Elder Hua gazed at Jiang Si, her emotions in turmoil.
She saw the determination in the other’s eyes.
Elder Hua couldn’t help but recall Jiang Si’s behavior in Wumiao.
This was someone who could argue with the Grand Elder and even dare to threaten him. How could she stand against such a person?
After a moment of struggle, Elder Hua chose to compromise.
“Yes, your country’s Empress Dowager is one of ours.”
Jiang Si’s eyes flashed, her hands on her lap tightening slightly, but her tone remained calm: “Who is the Empress Dowager? What is her relationship with my grandmother?”
Elder Hua began to speak but then felt some regret.
For such a significant matter, she should have reported to the Grand Elder first. How did she give in so easily?
“Is Elder Hua having second thoughts about speaking?” Jiang Si placed her hand on the tea table, her expression cold.
Elder Hua glanced at the teacup near Jiang Si’s hand, a strange thought occurring to her: If she refused to speak, would the Holy Maiden splash her with tea?
The Holy Maiden was certainly capable of such an act!
Taking a deep breath, Elder Hua resigned herself and said: “Please be patient, Holy Maiden. Let me explain. The Empress Dowager was originally an ordinary Wumiao woman. Because her age and appearance were somewhat similar to the future Crown Princess of Great Zhou at that time, she was chosen to replace her. Your grandmother, skilled in disguise and imitation, was the executor of this plan…”
As Elder Hua narrated, Jiang Si’s understanding of this past event became clearer, aligning closely with their deductions.
For certain reasons, the Wumiao needed to place their people in the most prestigious position in Great Zhou. After careful consideration, they chose the future Crown Princess at that time. So, Asang’s grandmother was sent to Great Zhou, using the Old Madam of Yining Marquis as a stepping stone to make contact with the future Crown Princess. Over time, she became familiar with the future Crown Princess’s mannerisms and taught these to the Wumiao woman who resembled her, thus enabling the substitution.
This plan was bold but not impossible to implement.
A noble lady about to be married would not have much contact with her family anyway. As long as the replacement Empress Dowager was cautious in her words and actions, any oddities would go unnoticed. Even if someone did notice something strange about the Empress Dowager, who would dare speak up? Once she entered the palace, any changes would be even harder to detect.
The plan was nearly perfect, overlooking only one point: the Old Madam of Yining Marquis was a close friend of the real Empress Dowager, understanding her even better than the Empress Dowager’s own family.
And a woman’s intuition is often keen.
Jiang Si was grateful that the Old Madam of Yining had kept her doubts to herself at the time instead of questioning, otherwise she might have lost her life in confusion long ago.
“If my real grandmother came to Great Zhou with such an important mission to execute this substitution plan, why did she fall in love with a Great Zhou man?”
Elder Hua’s eyes flickered slightly as she sighed, “Holy Maiden, you are a married woman. Don’t you understand that in this world, only the feelings between a man and a woman are most uncontrollable?”
Jiang Si was momentarily stumped.
She had to admit that Elder Hua’s words made sense.
If one could be rational, she and Ajin wouldn’t have rekindled their past life’s relationship.
If it was so for her, perhaps it was the same for her grandmother.
However, Jiang Si still had doubts about this.
If her grandmother had simply fallen in love with a Great Zhou man, why did she leave hurriedly after giving birth to daughters? And why did she only take one daughter, leaving the other behind?
Elder Hua hesitated, “Perhaps she couldn’t travel far with two infants alone.”
Jiang Si looked at Elder Hua with a half-smile, “If my grandmother was on a mission, wouldn’t there be tribespeople secretly assisting her?”
Elder Hua was at a loss for words, then said dryly, “I don’t know about that. I knew nothing of these events at the time. It was only by chance that I came into contact with you, and the Grand Elder revealed these things to me.”
“So you’re saying the Empress Dowager is just an ordinary Wumiao woman. Is she proficient in Wumiao’s extraordinary arts?”
“Like most ordinary Wumiao women, she knows only the basics.”
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow slightly.
If this was true, the Empress Dowager wasn’t a core figure of the Wumiao but existed as a pawn.
A pawn who became the Empress Dowager of Great Zhou?
Jiang Si had a flash of insight, seemingly grasping something, but upon further thought, it slipped away.
“Does Elder Hua know the reason for this substitution?”
Elder Hua evaded the question: “Now that the Holy Maiden knows the Empress Dowager is a Wumiao person, what do you plan to do?”
Jiang Si was silent for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and asked, “If forced to choose between me and the Empress Dowager, who do you think the Grand Elder would choose?”
Elder Hua was taken aback.
Though she wasn’t the Grand Elder, she knew the answer without a doubt: the Holy Maiden was undoubtedly more important.
No matter how far a pawn advances, it’s still just a pawn. How could it compare to the Holy Maiden?
“The Prince has now become the Crown Prince. Has Elder Hua heard about this?”
Elder Hua nodded.
Jiang Si’s expression turned cold: “Yet the Empress Dowager seeks to endanger the new Crown Prince’s life. The Crown Prince and I are one. If something were to happen to him, how could I stand idly by? In the end, the Grand Elder might have to choose between me and the Empress Dowager.”
“That’s impossible!” Elder Hua blurted out.
Jiang Si’s lips curled in mockery: “Indeed. The Empress Dowager’s actions contradict what the Grand Elder told me about that prophecy. If the Dragon’s Seventh Son is meant to bring down the Wumiao, why would the Empress Dowager, a Wumiao woman, harm Ajin?”
Elder Hua’s expression was momentarily bewildered.
Jiang Si’s gaze deepened as she asked word by word: “Will a pawn always obey?”
Elder Hua’s face changed abruptly.
“Is the substitution plan related to the other two prophecies?” Jiang Si asked again.
Elder Hua nodded involuntarily, then regained her composure and said seriously: “Holy Maiden, you are incredibly perceptive. But I don’t know what those two prophecies are, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell you without the Grand Elder’s permission. I hope you can understand.”
This was her bottom line. Even if the Holy Maiden did splash her with tea, she wouldn’t compromise.
Jiang Si placed the Holy Maiden token in Elder Hua’s palm, along with a letter: “Then I’ll trouble Elder Hua to deliver this letter to the Grand Elder. I’ll await the Grand Elder’s choice.”
Elder Hua grasped the Holy Maiden token, feeling its weight as if it were a thousand pounds. After a long while, she nodded.
Jiang Si smiled: “Aman, please see our guest out.”
After sending Elder Hua away, Jiang Si called for Yu Jin and relayed the information she had uncovered.
“It will take some time for the letter to reach the Grand Elder, and how he will respond is uncertain…”
Seeing the hint of unease on Jiang Si’s face, Yu Jin comforted her, patting the back of her hand: “The Empress Dowager just schemed against me at the investiture ceremony. Given how cautious she was in plotting against Princess Fuqing, she will likely choose to lie low, at least until we move into the Eastern Palace. Don’t worry too much. We’ll deal with things as they come.”
Thinking about the Empress Dowager, Yu Jin’s face turned cold: “The Empress Dowager has hidden her fox tail deep. At this point, we don’t fear her making a move; what we fear is her withdrawing and quietly playing the role of Empress Dowager. That would leave us at a loss.”
There’s always some truth in the saying that the more one does, the more mistakes one makes.
While Jiang Si was waiting for the Grand Elder’s reply, a report was placed before Han Ran, the commander of the Jinlin Guard, making his heart race.
The wife of Zhu Duohuan, the Officer of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, was actually from a foundling hospital.