Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

Mu Yunxi said "hmm" to indicate that she understood, and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep. She rarely spoke to people she knew, let alone herself at this moment.

Seeing her like this, Mother Tian said nothing more and just explained the matter, "Okay, Miss Mu, take a rest first. The meal will be delivered soon. Xing'er, Liu'er, serve Miss Mu well."

"Yes!" the two of them replied with their heads down.

the other side…

Mother Wu carried Luo Ran and walked towards the main house. Luo Ran stopped her and said, "Go to the east wing." Her tone did not allow for refusal.

"But..." Mother Wu wanted to say something but was interrupted by Luo Ran: "I will talk to your wife."

"Yes!" Mother Wu obeyed.

Mother Wu didn't know what Luo Ran's identity was. Xiao Yao only told her that he was from Kyoto and asked her to respect Luo Ran as her master and not to offend him.

Mother Wu carried the person into the side room. Luo Ran looked around the room. There was a round table, four stools, and a set of exquisite teapots on the table. There was an exquisite beauty couch by the window on the left, covered with cushions embroidered with silk fabric. Further in, there was a screen embroidered with orchids. The moon-white curtains and the light blue bed curtains echoed each other. There was a one-meter-high cabinet on the left side of the bed and a dressing table on the right with a bronze mirror on it. Next to the dressing table was a washbasin rack.

Luo Ran watched all this and said slowly: "You are really considerate. Put me on the couch!"

"Yes!" Mother Wu slowly placed Luo Ran on the beauty bed.

"Thank you for your trouble, Madam Wu. Has Madam Wu ever practiced martial arts?" Luo Ran was a little curious?

She replied, "I haven't practiced, I just have a bit of strength." Seeing Luo Ran still puzzled, Madam Wu continued, "When I was young, I was used to doing housework and didn't think I was strong. It was only after I came to serve Madam that she discovered it, but by then I was already old."

"I see." Her tone seemed to be feeling sorry for Mother Wu. Then she said to Mother Wu, "You go take care of your daughter."

Mother Wu was a little hesitant...

At this time, Madam Tian came in from outside, accompanied by two maids and a woman, and came forward to greet her, "Miss Luo, this is the servant Li, and the maids Bi'er and Qing'er."

Several people stepped forward and saluted, "This servant greets the young lady!"

"Okay, I got it!" Luo Ran said nonchalantly while lying on the beauty bed.

Then he said to Mother Wu: "You can go without any worries!"

"Yes!" Mother Wu didn't say anything more. She nodded and said hello to Mother Tian and went out.

"You guys go out and wait too!" Luo Ran said while pretending to be asleep.

Mama Tian and the others all answered "yes" in unison. Mama Tian thought to herself, "This is someone who is not easy to deal with." She was about to go out with her maids and servants when she heard Luo Ran's gentle and pleasant voice, "I'm hungry, hurry up and prepare the meal!"

"Yes, it's been delivered. We'll serve the young lady the meal right away." Madam Tian happened to see the maids and servants carrying large and small food boxes into the courtyard. She went out and instructed them, "Everyone, serve them well. If you neglect them, you'll be punished."

After a burst of "yes," she instructed the two newly arrived maids, "Chuncai, Chunhua, be smart. Liu'er and Xing'er are in the west room, and Bi'er and Qing'er are in the east. You two and Mama Qin will serve the mistress who will be here soon. Got it?"

"I understand, Mom." They both answered in unison.

"Well, I'm glad to know. I'll arrange for maids to keep an eye on the courtyard. Just take good care of the guests. Also...if anyone comes from the Old Madam and the Second Young Master's wife, report to the First Young Master's wife immediately."

The two of them responded "yes" again.

"Okay, go wait in front of the main door!" He turned and left the yard. When he reached the gate, he instructed the gatekeeper, saying meaningfully, "Guard it well and don't let outsiders in. In the future, you will definitely get benefits."

The two maids received the message from her eyes: "Yes, don't worry, Mom."

"Yes." Mother Tian was relieved and left quickly. She was still anxious to report to Mrs. Liu.

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, before Liu even sat down, she heard Qin Wangshi say to Xiao Yao, "Sister Xi, are you talking about me?"

This almost made Liu Shi lose her seat. She hurriedly said with a smile, "Mother, Sister Yao hasn't had breakfast yet. Please eat first. Sister will be staying for a while." She was pointing a finger at Qin Wang Shi. She was still hungry and it wasn't like she was going to leave right after dinner. Qin Wang Shi gave her a disapproving look, but didn't mention the matter again. She smiled and invited Xiao Yao to dinner.

But then Xiao Wang said in a sarcastic tone, "Sister-in-law is really good at handling things. It's only been a short time, and she even calls me sister. Unlike me, I'm not good at talking."

"What you said is right, sister-in-law. Sister Yao's grandfather and our grandfather were close friends. It is only right for me to call you sister." Liu smiled on her face, but she was cursing Xiao Wang in her heart.

Xiao Yao said somewhat awkwardly, "If you don't mind, you can call me sister."

Xiao Qin Wang covered her mouth and laughed, "Then I will respectfully obey your command." After saying this, she gave Liu a provocative look, as if to say, "Look, I can do it too." Liu didn't even bother to look at her. Her sister-in-law relied on her mother-in-law's support and always jumped in front of her.

Xiao Yao said nothing more, just smiled. She wasn't really interested in these intrigues; she just wanted to finish her meal quickly and go see Yun Xi and that person.

Seeing Xiao Yao remained silent, Qin Wangshi smiled and said, "Haha, let's eat quickly. We must be hungry."

Xiao Yao nodded and began to enjoy her breakfast gracefully. Meanwhile, Qin Wangshi and Xiao Qin Wangshi would occasionally offer a few words, trying to please Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao simply smiled in response throughout.

After the meal, Qin Wangshi continued the topic that was interrupted by Liu Shi just now, "Sister Xi, have you found someone yet?

Xiao Yao was unhappy in her heart but did not show it on her face, "Xi'er is still young, and his father and I are not in a hurry to arrange a marriage for her."

Qin Wangshi seemed not to understand the meaning of her words, and boasting of being the elder, she said in a tone of advice: "Thirteen is not young anymore. We need to see each other first. After the age of 15, it is just right to get married. It is best to find someone you are familiar with and know well." Seeing that Xiao Yao didn't say anything, she thought Xiao Yao had heard it, so she pretended to understand and said: "My brother Hua is twelve this year, but he is only a few months younger than sister Xi. They are of the same age, and our two families know each other well. Isn't it a perfect match?" As she said this, the wrinkles on her face were all smiles, and she called Xiao Yao in a self-proclaimed affectionate way. "Haha, what do you think, Yao'er?"

Xiao Yao still didn't say anything, but in her heart she was replying to her words, "No big deal". Qin Wang thought she was thinking about this matter, and continued: "And that Miss Luo Ran, I heard you say at the door just now that you are sixteen this year. Have you talked about him? My mother's family has a nephew named Wang Haoran, who is nineteen years old. He is already a student at a young age. He is going to take the exam for the scholar in May this year." Qin Wang said proudly, and little Qin Wang also echoed her, "That's right, the last time I went back to my mother's family, I heard my mother's brother say that the teacher said that Haoran will definitely be able to pass the exam for the scholar." Her face was full of pride.

Liu's eyes were rolling up in her heart. Didn't she see Xiao Yao's expression change?

"Thank you for your concern, aunt. My master will take care of Xier's marriage. Hua Ge'er is only twelve years old, and the teacher has praised him for his knowledge. I think he has a bright future. When he grows up and has a reputation, he can be married off to a good family. As for Miss Luo Ran's marriage, I cannot make the decision." Xiao Yao's tone was already a little unhappy.

I'd mentioned Luo Ran's age earlier to warn the Qin family about her age. Sixteen years old, still dressed like a girl, she was likely engaged, and men needed to stay away. And what about that guy? How many people could possibly be a good match for her? If it were a serious marriage proposal, it would be fine, but this was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Thinking back to when he was still wondering why she was praising her grandson alone at the gate, huh... Xiao Yao sneered inwardly. Seeing Luo Ran, she guessed she came from a respectable family and had her eye on him again. With this thought, Xiao Yao stood up and tried to leave.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Qin Wangshi hurriedly winked at Qin Wangshi, who gave her a look in response, telling her to be patient.

Seeing this, Liu wanted to stop Qin Wangshi from saying anything more, but the little Qin Wangshi next to her pulled her back and whispered, "Sister-in-law, can't you stand seeing us?" She also pinched Liu.

Liu was about to burst into anger, and cursed in her heart: "I don't care about this anymore, but you still want to marry a daughter from an official family. What a toad wanting to eat swan meat! Although Miss Mu is not yet fully grown and still a little immature, she can already be seen as a beauty. Her father is a fifth-rank official, and she will definitely marry into a high-ranking family in the future. Miss Luo Ran is even more amazing. She is like a fairy, and her every move is full of nobility. Mother Wu supported her the whole time. Miss Yunxi didn't even get such treatment. She must be of noble status. Wait until you two offend someone and see how Grandpa will deal with you." In fact, Liu had misunderstood. Xiao Yao wanted to hold Mu Yunxi, but Mu Yunxi refused, saying that her leg was not injured and she could walk. But it must be said that Liu's observation skills were very strong.

Speaking of which, perhaps Qin Wangshi really couldn't read Xiao Yao's expressions, but her face fell. Or perhaps she noticed but didn't care. She just said nonchalantly, "It's the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. As long as both families agree, it's fine. Hua Ge'er is certainly important, but getting a marriage arranged first won't hinder his studies."

Xiao Yao was too impatient to play Tai Chi with her and said directly, "They are not of the right age, so there is no need to say anything more. Also, Auntie, you are old and like to joke around. I will just pretend that I didn't hear about what happened today. Auntie is old and I won't bother you these days. I will go and take care of the two children who are injured. Excuse me." After saying that, she turned and left. Liu casually bowed to Qin Wangshi and quickly followed Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao had never been one for softness. The fact that she listened to all that Qin Wangshi had to say was a testament to her temper, honed over the years of dealing with the wives of officials who visited her since becoming Madam Mu Cheng. "Hmph, this Qin Wangshi must be so presumptuous because she's sure I need the Qin family's help. She thinks she can control me this way. If Luo Ran and Yun Xi weren't in need of a safe place to recuperate, I'd have just walked away. I'll endure it." Xiao Yao was furious, but she suppressed her anger.