From then on, Fengzao Palace had a regular visitor. The arrival of Zhang's second daughter made the warm pavilion much more lively, and at the same time, Shi Lan seemed to have found something that could lift her spirits. (Latest and fastest updates)
Time flies, and the end of the year is approaching. The Imperial Concubine is in charge of managing all the affairs of the harem. All of these matters come together at the end of the year, and the numerous trivial matters keep her extremely busy. She wishes she could split herself in two.
In the Pinglin Marquis's residence, Madam Han pondered that there were only two days left until New Year's Eve, the day when the whole family would worship their ancestors and gather around the stove. The two young ladies had been away for a long time, and it would be inappropriate if they didn't return soon. After much deliberation, she sent a message inside, asking when the two ladies would return, and explaining that she had already moved Fourth Lady's residence to Fangyan Courtyard, which was next to the Plum Garden.
The Imperial Concubine had already heard rumors about peace talks, and recalling the Emperor's words that day, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Currently, Pan Jinxuan is the oldest in the Pan family. The others are either not old enough or not of high enough status. In order to prevent the Pan family from being separated in the future, the Imperial Concubine had no choice but to send the two back. Accompanying them were two elderly caregivers and a letter with only a few words.
The next day, after noon, a large sedan chair and two large carriages stopped at the hanging flower gate of the Pinglin Marquis's residence. Two exquisitely beautiful girls stepped out of the sedan chair, and their mothers, dressed in dark blue jackets, stood guard on either side of the two girls, their faces solemn, and helped them into the hanging flower gate.
The waiting maids and servants inside the gate were all taken aback by the scene.
Having served Han for many years and having experienced many things, Liu's mother quickly recovered from her daze, smiled broadly, and stepped forward to say, "My two elder sisters have worked hard. Please have some tea here."
Both mothers shook their heads at the same time. One said she had errands to run and would wait until she finished before they sat down together. The other said with a straight face that she had to accompany the young lady to pay her respects to the old lady and that they could get together again when they had time.
Liu Mama quickly said, "That makes perfect sense." She turned her head and gave a look to the people, ordering them to unload the cart. At the same time, she asked someone to inform Han Shi so that they could prepare a response as soon as possible.
Both mothers were from the palace, and they understood what she meant when they saw her like this, but they didn't say anything. They just told her to have someone lead the way to Shou'an Hall to pay her respects.
Having survived the Southern Tour and lived to this age, how could Madam Liu dare to neglect the female official? She quickly dismissed the young maid who had just grown her hair back and eagerly stepped forward to lead the way.
Pan Jinxuan was used to seeing Liu Mama bossing people around, so she was a little uncomfortable seeing her so obsequious, and her tender face couldn't help but blush.
Shi Lan knew this would happen when the Imperial Concubine ordered the two mothers, Ruan and Feng, to come back with her. Therefore, she was much more natural than Pan Jinxuan in accepting Liu Mama's change in attitude.
When Ruan and Feng left the palace, they knew that their fates would be intertwined with those two young ladies, so they paid extra attention to observing their character.
When Madam Feng noticed that Pan Jinxuan's face was slightly flushed, she knew that the young lady she was following was shy and somewhat soft-hearted. She thought about how to help her stand up for herself in the future, so that she wouldn't be bullied by her husband's family after she got married.
Ruan's mother lowered her eyelids and followed behind Shi Lan, walking alongside Liu's mother. She listened as Liu's mother told Shi Lan about the courtyard where Shi Lan lived and what she had prepared. Shi Lan naturally thanked her politely and said thank you to her aunt and other polite words.
At this moment, Shi Lan was accompanied by a female official from the palace. Liu Mama dared not let her thank her and quickly said that she dared not.
Watching the interaction between the two, Madam Ruan sighed inwardly. As expected of the Imperial Concubine's high regard for her, Madam Ruan felt a great responsibility when she thought of the Imperial Concubine's special instructions to her before her departure. Such a promising talent, if she were to gain a few more years of experience, could marry into the household of one of the Three Dukes, a high-ranking official in the current dynasty, and be able to manage the household affairs.
After turning past a row of flower walls whose blooms had already faded, Shou'an Hall came into view in the distance.
A clever little maid ran ahead to report, and by the time Shi Lan entered the room, everyone already knew that the two young ladies had returned with two maids from the palace.
The old lady had just woken up from a nap when she heard about this. She was so angry that she threw the silver comb inlaid with agate onto the table.
Bao Ping, who was serving her by combing her hair, carefully looked at her angry expression in the bronze mirror and whispered to comfort her, "Your Highness lives in the palace and doesn't know the situation in our household. She probably saw that these two served the young lady well and sent them over on a whim. Didn't she like Third Sister before, like her like something else?"
Can they be the same?
The old lady stared silently at the mirror, her two wrinkled hands clenching gently. She sighed inwardly, realizing that her daughter truly resented her.
When the maid at the door saw Shi Lan and her entourage, she lifted the curtain from a distance. By the time Shi Lan approached, the heat inside had dissipated considerably, and it was still a bit chilly when she entered, but it warmed up after a short while.
On the large kang bed by the window, the old lady sat upright, her arms resting on the kang table, her expression unreadable.
Shi Lan followed Pan Jinxuan forward and respectfully kowtowed on the cushion. She was only helped up by Ruan Feng and her two mothers when the old lady called her to get up.
Then the two mothers stepped forward and bowed to the old lady.
Ruan and Feng, after all, held official positions. Although they had left the palace and lost their official titles, their authority over their subordinates remained. Although the old lady was a titled lady, she came from a commoner background. Despite the storms she had weathered over the years, she still lacked the necessary experience. She instinctively felt a sense of fear in the face of the two men, which made her very ashamed and angry. She felt that her daughter had deliberately sent people to humiliate her.
The old lady swallowed the anger rising in her chest and forced herself to remain calm as she twirled the tourmaline prayer beads in her hand, allowing the two of them to get up.
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