The sable cap remained untouched by the snow, so the snowflakes merely shattered and slid off. Fukang'an didn't pause his words, and Yan Ning had no choice but to follow him.
She vaguely understood why someone as talented and beautiful as Peng Ruo would come to the Fucha Mansion to offer her skills in such a humble manner. It was only because the legitimate daughter lacked either talent or beauty that she suppressed Peng Ruo in this way.
The Salt Transport Commissioner held a fourth-rank official position, and even a concubine's daughter would enjoy immense prestige. Peng Xue had gone to great lengths to achieve this, and Fukang'an was likely already aware of it. When Yan Ning saw the list that day, she mistakenly thought that Peng Xue was lowering herself to curry favor with Fukang'an. Now, thinking back, she realized that she had been too hasty in her judgment.
After much deliberation, Yan Ning slowed her pace. A few steps ahead, Fukang'an, dressed in a deep crimson robe, walked slowly, covered in snowflakes that gave him a jade-like beauty. One hand was tied behind his back, pressing down on his braid that reached his waist, and as he walked, his figure swayed from side to side without the slightest movement.
She was only sick for a day, but it felt like several years had passed.
She ordered the servants behind her to stop, then hurried to catch up with Fukang'an, sighing, "Has Xiang'er been brought back?" She dared not look at Fukang'an's face, only standing shoulder to shoulder with him, staring at the pink tassels on the toes of his flowerpot-shaped shoes, which were decorated with auspicious patterns, and a little snowflakes were clinging to them.
He did not reply.
"I won't be going back to Jian Gong Zhai. The kitchen has prepared some of your favorite dishes and sent them over!" Fukang'an turned around and met Yan Ning's eyes. His handsome features were not as sharp as they were last night, and his eyes were filled with tenderness.
He brushed away the snowflakes that hadn't yet slid off Yan Ning's face mask, then strode off to the west courtyard via a shortcut at an angle.
Zhu Xiang, leading four maids, caught up with Yan Ning and held up a dark yellow oil-paper umbrella over her. Blocking half the light, Fu Kang'an, who was walking quickly, had already disappeared from sight, leaving messy footprints on the white snow.
Before Yan Ning was an artificial rockery. Beyond the rockery was a covered walkway a few steps away from Jian Gong Zhai. Zhu Xiang helped her up the covered walkway, and after the path turned a corner, there was a continuous rock formation on the side. From the back of the rockery, a path leading south led to the Peony Hall.
From the artificial rockery came the unrestrained voices of two or three women talking, but the conversation was so faint and indistinct that it was hard to hear clearly.
"Do you think this new wife is really as favored as the rumors say? She wasn't even allowed to sit at the New Year's banquet. Has she been rejected?"
"Who knows? This Concubine An is pregnant with a child. Although she may not be so doting as to bully the master, isn't this exactly how the new madam bullied Concubine Ying in the past? And she's just a pretty face, childless, yet she occupies the glory of the legitimate daughter!"
"I heard that Consort Lian died in childbirth and went mad. Could it be that she couldn't stand the loneliness of this empty mansion and found some man, only to be discovered by Master Fu!"
"If you say that, then what face does Master Fu, the legitimate son, have left? The four sons of the Fucha family were driven away to other places so that he could inherit the main mansion. Truly, the glory of the family has been ruined by his own hands! He may be able to gallop across the battlefield, but he can't even manage to keep order in his own household!"
Then came the woman's playful chuckles, tinged with mockery.
"······"
The words became increasingly offensive, so Yan Ning stopped and, ignoring the high eaves, descended the covered walkway. She followed the sound of the voices.
Although Zhu Xiang wanted to stop her, she couldn't resist Yan Ning's stubborn nature. She helped her walk carefully on the rugged stone path. Because Yan Ning and the others passed through the artificial rockery, they were already a few steps ahead of the group of beautiful women.
As they approached, they saw three women who appeared to be mistresses, surrounded by seven or eight maids. Zhu Xiang, with her sharp eyes, recognized them as Long Ben, the concubine of Fu Long'an; Rui Ying, the principal wife of Fu Chang'an; and Yue Xiao, the widow of Ming Rui, the nephew of General Fu Heng.
She curtsied to the three of them, then cleared her throat, "This is my wife!"
Although Longben was the son-in-law of the emperor, he was still required to curtsy to Yan Ning because he was a concubine. It was only natural for Ruiying to curtsy to her elder brother and sister-in-law. Yuexiao's husband held an official position below Fukang'an. Therefore, Longben, Ruiying, and Yuexiao together curtsied to Yan Ning.
At the last Madam's birthday banquet, Yan Ning hadn't yet been officially recognized, so she wasn't familiar with the three. Only Rui Ying had caught a fleeting glimpse of them; Zhu Xiang had whispered their identities to Yan Ning.
The three looked at Yan Ning, who seemed to have descended from the heavens, and although they all wore the same smile, they had their own thoughts.
Yan Ning smiled at the three of them and made way for them. She had only wanted to know who had been spouting nonsense in the mansion, and now that she knew, she had no intention of making things difficult for them immediately.
Back at Jian Gong Zhai, it was already completely dark, but fortunately the maids had already lit lamps in front of the courtyard gate. Zhu Xiang helped Yan Ning sit down and then instructed her maids Lan Xiang and Ju Xiang to set out the feast. Although it was a small table, it was New Year's Eve after all, and no detail could be overlooked.
Due to a shortage of manpower at the end of the year, Lanxiang and Juxiang were transferred from Fuzhai to Jiangongzhai. Learning from Meixiang's experience, Yan Ning did not value these two graceful and somewhat beautiful maids much, only leaving them to assist Zhuxiang.
Looking at the table laden with delicacies, Yan Ning lost her appetite. Whether it was the winter chill or the distance to the west courtyard, she heard no music or music. The surrounding silence was almost empty, making her restless.
The clock struck the water clock with rapid, continuous beats, without pause for even a moment.
Suddenly, Yan Ning stood up, accidentally knocking over a bowl of pigeon soup with longan and lotus seeds that the maid was carrying. The maid immediately prostrated herself to apologize, but Yan Ning had no time to pay attention to her and hurriedly went into the inner room.
Zhu Xiang scolded the maid to leave, then followed Yan Ning to the inner room, where she saw Yan Ning rummaging through the wardrobe. Many fine silk and embroidered clothes had already been turned to the ground by Yan Ning, but her hands did not stop.
Holding a bright red cheongsam, Yan Ning smiled sweetly. The cheongsam's red was so pure, it seemed almost dripping with blood; it was specially dyed for her by her maternal family, the Su family. The purest red petals of the finest flowers were used to extract their juice, which was then used to dye white silk threads for forty-nine days, further enhanced with plant-based dyes. The warp threads were interwoven with light colors such as jade, moon white, yellow, and light lotus blue, while the weft threads featured darker colors like goose yellow, sunflower yellow, eggplant purple, and dark green, creating a rich and elegant floral pattern. Because the main color was pure red, the subtle patterns were not easily discernible, making it impossible to identify the specific flowers or designs.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
