Chapter 150: Comparing Heights

Princess Changting examined Lu Man, who wore a luxurious crimson peony-patterned brocade gown with moonlight silk ribbon edge, a pleated pink skirt, and a crimson gold-inlaid jade phoenix headdress gifted by Princess Changting. She also wore a jade bracelet gifted by Princess Changting and a pine flower stone clasp at the neckline. Her makeup, slightly bold for her taste, was elegant, beautiful, and radiant.

After inspecting Lu Man from head to toe, Princess Changting smiled in satisfaction and remarked, “Hmm, very good, looks very nice.”

She noticed the rings on Lu Man’s fingers and commented, “Everything looks perfect, except for those rings, a bit stingy.”

Feeling somewhat helpless, Lu Man thought her rings were stingy? She wore a large ruby ring on her left hand and a large cat’s eye ring on her right hand. She felt like she was flaunting her wealth.

Princess Changting then instructed Mama Qian, “Go fetch the pair of red jade rings from my collection.”

Mama Qian chuckled, “Your Highness, you’re even willing to take out this precious set.” She then went to the bedroom.

In a short while, Mama Qian returned with a small carved gold and gem-inlaid box in hand.

Lu Man opened the box to reveal two crimson gold-inlaid jade rings, oval in shape and as large as an adult’s thumb pad, vivid and dazzling with colorful reflections.

Impressed, Lu Man couldn’t help but exclaim, “They’re so beautiful!” Feeling unworthy as she hadn’t achieved much and had considered leaving, she hesitated to accept them. She tried to decline, saying, “Grandmother, I’m just your granddaughter-in-law, is it appropriate…”

Princess Changting reassured her, “I have plenty of treasures, and I won’t overlook my legitimate granddaughter-in-law.” Urging her, she added, “Quickly put them on, let me see.”

Lu Man removed her current rings and replaced them with the two new ones. The bright red rings highlighted her slender, fair fingers, complementing her attire perfectly.

Princess Changting looked Lu Man up and down several times before nodding in satisfaction, remarking, “Hmm, very nice. Regardless of talent, purely in terms of appearance, compared to the Four Beauties of the capital, Jiang Zhanwei’s wife is slightly superior.”

Seemingly, Princess Changting was comparing her to others. Truly, she was an adorable and whimsical old child!

Lu Man playfully hugged Princess Changting’s arm and teased, “Grandmother, it’s better to keep these thoughts to yourself, if you say it out loud, others might get jealous.”

Princess Changting burst into laughter and said, “I just enjoy seeing beautiful, delicate young daughters-in-law.”

Mama Qian chimed in, “Allow me to speak frankly, not to mention the current Four Beauties of the capital, even the beauties from earlier years couldn’t match the grace and elegance of Third Young Madam. Oh, the Second Madam from years past had her own charm, but in terms of looks, she fell slightly short. Those who were comparable in appearance to Third Young Madam lacked her grace.”

Blushing, Lu Man responded, “Oh, I’m not that great.”

Princess Changting wholeheartedly agreed with Mama Qian’s assessment.

Mama Qian then shared with Lu Man the preferences and taboos of princesses and royal consorts, as she had been coaching Lu Man on etiquette these past few days.

Around midday, guests began arriving at Princess Changting’s residence. The majority of female guests went straight to the Minghe Hall, including several county princess consorts and the less prestigious Ladies.

Some esteemed or older female guests were directly escorted to the Crane Hall upon arrival at Princess Changting’s residence. These included the Princess Chang’an, Princess Consort Old He, Princess Mingyang, Princess Fengyang, the Prince Anjun’s Consort, Madam Lu from Duke Anguo’s mansion, Old Madam Zhang, the mother of Prime Minister Zhang, and Madam Xie from the Duke Qing’s mansion.

The grandeur of this lineup left Lu Man astonished, showcasing Princess Changting’s long-standing prestige in the imperial family and court.

Whenever a distinguished guest arrived, Lu Man would welcome them at the door and then guide them to the eastern wing.

For each guest, Princess Changting proudly and ceremoniously introduced Lu Man, stating, “This is Jiang Zhanwei’s wife. The old Marquis woke up so quickly, she deserves the most credit.”

“Oh, this child is as fresh as a flower…”

“Oh, she’s truly beautiful, like a celestial maiden from the heavens…”

“It’s clear she’s blessed, no wonder the old Marquis woke up shortly after she arrived in the mansion.”

“I heard she’s a skilled healer, like the Goddess of Healing? Hmm, Princess Changting has a discerning eye. She’s found daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law who are not only beautiful but talented too.”

…

“The young daughter-in-law who assisted in childbirth at the Duke Qing’s mansion? She looks so delicate yet talented, tsk tsk…” This comment came from the Princess of Chang’an.

Lu Man had heard that the Princess Chang’an was the Empress Dowager’s biological daughter, three years younger than Princess Changting, and had blood ties to the Empress. Among all the princesses, her status was just slightly lower than that of Princess Changting.

Hearing this, Princess Changting was displeased. Her smiling face turned serious as she retorted, “My granddaughter-in-law has never assisted in childbirth for anyone. She only helped adjust the fetal position for Lady Xie but didn’t assist in the actual childbirth, which was done by the midwife.”

Chang’an Princess laughed loudly, “It’s just a matter of sequence, one before the other, it’s all the same.”

Raising her voice, Princess Changting replied, “How can it be the same? The one who eats first and the one who clears the bowls afterward, are they the same?”

Princess Chang’an countered, “Sister, your analogy is off…”

“How is it off? You mentioned the order, didn’t you? Hmph, if you have skills, you should use them for good, not squabble like those women who fight in their nests every day.” Princess Changting retorted coldly.

While usually kind and smiling, Princess Changting was fierce when defending her juniors, like a protective lioness.

These two sisters often bickered, and it was happening again. Usually, no one dared to intervene when they argued, except for Princess Mingyang and Princess Fengyang. They were both daughters of the current Emperor, one aged thirty-four and the other twenty-nine.

Today, both were present, each pulling one of Princess Changting’s arms, joking, “We all know Fourth Imperial Aunt has a good eye for finding daughters-in-law. Your daughter-in-law is talented, your granddaughter-in-law is capable…”

One of them quipped, “Fifth Imperial Aunt, your granddaughter-in-law is also one of the Four Beauties of the capital, a renowned talented woman. Why didn’t you bring her out to show off today? Why keep her hidden…”

Princess Changting chuckled, “Are you implying that I like to show off?”

Princess Fengyang teased, “If I had daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law as wonderful as yours, I’d show off even more than you.”

This banter elicited laughter from everyone, diffusing the tension between the two elderly ladies.

Madam Xie was also present but wisely refrained from speaking during the peak of Princess Changting’s and Princess Chang’an’s confrontation. Once they settled down, she chimed in, “The Third Daughter-in-law indeed didn’t assist in childbirth. According to what my eldest daughter-in-law said, she just massaged her stomach for a while and helped with the delivery, all under the midwife’s guidance.”

Princess Chang’an huffed, “She was assisting your daughter-in-law, so of course, you’d defend her.”