cleared out some land in the two large flower beds in the south courtyard and planted some vegetables," Nianxue said truthfully.
Fourth Master seemed to feel a little better. He knew that the little woman wouldn't confine him to that place. She would find things to do.
"You don't like Huanbi?" Fourth Master suddenly changed the subject.
“I noticed that she wasn’t very honest and liked to show off in front of the master, so I suggested that you kick her out of the inner room and only let her handle the affairs of the outer room. Personally, I don’t have any problem with her,” Nianxue said truthfully. “However, she actually said those things to the master that slandered you. I wish I could tear her to pieces now.”
Nianxue was truly devoted to Lanqin, and now she hated Huanbi to the core. At this moment, she couldn't help but say those words.
"Are you also dissatisfied with how I handled things?" The Fourth Master's deep eyes flashed with a cold light.
"This servant, this servant wouldn't dare. This servant only knows that Your Highness would never do such a thing, and this servant is Your Highness's most trusted maid. How could Your Highness send a maid who serves in the outer quarters and is not a trusted confidante to do such a thing? If things go wrong, it could bring about your own downfall. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly!"
After saying that, Nianxue immediately knelt down and kowtowed on the bluestone bricks.
Fourth Master looked at the figure on the ground, his mouth almost saying something, but he hesitated for a moment. In the end, he said, "Tonight, have your master wait for me in her study. I will go to see her at 7 PM."
Upon hearing Fourth Master's words, Nianxue, who was kneeling on the bluestone bricks, immediately kowtowed several more times in excitement. Fourth Master was willing to see his master, which was the beginning of believing that his master had not done that thing at all!
When Nianxue returned, Lanqin had already gone for her afternoon nap. She then told Granny Wang that the Fourth Master was coming that evening. Granny Wang was shocked and felt a pang of regret.
After exchanging a knowing look, the two went about their own business.
Lanqin slept soundly on the couch in the study, and before she knew it, she began to dream.
In my dream, there was the Fourth Prince, his wife, and even the recently deceased Lady Li.
Li's long hair was disheveled, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
"What are you doing? Why are you here? It's not like I harmed you. Go find the person who harmed you and take their life!" Lanqin shouted at the vengeful ghost that Li had transformed into.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to take your life. I'm here to warn you to be careful of the Fujin (princess). She's the most terrifying woman in this mansion. Sooner or later, you'll die at her hands without anyone knowing, just like me." The ghost's eyes gleamed with a tragic yet sharp light, and blood flowed from its mouth as it opened and closed.
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