On the morning two days later, Qin Guan stepped out of Qin Manor's gates for the second time.
Outside the gates, five exquisitely ornate carriages were lined up in a row, showcasing the Qin family's prominence. In front of the carriages stood Qin Xiang, Qin Shuang, and the second young master Qin Li, all dressed in splendid attire as they waited. When Qin Guan emerged, all three turned to look at her.
Bathed in the crisp morning light, Qin Guan wore a misty cyan Ink Wash Orchid Pleated Skirt. Her willow-leaf eyebrows arched gracefully toward her temples, her bright eyes and pearly teeth radiant against her dark hair styled in a Cicada Bun. She walked out of the manor gate with elegant poise, her slender figure swaying gently. The undulating hem of her skirt resembled two drifting clouds of indigo mist drawing near. The three by the carriages were momentarily stunned—even Qin Shuang, who harbored the most resentment toward Qin Guan, couldn't hide her awe.
Though it was already the cool early autumn, Qin Guan's arrival seemed to brighten the desolate sky outside the manor. Her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her demeanor refined yet gentle, her obsidian-like eyes deep and mesmerizing. Every movement exuded an unparalleled grace and charm.
The former Qin Guan had delicate features but lacked any spark of vitality. Now, having returned from death, her beauty too had been reborn—like a peerless beauty stepping out of a classical painting, a fleeting vision amidst light clouds and the bright moon. Her mere presence eclipsed everything around her, leaving everyone present breathless and transfixed.
Qin Xiang's brows quickly knitted together, while Qin Shuang clenched her sleeves, visibly uncomfortable. With a sweeping glance, she noticed all eyes were fixed on Qin Guan, and an indignant fury bubbled up inside her.
"Arriving so late! Do you even know the meaning of propriety?" Qin Shuang snapped coldly, snapping everyone out of their daze.
Qin Guan turned her indifferent gaze toward her, unruffled as if she hadn't heard the remark. Seeing this, Qin Shuang grew even angrier and was about to lash out when she caught sight of Jiang Shi and Lin Shi stepping out.
Hesitating briefly, Qin Shuang swallowed her scolding words.
Lin Shi and Cai He supported Jiang Shi as she walked out slowly. The three instinctively glanced toward the carriages before their eyes inevitably returned to Qin Guan. After a moment, Jiang Shi instructed, "Once we arrive at Marquis Anyang Manor, do not forget your manners. Let's go."
Jiang Shi boarded the first carriage, Lin Shi the second, while Qin Li and the Qin sisters took the third and fourth. Qin Guan was left with the last one. Once inside the carriage, Fuling, who had been following her, let out a long sigh.
"Old Madam always makes me nervous. The sixth young lady has the least sense of propriety, yet she dares to lecture you."
Qin Guan smoothed her sleeves without responding. Fuling added, "Marquis Anyang Manor invited you, and even Old Madam doesn't know why. It's truly strange."
"Don't worry. We'll find out once we arrive at Marquis Anyang Manor."
Qin Guan reassured Fuling, her eyes narrowing slightly. She too wanted to know why Marquis Anyang Manor had invited her.
It was still early, so the carriages moved at a leisurely pace. Qin Manor was located in the eastern part of the city, while Marquis Anyang Manor lay in the west—quite a distance apart. Along the way, Qin Guan lifted the carriage curtain to observe the bustling streets of Jinzhou.
"Miss, it seems all these carriages are heading to Marquis Anyang Manor!"
Following Fuling's gaze, Qin Guan saw that indeed, even before noon, the streets were filled with luxurious carriages, one after another, all moving westward.
"As expected of Marquis Anyang Manor. With that Grand Princess there, no one dares to be careless."The closer they got to the western part of the city, the slower the carriage moved. The wedding of the heir to the Marquis Anyang Manor had drawn a flood of guests—not just from Jinzhou Prefecture but even from the capital. As a result, the streets two blocks away from the manor were already congested.
They had set out at dawn, but by the time the Qin Manor’s carriage arrived at the entrance of Marquis Anyang Manor, it was nearly noon.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Fuling helped Qin Guan alight. Immediately, the grand and elegant facade of Marquis Anyang Manor came into view, along with the festive and lavish decorations and the elegantly dressed guests.
Qin Guan didn’t linger on the sight and quickly followed behind Jiang Shi.
Compared to the quiet and composed Qin Guan, Qin Xiang and Qin Shuang seemed far less restrained.
Perhaps because they had never seen such a grand occasion, Qin Xiang couldn’t resist looking around, while Qin Shuang stared wide-eyed at the manor’s decorations and the passing guests.
Qin Li stayed close to Jiang Shi, also brimming with excitement, though he occasionally glanced back at Qin Guan. Seeing her composed demeanor—her gaze never straying, her every movement graceful and dignified—a deep curiosity rose in his eyes.
“I heard the bride is the youngest daughter of Duke Song’s family from the capital. The bridal procession took a whole month to get here. The auspicious hour is in the afternoon, so we’ll have to wait a while.”
“A marriage between the Yue and Song families—does this mean the Grand Princess plans to return to the capital?”
“Who knows? The Grand Princess hasn’t been well these past few days. Right now, she’s meeting with those who frequently visit the manor. We probably won’t get to see her today.”
In the flower hall on the eastern side of the manor, Jiang Shi sat with Qin Guan and the others among a room full of noble ladies and their daughters.
Most of these ladies were from official or aristocratic families in Jinzhou. By all accounts, they should have been familiar with the Qin Manor, yet aside from a few who greeted Jiang Shi when they first arrived, no one came to engage with the people from the Qin Mansion.
Jiang Shi never let go of her prayer beads, seemingly undisturbed by the noisy surroundings. She even closed her eyes slightly and began reciting scriptures.
While Jiang Shi remained composed, the younger members of the Qin family couldn’t sit still for long. Before long, they grew restless and wanted to move around. Lin Shi frowned at this. “Your eldest brother hasn’t returned from Jianzhou yet, so there’s no one to keep you in line. Stay seated and don’t wander off.”
The eldest young master of the Qin Manor, Qin Chen, had been away for many days and still hadn’t returned. Qin Guan had yet to meet him.
Qin Shuang pouted. “Sitting here is so boring. We’ve been waiting forever, and who knows when the bride will arrive? It’s already afternoon, and no one from the manor has even come to attend to us.”
It wasn’t that no one was attending to them—just that no host had come.
Around the flower hall, seven or eight maids stood ready to serve tea and refreshments to the guests.
Lin Shi lowered her voice. “There are too many guests today—they can’t possibly attend to everyone individually. Don’t speak out of turn.”
Qin Shuang huffed and muttered under her breath, “If I’d known it would be this dull, I wouldn’t have come.” She then looked around again. “Why haven’t we seen Uncle Huo or Brother Huo yet?”
The “Brother Huo” Qin Shuang referred to was naturally the Prefect’s son, whom the Ninth Miss admired.
As she said this, Qin Shuang deliberately glanced at Qin Guan, but Qin Guan remained expressionless, not even a flicker of reaction.
“Governor Huo is the highest-ranking official in Jinzhou, holding real authority. Of course he wouldn’t be seated with us.”
Lin Shi had no choice but to explain again. Qin Shuang gritted her teeth and then had another thought. “I heard the Old Madam of this manor is the Grand Princess Jiayi. Do you think she’ll summon us?”Qin Shuang's incessant chatter finally became too much for Qin Xiang, who scoffed lightly, "Stop dreaming. Look around this flower hall—do you see any ladies or misses who've met the Grand Princess? Just sit still."
Pouting, Qin Shuang swept her gaze around when suddenly two figures appeared at the entrance of the flower hall!
"Hey, look! Who's that?!"
At Qin Shuang's hushed exclamation, the other ladies in the hall noticed the newcomers, and all eyes turned toward the entrance. Qin Guan also looked over to see a young woman in deep blue martial attire striding in, followed by a maid in green.
"Ah, it's the Young Lady of the Manor..."
Someone with sharp eyes had already recognized her, and soon the entire hall rose to their feet.
Due to the old Anyang Marquis marrying the Grand Princess, the direct descendants of the Marquis's household for the past two generations had been granted the title of Lady of the Manor. Now, this spirited young woman, addressed as the Young Lady of the Manor, was making her way toward the Qin family's table.
Qin Shuang's eyes widened in excitement. "Is the Grand Princess going to summon us?"
As the Young Lady of the Manor drew nearer, Jiang Shi also stood up. Meanwhile, the entire flower hall cast questioning, envious, or jealous glances at the people from the Qin Mansion.
True to Qin Shuang's hopes, the Young Lady of the Manor stopped right before their table.
Yue Ning stood firmly in front of the table, first nodding politely to Jiang Shi before fixing her gaze on Qin Guan. "Are you the Ninth Miss of the Qin family? My grandmother wishes to see you. Come with me—"
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