At the entrance of Yuhe Courtyard, Ah Man stood firmly, chin held high, looking down her nose at the others with a standard haughty expression: “Our Princess Consort has a good temperament, but I don’t. You three better behave yourselves from now on, and don’t anger the Princess Consort.”
As she spoke, she flicked the dagger in her hand, which embedded itself straight into a nearby tree trunk. The impact shook the tree crown, causing leaves to flutter down.
The three could no longer hide the fear in their eyes.
This Ah Man must have been trained by the Princess Consort!
“Do you three understand?”
Madam Ji responded with an ashen face, while the two palace maids didn’t dare utter a sound.
After leaving Yuhe Courtyard, they barely managed to support themselves back to their quarters. Qing Yu leaned against the wall, her whole body weak: “That scared me to death. How… how can the Princess Consort be like this…”
Jiang Zhu, equally pale, nodded repeatedly: “Yes, the Princess Consort is completely different from what we imagined…”
Those noble ladies in the palace, which one of them wasn’t gentle and soft-spoken? Even when punishing someone, they would only slightly furrow their brows, leaving the actual task to their subordinates, while maintaining their own noble and elegant presence.
But the Princess Consort drew a dagger at the slightest provocation.
Qing Yu steadied herself against the wall and asked Jiang Zhu: “Do you think His Highness knows the Princess Consort is like this?”
Jiang Zhu’s heart was still pounding. She patted her chest and sighed: “Even if he knows, what of it? I think His Highness is also unlike ordinary people. He might just like the Princess Consort being this way.”
Qing Yu looked desperate: “Then, then we’ll never have a chance to rise, will we?”
After a long silence, Jiang Zhu slowly said: “I suddenly feel that this kind of life isn’t so bad.”
Qing Yu’s eyes widened in surprise: “Jiang Zhu, have you been scared out of your wits?”
She reached out to feel Jiang Zhu’s forehead, checking for a fever.
Jiang Zhu avoided her hand, her tone becoming calm: “I’m not confused. Qing Yu, think about it. Now that we’re managing the Prince’s mansion’s fragrances, isn’t it much easier than being in the palace?”
Qing Yu hesitantly nodded.
To be fair, because they had been selected as instructress palace maids three years ago, they hadn’t been assigned specific duties. Most of their time was spent learning etiquette and bedroom arts. While it wasn’t exactly tiring, but…
Thinking of something, a look of terror flashed in Qing Yu’s eyes.
Jiang Zhu empathized with this: “In these three years, we haven’t had a single day of peaceful sleep. But since coming to the Prince’s mansion to manage the fragrances, I feel somewhat relaxed and at ease. We originally thought the Princess Consort would be like those noble ladies we’ve seen before, and would arrange for us to serve in bed after she arrived. But from what we saw just now, that path is not an option anymore. This isn’t so bad. At least in the Prince’s mansion, we don’t have to worry about food and drink. We were bestowed by the Emperor, so as long as we didn’t offend the Princess Consort, no one would dare to mistreat us. Don’t you think?”
Qing Yu still couldn’t understand. She bit her lip and said: “Jiang Zhu, as you said, we were bestowed by the Emperor. If we don’t serve His Highness, would anyone else dare to propose marriage to us? If so, won’t we… won’t we end up alone for life?”
Jiang Zhu gave her a look, somewhat exasperated: “What do people marry for? To marry a man is to have clothes to wear and food to eat. In the Prince’s mansion, we’ll never have to worry about food or clothing for our entire lives. Why would we need to marry some rough man, wash clothes, cook meals, and serve in-laws? After we’ve worked hard for most of our lives, once the man saves up a bit of money, he’ll start thinking about taking concubines.”
Jiang Zhu’s words were like a lightning bolt in Qing Yu’s mind, opening the door to a new world.
“Jiang Zhu, now that you put it that way, I suddenly feel like you’re right…”
Almost all the palace maids in the imperial palace were born into poor families. Although there was a rule that they could return home at the age of twenty-five, after seeing the luxuries of the palace, very few were truly willing to return to their original lives unless their parents were extremely loving.
Qing Yu’s parents had passed away a few years ago, and Jiang Zhu only had an old mother and a sister-in-law left. That home was long gone for them.
“Let’s go inside,” Jiang Zhu held out her hand to Qing Yu.
Qing Yu took Jiang Zhu’s hand, and the two walked into the room together.
Only sunlight and lush green leaves remained in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Madam Ji rushed to the front courtyard to find the Chancellor.
The Chancellor had just left Yu Jin’s study, his heart aching from the Prince’s defiance. To his surprise, Madam Ji came in sighing as soon as she arrived.
“Why is Madam sighing?”
“Chancellor, I can’t continue this job anymore.”
After listening to Madam Ji’s long-winded explanation, the Chancellor’s expression was particularly colorful. After a while, he advised: “It’s precisely because of this that Madam should be even more devoted to guiding the Princess Consort onto the right path!”
Madam Ji’s face was pulled taut, her voice weak: “I thought I was only risking the displeasure of the Prince and Princess Consort, but I never imagined I’d be risking my life! I came here just to inform the Chancellor that from now on, I’ll only manage the servants. I can’t control the Prince and Princess Consort’s improper words and actions anymore.”
With that, Madam Ji turned and left.
“Madam, Madam—” The Chancellor couldn’t catch up. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, “Retreating in the face of difficulty, women indeed can’t be relied upon!”
However, as a Chancellor, he could advise the Prince but couldn’t constantly approach the Princess Consort. Thinking of this, the old man suddenly felt the future was bleak.
Jiang Si finally had some peace.
Emperor Jingming finished reviewing the memorials and pulled out the secret report from the Commander of the Jinlin Guard.
In Emperor Jingming’s mind, the secret reports from the Jinlin Guard were much more interesting than the formal memorials from his officials, especially since this one contained matters he had specifically ordered to investigate.
For example, investigating the Princess Consort of Prince Yan’s past.
The Jinlin Guard’s secret reports were generally concise and precise.
Emperor Jingming finished reading and put aside his doubts.
The Princess Consort of Prince Yan had grown up in seclusion since childhood. Apart from her extraordinary beauty, there was nothing remarkable about her, nor had she ever associated with anyone special.
From this perspective, the claim that the Princess Consort of Prince Yan was born with knowledge seemed to have no flaws.
After all, it was just a small matter, unrelated to any major affairs. Emperor Jingming set the secret report aside after reading it, glanced around, and pulled out a storybook from under the pile of memorials, reading it with great interest.
The palace banquet to celebrate Princess Fuqing’s recovery of eyesight was set for two days later. This could be considered a family banquet, with only royal relatives receiving invitations.
That day happened to be the day Jiang Si was supposed to return to her maiden home. As such, they would have to send someone to inform the Dong Ping Marquis’s mansion that they would be arriving later.
Not to mention the various reactions of the Marquis’s household upon receiving the news, early in the morning, Jiang Si and Yu Jin boarded a carriage and headed straight for the imperial palace.
The palace banquet was set in Changsheng Hall, with a scale comparable to the Winter Solstice and New Year’s banquets, showing the Emperor and Empress’s high regard for Princess Fuqing.
Jiang Si and Yu Jin arrived relatively early. Upon entering the great hall, they separated, each led by palace maids to their respective seats.
Just as Jiang Si sat down, she heard a gentle voice: “Seventh Sister-in-law?”
An uncontrollable chill rose from the depths of her heart, quickly spreading throughout her body.
Jiang Si clenched her cold fingertips and looked toward the voice.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi wore a faint smile, her demeanor kind: “Seventh Sister-in-law, there were too many people at your wedding that day, you probably don’t remember me. I’m your Fourth Sister-in-law.”