“I am your Fourth Sister-in-law.”
Hearing the Qi Prince Consort’s warm and friendly words, Jiang Si seemed to return to her first meeting with the Qi Prince Consort after returning to the capital from the Southern Frontier.
Back then, the Qi Prince Consort was equally kind, smiling and reassuring her not to be nervous, telling her to speak up if she didn’t recognize someone or didn’t understand something.
Over two years of life in the Southern Frontier had made her let her guard down, developing a fondness for the wife of Yu Qi’s full-blood elder brother.
It was also because of this that she unwittingly walked into a dead end.
Even now, Jiang Si remembered it clearly. The wind was so strong at the edge of the cliff, blowing her disheveled long hair.
She wanted to live, clinging desperately to the cliff edge, unwilling to let go even as her fingers bled.
Having endured the stagnant life in the An Guo Duke’s manor, having endured the fear of impersonating a holy maiden in the Southern Frontier, even with the knot in her heart and the torment between her and Yu Qi, she still wanted to live.
The Qi Prince Consort also stood at the edge of the cliff, but compared to her desperation, she was completely composed.
This woman, wearing the same kind smile as now, crouched down and slowly pried open her fingers one by one.
She fell.
Jiang Si could never forget the pain of every bone breaking as she lost consciousness, the taste of blood filling her throat and mouth, nor could she forget that devilish smile.
Seeing this woman again, Jiang Si felt cold all over, her heart even colder.
She wasn’t afraid of this woman but of such a malicious human heart.
How could a person be so cruel?
Or rather, those who fixate on that position, fighting and scrambling for it, can no longer be called human.
Jiang Si’s silence lasted a bit too long. The Qi Prince Consort showed no sign of embarrassment, her expression as gentle as a spring breeze: “Don’t be shy, Seventh Sister-in-law. I went through the same thing when I first married. In the future, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can always come and ask me. Seventh Brother and our Prince are full brothers, there’s no one closer to us than each other…”
Jiang Si smiled gracefully: “Of course, I recognize Fourth Sister-in-law.”
I could never forget, even if my bones were ground to dust.
The Qi Prince Consort was momentarily stunned, then smiled: “Seventh Sister-in-law has a good memory.”
Jiang Si reached out to take the teacup in front of her. As her wide sleeve fell back, it revealed a section of her fair wrist and the jade bracelet on it.
The Qi Prince Consort’s eyes suddenly narrowed, fixating on the jade bracelet and forgetting to look away.
This was a rare loss of composure for the Qi Prince Consort.
But what did it matter? This was the Lingxiao Bracelet!
The Lingxiao Bracelet was given to the Empress at birth, and its significance was self-evident.
For a moment, the Qi Prince Consort felt a mix of emotions.
It was taboo for princes with their manors to pry into palace affairs. Although she had learned from the invitation that the Yan Prince Consort had cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes and thus gained the Emperor and Empress’s favor, seeing the Lingxiao Bracelet worn on Jiang Si’s wrist with her own eyes still shocked the Qi Prince Consort deeply.
They were both new brides paying respects to the Emperor and Empress on the second day after their wedding. She had been extremely cautious, fearing to make a single misstep, not saying an extra word, not doing anything more than necessary, only to receive a single comment from the Empress praising her as “dignified and steady.”
Dignified and steady? Looking inside and outside the palace, what was least lacking was dignity and steadiness.
The Yan Prince Consort was truly audacious, daring to do such an outrageous thing on her first visit to the palace. Yet she not only succeeded but gained the recognition of the Emperor and Empress, even receiving the Lingxiao Bracelet that not even the Crown Princess had.
The Lingxiao Bracelets came in a pair. One was given to the Yan Prince Consort, the other would surely be kept for Princess Fuqing.
Although no one dared to say openly that receiving the Lingxiao Bracelet predicted becoming the future Empress, who wouldn’t want such a good omen? Seeing this bracelet made her feel so conflicted; she wondered how the Crown Princess must be feeling.
Remembering the Qi Prince’s instructions before entering the palace, the Qi Prince Consort composed herself and reached out affectionately to take Jiang Si’s hand: “I heard that the Princess’s eyes were cured by Seventh Sister-in-law—”
The rest of her words were cut off by Jiang Si’s very obvious evasive movement.
“I’m not comfortable with physical contact from people I’m not familiar with.”
Jiang Si’s words made the Qi Prince Consort’s face flush, but she couldn’t express her anger in this situation. She could only say awkwardly, “I was too forward.”
Jiang Si smiled and didn’t respond further.
Dealing with someone like the Qi Prince Consort could be both difficult and easy.
The Qi Prince Consort strived to be an impeccable princess consort, maintaining dignity and grace at all times, smiling generously even when hearing the most offensive words.
She sincerely hoped the Qi Prince Consort would maintain this good habit.
More people arrived gradually. Some, considering themselves reserved, occasionally glanced towards Jiang Si, while others approached directly, inquiring about how Jiang Si had cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes.
For a time, Jiang Si became the center of attention, making the Qi Prince Consort beside her seem even more neglected.
The Qi Prince Consort’s composure was sufficient; she showed no signs of displeasure on her face, only smiling distantly at Princess Rongyang, who entered the hall with her daughter, as a greeting.
Princess Rongyang was the Empress Dowager’s adopted daughter and Emperor Jingming’s closest sister; she was never absent from such occasions. And because Cui Mingyue was betrothed to the Xiang Prince, her days of hiding from public view were over.
Princess Rongyang’s eyes immediately found Jiang Si, her gaze as sharp as a knife.
“Mother—” Cui Mingyue called softly.
Her mother’s temperament was not stable enough; she couldn’t tolerate even the slightest provocation from ordinary people.
While she would be pleased to see Jiang Si humiliated, now was not the time. Before successfully becoming the Xiang Princess Consort, she didn’t want to cause any more trouble.
Hearing her daughter’s soft call, Princess Rongyang withdrew her gaze and swept towards her seat.
Cui Mingyue sat down beside Princess Rongyang, looking at Jiang Si through the crowd.
This was an opponent worth her attention. Thinking about the future, she felt anticipation.
“His Majesty the Emperor arrives, Her Majesty the Empress arrives, Princess Fuqing arrives—”
With the eunuch’s loud announcement, everyone in the hall immediately stood up.
Emperor Jingming and the Empress entered hand in hand, followed by a young woman in green.
For the first time, people’s attention was not on the most noble persons in the world, but all turned to Princess Fuqing.
It was said that the Yan Prince Consort had cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes—was it true?
Feeling countless gazes upon her, Princess Fuqing slightly straightened her back.
Facing so much scrutiny for the first time, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. But she was the legitimate princess, and this was her first public appearance since her eyes were healed. If she showed weakness now, it would bring shame to her mother.
She had been blind for so many years, causing her mother to endure countless whispers and gossip. How could she let her mother lose face now?
Princess Fuqing remembered her nanny’s words: “If the Princess is nervous, just keep a cold face. This way, others can’t read your thoughts and will only feel awe towards you.”
Keeping a cold face wasn’t difficult to do, so Princess Fuqing who appeared before everyone wore an icy expression.
Jiang Si raised her eyebrows slightly.
Compared to the soft and coquettish girl from that day, Princess Fuqing before her now seemed like a different person.
Just as she was thinking this, Princess Fuqing suddenly looked over at her and gave her a sweet smile.
Instantly, everyone’s gaze fell back on Jiang Si.
Princess Fuqing was so close to the Yan Prince Consort; it seemed the rumors were true!