Consort Xian’s first thought was to find a way to make Yu Jin divorce Jiang Si.
But this idea only lasted for a moment before she dismissed it.
Given how passionate Seventh Prince was about Princess Yan’s family, he might sever ties with her as his mother before divorcing the Jiang woman.
If divorce was impossible, then only one path remained—a cold light flashed in Consort Xian’s eyes.
What if Jiang Si died?
The Seventh Prince was only twenty years old; surely he couldn’t mourn Jiang Si for a lifetime.
Men, especially young men in their prime, how many could endure for long? Even if the Seventh Prince had deep feelings for Jiang Si, allowing him to grieve for a year or so before proposing a new marriage, he surely wouldn’t object.
This time, she couldn’t let the Seventh Prince’s marriage go unchecked. She must choose someone who would be of one mind with her, someone who could persuade the Seventh Prince to become close with the Fourth Prince.
The more Consort Xian thought about it, the more she felt a clear path ahead, and a smile unconsciously curved her lips.
Princess Qi coldly observed Consort Xian’s icy gaze, secretly feeling pleased.
Having been daughter-in-law to Consort Xian for many years, she knew her mother-in-law too well—when she turned ruthless, she never hesitated.
Mother-in-law must be thinking of getting rid of Princess Yan, right?
Sure enough, the next moment Consort Xian spoke directly, “I don’t care about anything else, but whoever hinders Fourth Prince absolutely cannot be tolerated.”
“Mother, do you mean—” Princess Qi probed.
Consort Xian curled her lip, saying coldly, “I mean Jiang Si must give up her position as Princess Yan.”
Princess Qi feigned surprise, “Mother, you, you mean—”
Consort Xian suddenly gave Princess Qi a deep look.
This gaze startled Princess Qi, and she stammered, “Mother—”
Consort Xian smiled meaningfully, “Fourth Prince’s wife, you should be a clever one. You couldn’t hold the position of Princess Qi if you weren’t smart.”
Hmph, trying to play mind games in front of her—still too green!
Having decided to eliminate Jiang Si, how could she be the only one to dirty her hands?
Princess Qi’s face reddened, “Mother—”
Consort Xian grew impatient, casting a careless glance at Princess Qi, and said indifferently, “I’ve approved this matter. But how to carry it out, that will have to go through your hands.”
Princess Qi was stunned, her face paling slightly, “Mother, I…”
Consort Xian’s expression completely darkened, “Fourth Prince’s wife, if you’re still playing dumb at this point, then I won’t care what happens to Fourth Prince or Seventh Prince. After all, whichever one His Majesty favors, they’re both my sons…”
Princess Qi gave an awkward smile, “Daughter-in-law will do as Mother says.”
Consort Xian raised her eyebrows, “That’s better. Now, let’s plan this out carefully.”
Princess Qi stayed in Yuquan Palace for nearly half a day before leaving.
A few days later, news spread that Consort Xian had fallen ill in Yuquan Palace.
Prince Qi and Princess Qi naturally visited the palace first to check on her.
When the news reached Jiang Si’s ears, even though she had no fondness for Consort Xian, she still had to visit the palace.
The Great Zhou Empire ruled through filial piety. While Jiang Si could usually find excuses to avoid visiting Yuquan Palace, with Consort Xian ill, not visiting even once would be inexcusable. Especially with Yu Jin away from the capital, she couldn’t give others any reason to find fault, bringing trouble to herself and her daughter.
Jiang Si changed into a plain, slightly worn outfit and took a carriage to the palace.
“Your Highness, Princess Yan has arrived,” a palace maid reported to Consort Xian.
Consort Xian, reclining on a chaise lounge, barely moved her eyelids and said weakly, “Please invite Princess Yan in.”
Soon after, the satin curtain was lifted, and Jiang Si entered.
The room was filled with the smell of medicine mixed with a faint incense, creating a peculiar odor that Jiang Si found quite unpleasant.
She slightly furrowed her brows and paid her respects to Consort Xian on the chaise lounge, “Greetings to Your Highness.”
“No need for formalities, you may rise.”
Jiang Si stood up, lowering her gaze and remaining silent.
She had no intention of playing the game of close mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. Adhering to the principle that less said means fewer mistakes, she was too lazy to say more.
Jiang Si’s behavior nearly made Consort Xian roll her eyes in anger.
She had never seen such an insensitive daughter-in-law. When one’s mother-in-law is ill, if not offering to care for her, she should at least inquire more to show concern!
For a daughter-in-law like this, she wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of several of them.
Consort Xian gave Princess Qi a look, signaling her to break the awkward silence.
She was “ill,” after all. Surely they couldn’t expect a sick person to make conversation.
Princess Qi gave Jiang Si a gentle smile, “I had originally wanted to arrange for us to visit Mother together… I see Seventh Sister-in-law has lost some weight. Ah, I’ve heard about what happened to your brother. It’s truly heaven-envying talent… Seventh Sister-in-law, you must try to stay positive and not harm your health.”
“Thank you for your concern, Fourth Sister-in-law,” Jiang Si responded flatly, her inner vigilance rising.
Since that time when she had made clear her dislike for Princess Qi, the latter had finally quieted down. Why was she being friendly again now?
The saying “無事獻殷勤非奸即盜” (offering unwarranted favors must be either villainy or theft) couldn’t be more apt when applied to someone like Princess Qi.
Jiang Si’s cold and perfunctory response left Princess Qi feeling somewhat frustrated.
How could there be such an inconsiderate person as Princess Yan, making it impossible to even have a conversation? How did such a wooden post manage to secure Prince Yan’s heart? Was it just because she was somewhat pretty?
Princess Qi felt indignant, but her face showed no trace of it. She sighed and said, “Things haven’t been going smoothly lately. Mother has always been in good health, who would have thought she’d fall ill too? It’s truly worrying…”
Consort Xian spoke up, “What’s there to worry about? At my age, having some aches and pains is quite normal.”
Jiang Si took a careful look at Consort Xian and sensed something odd.
She wasn’t versed in medicine and couldn’t diagnose illnesses, but the parasitic bugs in her body could vaguely sense a person’s energy.
At this moment, the feeling Consort Xian gave her was that of abundant qi and blood, unlike someone who was ill—at least not as weak as Consort Xian was portraying.
Was Consort Xian faking illness?
With this thought, Jiang Si became even more alert.
Consort Xian feigning illness, Princess Qi resuming her friendly facade towards her—all of this indicated that these two were plotting something.
Thinking of this, Jiang Si became even more reluctant to speak.
Whatever the goal of these two might be, getting her into the palace was likely the first step. She only needed to avoid engaging in conversation to see how they would continue their act.
Having figured this out, Jiang Si became quite calm, coldly watching the two with an attitude of observing jumping clowns.
Jiang Si’s unresponsiveness to both soft and hard approaches greatly troubled Princess Qi. She finally bit the bullet and said, “Seventh Sister-in-law, I have a suggestion.”
Jiang Si was amused inwardly but kept a straight face, asking indifferently, “What suggestion does the Fourth Sister-in-law have?”
“Why don’t we go to White Cloud Temple together to pray for blessings? We can pray for Mother’s speedy recovery.” Fearing Jiang Si might refuse, Princess Qi quickly added, “Seventh Sister-in-law can also pray for Seventh Brother. Perhaps then he’ll be able to complete his tasks smoothly and return to the capital soon.”
Jiang Si’s expression finally changed when she heard Princess Qi mention going to White Cloud Temple to pray, becoming extremely unpleasant.
Going to White Cloud Temple to pray for blessings…
Hearing this invitation from Princess Qi’s mouth again was truly “heartwarming.”