Chapter Seven, The Princess of Jin

Yes, thank you for your understanding, madam

"It has been such a long time since our eldest cousin last visited, so we must certainly dress up nicely!" Chen Bing said, casting a meaningful glance at Chen Lan, and then cheerfully continued, "I didn't expect that Third Sister would arrive so quickly; it's quite a distance from the Jinxiu Pavilion to here, yet Third Sister's pace is impressive! By the way, Eldest Cousin, this is the hairpin you gifted me before. I wear it every day; what do you think, does it look good?"

It is Zhenlong again

After the formalities, the four sisters greeted each other. Chen Lan noticed that each of them was adorned in splendid jewels and intricately woven brocade, clearly having put in considerable effort into their appearance. She was well aware of this. When they finally sat down again, they indeed heard Zhu, the matriarch, laughingly say: "You all live nearby, yet who would have thought you would be slower than Lan'er, making us wait. How should we punish this?"

The Princess of Jin said this with a smile, and then inquired whether the bird's nest sent by Chen Lan could be eaten, expressing great concern about her current diet and sleep. Chen Lan answered one by one, naturally mentioning the golden hairpin on her head and the crane cloak on her body, expressing her gratitude profusely. After conversing for quite a while, Chen Bing, Chen Yan, and Chen Xi finally arrived together. Upon seeing that Chen Lan had come so early, the three of them were somewhat surprised, but they quickly busied themselves with bowing and paying respects to Lady Zhu and the Princess of Jin.

In the house, the only servant present was the third-rank maid, Hu Jiao. She quickly stepped forward, performed a greeting, and said: "Miss, the Princess of Jin has arrived. Since the royal procession was not arranged and the main gate of the residence was not opened wide, she has already reached the Liao Xiang Courtyard and expressed a desire to meet a few young ladies. The old lady has sent someone to convey the message, asking you to dress up nicely and hurry over."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the room varied greatly, even the usually cold and aloof Chen Xi was unusually attentive. Zhu glanced at Mother Zheng and, seeing that the Princess of Jin had opened her mouth to inquire, she explained: "This was proposed by your two aunts. I originally thought it was reasonable, but Lan'er mentioned it earlier, which reminded me. Let's just postpone it for another year and discuss it then"

The fourth brother is now more sensible than before; whether it is practicing calligraphy or studying, he puts in a lot of effort. Seeing that the Princess of Jin is listening very attentively, and so is Lady Zhu, she lets out a sigh and continues, "However diligent he may be, I am still worried about his health. I have heard that many students in the school have fallen ill this winter due to the extreme cold, and there is a chorus of coughing during classes. I would like to seek the old lady's permission; since the New Year is approaching, it would be better to let him rest at home for a few more days to avoid exhausting his body or prolonging his illness."

The princess resides in the royal residence, making it difficult for her to visit frequently. However, she is extremely considerate of her grandmother, the elderly matriarch, and presents generous gifts during festivals. This year, during the Dragon Boat Festival, the princess did come once with Prince Jin, and that occasion was naturally marked by a grand opening of the main gate. Yet, this is not surprising; in the past, Princess Qi would occasionally visit her family, but she was not particularly fond of being surrounded by attendants.

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Zhu smile, but even the Princess of Jin appeared radiant, immediately removing a water-colored, exceptionally pure jade bracelet from her wrist and giving it to Chen Yan. Chen Lan observed coldly, noticing that although Chen Bing was smiling joyfully, her eyes were fixed on the bracelet with a mix of envy and jealousy. She discreetly took a sip of tea until the Princess of Jin inquired about several cousins, and finally asked about Chen Yan, at which point she smiled.

Indeed, Mother Zheng first laughed and said that the old lady dotes on her grandson, but then sighed: "A few days ago, the second and third madams mentioned moving several of the older young masters to the outer courtyard. However, looking at the situation now, the children at home are all suffering from various calamities. They have never been short of medicine or doctors every year. With so many people serving them in the inner courtyard, it is already like this; I wonder how it would be in the outer courtyard."

The Princess of Jin and several mothers nearby laughed, saying that the old lady dotes on her grandson. However, the perpetually cold Chen Xi let out a sigh of relief, glanced at Chen Lan, her expression somewhat complex. After chatting and laughing for a while, a daughter-in-law came over to inquire about where the meal would be served. This time, Chen Lan naturally had to stay and joined the other sisters in accompanying the Princess of Jin and Madam Zhu for the meal

Chen Lan was slightly taken aback upon seeing Hong Luo, but she quickly nodded and picked up the delicate and slender caterpillar fungus pearl hairpins. She also searched for a pair of white jade earrings and a string of fragrant wood beads, realizing that this girl was perceptive, and thus nodded in approval. After a round of grooming, she changed into a new winter outfit made this year, draped on the crane cloak given by the Zhu family, and then she set out with Qin Fang and Hong Luo.

Upon entering the main hall, a maid led Chen Lan into the warm chamber. In the center, to the left of Madam Zhu, sat a young lady of about twenty, elegantly dressed. She had her hair styled in a high bun and wore a bright red silk gown adorned with gold and colorful patterns, complemented by a floor-length skirt featuring a bird and flower motif in gold embroidery. Her face bore a resemblance to Madam Zhu, yet it was her dignified demeanor that was strikingly similar. Her eyes sparkled like flowing waves, and her lips held a hint of a smile. After Chen Lan approached to pay her respects, the young lady quickly came down to assist her, holding her hand and examining her for a long while before personally guiding her to the first chair on the right side.

Upon arriving at Liao Xiang Courtyard, one could see that the courtyard was much livelier than usual during the evening greetings. In addition to the young maidservants, several unfamiliar young girls stood on the steps in front, all dressed in jade-colored short jackets and lotus-pink satin skirts. Their heads and hands were impeccably clean, with no jewelry in sight, yet their embroidered shoes were adorned with a variety of patterns. When Chen Lan entered, everyone lowered themselves to bow in greeting, and she merely nodded slightly as she passed by. The lotus-pink satin skirts, heads and hands impeccably clean, with no jewelry in sight, yet their embroidered shoes were adorned with a variety of patterns. When Chen Lan entered, everyone lowered themselves to bow in greeting, and she merely nodded slightly as she passed by

Chen Lan hurriedly stood up to express her gratitude and then turned her gaze towards Mother Zheng. In recent days, Mother Zheng had frequently visited her at the Jingxiu Pavilion, and each time, she treated her with the respect due to an elder, never once contradicting her words. Qinfang had even taken on several embroidery tasks, having just personally delivered them yesterday, and naturally, she had to voice her concerns about Chen Yan moving to the outer courtyard. If it were not for the knowledge that Zhenlong had not yet been assigned to Chen Bing, and that the Zhu family had seemingly been paying her extra attention these days, she would not have dared to take such risks. Naturally, she had to voice her concerns about Chen Yan moving to the outer courtyard. If it were not for the knowledge that Zhenlong had not yet been assigned to Chen Bing, and that the Zhu family had seemingly been paying her extra attention these days, she would not have dared to take such risks.

Chen Lan walked while pondering, exiting the eastern study, and moved from the main house to sit in front of the dressing table in the western room. Hong Luo, accompanied by Su Mu and Hu Jiao, gathered around her. Hong Luo opened the ebony jewelry box and casually picked out the pair of passionflower gold hairpins from inside: "Miss, the princess has come today; should we still use this pair of gold hairpins?"

The Princess of Jin turned around after approaching Chen Bing, expressing her desire for an evaluation. She smiled and remarked that good things require someone to complement them, and then praised Chen Yan and Chen Xi a few times. Chen Xi remained as indifferent as ever, while Chen Yan smiled and said, "Cousin, don't just praise us. In my opinion, there are very few people in this world who can wear bright red and bring out its color, and only you are worthy of wearing this bright red. It complements your spirit and complexion beautifully. When it comes to grace and dignity, who can compare to you?" Chen Yan continued, "Cousin, don't just praise us. In my opinion, there are very few people in this world who can wear bright red and bring out its color, and only you are worthy of wearing this bright red. It complements your spirit and complexion beautifully. When it comes to grace and dignity, who can compare to you?"

Zhu was somewhat surprised by what he heard, and then nodded: "What you say makes sense. This winter seems particularly cold; I heard that an elderly gentleman in poor health actually froze to death in his sedan chair while attending court... Amitabha. In that case, let him rest at home for a few days. He is still young, and there is no rush for him to study."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was taken aback. Chen Lan immediately stood up, intending to withdraw, while the other three hurriedly rose as well. The Princess of Jin saw Zhu nodding but gestured for them not to leave. Once everyone had sat down again, she said: "Sisters, you are all grown up now; this is not a big deal, just a bit embarrassing. The last time the prince came here with me, he praised your maids endlessly. I thought he was just making casual remarks, but a few days ago, I learned that he has taken a liking to your beloved Zhenlong. I understand that Zhenlong is someone you hold dear, but..."

That morning, she was sitting behind her desk, engrossed in flipping through the "Jianyan Notes," which Chen Yan had somehow procured for her. Suddenly, she heard a commotion of footsteps outside, and shortly after, Qinfang hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered.

It has only been six months since I last saw her at https://mhetushucomcom, and I heard that San Mei was injured. Today, I took a look and her complexion seems quite good, so I am finally at ease

Upon hearing this, Chen Lan immediately set aside the scroll in her hand and, after a moment of contemplation, asked: "Did the Princess of Jin often come like this in the past? Did she always do so without alarming others?"

After the meal was finished and the table and food were cleared away, when someone brought tea, the Princess of Jin held the lid of the delicate Jun kiln teacup with two fingers of her right hand, as if she intended to drink the tea. However, in the end, she handed the tea to a maid beside her and then looked at Lady Zhu, saying: "Grandmother, in fact, I came today not only to visit you but also to request something else."

As the year-end approaches and her injuries have just healed, Chen Lan's return to school has been temporarily set aside. Unlike the young masters, the young ladies of the Chen family do not attend external schools; instead, they have invited a well-educated and rigorous tutor to teach them at home. Initially, they study the principles of female conduct and virtue, while the Four Books and Five Classics are only discussed casually. However, she is not interested in these subjects and is quite content to read and write in her room, enjoying a more carefree existence. Fortunately, she had learned calligraphy in her childhood and is fully familiar with traditional characters. Now, by practicing a few calligraphy sheets each day, her writing has gradually become more fluent.

Qinfang spoke while sending the pepper to the west room for preparation, then helped Chen Lan to stand up and explained in a low voice: "It is just that the princess has been married for several years and has only given birth to one daughter, so this year the royal residence has added two more ladies. Their backgrounds are slightly lower, but they are all chosen by the noble consort. Fortunately, the Prince Jin still holds the princess in high regard."

The pair of cordyceps pearls is all a gift from the princess, simple yet suitable for meeting others