Chapter 191 Traces

　　Normally, Concubine Xiao would have gone to bed at this time.

　　She had something on her mind today, and with Ranran coming, how could she sleep?

　　She looked at Gu Ranran lovingly and said, "If you are willing to do it for Aunt Xiao, Aunt Xiao will be more than happy to do it."

　　Although Concubine Xiao did tell Jianing before that she didn't like to groom her nails, she has completely changed now.

　　Not only that, she also wanted to find some things that could only be done by Ranran herself.

　　This will create more opportunities for my son.

　　"Then, Brother Shen, you should rest first." Gu Ranran took Concubine Xiao's arm, "Aunt Xiao, take me to your room."

　　Shen Moyuan couldn't sleep, but he couldn't find a reason to follow them.

　　He looked at Concubine Xiao for help.

　　How could Concubine Xiao not understand her son's intentions? She patted Gu Ranran's hand and said, "Ranran, we are in the study."

　　"The oil lamp in my room is dim, not as bright as here."

　　Gu Ranran didn't think too much about it. She took out a manicure set from the space and said with a smile, "After Liangzhou City has electricity, we won't have to use oil lamps anymore."

　　Speaking of this, she just remembered, "I called Jiangcheng a few days ago and heard that the students sent there are very smart and have already found the way."

　　Shen Moyuan watched Gu Ranran take out various tools from the manicure kit attentively, and said, "I selected these people based on my brother's test paper. They must meet the requirements."

　　Gu Ranran couldn't help laughing when she thought of the previous perverted test paper.

　　It is also difficult for them. Their brains that are more than a thousand years old are going to be poisoned by things that are more than a thousand years old.

　　After all, it was her first time doing someone’s nails, and Gu Ranran spent more than two hours doing it.

　　But in the end, slow work produces fine results, and the result is very good, so good that there is not even a single flaw.

　　Even Xiao Guiren, who had never been interested in manicures, took a second look and said, "Ran Ran is really amazing. It looks great."

　　In fact, the concubines in the Daqian Palace also liked to paint their nails and wear nail covers.

　　But in terms of color and fineness, it is far inferior to what Ranran made.

　　Gu Ranran held Aunt Xiao's hand and admired her work, "This color makes Aunt Xiao's skin look even whiter."

　　Lady Xiao winked at Shen Moyuan. If she wasn't going to praise this dumb boy now, when would she do so?

　　Shen Moyuan didn't understand what his mother meant. He glanced at the palm of his hand and said, could it be that his mother wanted him to make one too?

　　Although he liked Ranran very much, he still couldn't accept this kind of women's things.

　　Seeing that her son didn't say anything, Concubine Xiao almost vomited blood in anger.

　　The atmosphere has become so tense, but he still doesn't understand???

　　Fortunately, Gu Ranran didn't care. She looked at Si Sha and asked, "Do you want me to make one for you?"

　　She acquired a new skill and wanted to show it off more.

　　Si Sha shook his head, "Sister Ranran, I still won't do it."

　　She usually does cruel and ruthless things. If her opponents see her with such beautiful manicure, it will be inconsistent with her image.

　　"No, think about it again." Gu Ranran took out her phone, opened the album and recommended, "There are many colors. This cold mist gray is very suitable for you. It is absolutely a must-have for murder and arson."

　　Sisha: ...

　　Is this really okay?

　　…

　　The flower-viewing banquet arranged by the Empress Dowager began at 9:00 p.m. After completing her manicure, Concubine Xiao went back to her bedroom to rest.

　　Gu Ranran suggested that Shen Moyuan take her around the city.

　　Shen Moyuan asked excitedly, "Ran Ran, can you ride a horse?"

　　Gu Ranran looked up at Shen Moyuan, "Ah, no."

　　There was a horse riding scene when I was filming a movie before, and I almost broke my leg.

　　Since then, she has not had any curiosity about riding horses.

　　Shen Moyuan's eyes were filled with tenderness. "Can I teach you how to ride a horse?"

　　When Gu Ranran heard about horse riding, she instantly thought of Zhuifeng mentioned by Shen Moyuan.

　　She was reluctant, but seeing how enthusiastic the man was, she decided to be more tactful, "Well, let Zhuifeng sleep a little longer. There's still a long way to go before we can ride horses."

　　Shen Moyuan was about to say something else when he saw several carriages entering the city in the distance.

　　Normally, the city gates should not be opened so early.

　　Looking closely, he found that it was actually the royal carriage, and Yan Wen was following beside it.

　　Seeing him staring blankly into the distance, Gu Ranran also leaned over to take a look, "What's wrong?"

　　Shen Moyuan raised the corner of his mouth, "It must be my brother who has returned."

　　Gu Ranran was stunned for a moment before she reacted, "Really?"

　　As she spoke, she had already trotted over.

　　In order to ensure safety, Shen Moyuan took a step forward and walked in front of her.

　　Gu Ranran made a trumpet shape with her hands and shouted towards the carriage, "Brother..."

　　Luo Jingnian was resting with his eyes closed in the car. When he heard the sound, he lifted the curtain.

　　"Ranran, why are you here?" As he spoke, he jumped off the carriage.

　　"But what happened in California?"

　　It was a bit scary when my sister suddenly came here for no reason.

　　"It's okay, I just came here to play." Gu Ranran skipped to her brother's side, "What a coincidence, you're back too."

　　"Is Nanchu fun? It's worth the trip."

　　Luo Jingnian did not respond, but reached out and touched Gu Ranran's head.

　　Shen Moyuan waited until the brother and sister said something nice and stepped forward to bow, "Brother, you have worked hard on this trip."

　　"It seems that Jianing hasn't come back again."

　　He was grateful to Gu Ranran and Luo Jingnian from the bottom of his heart.

　　Both of them contributed money and effort to Liangzhou City without expecting anything in return.

　　Luo Jingnian bowed in return, "Jia Ning wants to stay in Nanchu for a while, and Chen Zhi will be watching her all the time."

　　"You go back home first. I'll take Ranran for a walk in the city."

　　He came back this time because he had something important to tell his sister. She happened to be in Liangzhou City, so he didn't have to travel all the way to California.

　　Shen Moyuan agreed, "Okay, brother."

　　Although he also wanted to accompany Ranran, Luo Jingnian seemed to have something to say.

　　Gu Ranran thought that her brother was really just taking her to see the scenery, so she looked around along the way and was curious about everything.

　　Luo Jingnian stared at his sister for a long time, and then spoke, "Ranran, I seem to have found traces of my mother in Nanchu."

　　Chapter 192 Venting

　　Gu Ranran froze for a few seconds, feeling a little dizzy from such a huge amount of information.

　　Nan Chu? Mom?

　　How, how did this happen?

　　"I know this is a little unbelievable." Luo Jingnian stopped and said, "I'm not completely sure at the moment."

　　He had this idea at the beginning, but he felt it was too absurd.

　　But at least he could be sure that the person who made the bamboo weaving was not from Daqian or Nanchu, and did not even belong to this era.

　　Gu Ranran's curiosity was aroused, "How did you find the clues?"

　　Nanchu Kyoto is a big city with so many people that it is not easy to run into someone you know.

　　Luo Jingnian's thoughts went back to the day when Jianing gave him the bamboo weaving.

　　He talked about the situation from that day on, then Nangong Xu helped to find someone, and finally discovered that the layout of the bamboo weaving owner's courtyard was almost the same as his hometown.

　　Gu Ranran listened attentively. At the end, she asked, "Brother, you should wait there."

　　A hint of sadness flashed across Luo Jingnian's eyes. "I waited for three days, but he didn't come back."

　　He rubbed his index finger and thumb together, frowning, "I always have a feeling that there seems to be a hand controlling all this."

　　Gu Ranran pulled the corner of her mouth, "Brother, the more you talk, the more mysterious it becomes."

　　After thinking about it, she nodded slightly, "It is indeed mysterious. The big water tank connects the past and the present, and space... maybe this world has been turned upside down."

　　Luo Jingnian suddenly became a little more serious. He really wanted to do his best to protect his sister and let her live a good life.

　　However, many times, what she has to face seems to be much more complicated than they imagined.

　　The brother and sister talked for an hour before Gu Ranran remembered something.

　　"Oh no, I promised to accompany Aunt Xiao to Qingzhou City, don't delay it."

　　Luo Jingnian had a question mark on his face, "What are you going to Qingzhou for?"

　　Now the emperor's motives are unclear, no matter what the reason is, he cannot let his sister take risks.

　　"The Queen Mother summoned Aunt Xiao yesterday." Gu Ranran said as she hurried towards the palace, "I want to see the world. Brother, just agree to it."

　　Along the way, no matter how Gu Ranran coaxed and persuaded, Luo Jingnian never gave in.

　　"Fortunately, I came back today, otherwise I would have let you go."

　　Gu Ranran: ...

　　My brother's concern for me is really deep.

　　When she was almost at the palace, she saw Shen Moyuan standing at the door.

　　She took two steps at a time and went up to him and asked, "Is Aunt Xiao up?"

　　"Should we get ready to go?"

　　Shen Moyuan raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the city gate, "My mother has probably arrived in Qingzhou City."

　　"In the end, we decided not to take you with us. She asked you not to blame her."

　　Gu Ranran looked towards the direction of Qingzhou and felt emotional again. It seemed that it was not only her brother who cared about her, but Aunt Xiao was also one of them.

　　…

　　Qingzhou City.

　　Concubine Xiao brought Si Sha into Anranxuan where the Empress Dowager lived.

　　In addition to the Queen Mother, there were also Concubine Dowager De, Concubine Dowager Hui, and Concubine Dowager Shu.

　　These three people were the mothers of King Liang, King Zhao and King Xuan.

　　It is worth mentioning that the three concubines and the queen mother are four sisters from the same mother.

　　The four daughters of Wei Taifu all became concubines, which was a good story in the capital at that time.

　　At that time in the palace, the Crown Prince brought King Liang, King Zhao and King Xuan to humiliate Shen Moyuan, while Concubine De, Concubine Hui and Concubine Shu made things difficult for Concubine Xiao.

　　Now seeing her old enemy again, bad memories flooded into Concubine Xiao's mind.

　　She was of low rank, so she bowed to everyone and stood at a distance waiting for the Queen Mother's lecture.

　　The Queen Mother's eyes moved up and down her body.

　　"It seems that you are living a very comfortable life." The Queen Mother said sarcastically, "Liangzhou City has always been poor, how can we afford to wear gold and silver?"

　　In the eyes of the empress dowager, Xiao Guiren, a lowly woman who was not even worthy of the title of imperial concubine, should just eat coarse food.

　　Concubine Xiao squatted slightly and said, "I know I was wrong."

　　"Oh, if it wasn't for my sister reminding me, I really wouldn't have noticed that your gold pendant looks very rare."

　　Concubine De was the youngest of the four sisters, and she was the first to start talking.

　　"Smell it. Why does she have a fragrance?" Concubine Hui continued, "It smells pretty good."

　　"More than that." Concubine Shu was not to be outdone, "Look at her lipstick and nail polish, everything seems to be better than those in the palace."

　　It was the first time that Concubine Xiao was stared at so closely.

　　Before she went out, she used the perfume, lipstick, and whitening cream that Ranran gave her as usual, and wore the gold necklace she gave her... nothing special.

　　The Queen Mother glanced at her three sisters with disdain.

　　She asked these three people to humiliate Concubine Xiao, so why did it sound like they were praising her?

　　The Queen Mother coughed softly and said, "Since I have moved to your place, I should pay my respects to you every day."

　　"But I don't want to see you every day. I only come twice a month, on the first and fifteenth day of each month."

　　Concubine Xiao was thinking about something else and responded with a single voice, "I obey your command."

　　Concubine De and her companions were indeed very connoisseurs of value, and they could tell at a glance that what Ranran gave was better than what Daqian had available today.

　　Ranran and Luo Jingnian had both said before that they wanted to open a store in Daqian and sell modern products.

　　It seems that cosmetics and jewelry shops are both good choices.

　　Having been humiliated by the four people in front of her over the years, Concubine Xiao had an urge to avenge herself.

　　She took out the lipstick she carried with her and took a few steps forward.

　　The Queen Mother immediately became alert, frowned and asked, "What do you want to do?"

　　Concubine Xiao bowed and said, "I dare not not answer the questions asked by the concubines just now."

　　After that, she took out her handkerchief and wiped the lipstick off her lips.

　　The three concubines sitting at the top, including the empress dowager, all looked stunned, not knowing what Concubine Xiao was going to do.

　　I saw Concubine Xiao slightly raised the lipstick, and as her right hand rotated, the other end gradually appeared.

　　Concubine Shu was usually very particular about these things, and at this moment her eyes were wide open.

　　"This, this color, could it be lip balm?"

　　Just when she and everyone else were a little unsure, Concubine Xiao applied lipstick evenly on her lips.

　　This orange-toned strawberry red that Gu Ranran gave me has a juice-like texture, moist but not greasy, and looks sweet and tender.

　　Concubine Shu did not hide her feelings at all. She said to Concubine Xiao, "Bring it up here for me to see."

　　Concubine Xiao responded and handed the lipstick to the nanny beside her.

　　Concubine De and Concubine Hui both left their stools and walked over to Concubine Shu. The three of them stood around and watched for a long time, completely unaware that the Empress Dowager's expression was gradually becoming gloomy.

　　After looking for a while, the three of them probably thought of the Queen Mother.

　　Concubine Shu took the lipstick to the Queen Mother and said, "Sister, look, this little item is really ingenious."

　　"Even the Inner Court doesn't have this color."

　　The Queen Mother did not even raise her eyelids and said calmly, "What a strange and lewd trick. What's so interesting about it? Return it to her immediately."

　　“I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.”

　　Chapter 193 Only buy expensive things, not the right ones

　　Looking at the empress dowager puffing her beard and glaring, Xiao Guiren felt an unprecedented pleasure in her heart.

　　She then took out the perfume and sprayed it into the air from a distance. "This is called perfume. The fragrance is long-lasting and better than incense."

　　This time it was Concubine Hui's turn to be upset.

　　"Yes, yes, that's the taste."

　　She smelled it as soon as Concubine Xiao entered the palace.

　　Concubine Hui said to the maid, "Quick, bring it up for me to see."

　　The Queen Mother was furious when she saw how useless her three sisters were, but she couldn't vent her anger and could only let them do what they wanted.

　　Seeing that Concubine Hui didn't know how to do it, Concubine Xiao raised her hand and gestured in the air, "Just press the top."

　　Concubine Hui tried several times and finally managed to spray the perfume.

　　She exclaimed excitedly, "Amazing, it's really magical."

　　She stared at the perfume bottle without raising her head, "Where did you buy this? I want it."

　　OK, OK.

　　Completely attracted, Concubine Xiao was ecstatic.

　　But Concubine Hui's question stumped her.

　　These bottles and jars were all given by Ranran, and she really didn't know how much they were worth.

　　It would definitely be too late to ask now, so she thought for a moment and said a number, "Five hundred taels of silver."

　　She was not sure whether the price was too low.

　　If Gu Ranran heard this, she would be scared to death.

　　Five hundred taels is enough to buy a large courtyard in the capital, but it is used to price perfume.

　　The three concubines were born into official families and were raised in wealth since childhood. After they entered the palace, they lived an even more luxurious life.

　　Five hundred taels was not considered very expensive in their opinion.

　　Concubine Hui said directly, "Xiao, please help me buy one."

　　Concubine De also joined in the fun, "I want one too."

　　Concubine Shu asked, "How much is the lip balm? Please buy two for me."

　　The Queen Mother was so furious.

　　But those three are her sisters.

　　After scolding them today, they will clamor to go back to their parents' home tomorrow.

　　Out of sight, out of mind, she simply got up and left.

　　Concubine Xiao hurriedly bowed and saw him off, feeling extremely happy.

　　It seems that these novel things that Ranran gave her actually gave her the possibility of revenge.

　　"What are you standing there for?" Concubine Shu urged, "Hurry up and tell me, how much is the lip balm?"

　　This time, Concubine Xiao did not hesitate, "It's also five hundred taels of silver."

　　"but……"

　　Concubine Shu was anxious, "But what? You can't buy it."

　　Concubine Xiao curled her lips, "But there are more than a dozen colors of lipstick..."

　　"More than a dozen?" Concubine Shu stood up from the stool. "So many?"

　　In fact, what she didn’t know was that what Concubine Xiao said was just the tip of the iceberg.

　　Including the colors created by each brand, there are at least hundreds of them.

　　Concubine Xiao continued, "The perfume that Concubine Hui sprayed just now also had many scents."

　　"Jasmine, roses, oranges... all of them."

　　The three concubines who had previously prided themselves on being noble had now let go of their burdens and surrounded Concubine Xiao, asking her all sorts of questions.

　　…

　　The other end.

　　Outside Liangzhou City.

　　Just like when Shen Moyuan went to an appointment before, several Qingming Guards operated drones to continuously investigate the movements in Qingzhou.

　　Shen Moyuan paced back and forth, very nervous.

　　"Do you want to set fire?" Gu Ranran asked, "Last time