Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
While Old Madam Qiao was still thinking, she suddenly heard Qiao Jinniang’s words. She lowered her voice and said angrily, “Do you want to die? How dare you call His Royal Highness that?”
Qiao Jinniang lowered her eyes and replied, “Yes, I will not call the jerk “jerk” anymore.”
The Old Madam took a deep breath and told her to stop talking…
“Did the Crown Prince do something bad to you?”
Qiao Jinniang twisted her handkerchief and said, “Grandmother, perhaps you think that being his first or second concubine is already good enough for me.
“But I never want to marry into a powerful family. All I want is to run the Myriad Taste well together with my husband. It’s enough for me to live happily for the rest of my life like my foster parents.”
“That’s why I don’t want to marry into the East Palace as a concubine, not even if I can become an imperial consort in the future.”
Old Madam Qiao shook her head and said, “You silly girl, you have already given birth to the eldest son of the Crown Prince. Even if you can only be his first or second concubine now, in the future you will definitely be one of the imperial consorts when he becomes the emperor, not to mention that your father has reached the highest rank for officials. Your son is very likely to be the next emperor!”
“Don’t we women care about our children the most? If your son becomes the emperor, you’ll be the most powerful woman in the world.
“Although I shouldn’t say these words, with the support of the Qiao Family, it will not be difficult for you to become the queen mother in the future…”
Qiao Jinniang said, “But if I have to suffer and live a lonely life for a lifetime just for that position,
“If I have to be trapped in the imperial palace for a lifetime, argue against other women, and stay subservient to my husband’s wife, even if I can be the most powerful woman in the country when I am old, what’s the point of it?”
“Grandmother, I didn’t grow up in the Duke Mansion. I’m just a commoner from the grassroots, so I don’t want to be trapped in the Imperial Palace.
“Now our family is already very prosperous, so I don’t think you need me to fight for our family’s future.
“Grandma, I hope you can understand me. Please don’t tell anyone this matter in case Mother and Father worry about me.”
Old Madam Qiao had always felt that Qiao Jinniang was a very smart girl, but it was not until today did she realize that Qiao Jinniang was really not an ordinary woman. “The little imperial grandson is your own flesh and blood. Do you have the heart to leave him in the East Palace alone?”
Qiao Jinniang said, “I will often visit him.”
Madam Qiao closed her eyes and said, “Go back first and let me think about it.”
Qiao Jinniang saluted and went back to her courtyard. Hongling and the other maids had already knelt in a row to plead guilty. Today, they failed to stop Qiao Ruofeng from searching her room.
Qiao Jinniang said, “It’s not your fault. Since Qiao Ruofeng was determined to search my room, you wouldn’t have been able to stop her. Get up.”
The rain finally stopped, and Qiao Jinniang continued to cook stewed goose palms in wine sauce that she had not finished yet, but she was rather absent-minded.
Her grandmother hadn’t given her a clear answer, and she didn’t know what she could do if her grandmother really forced her to marry Lu Chen.
In the afternoon, Yuyan came in with a few boxes and said, “Miss, these are the apology gifts from those women who gossip about you in the Tasty Pavilion yesterday.”
Qiao Jinniang opened the boxes and checked them out. It was all jewelry and rouge. Those women were just pretending to feel guilty in case they offended his father, so she said, “Divide these things up. If there is anything you don’t want, give them to the maids and mammies doing heavy labor work.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
…
After Xie Yun came to Chang’an, very few people had seen her. As June 28 got closer, many noble ladies couldn’t sit still.
Li Lingling from Earl Cheng’en’s Mansion took the lead to hold a lotus appreciation poetry party and invited Xie Yun.
The invitations were handed out to all the noble ladies in the homes of ministers and officials of the second rank and above in Chang’an City.
The Empress Dowager and Consort Xian were both from Earl Cheng’en’s Mansion. Even though it was gradually declining, it was still an important family in Chang’an. People would still give them some face.
Li Lingling also gave invitations to all the girls of the Duke Mansion.
Qiao Ruoshui also got the invitation, but the Duchess rejected it for her with the excuse that she was still sick.
Only Qiao Ruoyi and Qiao Jinniang were allowed to go, and the Duchess didn’t forget to tell Qiao Ruoyi, “Take good care of Jinniang. This is the first time she is going to a poetry party for noble girls. Don’t let her be bullied.”
Qiao Ruoyi nodded.
Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “Mother, you’re worrying too much. I’m older than Ruoyi. I don’t need her to take care of me.”
The Duchess sighed helplessly. “Earl Cheng’en and his family run amuck because the Empress Dowager is from their family, so you have to be very careful.”
Qiao Jinniang nodded and said, “Okay.”
In such hot weather, Qiao Jinniang and Qiao Ruoyi were wearing dresses made of top-quality Cloudy Smoke Silk today.
This fabric was light and thin, so they would not feel too hot to wear it in the summer, so there wasn’t much of this fabric for sale in Chang’an.
The two of them got off the soft sedan chair, which attracted the eyes of many noble ladies.
As the host today, Li Lingling was wearing the Cloudy Smoke Silk awarded by the Empress Dowager, and she had shown it off just now.
But she didn’t expect that the Duke Mansion would give this expensive fabric to a daughter who came back from the countryside and a concubine-born daughter!
What a disgrace to her!
Li Lingling said unceremoniously, “Miss Qiao, you’re really capable. It’s only been three months since you came back, right?
“You have driven your younger sister crazy and forced the Duke Mansion to break up. For god’s sake, your grandmother is still alive!
“Your parents actually dote on you so much. How I envy you!”
Although she said she envied Jinniang, the ridicule in her words couldn’t be concealed.
The other noble girls also taunted, “It is normal for a man to have a concubine maid. Miss Qiao, you can’t blame your second aunt just because your fiancé’s concubine maid came to the Tasty Pavilion for you!”
“If you’re so narrow-minded, who else will be willing to marry you in the future?!”
Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “Why, I’ve just received your apology gifts. Do you want to give me apology gifts again?”
When the noble girls heard this, they all fell silent.
Li Lingling looked at her friends and felt angry that they were so useless, but she still didn’t give up. “Oh, I forgot that Miss Qiao is from the countryside. I’m sorry I forgot that you are illiterate.
“If you feel bored at the poetry party, please tell me as soon as possible. Don’t pretend to understand poems.
“Miss Xie will come to the poem party today, so we’ll play the poem making games. If you can’t make a poem, you’ll be punished with three glasses of liquor.
“I hope you don’t get drunk today.”
“Who said my little Jinniang is illiterate?” Xie Yun’s sedan chair stopped in front of Earl Cheng’en’s Mansion.
Qiao Jinniang looked back and saw that today Xie Yun was wearing a lake blue skirt and a snake bun, looking very tall and slender. With such a gorgeous face, he didn’t look like a man at all.
Xie Yun walked up to Qiao Jinniang and said, “It has been only a hundred years since the imperial examination was held for the first time. Among the thirty-two imperial examinations, five people who won first place were from Lin’an and many officials were also from Lin’an.
“How did Lin’an, the land of talents and wealth, become the countryside in Miss Li’s mouth?”
The women present were all stunned when they saw Xie Yun…
After seeing her, Princess Fulu said to her maid, “I had thought that my imperial cousin was the most beautiful person in the world, but today I finally see a beauty no weaker than him. Hurry up, take another hundred taels of silver to bet that Xie Yun will become the crown princess!”
Fulu could imagine how beautiful a picture it would be when Xie Yun and the Crown Prince stood together in the future!
