Story of Minglan: An Extra

Minglan and Rong Jie’er were both born to concubines. I think Minglan carefully raised Rong Jie’er all over again. She even spared her the exhaustion she would have faced if she’d married into a powerful family.

Rong Jie’er’s birth mother, Zhu Manniang, was the woman who tried to kill Minglan’s own son, Tuange’er. It couldn’t have been easy for Minglan to show Rong Jie’er such generosity and kindness.

As for the faint formality and sense of boundaries between them, and the hurt of not recognizing Rong Jie’er as a legitimate daughter, that might have come from Old Madam Sheng’s principles, Gu Tingye’s tacit approval, or Minglan’s own decision... But what does it matter?

I don’t think Rong Jie’er truly cares about it. Being comfortable around each other matters far more than putting on a show.