Twenty-three thoughts

  "That's great, I can rest assured if it's handed over to Nanny!" Yang Lan smiled sweetly.

  Lin Daiyu smiled and withdrew.

  "Master, tomorrow we're going to the Zhou's house. I've taken out the clothes you'll wear tomorrow. Do you want to bring a small gift for Miss Zhou?" Biyun was very meticulous and had taken care of all the trivial matters.

  Yang Lan thought for a moment, "The first time I visit their home, I should bring some gifts. I've heard that the young lady of the Zhou family is generous and open-minded, someone worth befriending. Let me take out a pair of jade-handled fans with double-sided embroidery of ladies from the palace, which were given to me by the empress dowager. And also this silk pouch with a yulan flower pattern embroidered by myself, plus a pair of agarwood hairpins, that should be enough!"

  Bi Yun listened and silently memorized it for a while before going to the box to find it and put it in the case. Then she asked, "Should I show it to the princess?"

  "Alright, take it and show it to my mother to see if there's anything unsuitable."

  Yang Lan ate dessert and then went to the study room to carefully copy "Nüjie" (Women's Precepts), slowly copying it down, her heart also calmed down.

  It wasn't long before the news of Li Qianxue's visit to the Gong Princess's residence spread among the other girls in the mansion. The second and fourth daughters didn't have any special reaction, as they had always been cautious and preferred to avoid trouble, especially the fourth and fifth daughters, who were born out of wedlock and were even more careful not to get involved in any trouble.

  It was the third young lady's leaning plum building that smashed another teacup. At this time, the third young lady's personal maid lotus heart was directing the small maid to clean up and softly persuading their young lady, "Young lady, don't get angry with such a person, it's not worth it!"

  The three girls' faces were red with anger, tears hanging from their long eyelashes, making them look even more moving. Their chests were heaving, "I'd admit if I couldn't compare to Yang Lan, but who made my status lower than others? But why did this outsider, a mere adopted daughter, dare to bully me? She's just an orphan! An unmarried orphan who can't even get a good marriage, it's like trying to reach the sky! If it weren't for our grandmother taking pity on her and letting her stay with us to learn some manners, she'd be nothing. But instead, she dares to step on my sisters' toes and climb up the social ladder!" Just thinking about this made her angry, and she spat in disgust, her face full of disdain.

  Lotus Heart handed a warm cup of tea to Third Young Lady and softly said: "Miss, I heard that Eldest Miss met the young master who came to pay his respects the other day......!"

  The third girl was in a bad mood and had little patience, she glared at her with an ill temper, "What's the big deal? She's closest to grandma, always being careful and attentive in front of grandma, what's strange about seeing the older brother?"

  Lotus's face had a somewhat amused and anxious expression, with a hint of mockery in her eyes. "I also heard it from the little maid, that Miss Biao's face turned red when she saw Young Master Da, looking all shy and coy, I'm afraid she's fallen for him? So that's why you're trying to curry favor with the county lord?" Her face was clearly written with gossip.

  Three aunts almost spat out the tea from their mouths, with faces of disbelief, "Dong Chunxin? Her? My goodness! You must not speak nonsense, if the great aunt finds out, it's over! Hmph! Cousin is daydreaming! The eldest son of the Grand Princess, the Emperor's own nephew, the future heir of the Marquis will marry an orphan girl? She can't even be a concubine! Is she brainless?"

  Lotus Heart covered her mouth and giggled, "Isn't that right! Even I, a lowly servant, knew about it, but she still repeatedly tried to flirt with the young master! I heard she even offered him a handkerchief, but was rejected by the master, saying that men and women should not exchange gifts, although they are cousins, they can't break the rules and tarnish the reputation of his cousin! You don't know how red Miss's face turned at the time! The little girl learned from me and almost made me laugh to death!"

  The third girl smiled meaningfully, "What if Sixth Sister finds out? Will she tell Eldest Princess? Can Cousin continue to live in the mansion then? Once she's gone, no one will be competing with me for Grandmother's favor!"

  "Then let the girls spread it out?"

  "No need to go along with her! Since she has that heart, it will be discovered sooner or later. Let her struggle, we just watch the show!" The third girl smiled happily, with a self-satisfied expression.

  What she really didn't want was for Li Qianxue to become her sister-in-law, or else she would have no place to stand in the future. She still wanted to be the mistress of the Hou Mansion, what a ridiculous fantasy! When Princess Chang found out, she would definitely flay her alive!

  "All right, I'll listen to you, Master. Please dictate the letter!" Lotus Heart said after speaking for half a day and carefully asking a sentence.

  The three girls originally had a happy face, but it fell again, gloomy enough to drip ink. "Bring it here!" After a moment of silence, she still nodded.

  Lotus heart let out a sigh of relief, secretly rejoicing that she had shifted her attention in time. If not, today would have been disastrous for her. Her heart was also secretly lamenting, wondering when this life of constant worry and fear would come to an end. It would be great if she could become a capable wife in the future!

  It's not easy to serve as a maid for Third Miss, she has a bad temper and when she gets angry, she doesn't care about anything, the people serving her will be unlucky, either they get beaten or sold out, and it's not certain if they can be sold to a good family. Last time because Third Young Lady lost face in front of Old Madam, as a result, Madame sold that silver red maid, saying she was disobedient and dared to stir up trouble for her master, intentionally causing trouble with Sixth Young Lady, making Third Miss lose face, such a maid can't be kept.

  Alas! I've long told Yin Hong that she shouldn't be too willful, but after gaining favor with the master, she's lost all sense of propriety. She stirred up trouble between Third Miss and Sixth Lady, and ended up getting punished by the mistress when she returned. What good did it bring her?! Fortunately, Third Miss has a big temper but isn't a bad person at heart. The reward she gave was generous, and when she's in a good mood, she can also listen to advice.

  "Lotus Heart, what are you daydreaming about? Come over and grind this for me!" The third daughter was in a bad mood from copying books and her tone was also very urgent.

  "Ah! Here it comes!" Lian Xin shuddered and hurried over, rolling up her sleeves to grind seriously.

  Li Qianxue returned to her room, and her personal maid Xiaohong whispered: "Miss, did she accept the gift?" Xiaohong glanced around privately before daring to ask.

  Li Qianxue nodded, feeling a bit uneasy in her heart, and tightly clenched her fists. "Xiaohong, do you think this can be done?"

  Xiao Hong leaned in close to her and whispered, "Miss, this matter is not easy, but as the old saying goes, 'it's up to people to make things happen'. Besides, there are many advantages to marrying into a family. And Miss's dowry isn't any less than anyone else's, so why can't it be done?"

  "But both of my parents have passed away, and even if they were still alive, our Li family's social status would only be that of a fourth-rank official, which is quite different from the noble status of the Princess's residence!"

  Xiao Hong immediately widened her eyes and urged anxiously: "My lady, ah! Marrying a wife is marrying a virtuous one! Moreover, who will think for you if you don't strive for it? You forgot that last year our Li family's relatives were still of the same lineage, and that fourth daughter of the Li family married a merchant from Jiangnan. That was a far-off marriage, not to mention whether they had money or not, but she wasn't even an official's wife! Do you want to live such a life, being looked down upon when going out? Now the Yang family still has the old lady who dotes on you, if it's late, nothing will be in time. Whether your dowry can be kept intact is also a problem! My lady, don't miscalculate!"

  Dawn's red eyes rolled around, a flash of sharp light and ambition.

  Li Qianxue lowered her head, recalling Yang Hua's majestic appearance and noble demeanor, her face couldn't help but flush with heat. Ah! She didn't even need to think for herself, was there really someone who genuinely cared about her? Why did Yang Lan have everything, while she herself wasn't inferior to Yang Lan in terms of looks or temperament? Why couldn't she join the ranks of the noble ladies? She wanted to enjoy the glory and honor of being a respected lady, if only she worked hard enough, she could also achieve greatness.