Chapter 226: Chapter 226

"This hairpin is beautiful—such translucent red jade. The last time Mother saw something like it was at the Grand Princess's place. The craftsmanship is exquisite; truly the work of a palace master..."

"As expected, the Empress Dowager really has refined taste!"

"And this delicate jade pendant is nice too..."

Carefully placing each chosen ornament into her daughter's hair and watching her precious girl grow even more radiant in the mirror, Yu finally nodded in satisfaction.

Yu didn't have many hobbies in life, and she didn't care whether others called her superficial. In Mrs. Yang's view, no matter the time or place, she had to be beautiful for her mood to feel right.

Especially seeing her treasured daughter shining all the more under these splendid clothes and jewels, Yu could only sigh at not having given her daughter a better life earlier...

Coincidentally, An Ning felt the same way. Waking up every morning and seeing a peerless beauty in the mirror—who could understand just how delightful that made her heart feel!

As long as those messy troubles didn't pop up, the girl's life couldn't be more perfect. With a pretty mother and good-looking younger brother around, her daily worries were mainly about which gorgeous garments the Brocade Pavilion had today and what shiny trinkets the Treasure Pavilion had.

When bored, she and her dear best friend would go gallivanting about town.

The small room filled with the clear, pleasant laughter of women from time to time.

With cloudlike coiffures, flower-like faces, gold and jade, and brocade and embroidery, mother and daughter were done dressing after more than half an hour.

It happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in the main hall, everyone from the Yang household had finally gathered except for the fashionably late Old Madam Yang.

A waft of fragrance swept in, and the once-bustling hall fell utterly silent. After a long moment, Yang Little Brother let out a sharp, excited exclamation from the table:

"Wow! Mother and Third Sister look so beautiful today!"

"Sis, is that a new fabric? It's stunning!" All glittering with reflected light, Yang Little Brother gazed at his mother and sister with pure envy.

An Ning proudly tipped her chin up and gave him a look that meant "Good boy, you have taste."

"This is the palace's newly tributed Moonflower brocade. There were only two bolts total. Mother and I just had outfits made; there's still half a bolt left. I'll have Huayan send it to you later."

The two siblings whispered conspiratorially at the table.

"Wow, sis, you're the best!" As a fellow lover of beauty, Yang Little Brother's face lit up. If the feast had already started, he'd likely be bustling around, begging his sister to let him serve her dishes.

Though they called it a private whisper between siblings, the table was quiet enough that many people overheard their seemingly intimate conversation.

Young Lady Yang couldn't help but press her lips together; even the most delicious foods before her lost their appeal.

Yang Jin'an frowned too:

"Third Brother, have you finished the assignments Teacher Qian left these days?"

A grown man should pursue literature and establish himself—always fiddling with other things is no proper conduct!

When those words fell, Yang Little Brother's previously bright face soured instantly, and he mumbled dolefully:

"Uh, s-soon... almost..."

"Enough! It's a holiday, and a family dinner—don't bring that up!"

Under the wife's threatening glance beside him, Yang Yuanze cleared his throat and spoke first.

As head of the household, his words carried weight; indeed, the eldest son did not press the matter. Elder sister-in-law Lin deftly smoothed things over:

"Third Sister's dress today is truly beautiful. The moment she walked in, one might think a divine consort from heaven had come..."

"It's precisely Third Sister's ethereal grace that won the Empress Dowager's favor."

Lin smiled as she spoke.

An Ning nodded firmly—no need for further praise; after all, she really was that beautiful and outstanding.

But as soon as they entered, Old Lady Yang remarked: "........."

With each family member harboring their own thoughts, the family finished their dinner. Seeing An Ning in high spirits, Lin quickly suggested going out for a stroll.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets outside were lively indeed.

No sooner had they left the table than An Ning, bouncing along with her little brother, went over to her mother. Under the lantern light and up close, she suddenly realized her mother's complexion looked off.

Like her original body, Yu's skin was fair and refined, maintained over many years to look like fine porcelain.

But An Ning paused at her mother's flushed cheeks and the obvious redness—and even faint marks—on her wrist. Glancing at her father standing with one hand clasped behind his back in a stern posture, she felt a touch of surprise.

Ha! Who would have thought—cheap father keeps a straight face in public but is a certain kind of person in private!

Remember, there were many people at the table earlier—his children and even the old madam were still present!

Yet cheap father didn't get off easy either—An Ning noticed his slightly limping steps and his clearly painful right leg. Holding her mother's hand with one hand and Little Brother with the other, An Ning hurried along.

Along the way, she couldn't resist joining the festivities.

Perhaps feeling guilty, today cheap father was unusually generous. Mother and daughters bought many things as they walked, and even the Golden Phoenix glazed lamp newly launched by the Moonlight Pavilion ended up in An Ning's hands.

Seeing cheap father win first place so quickly, not only An Ning and Little Brother but also Yang Wan and the others couldn't help showing surprised looks.

Yu, however, regarded it as natural:

"Don't look down on your father for no longer tinkering with poetry and essays. In his youth he was at least the imperial Tanhua."

Back then, the poems he wrote for her filled several boxes; she couldn't read them well and didn't particularly like reading them, but they existed.

Wait—Tanhua? Did her father only grow ugly later in life?

She scrutinized her father's face more closely.

Hmm, his bearing and build were decent; his looks, she admitted, didn't scream former glory to her eyes.

At best, he was similar to her cheap eldest brother—by presence alone barely in the upper-middle tier.

Sensing her daughter's train of thought, Yu hesitated a moment, then leaned in:

"How many young people each year pass the palace exams? Especially those under twenty—rare indeed."

And to place in the top three of the first division...

An Ning nodded, realizing she had been superficial—perhaps because she loved beautiful youths in previous lives and had met many young talents. She'd forgotten that being a successful candidate at thirty or a little scholar at fifty wasn't earned lightly.

A nineteen-year-old Tanhua—given that, cheap father definitely had skill!

As An Ning muttered to herself, Yang Yuanze came over from not far away carrying the spoils—the Golden Phoenix glazed lamp.

No wonder it was the Moonlight Pavilion's showpiece; the entire lantern was made from top-grade amethyst glass, dazzling in the moonlight.

Yang Wan couldn't help but praise:

"I've often heard Grandmother speak of Father’s excellence in poetry and prose when he was young. Seeing him now, he truly lives up to it..."

Beside her, Second Miss Yang instinctively recited a verse, gazing admiringly at the approaching man. Yang Yuanze briefly nodded and murmured that it was fine. Then, as if it were natural, he handed the lantern into his little daughter's hands...