Chapter 96 - What a Good Plan

Shen Ninghua was stunned. She had never carefully remembered her own appearance. Perhaps she was used to seeing the image in the mirror every time. At first glance, she had a sense of familiarity, but she did not realize that this person bore a resemblance to herself. However, after careful consideration, she understood.

“Yang Yingxue doesn’t look like me; she looks like my mother.”

“Like the Madam?”

“Yes. When my wet nurse was still alive, she said that I bore sixty percent resemblance to my mother.” Shen Ninghua stretched out her hand to touch her face, and a faint sense of longing flashed in her eyes. If only her mother was still alive!

Bai Ruo was a little worried, but she didn’t know what to say to comfort her. Fortunately, Hong Ling ran in and broke the silence in the room, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

“Miss, I just went to take a look. The courtyard has been tidied up. It’s Cuizhu Pavilion.”

“Alright.”

Inside the Cuizhu Pavilion, Madam Xia sized up the decorations in the room, and her eyes were shining with excitement. She had thought that Jiangnan was rich enough, but now, she found that the capital had the real magnificence. Shen Ninghua was merely a foster daughter of the emperor, and the furnishings and decorations here were already extremely luxurious. She wondered how magnificent the imperial palace would be.

Seeing the maidservants bring up the tea, Bi Zhu waved her hand to let them retreat. Then, she bowed to Xia Jingqiu and said, “Ma’am, I’m in charge of the Cuizhu Pavilion. If you and Miss Yang need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell me. If I can’t serve you well, Her Highness will punish me.”

“Bi Zhu, you’re welcome. I’m Ninghua’s aunt. Family members don’t have so many taboos.” Madam Xia’s face was full of smiles. “We also brought our own maids and nurses over. However, we were afraid that they would disturb Ninghua, so we asked them to wait outside. When you finished the arrangements, you can just send someone to bring them in.”

Bi Zhu slightly moved her fingers and nodded. “Yes. Then I will go down to make some arrangements first.”

“Alright, please go ahead with your work.”

When Bi Zhu walked out of the room, the smile on her face instantly disappeared. She hurriedly walked towards Ruixi Courtyard.

“Miss, that’s what happened. I just sent someone to take a look. Madam Xia asked the maids and nurses to stay in the inn opposite our back door. The guards didn’t notice them before.”

Shen Ninghua frowned slightly. They brought over maids and nurses, but asked them to wait outside. Right now, everyone in the capital would probably know that her aunt was visiting her and even lived in the Prefectural Princess Mansion. Did Madam Xia do this on purpose or not?

“Let’s wait and see. Bai Ruo, send someone to bring those maids and nurses in and send them directly to the Cuizhu Pavilion. Discipline the servants in the mansion more carefully. I don’t want anyone to laugh at the Prefectural Princess Mansion.”

Bai Ruo hurriedly replied, “Yes, Miss. I’m on it.”

Yang Yingxue held the Green Cloud Patterned Teacup in her hand and looked at the Wrapping Azure Flowers Jade Pearl Incense Furnace in the room. Her movements were slightly stiff. She had always thought that she was a noble girl and was highly sought after in Jiangnan. In the past, her words and deeds were the objects that were enthusiastically imitated by other young ladies. However, when she saw Shen Ninghua, she discovered that she was like a clown. Although she did not want to admit it, she was indeed inferior to Shen Ninghua in terms of bearing.

Madam Xia was still looking around and sighing, “This really is the Prefectural Princess Mansion. If the decorations were exchanged for silver, the silver would be enough to smash a person to death.” Although she was born in the Xia family, her birth mother was only a maid. She got married when she was just fifteen and she had rarely left her courtyard before, so she had not been to many luxurious occasions. Now she was overwhelmed.

Yang Yingxue frowned slightly. “Mother, quickly sit down and have a rest.”

“Good, good. Yingxue, you see that your cousin is only a Prefectural Princess, but she can eat and use such luxurious stuff. If one day you can climb up the branch of the hierarchy, you will definitely be able to enjoy the splendor of the heavens.”

“Mother, what nonsense are you talking about?” Yang Yingxue was a little annoyed.

Seeing that her daughter did not understand, Madam Xia was a little anxious. “Yingxue, do you think I brought you here just to see my niece Shen Ninghua?”

“Isn’t that so?” Yang Yingxue turned her head around.

“You, why are you so stupid?” Madam Xia sat beside her and helped her straighten the pearl hairpin on her head. “My daughter, you are as beautiful as Shen Ninghua. All you lack is an opportunity. There were so many people in Jiangnan who wanted to marry you, but I didn’t give consent to any of them because I was waiting for this opportunity. Shen Ninghua is a Prefectural Princess and has access to the backyards of various aristocratic families and even the imperial palace. By following her, you can get to know more people…”

Madam Xia stopped talking, but her eyes flashed with light.

Yang Yingxue was smart, so she understood what Madam Xia meant, and she was both excited and nervous. “Mother, will cousin be willing to bring me to socialize with other people?”

“Silly girl, the Xia family is gone now. The Shen family’s first branch has also fallen. Ninghua has no sisters and she definitely needs the support of someone at this time. You are her cousin. If she doesn’t count on you, who else should she turn to? Besides, everyone knows that we are staying in the Prefectural Princess Mansion today. If she socializes without taking you, others will ask her about it. This is your chance.”

Yang Yingxue slightly bit her lips and clenched her silk handkerchief tightly with her fingers. After a long time, she nodded heavily. “Yes, I will definitely seize this opportunity.”

“Alright, that’s my good girl.”

“Mother, thank you for planning for me.” Yang Yingxue lied in Madam Xia’s arms and acted coquettishly.

Madam Xia touched her head with a smile. “You are my only daughter. Who else shall I plan for except you?”

The next morning, not long after Shen Ninghua had got up, a maid came to report, “Your Highness, Miss Yang is here.”

Yang Yingxue? She came so early?

“Let her in.”

Yang Yingxue was carefully dressed. She wore some bead hairpins on her head, making her palm-sized face even more outstanding. She appeared very thin under a light green dress with large sleeves and embroidered with peonies, making her already slender body look even more pitiful and weak. “Sister, I wish I didn’t disturb you early in the morning.”

Shen Ninghua was still wearing a snow-white pajama. She was sitting in front of the dressing table and asked Bai Ruo to tie her hair. When she heard this, she smiled and said, “Cousin, what are you talking about? I’ve been too lazy these days and got up a little late today. I didn’t even put on my makeup. Sorry to make you laugh at me.”

“No, it’s just that I’m not used to the change of residence.” Yang Yingxue replied as she sized up Shen Ninghua’s bedroom secretly.

Shen Ninghua smiled. “Did you sleep well last night? Did the maids serve you carefully?”

“No, the maids are very meticulous in their service. It’s just that I’m a bit of a bed reader, and need some time to adapt to the new residence.”

Bai Ruo tied Shen Ninghua’s hair up in a bun and used six smaller begonia hairpins to tightly fasten it. Then, she put on the phoenix golden hairpin with a pearl in the phoenix’s mouth. She let the remaining hair fall down Shen Ninghua’s back like a waterfall and carefully combed the hair.

“Miss, do you like it?”

Shen Ninghua looked in the mirror for a long time and then took off the hairpin. “Princess Anning is coming to see me in a while. She has always liked begonia hairpins the most, so she will definitely be wearing one. If I also wear it, it will be a conflict.”

“Yes, I almost forgot. How about using the pearl jade buckle bestowed by His Majesty to replace the flower hairpin?”

“Yes, good.” Shen Ninghua thought for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.

Bai Ruo hurriedly got up and opened the jewelry box on the table. A burst of jewelry brilliance flashed out, and precious jade hairpins, flower hairpins, gold flowers, and all kinds of dazzling accessories could be seen.

Yang Yingxue only took a glimpse at it before feeling her heart tremble with shock.

When Shen Ninghua finished dressing up and changed into a new set of clothes, Yang Yingxue’s body was a little stiff. Shen Ninghua’s dress was simple and even a little plain, but she had a natural and clean beauty. She, on the other hand, was somewhat cumbersome and unpresentable.

Just then, maids went in to serve breakfast.

“Cousin, let’s have breakfast together.” Shen Ninghua turned around and said, “Qing Que, go invite my aunt over as well.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Yang Yingxue fidgeted a little. Fortunately, Madam Xia came over soon, and there was nothing that required special attention during breakfast, so she felt that she had managed to regain some face.

Not long after breakfast, Yang Yingxue wanted to go back to her own courtyard, but Madam Xia stopped her.

“Ninghua, your cousin has just arrived in the capital and doesn’t have any friends. I hope you can take care of her.”

Shen Ninghua immediately understood what she meant. “Aunt, don’t worry. I will do my best to entertain my cousin. Princess Anning will come over soon. We are going to take a stroll on the streets. Cousin can go out with us for a walk and get familiar with the capital.”

“Good, good.” Madam Xia was filled with joy. This was indeed the right place to live in. The first important person they were going to see was a princess. She could imagine her daughter soaring to fame in the future.

Not long after, an announcement came from the door. Then, a girl dressed in ordinary clothes walked over quickly. “Ninghua, your courtyard is really unique. I have already had enough of living in the Palace. How about I beg Father Emperor to allow me to stay here for a few days?”

Her voice preceded her arrival. After saying that, Baili Anning walked into the room. When she saw Xia Jingqiu and Yang Yingxue, she was slightly stunned. She turned around and asked Shen Ninghua, “Ninghua, who are these two people?”

Shen Ninghua saluted. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Madam Xia and Yang Yingxue hurriedly saluted as well.

Baili Anning held Shen Ninghua’s hand and did not allow her to salute. “Next time, I will tell Father Emperor that you are still too polite to me. In terms of etiquette, I should call you my elder sister. I can’t stand it if you salute me. The two of you, don’t stand on ceremony.”

Shen Ninghua did not insist on saluting. She turned around and smiled. “This is my aunt, Madam Xia, and this is my cousin Yang Yingxue. They just arrived in the capital yesterday and stayed with me for the time being. Today, we are just going to hang out. We can take my cousin along to let her get familiar with the capital.”

Hearing this, Baili Anning quickly thought in her mind. Xia Jingyan was the only first daughter of the Xia family. This aunt seemed to be the daughter born by a concubine who had escaped the calamity. After arriving in the capital, she didn’t even have a place to live in, so she didn’t have a strong background. Furthermore, she not only lived in the Prefectural Princess Mansion but also wanted Ninghua to introduce her daughter to other people. She probably wanted to make use of Ninghua’s name to meet people, and perhaps to find a wealthy son-in-law.

As she thought about it, she didn’t reveal any clues on her face. “Well, then let’s go around together. My Second Brother has nothing to do today, so he will come to work as a coachman for us. This saves us the need to bring a guard.”

The princess’s second brother? The Second Prince!
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