"Everything is fine. How about you? You've been married into the family for so long, and your mother has missed you terribly." Madam Anjia pulled Lanqin up and down, looking her over. The little princess had grown a bit taller, and her complexion was fair and rosy, so she seemed to be doing well.
Lanqin led Anjia into the courtyard, and Nianxue and Xicha quickly followed to pay their respects. They were also part of the dowry from the Ling family, so seeing Anjia was like seeing their own family.
"Good, good, you two are both good, you've served the princess very well." Madam Anjia ordered Nianxue and Xicha to get up, and as they walked, they looked around at the layout and furnishings of the entire South Courtyard.
After they entered the main house and sat down on the main couch, Huanbi had already brought them the teacups she was holding.
Anjia took the tea, glanced at Huanbi, then at Ziran standing at the door, and then at the furnishings of the main house. Her face lit up with joy. It seems that my Qin'er is favored by the Fourth Prince. For a princess to live in such a large courtyard, with additional servants, is definitely not the standard and privileges for a princess.
"Qin'er, please have the servants leave. Your mother wants to have a private talk with you," said Madam Anjia, putting down her teacup and giving Wang Mama a meaningful look.
After dismissing all the servants, Lady Anjia took Lanqin's hand and asked softly, "Qin'er, how good is the Prince to you?"
Although on the surface Lanqin seemed to be living a good life, relying on her beauty to please others was ultimately unsustainable. Moreover, a man's heart can change in an instant; today she might be living in a magnificent mansion, and tomorrow she could be abandoned in a desolate, neglected room. Then, all those who had once envied her would come and trample on her. Seeing her daughter, whom she had cherished since birth, now a concubine in another man's household, Anjia couldn't help but weep again.
“Mother, the Prince treats Qin’er very well, so don’t worry.” Lanqin comforted her, moved. “Has Yang Shi bullied you again? Have your elder brother and sister-in-law stopped causing you any trouble?”
Lady Anjia took out her handkerchief and wiped away her tears, saying gently, "What else could she possibly do? It's just that your father visits her more often and bestows upon her a few more bolts of fine fabric. My status is what it is, and besides, you've married a prince; nobody knows what the future holds. However, that girl from Holland is said to be very favored by the Emperor. Not long ago, someone was sent back with gifts, which made Lady Yang so happy that she wanted to tell the whole household, and even the entire Forbidden City, about it."
Lanqin felt a surge of malice whenever she thought of Holland, that woman who could harm her own sister. She wished the two of them would never speak to each other again. Although the two sisters lived separately, one inside the Forbidden City and the other outside, separated only by a palace gate, their social status was vastly different.
Lanqin knew that the Fourth Prince would ascend the throne in the future, so she might have to meet with Holland at that time. However, at that time, Holland would be the late emperor's concubine, while Lanqin would be the new emperor's favorite concubine. Their statuses would be worlds apart!
“Mother, although the current emperor is exceptionally wise, he already has more than a dozen sons who are adults. The rest are just for fun and will certainly not be of great importance to him. Mother, you don’t need to worry too much,” Lanqin said. She thought hard but couldn’t remember which of Kangxi’s sons in the later period was born to Niohuru.
“Oh, don’t worry about your mother, it’s you I’m worried about. My child, although you are now favored by the Fourth Prince, you must still respect your wife and be wary of other women who are jealous of you. Although I have never done anything to your father’s other women, I know the hearts of a principal wife. No principal wife is truly willing to protect her husband’s other concubines. I see this Ulanara clan woman, she seems amiable, but she is very scheming. I can’t see through her intentions.” Anjia Shi laughed and cried, her face covered with tears. Because she had drawn her eyebrows, the tears turned into black lines, making her plump and gentle face look deep and wrinkled, as if she had aged ten years in an instant. At this moment, she had a look of worry and fear, which made Lanqin feel sorry for her.
Lanqin picked up her handkerchief and wiped away the tears on Anjia's face across the small table, comforting her, "Qin'er knows. I've never dared to be negligent or arrogant towards the primary consort. The primary consort has given birth to the eldest son, Honghui, and is also raising the eldest and second princesses; her position in this household is unshakeable. I've never had any improper thoughts; I've only done my duty, so I don't think I'll cause the primary consort too much worry. Besides, how could your mother not know what kind of person I am? As for the other concubines and princesses, I've always kept my distance, avoiding trouble and not causing any problems."
Anjia nodded and then picked up a handkerchief to wipe her face.
Lanqin smiled and said, "Let Nianxue bring in a basin of water so that Mother can wash up. We'll be having lunch soon, so Lanqin can keep Mother company while we eat."
With Nianxue's help, Anjia cleaned her face and hands.
At this moment, Granny Wang was also at the gatehouse talking with Granny Wang and several other people sent down by the Fujin (princess).
"Granny, Master told me that lunch is ready and we can bring it now." A young eunuch came in from outside. He was Niu Baoquan's apprentice and had come with him. Although he was an apprentice, he was also an assistant. Lanqin also granted permission to bring him in.
Granny Wang responded and said with a smile to Granny Wang, "Look, this is a chef that our master specially brought back from the estate to serve our princess. Even the Fujin doesn't have one."
Wang Mama said with a smile, "How could I compare to the Princess? The Fourth Prince treats the Princess very well, and our old lady is relieved."
After saying that, she took out four purses from her sleeve and handed them to Granny Wang, saying, “This is a small token of our old lady’s appreciation for everyone. She hopes that you will all keep our princess’s affairs in mind and will be grateful in the future. The rest are for Eunuch Li, Miss Huanbi, and Miss Ziran.”
Granny Wang was greatly surprised and said very politely, "Elder sister, please put it away quickly. It is already a great favor from our mistress that we can serve the princess. Moreover, the princess is kind and never scolds or beats us, which makes this old servant feel very happy. We only hope to serve the princess well in the future and dare not accept any more rewards from the old lady."
Granny Wang refused to take it back, and the two of them pushed it back and forth in the gatehouse. In the end, Granny Wang happily accepted it.
As for Lady Anjia, she really went to great lengths to take care of her daughter Lanqin. On her two visits, she spent no less than a hundred taels of silver bribing the servants in the Fourth Prince's mansion.
Anjia had lunch at Lanqin's place, and naturally, she was extremely reluctant to part. She had already seen her daughter once, and she feared it wouldn't be appropriate to send invitations so frequently in the future. A woman married into the royal family was naturally different from an ordinary family. Although the Fujin (principal wife) said, "I'll come to visit Sister Niu often," it was merely a polite remark. Anjia understood that the Fujin hadn't been very happy during her two visits. To appease Anjia, Lanqin promised that if the Prince was pleased, she would take the opportunity to ask him to let her return to her parents' home.
Watching Anjia leave with a reluctant gaze, Lanqin sighed inwardly at the fate of women in feudal society: once a daughter is married, she is like water spilled from a cup; some never see her again in their entire lives.
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