At the flower-viewing banquet, the Eldest Princess smiled as she watched the young noble ladies and young masters of marriageable age. It was as if she was reminiscing about her own youth. Born a Princess, she enjoyed a life that ordinary people could never compare to in their entire lifetimes. The greatest hardship she had ever endured was likely the forehead injury she sustained while protecting the Emperor.
Thinking of her lost-and-found daughter, the Eldest Princess felt an even greater sense of peace with her current stable life, and a surge of gratitude toward Jiang Li welled up within her. The girl was Mr. Ting Shan’s granddaughter. Even though the elders in her family had passed away, her status in the Capital City was by no means low. Under no circumstances should she have been reduced to marrying a memorial tablet. Looking at Jiang Li from afar, the Eldest Princess made a decision to keep an eye out for her. She resolved that if a suitable, fine young man came along, she would have a proper talk with Jiang Li about leaving the Yin Family and remarrying. It was utterly absurd to let a perfectly fine young girl marry a memorial tablet. Living a comfortable and privileged life, the Eldest Princess despised seeing such injustices, let alone when it involved the savior of Commandery Princess Baoqing.
Jiang Li noticed the Eldest Princess looking her way and could guess what was on her mind. It seemed her efforts this time had paid off. Once the Beauty Pill took effect, the Eldest Princess would be able to smoothly help her escape. While Jiang Li wanted to leverage the Eldest Princess’s power, she didn’t want her benefactor to be accused of bullying others with her status. Therefore, before borrowing that power, she intended to make the Yin Family too overwhelmed to fend for themselves—ideally by stirring up some serious trouble. Recalling how the Yin Family had treated her in her previous life, Jiang Li felt that whatever fate befell them, they entirely had it coming.
After the flower-viewing banquet ended, Jiang Li returned to the Yin Family’s home.
She arrived just in time to see Wei Zizhang escorting Yin Ranshuang back. Mr. Yin and Mrs. Fan had already received the news that their daughter had sprained her ankle and was taken to the clinic by the third young master of Prince An’s Mansion. The couple’s reaction was exactly as Jiang Li had anticipated. Not only did they disregard the strict propriety between unmarried men and women, but they were also incredibly pleased with Wei Zizhang. When Wei Zizhang walked in, Mr. Yin and Mrs. Fan’s gazes were practically glued to him. Jiang Li stood to the side, her eyelashes slightly lowered to conceal the emotions in her eyes. To the Yin Family, Wei Zizhang was born into the Imperial Family and held a noble status. If Yin Ranshuang could form a connection with him, it would be a great boon for the Yin Family. Thus, Jiang Li realized she didn’t need to do anything at all. As long as she didn’t interfere, the Yin Family would walk themselves step by step into the abyss.
Wei Zizhang was handsome, so he was used to having women hovering around him and had seen plenty of scenes where people fawned over him. Even though those within the Imperial Family looked down on him as a concubine-born son, there were still many outsiders eager to cling to his coattails. The more attentive the Yin Family acted, the more Wei Zizhang looked down on them, viewing them as nothing more than an insignificant household. He even wondered why a girl of such low origins had been invited to the Princess Mansion’s flower-viewing banquet. However, he didn’t dwell on it. After all, she was someone whose status and position were unworthy of him. Even if he got involved with her, the most he would do was take her into his home as a concubine. If she was unwilling to be a concubine, she could simply marry someone else.
Despite having just met, Wei Zizhang had already figured out how to coax Yin Ranshuang into obediently throwing herself into his arms. But then he remembered how, back at the Princess Mansion, he hadn’t even had to do anything before she took the initiative to fall into his embrace. He thought to himself that she truly was just a girl from an insignificant family. Outwardly, Wei Zizhang maintained perfect etiquette, leaving the Yin Family completely oblivious to his true thoughts.
After safely delivering Yin Ranshuang, Wei Zizhang bid his farewells, and Mr. Yin personally escorted him to the door.
Once Wei Zizhang left, Mrs. Fan hurriedly grabbed Yin Ranshuang’s hands and asked, "Ranshuang, tell your mother, how did you manage to get attached to a young master from Prince An’s Mansion?"
Recalling Wei Zizhang’s gentle attentiveness, Yin Ranshuang was so shy she couldn’t lift her head. "I... I suppose Young Master Wei has taken a liking to me."
Mrs. Fan looked her strikingly dressed daughter up and down, finding absolutely nothing wrong with that assumption, and nodded. "I knew it. My daughter is exceptionally beautiful. Who could possibly forget your beauty after seeing it? Ranshuang, listen to me. Find a way to interact with Young Master Wei more often. It would be best if you could get him to agree to marry you and come over to formally propose."
Yin Ranshuang’s cheeks grew even hotter. "When he carried me to the clinic, he did praise me, saying I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He also said he wanted to marry a wife just like me."
Mrs. Fan grinned from ear to ear. "As expected of my daughter, you truly are capable! Don’t worry, I will figure out a way to prepare a more generous dowry for you. Even if you marry into the Imperial Family, I won’t let anyone look down on you."
Standing off to the side, Jiang Li had to desperately suppress the corners of her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. They were jumping the gun entirely, talking as if Yin Ranshuang and Wei Zizhang were already engaged. However, Jiang Li actually hoped they would get married. One was a swindler of young women, and the other was hopelessly vain. It would be perfect for the two of them to torture each other for the rest of their lives.
After seeing Wei Zizhang off, Mr. Yin returned to the front hall and began asking Jiang Li about the young master.
"Miss Li, you grew up by your grandparents’ side, so you must know quite a few nobles in the Capital City. Have you ever heard of this third young master of Prince An’s Mansion?"
Jiang Li kept her head slightly bowed, maintaining her meek and submissive facade. "I’ve heard of him."
Mr. Yin waited for her to continue, but the silence dragged on with no further elaboration. Frowning slightly, he prompted, "Miss Li, tell me, what do you know about the third young master of Prince An’s Mansion?"
Feigning timidity, Jiang Li said in a trembling voice, "He is part of the Imperial Family. All I know is that he isn’t married yet, nor is he engaged to any family’s daughter."
Mr. Yin wanted to press for more details, but Yin Ranshuang interrupted him.
"Father, don’t make things difficult for Jiang Li. How could she possibly know about the affairs of the Imperial Family? It’s better not to ask her anymore."
Deep down, Yin Ranshuang looked down on Jiang Li to some extent. Even though she had seen the Eldest Princess speaking privately with Jiang Li today, she thought nothing of it. It was merely out of respect for Jiang Li’s grandfather. The Eldest Princess might have been polite to Jiang Li for a moment, but if she ever found out that Jiang Li was a witless woman who couldn’t even string a proper sentence together, she certainly wouldn’t send her another invitation. As for being mistaken for Jiang Li’s maid at the flower-viewing banquet, Yin Ranshuang found it too humiliating and absolutely refused to mention it in front of her parents.
Mr. Yin didn’t ask any further questions and dismissed Jiang Li to go rest. Naturally enjoying the peace and quiet, Jiang Li curtsied and took her leave.
Once only the family of three remained in the hall, Mr. Yin and Mrs. Fan both urged Yin Ranshuang to see Wei Zizhang more often and to make sure she captured his heart.
Mr. Yin said, "I have heard things about Prince An’s Mansion before. This third young master was born to a concubine, so if you marry him, you could easily become his legitimate wife."
Hearing that he was concubine-born, Yin Ranshuang’s heart sank. She was a legitimate daughter—how could she marry a concubine’s son? She wondered why Jiang Li hadn’t told her this earlier, or if it was possible that Jiang Li simply didn’t know.
Mrs. Fan saw through her daughter’s dismay and comforted her. "Even though he’s concubine-born, he still comes from the Imperial Family, which means his status is highly esteemed. Besides, so what if he’s a concubine’s son? When you marry him, you’ll be able to command his full respect."
Swayed by Mrs. Fan’s words, Yin Ranshuang began to daydream about how she would spend her days after marrying Wei Zizhang, despite not yet having any real relationship with him. Her most pressing priority, however, was to heal her sprained ankle so she could have the chance to meet with him again.