Lin Wanji nodded thoughtfully. She had heard of her famous elder cousin in Yangzhou.  It was said that she had been raised by the old Madam since childhood, possessing a refined and elegant demeanor, and exceptional talent, a renowned noble lady in the capital. Five years ago, she entered the East Palace as the Crown Prince’s concubine and gave birth to a daughter, greatly favored by the Crown Prince.

Just as she was lost in thought, she heard Zhou Mammy say, “The second master is the old Madam’s second son. Although he doesn’t have a title, he has a degree and is now a fifth-rank official in the court. Madam Yu, the second wife, has two sons and a daughter.

The second young master, Huai Zhen, and the third young master, Huai Yang, are twin brothers. They are not yet twenty years old and are both studying at the Shanglin Academy in the capital. The fourth young lady, Zhao Hui, is the youngest in the mansion, one year younger than Madam’s third daughter.”

Lu Yanyong said with a smile, “The ages of the young ladies and masters in our family are quite close.”

“That’s right, the three unmarried young ladies in the mansion are of similar age, they will surely be able to play together, and the old Madam is also happy to see her grandchildren playing together.”

Zhou Mammy also chimed in with a smile, “Although our Marquis Mansion has few people, the grandchildren are still quite prosperous. The old Madam has always disliked disputes in the inner house, there are no concubines vying for favor, and the family is peaceful.

Now the mansion has not been divided, firstly, except for the eldest young lady who entered the East Palace earlier, the other young masters and young ladies have not yet married, and the grandchildren are still young; secondly, the old Madam is still hoping to live for a few more years, if the family is divided early, the old lady will inevitably feel lonely.”

Lin Wanji said at the right moment, “Mammy, please don’t say that, Grandmother is kind and virtuous, and her body is healthy, she will surely be blessed by heaven and live to be a hundred years old without any worries.”

The smile on Zhou Mammy’s face deepened, she looked at her kindly, “The Third Miss is sweet-tongued and kind, it can be seen that the Third Master and Madam have indeed given her excellent upbringing. If she had come to the capital earlier, the old Madam would have loved her and raised her in the Shou’an Hall herself.”

“Thank you, Mammy, for your kindness.” Lu Yanyong felt relieved and comforted, “If she really gains the old Madam’s favor, it’s all because this girl is lucky.”

Lin Wanji listened attentively as Zhou Mammy talked about the Marquis Mansion and the interactions with many prominent families in the capital, and she remembered most of it.  Unconsciously, she heard Ying Shi’s voice from outside the carriage, followed by the carriage coming to a steady stop.

“Madam, Miss, we’ve arrived at the Marquis Mansion.”

Lu Shi responded, and just as she was about to get out of the carriage, she saw Lin Wanji carefully taking a jade hairpin from her hair and handing it to Zhou Mammy, “Mammy, please don’t think I’m being too forward, this is a hairpin I brought from Yangzhou, called the Willow Jade Hairpin, it’s a newly popular style in the south of the Yangtze River, I think there’s none in the capital. This hairpin is just a small thing, please take it as a novelty for your family’s younger generation, please accept it.”

Zhou Mammy glanced at the jade hairpin, the jade was cold and smooth, carved into the shape of a willow leaf, the edges were inlaid with gold wire, at a glance, it was a high-quality product from a workshop. She exclaimed, “Oh, even if I’m blind, I can see that the Third Miss’s hairpin is not ordinary, such a precious thing…”

Lu Yanyong saw that her daughter was thoughtful and used her cleverness in the right place, so she followed suit, “Mammy, it’s just a hairpin, a child can’t have anything precious, if you like this child, please accept the hairpin, Mammy, please don’t think it’s too shabby.”

Lin Wanji also quickly put the hairpin into Zhou Mammy’s hand, “Mammy, don’t blame me for being abrupt, I saw that the handkerchief was new, it must be hand-embroidered by Mammy’s daughter or granddaughter, so I thought of the hairpin. I know that Mammy is by the Grandmother’s side, your family must be well-off, and I’m afraid this hairpin won’t catch your eye.

Firstly, it’s to express my gratitude for Mammy’s guidance along the way, telling my mother and me about the capital’s connections, and secondly, it’s because Mammy has served Grandmother for many years, I respect Grandmother, and I also respect you very much.”

Zhou Mammy’s surprise increased, her gaze towards Lin Wanji also had more approval, “The Third Miss is intelligent and kind, Madam and Master have given her excellent upbringing, after entering the mansion, Miss should visit Shou’an Hall more often.”

Lin Wanji responded, her smile brighter, “Mammy, I’ve remembered everything you said. Let’s go into the mansion quickly, don’t keep Grandmother waiting.”

After Zhou Mammy and Lu Shi got out of the carriage, Lin Wanji bowed, lifted the curtain, stepped down from the small stool, and landed steadily.

What caught her eye were two stone lions at the entrance, and the vermilion wooden door lintel behind them, with several gilded characters, all showing the grandeur and luxury of this mansion. Lin Wanji looked up at the words “Anping Marquis Mansion”, the writing was vigorous and old-fashioned, and it was decorated with gold powder, the strokes were flowing and elegant, like shimmering gold, forming a unique elegance, she couldn’t help but secretly admire it.

Zhou Mammy walked steadily towards the gate, the gatekeeper of the Marquis Mansion saw her coming, and hurriedly bowed and smiled, “Mammy Zhou is back.”

Zhou Mammy nodded slightly, “The Third Master’s family has returned to the capital, quickly inform the inner house, don’t keep the old Madam waiting.”

Two gatekeepers responded, and soon several servants opened the main gate, and several maids came to greet them. Lin Wanji saw that one of the maids was older, dressed as a married woman, and her clothes were also of high quality, she knew that the person was not ordinary.

Zhou Mammy introduced, “This is Miss Cui Xiu, who is by the second Madam’s side, and is now also a manager in the mansion.”

Lin Wanji was secretly surprised, if the maids serving the second Madam could be managers of the Marquis Mansion, didn’t that mean that the second Madam was actually in charge of the mansion? No wonder the old Madam hadn’t divided the family yet, perhaps letting the second branch manage the Marquis Mansion was one of the reasons. But I don’t know about Madam Jiang… she should be the head of the family, how could she let the second branch manage the house?

Just as she was pondering, she saw Cui Xiu laughingly say, “Mammy Zhou, please don’t belittle me, I’m just favored by the second Madam, and I just run errands for Madam, how can I be considered a manager?”

After a few words of greeting, Cui Xiu led Lin Yanqing and his party to the main hall and bowed, “The Marquis and the second master are already waiting in the Wo Song Hall. The old Madam’s meaning is that Third Master should go to Wo Song Hall to chat first, and the women should go to Shou’an Hall to get together, the several Madams and young ladies are also waiting in Shou’an Hall.”

Lin Yanqing nodded, and a servant led him away. Lu Shi said, and hurriedly pulled her daughter to her, “Then please, Miss Cui Xiu.”

Lin Wanji passed through the hanging flower gate and arrived at the inner house. She glanced with her peripheral vision and saw that the maids in the mansion were dressed uniformly, each performing their duties, hurrying to various courtyards. No one was making noise, only the sound of friction when they walked could be heard.

It’s not as comfortable as Yangzhou. Lin Wanji sighed secretly in her heart, her expression was a little low, then she saw Lu Shi gently patting her back, perhaps worried that she would be timid, asking her to cheer up. Lin Wanji nodded to her mother, the group walked silently for a while, and saw that the surrounding scenery had changed a little, the courtyard was filled with green pines and cypresses, which was refreshing, this was Shou’an Hall.

Cui Xiu bowed to them, “Third Madam, Third Miss, the old Madam is already waiting in Shou’an Hall, I’ll take my leave.”

Lu Shi thanked her, and the maids and servants of Shou’an Hall led them in. Lin Wanji smelled a faint sandalwood fragrance in the air, and she understood, she had heard her father say that the old Madam was a devout Buddhist, and now it seemed to be true.

“Third Madam and Third Miss have arrived.” After reporting to the inner hall, several maids drew the curtains, Lu Shi and her daughter entered the hall, and saw the splendid hall, the several Madams and young ladies were all dressed in luxurious clothes. When she looked up, Lin Wanji saw an imposing old lady sitting on the couch, an amber forehead ornament inlaid with a translucent agate, some white hair by her temples, but she didn’t look old, but very energetic.

“Grandmother has been waiting for you, she has finally waited for the younger sister’s family.” The speaker was Madam Yu, the second wife, she was sitting below, her eyes smiling, her round face relaxed, making her look even more dignified.

Seeing Lu Shi bow and greet, Lin Wanji withdrew her gaze and hurriedly bowed behind her, “Granddaughter greets Grandmother, and asks for Grandmother’s well-being.”

“Get up.” The old Madam smiled and raised her hand, letting the maids help the two sit down, and then asked, “Is this the third girl? She looks very pretty, come forward and let me have a look.”

Lin Wanji said, lightly moved her steps, walked to the old Madam, and bowed again. The old Madam carefully looked at her face, and pulled her to sit on the couch, then sighed, “The water and soil in the south of the Yangtze River really nourish people, I think the third girl’s figure and temperament are even better than yours.”

“Grandmother, don’t be partial.” The young lady sitting below had a voice as clear as an oriole, her round little face pretending to be angry, “In the past, you spoiled me and Second Sister, now that Third Sister has come, you don’t care about others, I don’t agree.”

Madam Yu glared at her, the old Madam seemed to be amused by the girl’s expression, clapping her hands and laughing, “This is your fourth sister, Zhao Hui, she’s the youngest in the family, she’s usually very naughty.”

Lin Wanji pursed her lips, a smile on her face, nodded to the girl, “Hello, Fourth Sister.”

The old Madam thought of something and asked, “What are the two characters of the third girl’s name? Has she come of age?”

Lin Wanji said, “Grandmother, my name is Wanji, my birthday is on the seventh day of the seventh month, I have come of age, and I held a coming-of-age ceremony in Yangzhou.”

“It turns out that she was born on the Qixi Festival, no wonder she is so beautiful.” The old Madam’s gaze towards Lin Wanji was more kind, “Wanji, it’s a good name, your father is talented, compared to the names of our girls with the same generation, it’s more elegant and refined.”

At this moment, everyone heard a small “tsk” sound from the lower right side, and the atmosphere in the hall cooled down. Lin Wanji looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl in a dark blue dress sitting on a sandalwood chair, pursing her lips, with a look of displeasure on her face. The middle-aged woman sitting beside her was dressed in luxurious clothes, but with a restrained manner. Seeing that the old Madam’s face had changed, she hurriedly poked the girl behind her, gesturing for her to say something nice.