Yingya smiled and said, "The wind was strong yesterday, as you well know, Second Sister. We've already summoned Physician Zheng, and he prescribed a formula said to be most effective for wind-cold." After speaking, she glanced at Yingzhen with concern. "Third Sister has just returned from outside and may not be familiar with Fufeng's climate. It's dry and windy here—one must take good care of one's health."
Truth be told, Yingya didn’t care for Yuan Mengying either—she was the type who wouldn’t lift a finger without personal gain. Initially, she had set her sights on Yingya’s brother, but now that he might not inherit the Marquis Household in the future, Yuan Mengying had found her own way into the palace as a Female Official. She had somehow located a female instructor from an academy and attended daily without fail.
Though Yingya disapproved of such opportunism, Yuan Mengying had been raised by her mother. By speaking up for Yuan Mengying, she was actually preserving her mother’s dignity.
Hearing Yingya’s explanation, Yingzhen didn’t expose the truth, merely saying, "Thank you for your concern, Eldest Sister. I’ll be staying in Fufeng for some time after this return, so we sisters can visit each other more often."
Yingya’s heart stirred. If Yingzhen said she would only stay in Fufeng Jun for a short while, it implied she would soon move to the capital—likely to the Marquis Household.
Looking at this sister from the Second Branch who had returned, the first thing that caught Yingya’s eye was her earlobes—plump and thick, unlike her own thin ones that lacked even a proper earlobe.
After all, she had good fortune: Second Uncle was to become the Heir, and Grandfather’s health was actually failing. She knew this thought was unfilial, but she couldn’t help thinking more than once that if Grandfather died early, her father would inherit the Marquis title sooner, and then her brother would have long been the Heir. Their family would rightfully be the masters of the Marquis Household.
She had lived in the Marquis Household for fifteen years—the phoenix tree in front of the courtyard, the swing frame her father had specially built, and countless rare treasures—all would one day belong to someone else.
Thinking of this, she recalled what her mother, Princess Ningyuan, had said: "Now is a period of national and family mourning, but in two years, the palace will hold the Imperial Selection. The Emperor is aged and isn’t selecting for himself but for the princes. Your status is sufficient to be a wife of the imperial clan, but far from being a prince’s wife. If you were adopted by your uncle and became his legitimate eldest daughter, then it would be much easier."
With this in mind, her expression toward Yingzhen grew even gentler.
Just then, the maids served tea again. Yingzhen took a sip and set it aside. Yingyue noticed that although she wore plain mourning clothes, the white jade pearls in her hair shimmered, dazzling her eyes. Resentment rose in her heart: they were both their father’s daughters, yet Yingzhen carried an innate nobility, while she seemed like a wild girl—even though she was the one who had grown up in the Marquis Household.
It seemed this was what was meant by "nurture shapes the body, environment shapes the aura." She guessed that her father and stepmother must have doted on this sister immensely, which was why she had developed such an air of grace.
In truth, it was merely a matter of status. The current Su Yingzhen had been Princess Consort Su and frequently entered the palace, so naturally, she was different from young girls.
Lin Wan whispered to Yinglan, "Now that she’s back, your Old Madam will probably dote only on her."
After all, Su Yingzhen was the Old Madam’s own legitimate granddaughter. In comparison, Su Yingya was nothing. Lin Wan’s mother was a concubine-born daughter, and the Old Concubine treated this granddaughter quite indifferently. Su Yinglan’s mother had died early and was disliked by the Third Branch. Sharing similar circumstances, the two felt a sense of mutual sympathy.
However, Lin Wan had a competitive nature and often vied with the legitimate daughter of the third branch, Su Yingmei, while Su Yinglan, having been raised by Old Lady Zhou, rarely spoke much.
Yinglan gave a playful smile, seemingly unconcerned. "Cousin Lin, at worst, I’ll just keep you company then."
After speaking, she glanced at Su Yingzhen and Su Yingya, as if seeing characters from Dream of the Red Chamber come to life. She thought to herself that she was just a low-level civil servant, having only recently passed the exam, and was hit while riding her electric scooter to work, which sent her to this unfamiliar world.
This was a dynasty called Qi, one she had never heard of in her knowledge, but the nature of feudal society remained unchanged. She had already resolved to be a quiet, unassuming concubine's daughter, never standing out, and paid no heed to Lin Wan’s words.
Yingzhen noticed Lin Wan and Yinglan whispering and glanced at Yinglan, as if seeing this concubine-born cousin’s beauty for the first time. However, Yinglan often hid behind her bangs, so it had gone unnoticed before.
Yet, it seemed Yinglan ended up living the best life among the sisters, even better than Su Yingya.
Then, Su Yingyue asked about Old Lady Chen and Chen Liu. "I heard from Grandmother that Old Lady Chen brought a young lady with her. Why haven’t we seen them?" Her mother had once been a senior maid serving Zhou, so her information was quite reliable.
Yingzhen shook her head. "I don’t know either. I only heard from my father that Miss Chen tried to murder her grandmother or something, so she’s already been taken to prison." After saying this, she glanced at Yingya. "Originally, they were supposed to come to attend Uncle’s funeral, but who would have thought they’d end up quarreling on the way."
Lin Wan looked intrigued by the gossip, while Yinglan wanted to slip away, fearing trouble the most.
Yingya’s face paled, pretending to be uninterested as she looked outside.
In the room, Su Run also spoke to Zhou about Old Lady Chen and her granddaughter. He pondered for a moment. "Originally, Mother asked us to bring them, saying they were Sister-in-law’s aunt. Both the County Princess and I treated them with great respect. However, we never expected Old Lady Chen to first spread tung oil on the path the County Princess was about to walk during the Ghost Festival, nearly causing Mother of Zhen’er to fall. Then, Miss Chen tried to harm her own grandmother. I even heard about some other shady dealings."
Lady Liu of the third branch perked up her ears, but Su Run didn’t elaborate further. When Zhou heard from her son that they had already been sent to the authorities, she murmured, "Amitabha."
Fearing her eldest daughter-in-law might feel uncomfortable, the Old Lady quickly changed the subject. "They are relatives, after all. We should send someone to check on them later."
Princess Ningyuan felt these words were directed at her, as if Su Run intended to embarrass her. She didn’t need to act herself—someone would naturally step in for her.
Hearing footsteps, it seemed that person had already arrived.
This was the first time Su Run and his wife had seen their grown son, Su Zhi. Su Zhi was tall, with a slender waist and strong arms, giving off the air of a martial artist.
Princess Qinghe stood up. Hearing the commotion, Yingzhen ignored Yingyue whispering to her and immediately ran over from the side room, calling out first, "Elder Brother."
Her elder brother was just as tall and sturdy as she remembered, unlike the desolate and weary state he had been in when exiled to the northwest. He had warned her not to get involved in any factional struggles, or she would end up like him.
But Yingzhen knew all too well that Su Zhi had been exiled back then entirely to take the fall for the family—after all, he was the legitimate younger brother of Su Yingya, the confined crown princess.
Indeed, back then, it was precisely because the old madam and Su Zhi both opposed Su Run becoming the Heir that, in order to smoothly secure the position, Su Run promised to treat the Eldest Branch well. Princess Ningyuan made no demands, only arranging for Su Yingya to be adopted for lineage succession.
Before the Imperial Selection that year, Yingya was already seventeen, while Yingzhen was only thirteen. Moreover, the mother of that prince in the palace was extremely fond of Yingzhen—it was almost an open secret. She was all set to smoothly become the prince's consort after going through the formalities. Yet, unexpectedly, on the morning before the Imperial Selection, while leaving to pay respects, she tripped over a fallen beam and took a fall, injuring her knee so severely that she could no longer walk. As a result, she missed that year's Imperial Selection.
And so, Su Yingya, as the legitimate eldest daughter of Pingzhang Hou, smoothly became the prince's consort.
If it hadn't been for Su Yingya marrying that prince, she wouldn't have drawn him into Grand Secretary Meng's faction. In the end, the Meng family emerged unscathed, while Pingzhang Houfu suffered a great calamity. Yingzhen's elder brother was implicated and lost his life, and because her eldest brother was in poor health, her parents were struck down by Chen Liu one after another and passed away. Her second brother also lived a difficult life, let alone her.