The Jiang Family worked together to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of the royal scandal on Lunar New Year’s Eve. It was in Quezhi Palace of Jing City.
“Empress can’t keep her power now?” Jiang Huizhi wore her hair in a bun, wearing a green upper garment and a purple coat. And there was a marten coat on her shoulders. She was young and beautiful, but she was dressed like the hopeless concubines in Zhenyu Palace. Although the dull colors could not hide her bright youth, her eyes without much emotion looked lifeless.
At this moment, she asked coldly, “How will that benefit us? Why are you so happy?”
“Your Grace, since Empress can’t take care of the palace affairs, who else can and dare take over the power of the Imperial Harem but you?” The trusted maid who entered the palace with her from her maiden family was confused, so she said, “Isn’t this a good thing?”
“She is His Majesty’s first wife and the daughter-in-law that Empress Dowager selected personally back then!” Jiang Huizhi said with an expressionless face, “And she gave birth to the eldest trueborn prince, who is the only child of His Majesty now… Do you think she will be deprived of her power forever just for such a matter?”
“Emm…” Her trusted maid was speechless for a while, but then she said immediately, “It is a serious matter this time, so even if Empress Dowager doesn’t mean to punish her really, she can’t let her get the power back just after she is punished. Your Grace, Empress Dowager will let you wield the power for some time certainly. We can take this opportunity…”
“What can we do?” Jiang Huizhi said disdainfully, “Empress guards her Zishen Palace so tightly since she entered the palace earlier. I even cannot know what kind of flowers she has planted, not to mention reaching out to some other things. Besides, there are always a few people in this palace who grovel to those with strength. Since I entered the palace, how many times has His Majesty been back and forth? I can count on one hand! His love is in Zishen Palace as the prince is also there. What do you think I can do even if I have the imperial power in name?”
The trusted maid whispered, “But you are Noble Consort after all…”
“But there is no concubine in the Imperial Harem!” Jiang Huizhi gritted her teeth and said, “So even if I am Noble Consort, I am at the lowest rank in the Imperial Harem! Do you think the people in the Imperial Harem really respect me? If it hadn’t been for Empress who was afraid that people would criticize her for mistreating me, we wouldn’t have even been able to keep our monthly share!”
She sneered, “Of course, my grandfather has made some arrangements in the palace. If we use them, it can do good for us. It’s just that it’s not worth it!”
The trusted maid asked cautiously, “Your Grace, why is it not worth it?”
“Empress Dowager has been on guard against me all the time. Empress speaks two languages at once. And His Majesty doesn’t seem to be very interested in me!” Jiang Huizhi sneered, “The attitudes of them are so clear, so I won’t get too much no matter how hard I try to achieve something. And it may even enable others to find out some arrangements of my grandfather… So, it is better to find another way! ”
“Your Grace, what do you mean?”
Half a day later, in the imperial garden, Emperor only brought Cen Wei as usual and painted under the snow-capped trees.
“Has Noble Consort been in Hall of Taishi since she asked to serve Empress Dowager?” Emperor looked calm, painting on the white paper. He was sketching a picture of a winter snow scene carefully, “Did Empress Dowager agree actually? I remember that she never likes people from the first branch in the Jiang Family. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given the cold shoulder to Noble Consort deliberately after she entered the palace!”
While making ink, Cen Wei said softly, “Empress Dowager did not agree at first. Maid Lin came out in person and asked Her Grace to manage the Imperial Harem on behalf of Her Majesty, but Her Grace said that there were only one Empress and one concubine in the palace and the others were all maids. So, she said it was enough to let the maids and eunuch stewards manage it. Besides, she said she was young and shallow, so she didn’t know how to manage the Imperial Harem at all. So, she would rather serve Empress Dowager.”
“And then? Maid Lin let her in?”
“Maid Lin didn’t agree, but Her Grace kept kneeling in front of Hall of Taishi for more than two hours. Just now, Maid Lin invited her in… I don’t know if Empress Dowager will let her stay there.”
Emperor stopped his painting for a moment, and then he said in a low voice, “She is really smart. It’s not in vain that I plotted to make her enter the palace!”
It was no wonder that Jiang Huizhi felt upset. She had to enter the palace because she was set up by someone, and the person who tricked her was Emperor whom the Jiang Family never thought of. After all, no one would believe that Empress Dowager Gu handed over the most loyal subordinates to Emperor secretly with the thought that the two sides should both get loss just like Empress Dowager Ye.
And Emperor grew up with Empress Dowager Jiang accompanying him. Empress Dowager Jiang thought she knew him very well and she knew his ins and outs. She never considered that he should have his own team. Therefore, after Jiang Huizhi was found to have a close contact with Emperor before her wedding, among people inside and outside the court and the Jiang Family, some thought she was a member of the Gu Family, some suspected she was the political enemy of the Xin Family, and others suspected each other…
But no one suspected Emperor!
He fooled everyone!
Even Cen Wei joined Emperor from a spy arranged by Empress Dowager Jiang because he found that Emperor remained unaffected after the incident, and he confirmed that he might have a bright future if following Emperor.
“It is also a blessing for Her Grace to be chosen by you, Your Majesty!” At this moment, he flattered respectfully and then changed the subject, saying with worry, “It’s just… I think even if Empress Dowager allows Her Grace to serve her, she won’t let her surpass Her Majesty because of this!”
“That’s for sure.” Emperor said lightly, “Empress… She is chosen by Empress Dowager personally! Not to mention the relationship between the lady of Marquess E and Empress Dowager is much better than that between Jiang Tianao and Empress Dowager, Empress is Empress. What’s more, she gave birth to Chu Shao. So how would Empress Dowager give up the mother and son just because of Noble Consort’s temporary care?”
“Since so, will Her Grace be constrained by Her Majesty all the time?” Cen Wei thought about it for a while and asked with confusion, “Your Majesty, when you plotted to make Her Grace enter the Imperial Palace, didn’t you say that your purpose was to let the first branch be against the fourth branch and the sixth branch of the Jiang Family so that Her Majesty would be checked and balanced, and your plan would go smoothly. But now, Her Grace is at a disadvantage everywhere, and she can’t check and balance Her Majesty!”
Emperor sneered, “Yes! Empress was chosen by Empress Dowager, and her maiden family is inextricably linked with Empress Dowager and the Jiang Family, so naturally, she will stand by Empress Dowager’s side! In this way, she is the leader in all matters in the Imperial Harem. No matter how careful I am, it is inevitable that she will see some clues! According to my original plan, after Noble Consort enters the Imperial Palace, even if she can’t get the power of Empress, she will be able to make her distracted, so that even if Empress finds something, we can incriminate Noble Consort. Anyway, just like that no one except the first branch of the Jiang Family believes that Noble Consort was framed when she entered the palace, Empress and Noble Consort won’t believe each other because of their rift.”
Speaking of this, he suddenly asked, “What do you think of the situation of Noble Consort now?”
“… Not good?”
“Even worse than that?” Emperor mocked, “Influenced by the elders, no matter how virtuous she is, Empress Dowager will not really treat her sincerely, let alone Empress. If Sir Jibei hadn’t tried to protect her before he died, Empress would have killed her already. Even I don’t dare to treat her well because of Empress Dowager. Hated by Empress Dowager, Empress, and Emperor, how could she have a bright future?”
Cen Wei turned silent.
“I heard that she had a few fights with Empress and the lady of Marquess E, the mother of Empress, before she entered the palace.” Emperor sneered, “I thought she had a strong and unruly personality and the Imperial Harem would be lively after she entered the palace, but she is so endurant. She has been living silently for several months…”
Speaking of this, he said lightly, “Furthermore, she learns from me now!”
“She learns from you, Your Majesty?” Cen Wei was surprised and then thought of something, “Yes. Noble Consort Jiang was so arrogant who even didn’t care about Her Majesty, but this time she actually gives up the opportunity to seize power and goes to serve Empress Dowager. With such a big change in her attitude, isn’t she taking the opportunity to show her weakness and obedience? Your Majesty, hasn’t you been using this method to protect yourself as well?”
Emperor was much more professional than Noble Consort Jiang. Jiang Huizhi had a black history of deliberately provoking and framing others before she entered the Imperial Palace. Even if she had changed temporarily, Empress Dowager Jiang and Empress Xin must still be suspicious and wary of her.
But Emperor had always been so obedient. He was simply a professional puppet. Except for the people who stood by his side, everyone in the court and the public thought that he was as meek as the former emperor. Under such circumstances, who would imagine what he had done behind the scene?
“I don’t know when she will have a showdown with me.” Emperor ignored Cen Wei’s surprise and said lightly, “The first branch of the Jiang Family has already fallen. With the current advantage of the fourth branch, she will not be given any chance to use her maiden family to bring about an upswing at all. If she wants to surpass Empress and does not want to die alone in the palace, she can only rely on me.”
Emperor smiled coldly, “I don’t know what bargaining chip she can give me… In the future, remember to give Noble Consort more opportunities! I can’t go to her very often now. So, I need you to help Noble Consort contact me gradually without being found by Empress Dowager and Empress.”
Cen Wei thought for a moment, bowed, and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
When Emperor and Noble Consort in the palace were intriguing against each other, Qiu Yelan was invited by He Shuijin to the third branch, “Originally, the wedding can be very lively if held in the first lunar month, but now something like that happened in the palace. In case it is discussed again at the banquet, it will be embarrassing.”
“But the date has already been fixed. The reason why we hold it in our mansion is that there is only such a suitable date in the first lunar month this year. If we miss it, we have to wait until next year, but the youngest grand aunt doesn’t want to wait any longer.” Qiu Yelan sighed, saying helplessly, “When the time comes, shall we choose a few fresh songs and dance shows and acrobatics to distract the guests?”
The twelfth day in the first lunar month, the only suitable date for Jiang Yalan and Feng Hanyan to get married in the whole year, was imminent. What made the two sisters-in-law feel troublesome was that the court and the public were both talking about Yan Linxue and Old Concubine Fan. Since the Gu Family fell, in the past few years, it was the first time that the wedding of the trueborn son in the Jiang Family had not attracted most people. It was really that good deeds always stayed indoors, while scandals travelled a thousand miles.
It was not that Qiu Yelan and He Shuijin wanted their own family to be showiest. Think about it. It was the wedding day, but the guests were enthusiastically discussing the illegal couple in the palace. How would the family that held the wedding think?
“That’s the only thing we can do now!” He Shuijin frowned for a long time before saying, “We didn’t expect it to happen at all. Now there are only a few days left. I don’t know if we can find good shows… Alas!
Speaking of this, she thought of something, “By the way, Yashuang will accept apprentice in the first lunar month. On which day? If you are really too busy, I will take care of the thirteenth brother’s wedding first.”
“Yashuang doesn’t want to make a big deal, so he’ll only invite a few colleagues and let Lu He serve tea. That’s all.” Qiu Yelan shook her head, “It’s after the thirteenth brother’s wedding. It’s even after the Lantern Festival… Don’t worry about this. Let’s be busy with the thirteenth brother’s wedding first.”
“And then help me check this list!” Hearing her words, He Shuijin began to arrange work for her without any hesitation. At this time, they, daughters-in-law, were really busy.
