"His knowledge is not bad, but it also depends on how well he does on the exam. If he does well, I might keep an eye on him," said the Fourth Master.
Lanqin breathed a sigh of relief. She could tell that Madam Song had originally intended to talk to her about the Third Young Master Song today, but now that Fourth Master had spoken like this, it was fine. Fourth Master couldn't directly pull strings for the Song family's young master, exempting him from the exam; he could only say that if he passed, he could help find a suitable official position.
After the Song family arrived, a few days later, one of Wu's servants brought her youngest sister into the garden.
"Quickly pay your respects to the concubine!" Lady Wu, accompanied by her younger sister, came to pay her respects to Lanqin.
"Ruyue greets Consort Wu!" Wu Ruyue is twelve years old this year. She is more beautiful than Wu Shi and looks like a stunningly beautiful young lady.
"Get up quickly. What a beautiful little girl. Sister Wu, I never knew you had such a little sister," Lanqin said with a smile.
“She was born to my aunt. When I was still a young girl, this little girl was just a two or three-year-old baby, but we got along very well, and she often came to play with me. She was such a clever little thing,” said Madam Wu.
Wu's family lived in Huizhou. Her father was the Assistant Magistrate of Huizhou. Wu wasn't close to her family. Since she entered the Fourth Prince's household, her family, seeing that she wasn't favored and couldn't bring any benefits to the clan, rarely contacted her. Furthermore, Wu's father had many concubines and numerous half-brothers, so they hardly remembered her, a daughter who couldn't bring honor to the family. Wu's mother was a very traditional woman; after giving birth to her son, she only cared about her son and didn't pay much attention to her. Wu was the kind of person who would treat others worse if they treated her badly, and even better if they treated her well. When Lanqin told her that she could bring her family to the garden, she thought of this little sister and wrote a letter only for her to come, forbidding anyone else from accompanying her. Wu's mother replied, suggesting that her younger brothers come to broaden their horizons, but Wu sternly refused.
"Come here, you're such a pretty girl." Lanqin beckoned Wu Ruyue over.
Although Wu Ruyue was only a twelve-year-old girl, she had the air of a young lady from a prominent family. She was not shy at all and had a personality quite like that of the Wu family, being both carefree and clever.
Lanqin held the little girl's hand, looked her up and down, and sighed, "She's so young, like morning dew. This time, stay at your sister's place for a while."
"Yes, Ruyue misses her elder sister very much. Ruyue originally thought that elder sister was just beautiful, but she never expected that the concubine sister was so beautiful. It's like seeing a fairy sister from heaven!" Wu Ruyue said obediently.
"Oh my, look at her little mouth, it's sweeter than honey!" Wu said, both annoyed and amused.
Lanqin was amused by the girl's flattery and took off a jade bracelet from her wrist, saying, "With your sweet talk, I'd feel bad if I didn't give you something. Here, take this bracelet and wear it."
Wu Ruyue quickly curtsied and said, "Ruyue thanks Consort for the reward!"
"You brat, you saw someone more powerful than your sister and immediately abandoned her to fawn over them, didn't you?" Madam Wu said, feigning annoyance.
“Sister, if you and Consort are like sisters, then you must be Ruyue’s sister,” Wu Ruyue said.
Lanqin chuckled and said to Wu Shi with a smile, "Finally, I've met someone who can talk better than you."
"Qin'er, there's something I'd like to discuss with you!" Madam Wu said, her smile fading.
"What?" Lanqin asked.
“How about I have Ruyue stay with me until she goes to the talent show?” Wu said.
Lanqin was startled. She looked at Ruyue's expectant eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "There are still two years until the talent show. Do you want Ruyue to live by your side for two years?"
Madam Wu nodded and said, "Ruyue and I get along very well. With her by my side, I've experienced some family affection. Although Namin is being raised by me, she's not my biological daughter. Ruyue has a sweet tongue, and with her by my side day and night, the days pass quickly."
Lanqin glanced at Ruyue, thought for a moment, and said, "We still need to talk to Master about this. He shouldn't have any objections, but is it really okay for Ruyue to be away from her mother for so long?"
"My mother told me to come to the capital to spend more time with my sister. She also told me to spend more time with her. My sister has been away from home for so many years," Ruyue said obediently.
"Then I'll mention it to Grandpa first. Don't worry, they'll most likely agree," Lanqin said, seeing how much the sisters wanted to live together.
"Thank you, Consort Wu," Wu Ruyue said with another curtsy.
After seeing the two sisters off, Lanqin was a little tired and instructed Sihua to help her loosen her hair so she could rest for lunch.
"How is Cui Niang? You went out to see her for me the other day, is she alright?" Lanqin asked as she lay down, being attended to by Sihua and Jinju.
"I think Lady Cui looks quite well, but her mother-in-law doesn't seem to be doing well. She's even talking to her about finding a good marriage for her brother-in-law," Si Hua said.
"Li Wei's younger brother?" Lan Qin asked. "I heard he'll be participating in the autumn imperial examination this year too."
"Hmm. I think Cui Niang and Brother Li Wei are alright, it's just that Mother-in-law is a bit troublesome," Si Hua said.
"Let's wait until her brother-in-law passes the imperial examination. If he can get a minor official position, it won't be difficult to find a good one," Lanqin said.
"Yes. That's what Cui Niang said to her mother-in-law too," Si Hua said, tucking the blanket around Lan Qin.
“Master! I think you shouldn’t have agreed to let Wu Gege’s sister stay here!” Si Hua suddenly said.
"Why?" Lanqin asked.
"That girl's mouth is too smooth; I don't trust her!" Si Hua said, looking at Lan Qin. "Besides, she's already twelve, and so beautiful. There are still two years until the imperial concubine selection. What if such a beautiful girl stays in our household..."
Lanqin knew what Sihua was worried about, but she wasn't worried at all. She laughed and said, "Our master can have a whole basketful of pretty teenage girls if he wants them. If you're guarding against them like this, how can you possibly keep up?"
Si Hua thought about it and agreed with Lan Qin, so she said no more.
Lanqin slept until the Fourth Master returned. Not long after she got up, she saw the Fourth Master come in.
"It's so cold! Quickly light the brazier. I feel the cold wind outside getting right up my neck!" Fourth Master took off his hat and tossed it into Su Peisheng's hand.
"Hmm. Let's wait until the winter solstice to light it. Autumn chill is good for you." Lanqin walked up to Fourth Master and patted the dust off his shoulder.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com