Snail-shell eyebrow dye, made from indigo and lime water, resembles ink in appearance and is considered the finest eyebrow pigment. Aside from the imperial court, only a favored family like the Fucha clan could afford it. By the time Yan Ning finished her painting, it was already dusk. She stretched her back, looked at the painting in her hands, but was not satisfied.
"Madam, is this the general?" Haitang asked in surprise as she came to refill the tea. After examining the portrait closely, Haitang shook her head. "How come this general is different from those painted by other artists?"
“This is a sketch,” Yan Ning blurted out, immediately realizing they didn’t understand these things, and seeing Haitang’s puzzled expression, she said nothing more.
Inside the main room of the Peony Hall, Xi Ying was massaging the old lady's legs.
"Now that you're busy with the affairs of the manor and taking care of Delin, these things can be done by Granny Li and the others. You don't need to do them yourself every day!" the old lady said, her eyes slightly narrowed.
Xi Ying smiled and said, "Serving as a nanny is Xi Ying's duty, how can I let others do it for me? Besides, Delin is obedient and it's easy for him to be with his nanny!" As she spoke, she looked at the old lady's reaction, lowered her head, and said nothing more.
"Say what you have to say!" The old lady knew that Xi Ying's grip had suddenly loosened, and that she had a purpose in coming here.
"Yes!" Having heard the old lady's words, Xi Ying no longer concealed anything. "Madam left the Fu residence for a while earlier, brought back to her own mansion by Heshen. Furthermore, I heard that Madam was drunk and spent the entire night in a room with Heshen without any servants attending to her." Xi Ying paused here, glancing at the old lady. "Now she has returned so abruptly, and entered the Fucha residence again without any clear explanation. For General, this will not only give others cause for gossip; for Madam, it will also damage her reputation!"
After hearing Xi Ying's words, the old lady opened her eyes. Although she knew what Xi Ying was up to, she knew that if such a thing really happened, she would not tolerate Yan Ning.
In the garden, flowers were already blooming, vying for early spring's glory, rivaling even the plum blossoms. Xi Ying inwardly mocked the ignorance of those early spring flowers; at this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the late-blooming plum blossoms, who would notice their existence? Xi Ying thought of the calyx orchid waiting in her courtyard, and the mockery on her lips deepened. Let these early spring flowers, in their ignorance, rival the plum blossoms' arrogance!
"Did you tell the old lady, sister?" E'lan waited anxiously in the courtyard. Seeing Xi Ying enter, she rushed forward impatiently. Xi Ying shook her head, looked around, and indicated that there were eavesdroppers. E'lan immediately fell silent and followed Xi Ying into the inner room.
"How could you tell the old lady the truth? You should have exaggerated the situation!" After hearing Xi Ying's explanation, E'lan stood up angrily, her hairpins jingling. Xi Ying pulled her hand, coaxed her to sit down, and explained softly, "The old lady is so clever. If I lied to her, she would think I was dishonest and would be wary of me. Then she wouldn't believe everything I said. Now that I've told her everything, she'll only think I'm jealous, and she'll be more likely to listen to me! Besides, if I had lied, the general would have found out sooner or later, and then you and I would have been implicated. Tell me, E'lan, can you and I combined equal to Yan Ning's position in the general's heart?"
Xi Ying's words ignited boundless anger in E'lan's heart. Although Xiang'er had been there before, Fukang'an had never neglected her. Now that Yan Ning had arrived, Fukang'an would spend all his time by Yan Ning's side, and she couldn't even see his face. Thinking of this, E'lan's jealousy was completely exposed.
"Greetings, General!" Hearing Lotus's greeting, Yan Ning quickly covered her sketch with a book from the desk. Before she could even stand up, Fukang'an strode in. Seeing Yan Ning sitting at the desk, Fukang'an walked over and began reading the Four Books for Women on the desk. Yan Ning smiled at him, "Why are you finished so early?"
Fukang'an, puzzled, pinched her nose. "How can there be wives in this world who complain about their husbands returning home early? I'll just go back to the barracks then!" He then turned to leave. Seeing he was really going to leave, Yan Ning, in a moment of panic, grabbed his braid and said, "I've been waiting for you to come back every single moment, and you're leaving as soon as you get back!" When Fukang'an turned back around, Yan Ning saw the smile on his face and knew she had been teased. So she turned her face away, her eyes wide, and said nothing more. Fukang'an wasn't good at coaxing people, and seeing Yan Ning like this, he could only stand helplessly beside her, flipping through the books on the table.
Fearing he would discover the drawing under the book, Yan Ning swatted his hand away and leaned over a pile of books. Fu Kang'an, used to Yan Ning's unreasonable behavior, said nothing and picked up a book from the table to read. Seeing Fu Kang'an struggling to please Yan Ning, completely lacking the domineering attitude he had shown her the day before, He Hua diligently busied herself, only to be chased away by Fu Kang'an for being too noisy. Watching this, and recalling He Hua's actions the day before, Yan Ning felt a surge of satisfaction and laughed out loud, all her anger towards Fu Kang'an dissipating.
Fukang'an put down the "Admonitions for Women" in his hand and looked at Yan Ning with suspicion. "What are you laughing at?" Yan Ning stood up from the desk, pulled Fukang'an to sit down, and while carefully examining his features to prepare for her next sketch, said, "You, General Fucha, truly command respect throughout the land!" Fukang'an heard the bitterness in Yan Ning's tone and pulled her into his lap. Before Fukang'an could speak, the servants standing by bowed their heads and withdrew.
“The servants in Mother’s courtyard are of much higher status than the other servants in the mansion, so naturally they are somewhat arrogant and difficult to tame. Now that Mother wants you to stay by her side, if I don’t go along with her wishes, she will feel that I spoil you without any rules and will be even more angry with you. Mother is a devout Buddhist, and seeing you suffer like this, yet still serving her respectfully, she will surely accept you from the bottom of her heart. Look, it’s only been a day, and you’ve already become Mother’s prospective daughter-in-law, haven’t you?” Fukang’an buried his head in Yan Ning’s neck, enjoying the fragrance of lilies on her body.
Yan Ning stroked Fu Kang'an's long braid as if he were combing his own hair. In truth, she no longer resented Fu Kang'an for keeping her in the Peony Hall. She understood that since she had willingly married him, interaction with Old Madam Fucha was unavoidable. And she was willing to try to adapt to all of this for his sake. Fu Kang'an gently pinched Yan Ning's chin and kissed her lips. Yan Ning closed her eyes and responded to Fu Kang'an.
"Did the general go to the west wing?" the old lady asked Li Mama, who was standing beside her.
"Yes!" Granny Li glanced outside symbolically, then said, "I'm afraid we'll have to stay overnight!"
The old lady sat up, her eyes sharp as she looked towards the door. She only had this one son, and she would not tolerate any woman bewitching or deceiving him. "Go and fetch the General! He must not be allowed to consummate his marriage with Yan Ning!"
Seeing that Yan Ning didn't reject his intimacy today, Fukang'an picked her up and carried her to the carved wooden bed. In the candlelight, Yan Ning's cheeks were flushed, making her look charmingly shy. Yan Ning knew in her heart that sooner or later, she would belong to Fukang'an, so she slowly closed her eyes. Fukang'an, his eyes hazy, gently stroked Yan Ning's cheek. Seeing her long eyelashes tremble slightly, he could no longer control his emotions, and kisses rained down from Yan Ning's forehead to her lips, and then to her neck.
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