"This humble woman greets the Princess."
"This servant greets the Princess." Xiao Lü, who was behind Qingyan, had never seen Ren Nuanyun before, but seeing Qingyan address her as the Princess and bow to her, she also bowed.
"Qingyan, get up quickly, there's no need for such formalities between us." Only after both of them had bowed completely did Ren Nuanyun gracefully step forward and help Qingyan up.
After Qingyan stood still, Ren Nuanyun quickly let go of her hand. To be honest, Ren Nuanyun still felt a little uncomfortable about Qingyan's previous identity, after all, she was a courtesan.
If it weren't for what was about to happen, and the fact that she needed to rely on Qingyan's backing, she wouldn't have been willing to spend so much money to rescue someone like that; people would look down on her if word got out.
She is a noble princess, how could someone of such lowly status as Qingyan be worthy of having contact with her?
Only Chunyi, who had been paying close attention to Ren Nuanyun's expression, noticed the fleeting look of disdain in Ren Nuanyun's eyes. Chunyi lowered her head, pretending not to have seen it.
She now fully understands what kind of person Ren Nuanyun is. She talks about equality and that there is no distinction between high and low status among people.
In reality, she cared a lot about these things. To outsiders, she was gentle, generous, playful, and cute, but to her, she would beat and scold her. She made her call her "Miss" in front of others to show the intimacy of their relationship, but in private, she forced her to call her "Princess" to show her noble status.
Now, Ren Nuanyun clearly despises Qingyan for being a courtesan, but she still pretends to be very close to her sister. It's probably because Qingyan has something that Ren Nuanyun needs.
Or rather, she needed Qingyan to do something, which is why she treated her so well.
"Princess, what brings you here?" Although Ren Nuanyun said there was no need for formalities, Qingyan was well aware of the significant difference in their social statuses.
The other person was just being polite; she absolutely couldn't take it seriously.
"Please come in quickly." Qingyan gestured for Ren Nuanyun to come inside, then turned to look at her maid, signaling her to hurry up and open the door.
"You guys went out?" Ren Nuanyun asked curiously.
"Yes, Princess, I just went out with Xiao Lü and bought some things."
Ren Nuanyun followed Qingyan into the small courtyard. She had never been to this courtyard before; she had only arranged for Chunyi to come and take care of everything there.
The courtyard was very simple, with only two rooms and nothing else. There was a small shed in the west corner of the courtyard, with a neat pile of firewood inside and a large broom next to it, probably for cleaning the courtyard.
Ren Nuanyun glanced quickly at the furnishings inside, and her contempt deepened. This place was far too shabby.
Stepping into the main room, the furnishings were simple, and upon opening the door, it was not warm at all; in fact, it felt rather cold.
The table and chairs were simple, and the charcoal fire in the brazier had been extinguished. They must have put it out before they left to avoid wasting it.
Qingyan glanced at Ren Nuanyun with a slightly embarrassed expression, and quickly signaled Xiao Lü to light the charcoal fire.
There was a simple wooden bed covered with a thick cotton quilt, and a simple dressing table on the right with two boxes of rouge on it, but it was obviously the cheap kind of rouge.
“Princess, this place is rather humble, not as grand as the Marquis of Dingguo’s residence. Please don’t be offended, please sit down first.”
Ren Nuanyun glanced disdainfully at the chair that Qingyan had pulled out. Although it was clean, it looked old. Ren Nuanyun didn't want to sit down, but there was nowhere else to sit. She couldn't just stand there and talk to Qingyan forever.
Besides, she came here today hoping to build a good relationship with Qingyan.
"Miss Qingyan, please sit down too. I told you, there's no need to be so formal." Although Ren Nuanyun was inwardly disgusted, she still pretended to be happy.
"Princess, you are a princess, and I am just a commoner. I still have to abide by the rules." Qingyan smiled.
Hearing this, Ren Nuanyun was very happy. After being here for a long time, she realized that the lives of people of noble status were indeed very different.
Xiao Lü was quick-witted and efficient. She lit the fire in the brazier and brought up some hot tea, but Ren Nuanyun didn't drink it.
Having done all this, Little Green stood obediently beside Light Smoke.
Chunyi stood beside Ren Nuanyun, having witnessed everything Xiao Lü had done.
To be honest, she envied Qingyan's maid.
Although her clothes weren't made of the latest trendy material and were clearly quite old, the cleanliness and vitality in her eyes, along with her longing for life, were things that spring yearned for but couldn't have.
If she could, she would also like to find a master like that, so that even if life wasn't wealthy, she wouldn't have to suffer so much humiliation.
"Qingyan, I've been so busy lately, but I finally managed to find some time to come see you today," Ren Nuanyun said, glancing at Chunyi.
Chunyi immediately and tactfully handed the box she had prepared to Qingyan.
"These are some pieces of jewelry I specially picked out for you. Take a look and see if you like them."
Qingyan took the box from Chunyi and, seeing Ren Nuanyun's words, opened the boxes one by one in front of Ren Nuanyun. There were three boxes in total. One box contained a gold hairpin, another contained a jade bracelet, and the third wooden box contained a pair of pearl earrings.
When Qingyan worked in the brothel, she had seen quite a few good things. Although the items in front of her were not new styles, the materials of these three pieces of jewelry were quite good.
"Princess, these are all too precious. I cannot accept them." Qingyan glanced at them. Although she liked them very much, she knew that if she accepted them and sold them, the money would be enough for her and Xiaolü to live comfortably for a while. But she could not accept them.
"Don't talk about how valuable these are. They're all gifts for you. Just accept them." Ren Nuanyun smiled and glanced at Qingyan.
Seeing that Ren Nuanyun insisted on giving it to her, Qingyan glanced at Xiao Lü, thought for a moment, and then accepted it.
"I will always remember the Princess's kindness." Qingyan stood up and solemnly thanked Ren Nuanyun.
Previously, Ren Nuanyun had gone to great lengths to redeem her and then spent money to buy her this house and settle her in. Now, she has even given her jewelry. Qingyan will always remember this kindness.
"I already told you there's no need to be so polite." Seeing that Qingyan was so well-mannered and said that, Ren Nuanyun was very satisfied. That was the purpose of her visit today.
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