It was a fine day.
When there was no wind in winter, the warm sunshine made the day quite pleasant.
Jiang Si sat before her dressing mirror, examining her reflection. The woman in the mirror was as beautiful as a blooming crabapple flower, growing more radiant with each passing day. Yet Jiang Si’s heart was heavy.
Her Second Brother had died in battle, and her husband was away on a distant journey. These burdens weighed on her heart like massive stones, preventing her from finding any joy. However, Noble Consort Xian’s and Princess Qi’s schemes had ironically awakened her fighting spirit, helping her shake off her melancholy and prepare for battle.
While the battlefield had its clashing swords, the imperial court, palace, and inner chambers had their invisible storms of blood and violence wherever power and profit were at stake. Cowering had never been her style.
When she saw Ah Qiao about to put on a pair of coral earrings, Jiang Si stopped her. “Not those. Let’s use the pearl studs instead.” For this outing, she wanted to avoid anything that might become a hindrance.
Ah Qiao put away the coral earrings and helped Jiang Si put on a pair of rice grain-sized pearl studs instead.
“My Lady, Prince Qi’s carriage has arrived,” Ah Man lifted the curtain to enter, her breath visible in the cold air. She rubbed her hands together, eyes excited as she awaited Jiang Si’s response.
Jiang Si stood up and said, “Let’s check on Ah Huan first.”
It was barely dawn, and Ah Huan was still sleeping. Jiang Si entered the side chamber and gazed tenderly at her sleeping daughter. The wet nurse stepped aside quietly, not daring to make a sound. Two wet nurses took turns caring for Ah Huan, and neither dared to breathe too loudly in front of this extraordinarily beautiful Princess Consort. The Prince’s devotion to his wife was clear to everyone in the household.
After watching Ah Huan for a while, Jiang Si quietly instructed the wet nurse, “Take good care of the Young Lady.”
“Rest assured, Princess Consort,” the wet nurse quickly responded.
Jiang Si nodded, walking toward the door. At the threshold, she looked back at her daughter one last time before accepting the snow fox fur cape that Ah Qiao handed her and heading outside.
Prince Qi’s carriage was waiting at the entrance of Prince Yan’s mansion. Princess Qi, sitting in the carriage, had grown somewhat impatient. She lifted the curtain to peek outside and saw an elegant figure approaching—unmistakably Jiang Si.
Princess Qi, supported by her maid, stepped down from the carriage to greet Jiang Si.
“I’ve kept Fourth Sister-in-law waiting,” Jiang Si said.
Princess Qi examined Jiang Si carefully. She was indeed extraordinarily beautiful, and the premium snow fox fur cape enhanced her snow-white skin and black hair, complementing her naturally rouge-like lips, and making her radiance incomparable.
Princess Qi’s gaze lingered on the soft, dense snow fox fur cape for a moment, her heart turning sour. She had once owned such a fine cape, brought as part of her dowry, but it had worn out and become unsuitable for public wear. She had stored it away and never acquired a new one. Eventually, she secretly sent a maid to sell that old cape to supplement the household expenses.
These thoughts made Princess Qi feel increasingly bitter. Why should Princess Yan easily gain her husband’s love with just her beauty, enjoying the finest things without having faced any hardship since marrying into the imperial family? Meanwhile, she had worked tirelessly managing the prince’s household, and though not yet thirty, she already felt old.
Noticing Princess Qi’s gaze, Jiang Si smiled. “What is the Fourth Sister-in-law looking at? Is something amiss with my appearance?”
She glanced down at the snow fox fur pom-poms hanging at her chest and said bashfully, “I told them these pom-poms were better suited for young girls and that I should have chosen a different style of snow fox cape, but my maids insisted it looked good. I must look quite silly to Fourth Sister-in-law.”
Behind her, Ah Man quickly chimed in, “My Lady, those other snow fox coats truly aren’t as becoming as this one. Please trust your servant’s eye for these things.”
Hearing this, Jiang Si gave Princess Qi a helpless smile.
Princess Qi’s face stiffened, her heart growing even more bitter. It was infuriating enough to meet Princess Yan, but while she couldn’t afford a decent snow fox fur coat, here was Jiang Si casually choosing between multiple pieces.
The comparison was deadly. Since she couldn’t match up to Lady Jiang, she might as well eliminate her. Hmpf, after today, when Jiang Si becomes a cold corpse, all those snow fox furs would be useless. And though she might be short of money now, once the Prince became Emperor and she became Empress, she would want for nothing.
With these thoughts, Princess Qi’s expression returned to normal.
Jiang Si secretly sneered. Though she no longer cared much for material things now, she understood such petty concerns from her younger days. Back then, when spending time with her cousin from her maternal family, she had been quite conscious about her appearance, fearing to be laughed at if she dressed poorly.
Since Princess Qi had truly used her dowry to supplement the household expenses and maintained such a reputation for frugality, she probably couldn’t afford expensive clothing. Seeing how envious she was of the snow fox fur cape, Jiang Si was happy to make her even more jealous.
What? Too showy? Jiang Si couldn’t care less – making the other woman uncomfortable was exactly what she wanted.
Jiang Si felt nothing but extreme disgust for Princess Qi, who had tried to take her life. For a prince’s household to rely on the princess’s dowry for supplementary funds – where had all the money gone?
Though daily expenses and social obligations were considerable, they shouldn’t have caused such strain. Most of Prince Qi’s funds were probably spent on “maintaining connections” – supporting advisors and retainers, secretly buying informants, or quietly training personnel. It was a bottomless pit that could drain any fortune.
Ultimately, Prince Qi’s household’s financial struggles stemmed from the couple’s overambition. In contrast, even though Prince Lu had been demoted to Duke, his household still lived comfortably.
There was nothing wrong with aspiring to rise higher, but trampling innocent lives to achieve such goals deserved death.
“It’s getting late, Seventh Sister-in-law, shall we go?” Princess Qi, not wanting to linger, urged.
They each got into their carriages. Princess Qi had brought only one maid, two elderly servants, and two guards – traveling light, as it were.
Seeing this, Jiang Si’s eyes turned cold as ice.
In her previous life, Princess Qi had invited her to burn incense in the same way.
Though it had been a different season then, with a different pretext for visiting the temple, Princess Qi had used the same words: “Sincerity is what matters in burning incense. We needn’t make a grand show of it – let’s bring fewer people and go quietly.”
Thinking back now, of course, they needed fewer people – how else could they have carried out their scheme?
Jiang Si’s lips curved in self-mockery. Had she been a complete fool back then, walking straight to her death with Princess Qi? She wondered how heartbroken Ah Jin must have been when he found out.
The carriage began to move.
In the reasonably spacious carriage were Jiang Si and Ah Man, while the elderly servants and guards walked alongside.
Ah Man was excited, lifting the carriage curtain to peek outside, her heart soaring with joy.
“Ah Man—” Jiang Si called out.
Ah Man quickly dropped the curtain and responded brightly, “My Lady, do you have any instructions?”