Jiang Ruo panicked, "No, that's my husband."
"They're divorced, aren't they?"
Jiang Ruo stared wide-eyed at Yanran, this time too angry to speak.
Suddenly, large tears streamed down her face.
Yanran immediately gave in. "Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."
If they disagree, the flood will be so severe that everyone will be unable to share the food.
Jiang Ruo simply buried her face in her arms on the table and started crying.
She cried for a while, but didn't need anyone to comfort her; she calmed down on her own.
"We're divorced, but," she said, biting her lip, "We can't let anyone bully him."
What do you want to do?
"What are you doing?"
"What are your plans, you and her?"
"My story with him is a long one..."
"Never mind then, just pretend I didn't ask."
Yanran dislikes people going on and on; she's not Xiu'er and isn't that enthusiastic about gossip.
Jiang Ruo: "How could you do that?"
She could also see that her little cousin was actually quite pitiful and fragile.
As soon as she cried, Yanran's attitude softened noticeably.
Yanran: "And you even force yourself to say it and listen to it?"
"We're cousins, so we're naturally different from other people," Jiang Ruo sniffed. "I don't have many friends, and I don't dare tell my parents..."
I'm still a child.
Let the child be. Although Yanran felt she knew quite a lot from what she had seen and heard, it was at times like this that the child's advantages became apparent.
Jiang Ruo: "Who isn't a child at first? Me too."
Yanran: "A twenty-year-old child?"
"That's right," Jiang Ruo said matter-of-factly, "My mother said that as long as I'm not a mother, I'm still a child; and even if I become a mother, in her eyes I'll always be a child."
Yanran: "Oh, a family with a long tradition of learning."
Jiang Ruo didn't detect any insincerity in her words at all, and said, "It's alright. My mother isn't very well-mannered, and my father has a rather dark complexion."
In his words, he had already treated Yanran as a close friend, telling her everything.
Yanran rested her chin on her hand and thought silently, "Mother, look at Jiang Ruo, are you still worried about me?"
In fact, Yanran could summarize the whole story of Jiang Ruo and Wen Heng in just one sentence.
I am willing, but you are indifferent.
"Wen Heng never cared for you in the first place. You were lusted after her and insisted on having her marry into your family. Now that you see her so unhappy, you let her go. Who are you crying for here to see?"
Yanran felt that Jiang Ruo was right about one thing.
--So she can only talk to herself.
If this were a normal adult, they would roll their eyes to the heavens.
In short, Yanran is precocious at a young age, Jiang Ruo is older and a bit of an idiot. When these two are combined, they really do have a bit of a sisterly bond vibe.
After this heart-to-heart talk, Jiang Ruo believed she had completely opened up to Yanran and considered her a confidante.
So even though Yanran had made countless promises that she would do everything in her power to take care of Wen Heng, she still managed to cling to him.
Yanran: What terrible things have I done?!
Is she particularly attractive to people lately?
First Wu Yu, now Jiang Ruo, when will this ever end?
Life is too hard.
She needs to talk to her father.
But I can't find it.
Since arriving in the capital, her father had been elusive, so she could only send a guard to deliver a message and wait for him to come looking for her.
"Yanran, are you there?"
Upon hearing Jiang Ruo's voice, Yanran lay face down on the table, pretending to be dead.
She said weakly, "I'm not here."
I made a mistake by not leaving early after getting up today.
She's the only mistress in the Prince's mansion now, so Jiang Ruo especially loves to come here.
Jiang Ruo said happily, "I thought you might be able to go out, so I came early, and sure enough, I stopped you."
She lifted the curtain and came in, saying, "Bring everything in."
Then Yanran saw a group of maids file in, each carrying a different item.
"What are you trying to do?" Yanran, a little flustered.
Why did she feel that Jiang Ruo wanted to move the entire princess's residence here?
"I told my mom that you're too lonely living alone, so I'll come and stay with you for a few days."
Yanran: "..."
"I also brought you some things. Look, this is silk gauze; it's getting warmer, you should change it. This is a beaded curtain, made of cat's-eye stones; it looks so beautiful in the sunlight..."
Jiang Ruo truly a flower of worldly wealth and honor.
Having grown up in a privileged environment, she was very particular about her clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
She brought forty guards and over twenty maids and servants with her when she arrived at the Prince's residence...
She didn't have many friends growing up, and her friendship with Yanran was genuine.
So although Yanran really wanted to send her away, she was too embarrassed to say it.
Unexpectedly, my good intentions were rewarded.
It was a very hot day. Yanran and Jiang Ruo lay under the shade of a tree, with lychees that had just been delivered from the Princess's residence beside them. A maid knelt down and offered the prepared lychee flesh to Jiang Ruo.
Yanran rolled her eyes at Jiang Ruo, grabbed two sweet potatoes for Jiang'er, and said, "Peel them and spit out the pits. They taste like rotten sweet potatoes, but they'll be fine after a while. They're sweet."
Jiang'er was a little embarrassed to eat it.
It's one thing for others to kneel while she stands, but she even eats the same food as her master; it doesn't feel right.
Yanran glared at her. "Why are you looking at others? This is our home, and I'm the rule."
This Jiang Ruo has corrupted the atmosphere of the entire household.
Jiang Ruo also felt a little uneasy, so she dismissed the maid and ate by herself, imitating Yanran.
"Yanran, has your mother written to you recently? Did she mention Wen Heng?"
Yanran said, "My mother is too busy to keep an eye on him. But don't worry, I've entrusted the most reliable person to watch over him, and they'll let you know if anything happens."
This person must be Niohuru Tianxiu!
Jiang Ruo said, "Then I'll trouble you. Don't be stingy with the money; I have plenty."
Wen Heng is gone; all she has left is money.
Just then, Consort De sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, saying that a nanny would be appointed as Yanran's tutor to teach her manners.
The fact that Consort De was able to suppress her anger for so many days before it flared up again shows her remarkable forbearance.
Yanran lazily reached out to receive the imperial decree, and the Nanny Jin immediately said, "Miss, you must be respectful when receiving the decree, and keep your back straight when kneeling."
Yanran withdrew her hand and gave her a half-smile.
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree nearly dropped it to the ground.
Jiang Ruo frowned, her beautiful willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing. "I hate you pretentious old hags the most. Just because you came from Consort De's side, you think you're Consort De? You're making a mountain out of a molehill."
Yanran: Sister, that's awesome!
I never expected you to be like this, Jiang Ruo.
They're not good with words, but they speak out for justice, they can't tolerate any injustice, and they dare to criticize anyone—the two of them really do have a bit of a sisterly bond.
Yanran herself was no pushover either.
She stood up from the cushion, raised an eyebrow at Nanny Jin, and said, "Come, give me a demonstration."
Helpless, Nanny Jin could only kneel on the scorching ground beside her to demonstrate.
Yanran rubbed her eyes. "There was a flying insect in my eye just now, I didn't see it clearly, could you please do it again, Nanny Jin?"
Next time, Jiang Ruo said, "Wait, your back wasn't straight just now, that's a bad example, do it again."
The two of them went back and forth, making Nanny Jin feel utterly humiliated, and they kept arguing for more than half an hour.
Nanny Jin was bitter inside—she hadn't come to teach etiquette; she had come to learn it herself!