Chapter 33: The Eldest and Youngest (Part 2)

  Jinxiu Pavilion's main room is Dongnuan Pavilion.

  Chen Lan was rummaging through the boxes with Yun'er, as yesterday a large number of new servants had just arrived. The Jinxiu Pavilion was not as quiet as usual, with either no one in sight or all the maids huddled together to warm themselves by the fire. Currently, there were three second-class maids: Hongluo, Xifang, and Yun'er; four third-class maids: Sumu, Hujiao, Ruixue, and the newly arrived Qiangwei; and six small maids responsible for sweeping and miscellaneous chores, plus two rough servant women. Since her wet nurse had passed away early on, a new one had not been chosen yet, so it was put off for now.

  It wasn't until Chen Lan was organizing his belongings that he realized how difficult the original owner's life had been. On a cold day, there was only one old, large red woolen coat to wear, and it was worn out at the cuffs and collar, with signs of mending in several inconspicuous places. As for seasonal clothing, although there seemed to be many, only a few were made of decent silk or satin, while the rest were made of coarse or fine linen, some even had embroidered flowers to cover up stains... In short, they were all different and of poor quality. Compared to the two sets of high-quality winter clothes that Zhu Shi sent over during Chinese New Year, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

  She looked at the old clothes on the kang and said to Yun'er beside her, "You're not envious of my needlework, are you? You and Xiangfang, Hongxiao each pick one to take away, and the rest will be kept well."

  "Miss, are you still wearing these old clothes? Besides the old lady's, there are also two silk jackets given by the princess. Miss is one year older after the new year, how can she still wear old ones?"

  "It's not like I've never worn them before, what's the big deal about old or new clothes?! Those few pieces can still be worn, keeping them might come in handy someday."

  Chen Lan Zheng carefully folded the shirts and skirts, when a voice came from behind: "Third Miss is really someone who knows how to live, she actually loves things so much."

  When she heard this, Chen Lan was taken aback for a moment, turned her head to see that it was Zheng Mama who had come in with a smile on her face. Thinking that someone had just been left outside, but Zheng Mama could still enter the house like this, she couldn't help but feel a shock in her heart, and immediately got up quickly: "Zheng Mama has arrived, please sit down."

  Zheng's mother smiled and nodded, then half-pushed and half-just leaned against Chen Lan on the kang and sat down. She immediately took an inlaid lacquer box from the hand of the maid beside her and placed it lightly on the kang table.

  "It was the old lady who asked me to come and deliver things to Third Miss. In three more days, it will be the Wangfu's plum blossom appreciation, and all clothes and accessories must be ready. These headdresses and accessories are all usable."

  Although the box was well-covered, Chen Lan had already sensed the preciousness of the contents from its weight, and hastily thanked her. Zheng Mama, however, gently opened the lid again and pushed the items towards Chen Lan, smiling as she said: "The old lady had a lot of jewelry stored away, but most of them were old-fashioned, so I was asked to go to De Sheng Ji's gold and silver shop a few days ago to order some new-style hair accessories."

  Chen Lan just glanced at it and saw that it was full of gold and jade, so he knew that this box was very valuable. He then revealed an uneasy expression. Zheng Mama saw Su Mu's eyes widen as she looked inside, and her heart was extremely satisfied. She sat for a moment, said a few words, and then hastily left. As soon as she was gone, Su Mu hurriedly went forward.

  "Miss, Zheng's mother arrived suddenly. Qin Fang's sister had just taken Rui Xue to the kitchen. I originally wanted to let Hu Jiao come in and report, but a maid who followed her blocked Hu Jiao, so it was too late."

  Chen Lan had wanted to ask the other little maids, but thinking that these people were newly selected, she was afraid that even if they saw Zheng Mama, they would not be able to react in time. So she didn't press the matter further and thought to herself that when Hong Luo returned, she would have to teach them a lesson. Looking at the three-tiered carved lacquer box on the kang table, she had Yun'er and Su Mu take out the things one by one, and before long, the kang table was filled with all sorts of things, dazzling the eyes of the three little maids, and even Chen Lan felt a bit dizzy.

  Although the inlay work may not be as good as that of later generations, take a look at these ornaments - gold necklaces with jade and emerald inlays, peony hairpins adorned with southern pearls and jade leaves, four-colored plum blossom-shaped gold pins, delicate palace pendants and jade pendants used to hold down the hem of a skirt, a pair of cat's eye agate and a pair of linked lockets... Altogether there are over ten pieces, all of which are exquisitely crafted. According to Yun'er, who often goes out for walks, even if it were a prosperous business run by an old noble family, it would not be possible to produce such items in a short period of time; they must have been prepared long in advance.

  Everyone was busy sorting out these valuable gifts, when Hong Luo suddenly flashed in from outside. Seeing them, she hastily stepped forward and bowed her knees, then said in a low voice: "I just came back from Lianxiang Temple, I heard that Zheng Mama went to Cuiliu Residence first, also brought such an carved lacquer box, before coming here."

  Upon hearing this, Chen Lan's eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. It seemed that the old lady was shaken by the emperor's sudden and drastic actions, and had begun to consider winning over the three branches of the family.

  She wasn't in a hurry, but Yun'er beside her was anxious and hastily said: "Miss, the old lady has always disliked the third house, even more so the fifth young miss. How come she suddenly sent someone to give the fifth young miss jewelry and accessories? The fifth young miss usually seems quiet and unassuming, but these past two days the steward has been very organized and secretive, you must be careful."

  Chen Lan handed the carved lacquer jewelry box to Hong Luo, telling her to put it away, but without opening it. Su Mu, who was standing beside them, curiously asked: "Sister, what you said isn't right, is it? Why would Old Madam not like the Third House? The Third Mistress was still personally chosen by Old Madam to marry the Third Master, and whatever our Miss has, the Fifth Miss must also have a share. Whatever our Miss doesn't have, the Fifth Miss often has too - I've even heard that the maids in the Fourth Miss's quarters have complained, saying that Old Madam is biased towards the Fifth Miss."

  "What do you know?" Yun'er, who had always been proud of her knowledge, felt embarrassed when Su Mu refuted her. She sneered coldly, "Is the old lady biased? If it weren't for the relationship between Luo Niang and Wei Guogong, Fifth Miss would be just like the other illegitimate daughters in the third house, barely able to leave Qingleyuan! Don't look at how Third Madame is bedridden and not managing things now, but back then, she had those aunts and illegitimate daughters under control. Yet all these years, Fifth Miss has never given Third Madame any handle to grasp, and still managed to protect her brothers. If she wasn't hiding deeply, how could she have done it?"

  "Alright, Yun'er, don't just show off, Sumu is still young, how can you know more than him?"

  Chen Lan said a sentence to Yun'er, and after seeing her stunned expression, she revealed a happy smile. She knew that this sentence, which seemed like a scolding but was actually praise, made the little girl very pleased. Only then did she send her to the kitchen to see why Qin Fang and Rui Xue hadn't returned for so long. With Su Mu and Hu Jiao reorganizing the boxes, she sat down on the kang, and when Hong Luo came out from behind the curtains, she beckoned to her.

  "What else did you hear when you just went to Lianxiangyuan?"

  Hongluo saw Chen Lan being completely uninterested in the box of precious jewelry, and her heart became even more certain that this young lady's gaze was not solely on these superficial riches and honors. She composed herself and replied carefully: "I went to Lianxiang Institute, first I met with Old Lady and talked about Miss's situation, Old Lady asked in detail but didn't say anything else. Then I chatted with Green Lotus Sister and Jade Pomegranate Sister for a while, heard that they had several dresses that couldn't be finished on time, so I took the initiative to take them over. I also asked about the Lantern Festival at Wangfu's plum blossom appreciation event, Green Lotus Sister said it's uncertain whether we can go or not at this time. Later, Zheng Mama happened to come out and said since it was Second Master who had committed a fault, it wouldn't be a problem for all the young ladies to go together."

  "When I came out of the Lianxiang Institute, another old woman asked me to deliver something to the eastern skirt house where the old mother-in-law lived at the back door. I thought it was nothing and ran an extra trip, only to find out that Zheng Mama had gone to Cuiliu Residence first, and that drunken old woman said a few more words. Because what I heard was shocking, I didn't dare to stay any longer and hurried back."

  Chen Lan knew that Hong Luo was meticulous, and he immediately took it to heart, but he didn't ask questions right away. Sure enough, Hong Luo didn't mean to sell Guan Zi, and after taking a deep breath, she said in a low voice: "That old woman got drunk and talked nonsense, talking about the affairs of Old Lady's generation. She said that with so many people around Old Master Hou, who still remembers those beautiful and talented ladies-in-waiting? Poor Qin Niangniang, who gave birth to Third Master, was also young and vigorous at that time, but she died a tragic death, not even getting a noble title!"

  When Hong Luo spat out those last few words, Chen Lan couldn't help but take a deep breath. She had always found it strange that even if Zhu Shi would take good care of herself, at that time, there was no one around Old Master Chen Yong who didn't disappear without a trace, and the people in the household were all tight-lipped about it. Who would have thought that it would end like this? Burial alive... The will left behind by Taizu Lin Changhui also said that burial alive had long been abolished, but what was the reality now? She didn't believe it, a woman who already had a son would be willing to abandon her son and die with him!

  Thinking of the kind-hearted and benevolent Zhu, Chen Lan felt a chill in her heart as if it had frozen over. Despite being aware of this earlier, she still felt a sense of unease. The difference between blood relations was evident, as Old Lady Zhu was willing to sacrifice the Chen family's reputation for the sake of Princess Jin, and there were unclear connections between the Third House and the Weiguo Duke's estate. She had to take Chen Yan and leave this muddy waters behind!

  P.S: Recently, many good new books have been emerging one after another. I recommend a new book that I've read called "Xian Sheng Qing Shang Xian", hehe, it's a very funny and interesting book!