Ye Luan was exhausted from a whole day's work and fell asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow. She didn't stir until the sun was high in the sky.
She had always been adaptable and never felt out of place wherever she stayed.
But early that morning, just after breakfast, she heard people chattering outside, making a fuss.
She washed her hands and went out into the courtyard to see.
"Cousin, what's all this for?"
At the entrance of the courtyard, Bai Muheng led a large group of people in. Behind him were more than a dozen rosewood chests, and special craftsmen were looking around.
"A'luan, come here."
Ye Luan, not understanding, descended the stone steps. "What is this?"
Bai Muheng introduced, "This is the steward from the Dingbei Prince's Manor. He's here to deliver things for you."
"This old servant greets Miss Ye."
Ye Luan had seen the steward of the Prince's Manor before, but it wasn't this person. However, she knew there were several stewards in the manor, so she nodded.
"This old servant is here on the Prince's orders to deliver some daily necessities for Miss. Does Miss want to move them inside, or...?"
Ye Luan looked at the more than a dozen large chests with a slight chill in her expression. Her gaze then swept over the few gardeners who followed, and her expression grew colder.
What was this crazy lunatic up to?!
"Move them into the small storeroom next door."
She didn't want to be stuck here with them. These people were just following orders and had no authority. They wouldn't leave until the items were dropped off.
Never mind.
Let him send whatever he wanted to send.
"Yes."
"What are these people doing?"
The steward respectfully replied, "The Prince fears Miss may not be accustomed to living here, so he has ordered them to draw a topographical map of the area to facilitate renovations."
This place was too small. Miss Ye's residence had to be elegant. These rockeries, gardens, ponds, and the crabapple blossoms were all too vulgar.
Ye Luan: "----"
She was utterly speechless. Looking at the people who were brazenly taking measurements, her face darkened slightly.
"There's no need. Take your people back and tell the Prince that his thoughtfulness is appreciated."
She couldn't say anything harsh in front of so many people, but she was truly exasperated by his presumptuous actions.
The steward was adept at reading people's expressions. Upon hearing this, he immediately ordered his men to carry the more than a dozen large chests into the small storeroom next door.
Since the items had been delivered, and renovations wouldn't happen overnight, they wouldn't be punished upon their return.
"Then this old servant will take his leave."
Once everyone had left, Bai Muheng clicked his tongue. He went directly into the storeroom and casually opened one of the chests.
"Wow, there's even Western fabric and inkstone. Is this purple sandalwood? Ah, and silk... A'luan, come quickly and see---"
Ye Luan had no desire to look, but several young ladies from the manor heard the commotion and came to watch the spectacle.
"Wow, this is a whole chest of hairpins and jewelry! The Dingbei Prince is so generous."
"Cousin, come quickly and look! There's also a lot of food imported from foreign lands, gold and silver wares, gemstones, and agate."
Seeing everyone crowding in to watch, Bai Muheng hurriedly tried to usher them away.
"Yikes, what's this?"
"Ah, an abdominal band! Fifth sister, put it down quickly---"
Ye Luan stood outside and heard the giggles of the young girls from inside.
She peeked in and saw the four-year-old Fifth Miss holding an abdominal band, surrounded by the young ladies who were laughing. They were in a playful uproar, and her cousin walked out with an unnatural expression.
Her face flushed, she quickly went inside and closed that chest of intimate apparel.
"Alright, alright, stop the fuss, everyone disperse."
A young lady, fanning herself and giggling, teased her.
"Cousin, the Prince has arranged everything for you, from food and entertainment to clothing and shelter!"
Ye Luan quickly took the abdominal band from Fifth Miss's hand. After saying a few words, she let the young ladies take a few pieces of jewelry and hurried them away.
But she never expected that over the next two days, all sorts of golden earrings, hairpins, and tribute treasures would be delivered to Moon Pavilion in chests.
That fellow was so brazen that he even ordered a cold jade bed to be moved in, said to be made of ice glaze, warm in winter and cool in summer, which caused widespread discussion in the manor.
Ye Luan gritted her teeth in anger. How would others think of her? If they didn't know better, they'd think her grandmother was mistreating her!
Just as she was planning to find an opportunity to talk to Xiao Chizhan and tell him to stop causing trouble, she received an invitation from Wei Qingge, asking her to go to a teahouse to listen to stories.
With her lively personality, would she invite her to listen to stories?
As expected, when she arrived, she found Wei Qingge fast asleep at a table in a corner of the teahouse, having lost all pretense of decorum. Beside her, Lan Murou was sitting quietly and listening to the storyteller.
"Murou."
Lan Murou, with her eyebrows slightly lowered, was carefully listening to the opera. Hearing the sound, she quickly looked up and smiled. "A'luan, over here."
"A'luan is here?!"
Wei Qingge, groggy from sleep, immediately woke up. Seeing the person who had sat down, she exclaimed loudly.
"You didn't say you were at the Duke's Manor. I asked Li Qiongyu and found out you never went back to Liuxiang Alley and were staying at the Duke's Manor the whole time. You made me wait for two days in vain."
Ye Luan had forgotten about that and gave an embarrassed laugh. "I hadn't had a chance to tell you yet."
"Hmph," Wei Qingge pouted. Then she thought of something and complained to her, "I've been helping out at the restaurant these past two days, and I'm almost dead tired. I'll play with you for a bit, and then I have to go back to work."
"Where are you working?"
"Isn't it that Li Qiongyu squeezing me dry, making me pay off his debts, and forcing me to do the hardest labor? He's truly inhuman."
Hearing this, Ye Luan narrowed her eyes slightly, a flicker of surprise in her gaze.
Li Qiongyu didn't seem like such a stingy person.
She teased, "Could it be that he likes you?"
"How is that possible?" Wei Qingge's face flushed red with excitement. "He beats me like he wants to kill me whenever we fight. He bullies me every day. Last time, when I asked him to find that pervert, he wasn't even diligent about it--"
As she was furiously complaining, suddenly, from not too far ahead, a light laugh was heard.
"Miss Lan, what a coincidence."
The three of them heard the voice, turned their heads, and saw a gorgeously dressed woman and Tantai Ye walking in from the teahouse entrance.
The woman saw them in the corner and walked over with a smile to greet them.
It was Princess Qinghe, Li Yan!
Lan Murou watched the two approaching figures, her palms turning pale. No wonder he hadn't returned to the General's Manor these past two days; he had been accompanying her all along.
"Princess Qinghe?!" Wei Qingge frowned unhappily. "When did you get back? And when did you two get together?"
As soon as she said this, Li Yan's face instantly stiffened, though the expression was fleeting.
She smiled and said, "The General and I have known each other since childhood. Miss Wei, please be mindful of your words."
"Tch--"
Wei Qingge secretly cursed a few times, sat down on her stool, and glared at Tantai Ye.
Ye Luan noticed something was wrong with Lan Murou and held her hand. She looked at their expressions and raised her eyebrows slightly.
This was truly quite a show.
That scoundrel Tantai Ye, one woman after another. Last time in Northern Qi, there was some princess, and now there was this so-called princess.
Damn it.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the manor? Why did you come out?"
Tantai Ye sat coldly to the side, glanced disdainfully at Lan Murou, his expression arrogant. His words were enough to make one want to slit his tongue.