Miss Truth
Chapter 455 - 296: Finally, Someone Dared to Take on Gui Jianchou_2

Chapter 455: Chapter 296: Finally, Someone Dared to Take on Gui Jianchou_2

"Seventeenth Lady!" The person first steadied their feet and hastily reached out to help Ran Yan.

"You... This..." Dugu Lanyan was already full of ire with nowhere to vent, initially assuming it was just a maid, speaking halfway before noticing the other party actually had a married woman’s coiffure, couldn’t help but look at her doubtfully.

Ran Yan stabilized her footing and then clearly saw it was Er Dong.

"This concubine was in a hurry and bumped into Seventeenth Lady and the two noble guests, please punish me as you will," Er Dong quickly knelt down to admit her fault.

"It’s nothing, you may go if you have business," said Ran Yan.

Er Dong hesitated for a moment before promptly making her apologies to Dugu Lanyan and Cheng Qing’er and left for the back courtyard.

There were only two masters in this mansion, Ran Pingyu and Ran Yunsheng; Dugu Lanyan for an instant wasn’t sure whether Er Dong was a concubine of Ran Pingyu or Ran Yunsheng. She wanted to ask Ran Yan but seeing her face as cold as an iceberg and her eyes not straying, she ended up letting it go; and then reconsidering that a maid or concubine, even if she belonged to Yunsheng, what difference would it make? She thus did not ponder any longer and went straight from the Inner Gate to her carriage.

It was already noon and today, thanks to Dugu Lanyan and Cheng Qing’er’s visit, the kitchen had prepared a table full of delicacies. Since there were no guests to observe formality, her own family actually ended up thoroughly enjoying a feast.

"Lady, several families have sent invitation cards," seeing Ran Yan leisurely leaning on a daybed reading a book, Xing Niang put the invitation cards on the table in front of her.

Ran Yan put down the book, took up the invitation cards, and asked, "Who sent them? So many?"

There were a good seven or eight of them. It was the beginning of spring, and after being settled all winter, the noblewomen naturally couldn’t sit still. For the noblewomen of Chang’an to receive several dozen invitations was not strange, but it was surprising that there were even people inviting her.

Xing Niang, seeing her confusion, smiled and said, "Presumably there will be even more as time goes on. Assistant Minister Xiao, whether personally or his family, holds a very prestigious position, and surely other people are also curious about what kind of person could become his wife."

Xing Niang’s words were very euphemistic. Ran Yan’s marriage into the Xiao Family was indeed a significant social climb, and in the Tang Dynasty, where the concept of family status was extremely important, it was certainly a rare topic of discussion, naturally inciting a lot of interest in Ran Yan among the idle noblewomen.

"They do have a swift grasp of news." The news from her own family had just reached them today, yet they had already sent invites by noon.

Xing Niang said, "The marriage agreement is handled by the government. The Assistant Minister Xiao’s legitimate son’s grand wedding is such a big event, they were probably informed even earlier than us."

"Should I go or not?" Ran Yan’s initial inclination was to not go, but even though she did not see herself as a social butterfly, she was also not willing to hold Xiao Song back. She wouldn’t refuse to participate where it was necessary.

"You can just say you have pre-wedding arrangements and decline for now, they are not all out of respect and we should not throw ourselves at their feet for amusement. However, after the marriage, you can no longer excuse yourself," Xing Niang patiently explained. "Even if it is mockery, it must be experienced. But you must go to Old Lady Zheng."

With Ran Yan’s background, even with the status of Lady Xiao, others might not truly respect her, and there was bound to be some who would criticize behind her back.

"Old Lady Zheng?" Ran Yan had almost forgotten about that remarkable woman, who was said to be a retired advisor of Princess Pingyang. Although her youth was no more, it didn’t diminish the respect owed to such a woman. She pulled out the card from Zheng’s family and nodded, "I should indeed pay her a visit."

Putting aside her respect for Old Lady Zheng, Ran Yan’s current situation, supported by the soon-to-be-dwindling Ran family, was far from sufficient. If she could win over Xingyang’s Zheng family, those looking down on her would be fewer. Even though Ran Yan was not too concerned about other people’s opinions, if her life was troubled because of it, she would find it undesirable.

Even if no one purposely spread the word, the news of Xiao Song taking a new wife spread quickly, and the entire populace of Chang’an City was abuzz—the infamous Gui Jianchou finally had someone daring to marry him!

After a winter’s silence, the passion for gossip quickly flared, with the marketplace abuzz with discussions, most of which centered on curiosity about Ran Yan’s identity, with many starting to inquire about Ran Yan’s background and place of residence.

Ran Pingyu thought the situation was getting out of hand and after Ran Yan formally recognized her kinship with the Zheng family, immediately discussed with them and had Ran Yan move to Zheng’s house. No matter what, being too closely associated with merchant uncles was not good for a reputation.

The Zheng family was also interested in forming ties with the Xiao family, and with the use of Ran Yan, a daughter of a concubine, marrying into the Xiao family, it reflected well on the Zheng family’s face, so naturally they did not refuse.

After Ran Yan moved to the Zheng family, she didn’t see Xiao Song for a whole month. Xing Niang firmly blocked any attempt, no matter what methods or means Xiao Song used, she remained unmoved; and Zheng Rentai was a general, the guards of the household incomparable to Ran Pingyu’s. If Xiao Song tried to climb a wall and was discovered, it wouldn’t look good for anyone, so he had to hold back.

"Lady, Assistant Minister Xiao came again," Wan Lu came in beaming, holding a big bundle of things.

Although Xiao Song couldn’t enter the residence, he sent all sorts of trinkets daily, including a letter, in order to communicate his affection. Xing Niang turned a blind eye, letting them console each other.

Ran Yan smiled faintly and said, "What did he send this time?"

Wan Lu spread the items on the table, and Ran Yan unwrapped the package, which contained many things that ladies would like, along with a long-shaped box.

Ran Yan stretched out her hand to open it, and inside was a flute, next to which was a letter.

Xiao Song was always very thoughtful; when he was in Suzhou, he had repeatedly mentioned "clinging to that umbrella and flute, are they tokens of love?" Now, looking back, she realized that this man had been jealous since so long ago.

Ran Yan picked up the flute with a smile, looked it over carefully, and unconsciously checked for any hidden contrivances—though she didn’t expect a hidden blade, something like a secret needle wouldn’t be bad. However, after examining the entire flute, Ran Yan was disappointed; it was just an ordinary flute.

Xiao Song had always been too good at guessing her thoughts, so Ran Yan had been quite expectant, feeling a slight disappointment mixed with a moment of self-reproach. He couldn’t always meet her expectations perfectly, and she should be more forgiving of that.

Ran Yan set down the flute and unfolded Xiao Song’s letter; after one look, she paused for a moment, and then her eyes unprecedentedly welled up with tears. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for the monthly ticket and recommendation ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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