Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. “Summon my Third Sister for questioning?”
Yu Jin smiled. “It’s just a possibility. Keep it in mind, but don’t mention it to your Third Sister yet. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”
Jiang Si nodded. “Alright.”
“I’ll take the assassin away now. Let Long Dan escort you back.”
They walked out of the room side by side.
Jiang Qiao and the others looked over.
Jiang Si approached them casually. “Third Sister, Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, let’s go.”
The four sisters squeezed into the same carriage, driven by Old Qin towards the East Peace Earl’s Mansion. The carriage that Jiang Qiao and the others had arrived in followed behind, empty.
Jiang Pei secretly observed Jiang Si’s expression, then asked curiously, “Fourth Sister, was that the Prince of Yan just now?”
Jiang Si gave her an enigmatic smile. “Who else could it be?”
Jiang Pei rebuffed and smiled awkwardly.
She knew that the only man who could be alone with Jiang Si was her future brother-in-law, the Prince of Yan, but she couldn’t help asking anyway.
How did her Fourth Sister, a common earl’s daughter who had once broken off an engagement, suddenly become the Prince of Yan’s fiancée?
Jiang Pei still felt a sense of unreality.
She kept picturing Yu Jin’s appearance in her mind, sneaking another glance at Jiang Si. She thought to herself: After all, it’s because Fourth Sister is beautiful. The Prince of Yan must have been captivated by her looks.
Natural beauty couldn’t be envied. If only she had been born to the late First Madam.
Jiang Pei thought sourly. In the cramped carriage, accompanied by the monotonous creaking of wheels, she couldn’t help but want to say something.
“Fourth Sister, I heard you talking with your fiancé earlier. Was there an assassin who tried to kill the Top Scholar?”
Jiang Li gently tugged at Jiang Pei’s sleeve, whispering, “Sixth Sister, stop asking. We don’t need to know these things.”
Jiang Pei glared at Jiang Li. “Fifth Sister is just a coward. There are no outsiders in the carriage, what’s wrong with asking? Such a thrilling and frightening event, aren’t you curious? You’re always too afraid to ask this or say that. Why don’t you just bury yourself alive?”
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and said nothing more.
Jiang Qiao couldn’t stand it and glared at Jiang Pei. “Sixth Sister, is this how you speak to your elder sisters?”
In Jiang Pei’s heart, although she was a concubine’s daughter, her father was a legitimate son and a promising fourth-rank official in the capital. Jiang Qiao, though a legitimate daughter, was born to a concubine’s son. Her father held no official position and only helped manage the Earl’s household affairs for his elder brother. In Jiang Pei’s view, she was more respectable.
Hearing Jiang Qiao’s words, she was unconvinced and muttered, “Fourth Sister didn’t say anything, why is Third Sister so eager to intervene?”
Jiang Qiao’s eyebrows immediately furrowed, ready to argue with Jiang Pei.
Jiang Si chuckled softly. “Does Sixth Sister want to hear what I have to say?”
Jiang Pei immediately put aside her discontent and smiled. “Of course.”
Jiang Si looked at Jiang Pei steadily and said calmly, “Since Sixth Sister wants to hear me out, let me remind you of something. Please remember, from now on, do not refer to the Prince of Yan as ‘Fourth Sister’s husband.'”
“Then what should I call him?” Jiang Pei asked, puzzled.
“You should address him as ‘Your Highness.'”
Those exquisite eyes remained calm, but Jiang Pei felt they were filled with mockery.
Her face immediately reddened, and she stammered, “But he is indeed Fourth Sister’s husband.”
Jiang Qiao snorted with laughter. “Sixth Sister, Fourth Sister has already reminded you. How can you still be so inconsiderate? Can the rules of the royal family be the same as those of ordinary families? He is a prince of the realm. He hasn’t even married Fourth Sister yet. You keep calling him ‘Fourth Sister’s husband.’ Wouldn’t that make people laugh?”
Seeing that Jiang Pei was still unconvinced, Jiang Qiao asked rhetorically, “Have you ever heard of the Emperor’s father-in-law calling His Majesty ‘son-in-law’?”
Jiang Pei was left speechless and lowered her head. “Fourth Sister, I was wrong. I won’t address him carelessly in the future.”
Jiang Si closed her eyes and said no more.
Her patience with this sister had reached its limit.
The carriage drove directly to the second gate of the East Peace Earl’s Mansion, and the four sisters alighted in turn.
After parting ways with Jiang Li and Jiang Pei at the intersection, Jiang Qiao grabbed Jiang Si’s hand. “Fourth Sister, have I caused trouble?”
Jiang Si stood still and asked calmly, “Why do you ask, Third Sister?”
Among the sisters in the household, although Jiang Qiao seemed straightforward and guileless, she could be quite perceptive at crucial moments.
Jiang Si thought that people’s innate qualities were truly different. Take herself, for example. Even after being reborn, she sometimes remained clumsy.
Jiang Qiao wrung her handkerchief. “When I heard you mention the assassin to His Highness, I thought, how could it be such a coincidence? I was just pushed out to block the procession, and then the assassin appeared. Since it wasn’t Sixth Sister who pushed me, perhaps… perhaps it was the assassin. If so, haven’t I caused trouble…”
Jiang Qiao became more agitated as she spoke. “If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have gone out to join the excitement…”
Jiang Si squeezed Jiang Qiao’s hand reassuringly. “Third Sister, don’t overthink it. Go back and rest well. If there is any trouble, I’ll certainly ask His Highness to help.”
“Then I’ll trouble Fourth Sister.” Jiang Qiao looked quite dejected.
The sisters had been apart for just over an hour when someone from the palace arrived, requesting Jiang Qiao’s presence.
“Are you sure they’re summoning our Third Miss?” Old Madam Feng asked again, her mind full of doubts.
Could there be a mistake? Even if there was a summons from the palace, shouldn’t it be for the Fourth Miss? What connection could the Third Miss possibly have with the palace?
The eunuch seemed a bit impatient. “It’s the Third Miss, without a doubt.”
Seeing the eunuch’s certainty, Old Madam Feng had no choice but to send someone to fetch Jiang Qiao.
When Jiang Si heard the news, she took the initiative to see Jiang Qiao off. On the way, she lowered her voice and said, “Third Sister, don’t worry. If anyone asks about what happened, just tell the truth. With the Prince of Yan there, they won’t give you a hard time.”
Jiang Qiao nodded and got into the carriage with the eunuch.
Jiang Si watched the carriage disappear into the distance before returning.
Old Madam Feng anxiously asked, “Si’er, why would the palace summon your Third Sister?”
Jiang Si feigned ignorance. “Granddaughter doesn’t know.”
Old Madam Feng was left speechless, knowing Jiang Si was being evasive but unable to express her frustration. She felt a pain in her chest from the suppressed anger.
In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Jingming was equally frustrated.
“What are you all good for? An assassin, a foreigner no less, managed to infiltrate the Top Scholar’s procession on the Imperial Street! Do you realize what the consequences would have been if the villain had succeeded?”
A sea of officials knelt on the ground, bearing the brunt of Emperor Jingming’s thunderous anger, filled with retrospective fear.
This year’s Top Scholar was no ordinary scholar; he was a once-in-a-century auspicious sign. If he had been assassinated in front of thousands of commoners, it could have shaken the very foundations of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
When the people’s hearts are united, the country stands firm. When the people’s hearts waver, the country is in peril.
The rise and fall, the gathering and dispersal of a nation’s fate sometimes hinged on a single event’s outcome.
Emperor Jingming was accustomed to seeing his ministers stubbornly disagreeing with him. It was rare to see these obstinate officials trembling in fear, and amidst his anger, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
He maintained a stern face and glanced at Yu Jin, who stood not far away.