After stepping out of the Gate of Listening-to-the-Wind Courtyard, Hexiang stole a glance at Xie Fengran. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Miss, that Nanny Shen came here to monitor you. Why are you still so nice to her?"
In her opinion, the young miss should just give the cold shoulder to such a person.
Xie Fengran glanced at Hexiang and shook her head. "Silly girl. She was sent by the old madam. One must not decline what the elder offers. Naturally, I have to show her respect."
"What if she recovers?"
"Once she's in our Listening-to-the-Wind Courtyard, whether she's good or not is up to us," Lanfang interjected.
Hexiang nodded, indicating that she had learned.
Xie Fengran exchanged a look with Lanfang and shook their heads, smiling.
Hexiang was reliable and loyal, but a bit too straightforward.
The three of them, the mistress and her maids, chatted and laughed all the way to the Green-Pine Courtyard. As they approached the gate, they could hear bursts of laughter and merriment coming from inside.
Xie Fengran understood at once. It seemed that Xie Yunxi had arrived earlier. She was quite attentive.
She lowered her eyes and put on a flawless smile before entering the courtyard.
Nanny He, who was guarding the gate, spotted Xie Fengran at once. She quickly stepped forward to greet her, raising her voice slightly. "Elder Miss, you've come!"
The old madam Xie's family on her mother's side had a military background. Nanny He's husband had fought on the battlefield with the old madam's father. Influenced by her husband, Nanny He was straightforward and disliked those who were artificial.
Compared with Xie Yunxi, who was sweet-tongued and well-behaved, Nanny He preferred the straightforward Xie Fengran, not to mention the affection she had developed for the young miss since she was a child.
Even Xie Fengran thought that Nanny He was unusually enthusiastic today. But after entering the room and taking a quick look around, she understood why Nanny He was so happy to see her.
At the moment, Xie Yunxi was reclining beside the old madam Xie. The two of them were chatting and laughing merrily. Xie Yunxi covered her mouth with an exaggerated gesture and burst into laughter, almost falling into the old madam's arms.
When she saw Xie Fengran enter, she didn't get up. Instead, she smiled at her and said, "Sister, you've come!"
Rarely, the old madam Xie didn't have a cold look on her face. Instead, there was a faint smile on her lips.
When she saw Xie Fengran enter, she waved at her. "Fengran, come here. Your younger sister is just telling some interesting stories about the estate. Come and listen too."
Xie Fengran's eyes flashed. She bowed and replied with a smile. Then she walked over and sat down on the other side of the old madam.
A little maid served the tea. Xie Fengran took it. As her sleeve fluttered, the seven-color glazed bracelet on her arm was revealed.
The bracelet was crystal clear, with seven colors shining in an intertwined way. Instantly, it刺痛了某些人的眼！
Xie Fengran clearly felt that the gaze on her became a bit more intense.
Sure enough, before she could put down the teacup, Xie Yunxi spoke up. "Sister's bracelet is so beautiful. Why have I never seen you wear it before?"
Xie Fengran raised her eyes and glanced at her. She let out a soft laugh. "It's normal that you haven't seen it. This is the first time I've worn it."
This laugh was seen as a blatant provocation by Xie Yunxi. She shook the old madam's arm and said, "Grandmother, why does sister have one but I don't? I want one too. You can't be partial!"
Xie Yunxi didn't believe that Xie Fengran would have such a wonderful thing. It must have been given by the grandmother.
If it had been in the past, the old madam Xie would have scolded her severely for such behavior.
But today, for some reason, the old madam seemed to have changed her temperament. She actually explained to her with a bit of a smile. "Your sister's bracelet wasn't given by me. It was a reward from the queen. It's a tribute sent to the palace. There's no second one like it on the market. Your grandmother doesn't have the ability to find one for you."
In her heart, she was thinking that if her eldest granddaughter was wearing the bracelet sent by the crown prince, did it mean that she was gradually accepting the crown prince?
Thinking of the report from the person she had sent out yesterday, the crown prince had helped Fengran out of trouble and embarrassed the third princess.
It seemed that the crown prince really had Fengran in his eyes!
There was nothing more gratifying to the old madam Xie than this. She didn't pay attention to Xie Yunxi's ugly expression. Instead, she looked at Xie Fengran and asked with concern, "Fengran, you went out yesterday and ran into the daughter of the prime minister's mansion and the third princess?"
Xie Fengran nodded. She knew that someone would report to the old madam. But she still briefly told the story. "Granddaughter stopped the fourth princess from getting involved. Otherwise, it would have been a scandal in the royal family. If it had spread, granddaughter wouldn't have gotten away with it!"
The old madam let out a sigh of relief. "You did the right thing. You kept the fourth princess out of it. The queen will remember your kindness. Let this matter go. Don't mention it again in the future."
In the old madam's opinion, the emperor might not punish the third princess for this matter, especially since there was a noble consort backing her up.
Although she wanted Xie Fengran to marry into the royal family, she didn't want the Xie family to get involved in the royal strife so soon.
Xie Fengran lowered her head and obediently agreed. The old madam was even more satisfied.
Only Xie Yunxi was the most dissatisfied. Her eyes flashed. She said with a look of concern, "Grandmother, sister was so disrespectful to the third princess. Will she offend the third princess and arouse the dissatisfaction of the noble consort?"
The old madam was in a good mood. But when she heard what Xie Yunxi said, it was like a bucket of cold water being poured on her head. She glared at her angrily and shouted, "Shut up! Your sister has done nothing wrong. Even if the third princess reports this to the emperor, your sister is in the right."
She didn't want to get involved in the royal strife, but she couldn't compromise just because she was afraid of offending people. That wasn't staying out of it. That was being a fence-sitter!
Xie Yunxi felt a bit wronged by the scolding. She couldn't understand what was good about offending the noble consort!
The old madam had a headache. She couldn't pretend to be happy with the whole family anymore.
This was when Xie Fengran's advantages became apparent. After all, she was the one the old madam had raised herself. She was clear-headed in important matters and knew what to do in small matters. She was much better than Xie Yunxi!
Xie Fengran sat on one side, as if she hadn't heard the old madam scolding Xie Yunxi. She quietly waited for the situation to unfold.
The old madam let out a sigh. Her eyes swept over the two people behind Xie Fengran. She couldn't help but frown. "Fengran, is Nanny Shen useful to you?"
Xie Fengran thought to herself, here it comes! But she didn't show it on her face. She said in surprise, "Grandmother, didn't Nanny Su tell you? Nanny Shen accidentally hurt her leg. Granddaughter invited a doctor. She's recuperating in the Listening-to-the-Wind Courtyard now!"
The old madam frowned even more tightly. She turned to look at Nanny Su. "Is that so? Why didn't you tell me?"
Nanny Su quickly stepped forward to plead guilty. "It's my fault, madam. I thought that since the elder miss had kept Nanny Shen, I was afraid that you would blame me, so I covered it up for her. Who would have thought that she wasn't fully recovered and actually delayed the elder miss's business."
"You're wrong, Nanny," Xie Fengran said with a smile. "It's not a delay. Nanny Shen was sent by the grandmother. Granddaughter should show her respect. The grandmother sent a stewardess, not a rough servant."
"Moreover, although Nanny Shen is recuperating now, it doesn't affect her teaching the little maids. And Lanfang and the others can go to her if they have any questions. Nanny Su, am I right?"
Xie Fengran's phoenix eyes were filled with a bit of coldness as she looked over. Nanny Su felt a shiver run down her spine and subconsciously lowered her head.