The crisp voice drew everyone’s attention.
Emperor Jingming saw a young maid kneeling below, her head raised. Her fair face was animated by a pair of lively eyes, indicating a vivacious personality.
Emperor Jingming glanced at Jiang Si, thinking to himself that his seventh son’s wife had a straightforward nature, and her maid wasn’t bad either.
Emperor Jingming disliked people acting overly nervous in his presence. It often reminded him of a certain incompetent and now ruined son, souring his mood.
A Mian’s boldness and frankness pleased him much more.
After a moment’s thought, Emperor Jingming asked, “You’re a maid from Prince Yan’s household?”
A Mian quickly replied, “Your Majesty, this servant is the head maid to the Princess Consort.”
There were too many maids in Prince Yan’s household to match her status as a personal attendant. This rare chance to shine couldn’t be wasted by letting the Emperor misunderstand.
The young maid’s evident pride made Emperor Jingming smile. “What’s your name?”
A Mian answered crisply, “This servant is called A Mian.”
“A Mian, eh?” Emperor Jingming nodded. “A fine name indeed. Now, tell us your reason.”
At this point, Emperor Jingming’s demeanor changed from gentle to serious.
It was beyond doubt that Prince Qi’s wife had attempted harm, and he had initially not wanted to delve into how his seventh son’s wife had escaped unscathed. But since his daughter-in-law’s maid had brought it up voluntarily, he was naturally eager to satisfy his curiosity.
While he admired a daughter-in-law with various mysterious abilities, he occasionally felt uneasy. This was human nature; the higher one’s position, the more unsettled they felt by people or things beyond their control, leading to a desire for complete understanding.
At this moment, not just Emperor Jingming, but everyone in the hall, including the Empress, focused their attention on A Mian, waiting for her explanation.
How did Princess Yan escape? Why was the culprit, Princess Qi, left in the carriage? Did Princess Yan do something to Princess Qi at that time?
Only Jiang Si remained calm, showing no signs of nervousness.
She understood A Mian well enough.
Then they heard A Mian say matter-of-factly, “It’s because our Princess donated more money to the temple.”
“What?” This answer was so unexpected that Emperor Jingming leaned forward, blurting out in surprise.
The crowd in the hall was equally stunned.
What did this have to do with temple donations?
A Mian explained, counting on her fingers, “Today, our Princess and Princess Qi went to Baiyun Temple together to pray and make offerings. Our Princess donated 1,800 taels of silver, while Princess Qi only gave 400 taels, not even matching the spare change of our Princess. The amount of donation money represents one’s sincerity towards Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Our Princess was so sincere, of course, Buddha and Bodhisattvas would protect her…”
The little maid looked around at everyone and continued confidently, “So it’s not at all surprising that our Princess is safe and sound. Good deeds bring good fortune, you know.”
Such a simple reason, and yet these noble people kept asking about it. How tiresome!
The hall remained eerily quiet, with all eyes now turning to Prince Qi.
Prince Qi’s face had turned the color of a pig’s liver.
He had never been so embarrassed in his life!
When the two princesses went to make offerings, Princess Yan had donated 1,800 taels, while his wife had only given 400. He could hardly imagine how Li Shi had endured that moment.
This was bad enough, but Prince Qi knew the state of affairs in his household and understood Li Shi’s thoughts. She probably figured that once Princess Yan was dead, the matter of the donations would be forgotten. But now, a little maid had pointed it out in front of his father.
Prince Qi felt as if he had been slapped countless times, his face swollen with shame.
Emperor Jingming looked at Prince Qi expressionlessly and asked the Empress, “We forgot to ask, why did Princess Qi and Princess Yan go to Baiyun Temple together today?”
The Empress felt a hint of secret pleasure but didn’t show it on her face. “Consort Xian has been ill, so the two princesses went to Baiyun Temple to pray for her recovery.”
Hearing this, Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow and looked at Prince Qi again, his displeasure growing.
He was well aware of how Consort Xian treated his fourth and seventh sons. If Consort Xian treated his fourth son like the apple of her eye, then his seventh son was probably like a callus on her heel – this strikingly accurate comparison suddenly occurred to Emperor Jingming, making him twitch his lips.
Perhaps comparing his seventh son to a callus was too harsh, but he knew of Consort Xian’s favoritism towards his fourth son.
Yet when it mattered most, the fourth son’s wife couldn’t even match a fraction of the seventh son’s wife’s donation, revealing her cold-hearted nature.
How a daughter-in-law treats her mother-in-law ultimately reflects the son’s attitude towards his mother. This principle applies to both commoner families and the imperial family.
At least, that was Emperor Jingming’s simple understanding. Consequently, his dissatisfaction with Prince Qi was not surprising.
Prince Qi nearly lost his footing under Emperor Jingming’s gaze, his heart sinking.
He had been diligent, self-disciplined, and proper, all in hopes of gaining his father’s favor. Yet after years of effort, he had seen no special regard from his father, only to find disapproval coming so easily.
At this moment, Prince Qi truly felt wronged.
Emperor Jingming cared nothing for Prince Qi’s feelings of injustice. He instructed Pan Hai, “Send someone to check if Li Shi has awakened.”
The use of “Li shi” made everyone present shudder.
Princess Qi’s fate was now clear without further words.
Pan Hai immediately sent a eunuch to inquire at Kunning Palace. Soon, a report came back: “Princess Qi has not yet regained consciousness.”
Emperor Jingming frowned in thought for a moment, then said, “Fourth son, take her back to your residence.”
With all evidence at hand, whether Princess Qi woke up or not was now irrelevant, and Emperor Jingming did not wish to pursue the matter further.
If given the chance to speak, Princess Qi might point out Princess Yan’s retaliatory methods, which would only make the situation awkward.
He could hardly punish his seventh son’s wife for defending herself, could he? If so, wouldn’t that mean victims could only be slaughtered at will?
This didn’t align with Emperor Jingming’s simple sense of justice.
After some contemplation, Emperor Jingming declared, “Princess Qi, Li Shi, has been severely shocked by the horse incident and has lost her senses. From now on, let her rest and recover. She should not receive any visitors.”
Prince Qi was alarmed: “Father—”
This shock was mostly feigned, lest he appear too heartless.
“Hmm?” Emperor Jingming’s face darkened slightly.
Prince Qi’s expression twisted with pain and conflict, but he finally responded with a deep “Yes.”
Emperor Jingming turned to Jiang Si: “Seventh son’s wife, you’ve had a shock today. Go back and rest well. Later… there will be compensation.”
“Daughter-in-law has caused trouble for Father Emperor and Mother Empress,” Jiang Si said politely, not pressing the matter further.
She was never greedy. Eliminating Princess Qi had already achieved one of her minor goals. The remaining objectives could be tackled step by step.
No, Princess Qi was no small target for her.
Although dealing with Princess Qi wasn’t more difficult than handling Princess Rongyang and her group, Princess Qi was different for Jiang Si.
In her previous life, she had died at Princess Qi’s hands. Psychologically, she had been at a disadvantage when facing Princess Qi, and it had taken great willpower to overcome that instinctive fear.
Emperor Jingming dismissed everyone, keeping only the Empress behind.
“Empress, remember to inform Consort Xian about this matter.”