A deep wound in one's heart

  Li Qianxue sighed softly, gazing at a pot of blooming camellias on the windowsill, her expression pensive and seemingly sorrowful yet reluctant. "Yes! If I don't strive for myself, who will plan for me?"

  Xiao Hong nodded vigorously, wearing a peach-red cheongsam with a loose-fitting pink embroidered orchid pattern, pouring tea for Li Qianxue in the house and handing it to her. She smiled and said: "Yes! Miss thinks that way, it's right! If you don't do it for yourself, heaven and earth will be destroyed! We're not doing anything bad, just thinking about our own future!"

  Li Qianxue stroked the warm cup, and the chill in her heart seemed to dissipate as well. "Bring me the fabric of the Flowing Cloud Brocade that my mother left for me, I'll make a dress for Sixth Sister. The fabric is radiant and colorful, it will definitely look great when made into a dress. I think Sixth Sister should like it!"

  Xiao Hong was startled, pouting and complaining: "Miss, you can't bear to use such good fabric! The color is just right for a wedding dress. It's a pity if you don't use it now!"

  Li Qianxue smiled softly, with a hint of sarcasm, "Sixth sister's status is high, she hasn't seen any good things, if it's not a fine product, the family may not look at it. The things in her house are almost all imperial gifts, no matter what they are, they're not something I can compare to, go get them!"

  "Yes!" Xiao Hong took advantage of no one noticing and stuck out her tongue, then went to get the fabric.

  Not to mention Li Qianxue's hard work, on the second day, Yang Lan accompanied her mother, Empress Dowager Chang, to Zhou Mansion for a banquet. Early in the morning, she came to pay respects to Old Lady Zhou.

  Today, because of the banquet, she dressed up beautifully, wearing a pair of crimson agate earrings, her hair styled in a curved moon shape with a coral and jade butterfly phoenix pin, an auspicious ruby necklace around her neck, and a silver-pearl beaded forehead ornament. Her upper body was adorned with a silver-red embroidered cloud brocade jacket with gold trim, while her lower half wore a pale pink embroidered white peony flower skirt. A pair of agate-beaded red satin shoes complemented her outfit, and on her hand, she wore an old pit-type water-green jade bangle, which set off her skin as white as jade, smooth and delicate.

  "Give grandma my best regards!"

  "Alright, hurry up, are you going out today?" The old lady and Yan Yue's color looked at Yang Lan.

  Yang Lan nodded obediently, "Yes, today I'm going to dinner at the Zhou's with Mother."

  The old lady thought for a moment and asked: "But what about the Empress Dowager's family?"

  "Exactly!" Yang Lan nodded.

  Li Qianxue stood by, serving the old lady, and heard Wen He's warm smile: "I've also heard that the Zhou family is a hereditary substitute, right? I've heard that the Zhou family has a girl who is about my age too!"

  Yang Lan smiled and nodded, her eyes cast downward, standing aside with a respectful attitude, "Yes! The Zhou family has an older sister than me!"

  Li Qianxue blushed slightly, her face turning a little red, but quickly regained her composure and smiled: "I don't know who else will be attending the Zhou family's banquet?" She glanced at Yang Lan with a hint of joyful anticipation in her eyes.

  Yang Lan shook her head solemnly, "I don't know either, unfortunately the post only had my and mother's names on it, otherwise I could have called a few sisters to go out and take a stroll together, but now it can't be done!" She tilted her head with a somewhat regretful expression.

  The old lady seemed to be unaware of her granddaughters' hidden sarcasm, and nodded with a hearty laugh, "The Zhou family's banquet isn't something just anyone can attend, according to past conventions, even the lowest-ranking guests are usually county mistresses or noblewomen. Your second sister and the others went too, it must have been embarrassing for them! Maybe next time there will be another opportunity, besides, it's hot outside, who wants to crowd in anyway!"

  Yang Lan suddenly laughed more sincerely, "That's right! Mother also said that as long as we learn the rules well, there will be plenty of opportunities to take us out. However, if we don't learn the rules well, no one will take us out and we'll lose face outside!"

  After finishing speaking, she also swept her eyes over Li Qianxue's pale face, as if there was a hint of something.

  The old lady was very much in agreement with this, at home you can make a fuss as you like, but absolutely cannot lose face outside, that would damage the Yang family's reputation, so she nodded and went along with it, "Your mother is right, these past few days I've been watching your sisters and they're much more well-behaved than before, it seems learning some skills is useful after all."

  "But! Second sister is the most diligent, every time she practices the rules, she is the most serious. Fourth sister is the smartest, mother teaches once and almost can learn it well. Fifth sister is the cleverest, every time she takes notes and secretly works hard, the next day will definitely pass. Even third sister's mother said that her comprehension is quite good!" Yang Lan praised each of her sisters one by one, in fact, the sisters really put their hearts into it.

  The old lady smiled with satisfaction and said, "If you're going, go quickly! Don't be late, come back early!"

  "Yes, my granddaughter is back and will tell you all about it!" Yang Lan smiled mischievously and backed away.

  After Yang Lan left, the old lady pulled down her face and said in a voice with some tired majesty, "Qian'er!"

  Li Qianxue bit her lip in distress, her usually rosy lips now pale, with tears welling up in her eyes but not quite falling, looking pitiful and helpless. "Grandma, I just want to go out and take a look too, I never get the chance to leave the house!" Her voice was slightly choked at the end, but she quickly covered it up.

  Seeing her granddaughter like this, she couldn't help but feel a little unbearable. She sighed and said: "Qian'er, it's not that I don't give you the opportunity, but who to bring out or not is decided by the Empress Dowager. Even I have to pay respects to her first! The daughters of the Yang family haven't even been brought out, let alone you! Lan'er isn't just an ordinary child, she's clever! She was raised personally by the Empress Dowager and favored by the Emperor, it's not simple! The Emperor's relatives aren't just limited to one Yang Lan, there are many biological granddaughters too. Why is only Yang Lan so well-liked? Can you say she doesn't have any schemes?"

  These words were both a warning and an exhortation. Yang Lan was not as simple-minded as she thought, hoping that her granddaughter would not cross the line, otherwise the first person to spare her would be the Empress Dowager.

  Li Qianxue's tears fell immediately, "But... but her grandmother is her elder! How can she... how can she...?" She wanted to speak but stopped, clear tears streaming down her cheeks, the 10-year-old girl already showing a beautiful and elegant demeanor.

  The old lady smiled and shook her head, with a somewhat sarcastic expression. "You! You're really a silly girl, you don't understand many things yet! Listen to your grandmother's words, don't provoke Yang Lan, you can't afford to mess with her!" She sighed in her heart, how could they be so different? That one was a real genius, as soon as she spoke, she immediately understood what you meant, not losing out at all. This one was silly enough to make people laugh! Ah, what's going to happen now?!

  "Yes, granddaughter remembered!" Li Qianshuo lowered her head, her hands stuck to the hem of her skirt and tightly clenched together, her finger joints turned white, quietly hidden in her sleeves, not daring to let anyone see.

  The old lady sighed and thought to herself, "What a foolish child! Not even I can provoke the eldest princess, let alone you! You're still young, when you wake up from your dreams, you'll understand. Some things are not worth doing!"

  Wow! So few people click on it!