Chapter 397

"What? You want me to marry someone?"

In the boudoir of Jiang Shu'er, the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the Jiang family, her sharp voice rang out: "No! Father said he would bring me to the capital and send me to the palace. Why should I marry someone now?"

Her friends back in her hometown all knew she was going to enter the palace and become a concubine, and they were all green with envy.

The day she left Yizhou was a grand spectacle. Every notable young lady in Yizhou came to see her off.

And now what?

Instead of letting her enter the palace, they want her to marry some random person. When she returns to Yizhou, she’ll be the laughingstock.

She might as well hang herself with a white silk ribbon now and save herself from the humiliation.

Madam Zou thumped her arm several times: "Shut up! Do you know that Huang Yanyu, the daughter the Huang family sent to the palace, was expelled? She was poisoned and almost died. She managed to survive, but the Huang family was banished from the capital, never to return. That means their descendants will never have a chance to rise again."

One daughter brought ruin to the entire family. It’s simply not worth it.

"Huang Yanyu?"

The Jiang and Huang families had many business dealings, so their younger generations naturally interacted frequently.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Instead of sympathy, Jiang Shu'er wore a smug expression: "She deserved it. Back in Yizhou, she always stole the spotlight from me. Now she’s been sent back to Yizhou in disgrace. I’d like to see how she can show her face in public."

"She won’t have to show her face anymore."

Madam Zou’s expression was stern and disapproving: "Can’t you put yourself in someone else’s shoes? Your head is as muddled as Huang Yanyu’s. You’re no better than her. Your father was obsessed with the idea that your beauty could win the Emperor’s favor, and I didn’t say anything at the time. But now your grandfather has spoken. The girls of our third branch are not allowed to enter the palace. We must arrange marriages for you as soon as possible. Do you think you’re any smarter than Huang Yanyu?"

The Huang family, fearing the Empress’s wrath, had already sent Huang Yanyu to a nunnery to become a nun.

After all, the doctor said that she had ingested too much poison and hadn’t been treated in time. Her body was permanently damaged. She could no longer bear children, and her lifespan had been shortened. She wouldn’t live much longer.

Jiang Shu'er covered her ears: "I don’t want to hear you belittle me. Father said I could enter the palace, and I will!"

"You!"

Madam Zou was so angry she felt a headache coming on: "If you keep this up, I’ll send you back to Yizhou. I can’t deal with you anymore."

Jiang Shu'er turned her back in anger, burying her face in her arms and sobbing.

Jiang Xinyue had no idea that her letter had caused such a storm within the Jiang family.

Even if she had known, she would have done the same.

Xi Que looked up curiously: "Your Majesty, what did you say to Noble Consort Jin earlier? She looked like she’d seen a ghost."

Jiang Xinyue smiled: "Ask Shuang Jiang."

"Your Majesty must have whispered in Noble Consort Jin’s ear that her plot to harm the Crown Prince has been exposed. That’s why she was so terrified."

Using a eunuch’s pants as evidence to convict Noble Consort Jin was impossible. All the witnesses were dead, so any investigation would be futile.

Noble Consort Jin probably thought the same, which was why she was struck speechless when Her Majesty spoke those words.

Jiang Xinyue nodded. She had simply whispered in Noble Consort Jin’s ear: "Did you think your plan was flawless? You harmed my son and thought you could escape unscathed? Dream on! From now on, every day you spend in the palace will feel like a year, and you’ll wish you were dead."

The suffering her little one endured, Noble Consort Jin would experience year after year. Only then would Jiang Xinyue’s hatred be satisfied.

Xi Que scratched her head. No one else had heard what Her Majesty said, so how did Shuang Jiang guess it so accurately?

Is the gap between people really that big?

Jiang Xinyue didn’t return to her own palace but instead went to Shunan Palace to visit Consort Liang.

After hearing about Huang Yanyu’s fate, Consort Liang’s mood improved. That large bowl of poisoned chicken soup had done its job—if she wasn’t dead, she was certainly crippled.

When Jiang Xinyue left Consort Liang’s palace, the evening glow bathed the sky, casting a golden light over the entire palace. The resplendent halls were breathtakingly beautiful.

The eldest princess bowed slightly: "Auntie Zhen, I thank you. Thank you for saving my mother."

Jiang Xinyue quickly held her hand: "There’s no need to thank me. She’s your mother and also my friend. Doing everything I can to save her is my duty."

Though she said this, the eldest princess knew that if it weren’t for Jiang Xinyue’s efforts, the Emperor wouldn’t have sent Imperial Doctor Hu to treat her mother, nor would he have used rare and precious medicines from the private treasury.

She was truly grateful that her mother had listened to her and turned an enemy into a friend.

"Are you worried?"

Jiang Xinyue smiled at her: "Now that you’re married and leaving the palace, are you afraid your mother might be in danger here?"

The eldest princess blushed: "My mother is impulsive and simple-minded. I’m afraid she might be manipulated by bad people."

"Don’t worry. Focus on being the eldest princess outside the palace. Your mother isn’t a child anymore. I believe she’ll grow up after this ordeal."

While it’s usually the mother who worries when the child travels far, in this case, it’s the child who worries even though she’s not going far.

Jiang Xinyue’s implicit promise was that she wouldn’t let Consort Liang be used by others.

The eldest princess understood her meaning and smiled in acknowledgment.

"Princess, it’s time to go home."

Jiang Shoucheng stood under the lush tree outside Shunan Palace, bowing to Jiang Xinyue: "Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress."

The evening light shone on the young man. His smile was bright, and he exuded an air of integrity—the very image of a refined gentleman.

His looks weren’t overly striking, but it was this understated quality that made him appear mature and reliable, as if he could handle any task entrusted to him.

The eldest princess lifted her skirt and walked over happily, her face filled with joy: "Yes, husband, let’s go home."

Jiang Xinyue didn’t approach but watched them leave from a distance.

It wasn’t for any particular reason—she just felt a bit awkward.

By age, she should have called Jiang Shoucheng her cousin, but now that she was the Empress, even though she was only a few years older than the eldest princess, in the hierarchy of the Great Yan Dynasty, she was technically the eldest princess’s stepmother.

Her cousin had married her nominal stepdaughter. Should she call him cousin or son-in-law?

The thought was amusing—she’d have to call someone older than her son-in-law.

It’s probably best if they avoid seeing each other too often.

She was sure Jiang Shoucheng felt the same way.

June—

The heat was unbearable. This year’s summer retreat had been canceled, so the palace resorted to various methods to stay cool.

Especially since Her Majesty the Empress was pregnant and particularly sensitive to the heat, the Emperor ordered craftsmen to build two Cool Breeze Pavilions in Kunning Palace and the Imperial Garden.

When the Empress was in Kunning Palace, large quantities of ice were transported in. Using the unique design of the Cool Breeze Pavilion, the ice was poured into an ice pool, and palace servants continuously hand-cranked giant banana leaf fans several meters high to send cool air into the inner chambers.