As night fell, Shi Lan and Zhu Yi lingered for a long time, and Shi Lan felt her mouth was sore. Worried that her mouth would feel like it was this morning again tomorrow, she said she was going to sleep.
Zhu Yi wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugged her tightly, and refused to let go.
With their bodies pressed close together, Shi Lan immediately felt a slight unease at the base of her legs.
Shi Lan's back stiffened, and the hairs on her body stood on end.
Only two thin layers of soft silk separated Zhu Yi from her. Shi Lan's muscles were tense, which Zhu Yi naturally noticed.
At that moment, he loosened his grip slightly, creating some distance between them, but he still wrapped his arms around her, unwilling to let go.
"Alright, go to sleep," Zhu Yi soothingly stroked her back, rested his head on her dark hair scattered on the pillow, smelled the faint fragrance, and closed his eyes.
Shi Lan waited quietly for a while, and when she heard his breathing even and felt that his hands and feet were still and quiet, she felt relieved.
Little did she know that while she was peacefully asleep with her eyes closed, the person beside her opened their eyes, looked at the top of her head with a complicated expression for a while, and then stared with distress at a certain spot where people were standing up to pay their respects.
In the early morning, Shi Lan groggily opened her eyes and found that the person next to her was empty.
Hearing the commotion, Zhi Cui pulled up the curtain and said, "Miss, Madam has sent someone to invite you over."
Shi Lan blinked, shaking off her lingering sleepiness, and stood up, saying, "Didn't you say what it was about?"
Zhi Cui then helped Shi Lan to the side to wash up, saying, "She didn't say the specifics, but I heard from Granny Ruan that Madam intends to set rules for you."
Shi Lan frowned slightly, but didn't seem to care much. She had already made preparations before she married into the family. However, thinking of the frail Qian Zhiqing, Shi Lan asked, "Did Granny Ruan say anything else?"
Zhi Cui said, "She didn't say anything else, only that Miss Biao has been going to accompany Madam early in the morning these past two days."
Shi Lan nodded. It seemed that Qian Zhiqing had been stirring things up when Qian Shi asked her to come over. However, Shi Lan was a little puzzled by this Granny Ruan. She was clearly an old servant of Qian Shi, so why did she suddenly change her tune and show goodwill towards her?
Shi Lan's mind raced, a smile playing on her lips.
In any case, it's better to show goodwill than to sabotage her from the shadows, especially when she has a formidable rival eyeing her.
After tidying up, Shi Lan came to the side room and smiled kindly at the bowing Granny Ruan, saying, "Thank you for waiting so long, Granny."
Granny Ruan smiled broadly and repeatedly said she dared not.
Shi Lan's eyes lit up, and Xing Bi immediately stepped forward and quietly slipped a purse into her hand.
Granny Ruan squeezed it and, realizing it was a hard, ingot-shaped object inside, quickly thanked her. Inwardly, however, she smiled bitterly. This generous young mistress was far more generous than her own mistress. Granny Ruan couldn't help but recall what Qian Zhiqing had said to Madam Qian a few days ago, and her heart trembled.
Shi Lan, dressed in bright and colorful attire, followed Granny Ruan to Chunxi Hall, where Madam Qian resided.
Madam Qian was already seated in her proper place, while Qian Zhiqing, sitting to her left, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes slowly filled with schadenfreude.
Shi Lan stepped forward to greet Madam Qian, who gave a lukewarm hum and ordered the meal to be served.
Yihong immediately led the maids who had been waiting outside to set out breakfast.
According to custom, the bride is expected to serve the elders meals, and Shi Lan was no exception.
Although Qian was a married woman, she still had to observe a year of mourning, so her meals consisted of bland vegetarian dishes such as green vegetables and tofu.
Shi Lan stood behind her, picking and choosing dishes for Qian Shi.
After taking two bites, Ms. Qian was about to put the food down.
Qian Zhiqing noticed Qian Shi's actions and quickly gave her a wink. Qian Shi immediately remembered what Qian Zhiqing had said about Shi Lan's disrespectful curtsy when she paid respects to her elders.
Madam Qian was seething with anger, knowing that Shi Lan's actions were simply a matter of going with the flow, and the most crucial element was Zhu Xian.
Thinking about this made Qian feel even more frustrated.
If Zhu Xianzhen truly valued Zheng Shi, then why did he bother to seduce her in the first place? She was a daughter from a good family. If he hadn't used sweet words to deceive her by saying he would make her his wife, why would she have thought of taking a gamble and having an affair with him without proper consent?
Recalling his inconsistent treatment of her over the years, Ms. Qian felt a pang of sadness.
Now he's shamelessly humiliating me in front of the new bride. If I don't use some methods to suppress this new bride, I'm afraid I won't have a place to stand in this mansion in the future.
Qian straightened her back, slowly chewed the green vegetable leaves, chewing each vein until it was completely broken down, before swallowing.
Shi Lan stood respectfully to one side, patiently waiting for her to finish eating before adding another bite.
The food, still steaming, slowly cooled down, and the plain white porridge gradually solidified.
As Madam Qian finished the last mouthful of congee, she opened her mouth to speak, when Shi Lan said considerately, "The vegetarian congee cooked by the kitchen looks quite good. Would you like some more, Madam?"
Ms. Qian twitched her lips and said, "No need."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lan simply stopped talking and stood there without moving.
Qian Shi had a small appetite and usually only ate a few bites. Today, in order to make things difficult for Shi Lan, she had already eaten a bowl of porridge, two silver thread rolls, not to mention the side dishes such as wood ear fungus, cucumber, and tofu.
Setting down her chopsticks, Madam Qian said with a stern face, "Alright, you're not needed here anymore. Go down."
Qian spoke these words very casually, as if she were dismissing a maid or servant.
Qian Zhiqing glanced at Shi Lan with a smile on her lips, feeling extremely pleased.
In terms of winning a man's heart, she was not as good as Wanshi, who had known Haoze for a long time, but when it came to a woman's mind, how could Wanshi compare to her exquisite wit?
Shi Lan calmly glanced at the two people sitting at the table, curtsied, and walked away with wooden legs.
A warning came from behind, "When you come later, don't make people rush you again."
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