The taverns and teahouses in the capital were always bustling, perfect places to hear the latest news.
An old woman sat in the corner of a street-side tea stall, silently listening to the customers’ idle chatter. Those who frequented such stalls were often not well-off, mostly common folk who gossiped without restraint.
“Tsk, not a drop of rain has fallen yet. If this continues, the crops will wither, and we can forget about any harvest.”
“Indeed, who knows how many will starve? Times are tough!”
“Have you heard? They say this drought is all because of the Crown Princess—”
The old woman’s ears perked up slightly.
Many people scoffed at the speaker: “Who hasn’t heard that? But she’s the high and mighty Crown Princess, what can we do about it?”
“We may not be able to do anything, but surely the nobles and officials can? They can’t let everyone suffer because of one woman, can they?”
…
The old woman placed two copper coins on the long table and left expressionlessly.
By now, the rumors had spread so far that they affected public sentiment. They couldn’t be easily dispelled, and the Crown Princess’s position was likely in jeopardy.
Not long ago, the Earl of Dongping’s mansion was adorned with flowers and brocade, reveling in glory and success, arousing envy from many. Now, with the Crown Princess embroiled in controversy and their favored eldest grandson’s official career unexpectedly ruined, Old Madam Feng fell ill after hearing some cold remarks, struck by this double blow.
Jiang Si used this as a reason to request permission from the Empress to visit her grandmother at the Earl of Dongping’s mansion.
The Empress sighed softly: “Visiting your grandmother is a filial duty, but you’re currently in a precarious position. Be cautious when leaving the palace.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I understand,” Jiang Si replied.
“Then you may go.”
As Jiang Si was about to leave, the Empress called out again: “Crown Princess.”
Jiang Si curtsied slightly, her expression calm: “Does Mother have any other instructions?”
The Empress smiled: “No instructions, just to tell you not to feel too pressured. Your Father Emperor won’t be swayed by mere rumors. This difficult time will pass.”
In this deep pool of a palace, who hasn’t faced challenges? She believed this storm wouldn’t break the Crown Princess.
Jiang Si felt a warmth in her heart: “Thank you for your comfort, Mother.”
After leaving the palace and visiting Old Madam Feng, Jiang Si met with the old woman under careful arrangements.
The old woman scrutinized Jiang Si and sighed deeply: “I had long suspected you might be the true Holy Maiden of our Wumiao, but I couldn’t understand why she would come from Great Zhou. Now, knowing you have Wumiao blood, everything becomes clear. Wumiao finally has a Holy Maiden.”
Her last words were filled with emotion.
Although Jiang Si had previously agreed to appear as the Holy Maiden when Wumiao needed her, that was an exchange of interests, a cooperation, quite different from now.
Jiang Si having Wumiao’s blood proved that heaven had not abandoned Wumiao, and the lineage of the Holy Maiden had not been broken.
It could be said that the Grand Elder truly breathed a sigh of relief only now.
“I didn’t expect the Grand Elder to come personally,” Jiang Si said.
“Of course, I would come for such an important matter. I just needed to arrange tribal affairs properly, which delayed me a bit.”
Jiang Si held a cup of clear tea and calmly asked, “Has the Grand Elder heard the discussions among the capital’s citizens?”
The Grand Elder’s expression changed slightly as she nodded slowly.
“The Empress Dowager wants me dead. How does the Grand Elder plan to retrieve this chess piece?”
The Grand Elder’s gaze deepened as she asked with furrowed brows, “Is the Holy Maiden certain this is her doing?”
Jiang Si scoffed, “At this point, does the Grand Elder still harbor hope?”
The Grand Elder, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the mockery, rubbed the jade ring on her thumb. Her expression gradually hardened as she said word by word, “If a chess piece harms the Holy Maiden, it must be destroyed.”
Jiang Si pondered for a moment before voicing her confusion, “This chess piece is so important and has been in play for so long. Doesn’t the Grand Elder have any means of control over her?”
“She once swore an oath to the True God. The Holy Maiden, not having truly lived among the Wumiao, may not understand what swearing to the True God means to our people.”
Jiang Si didn’t respond.
In her previous life, she had lived among the Wumiao for several years and understood to some extent the Wumiao people’s devotion to their True God. The constraints of faith were powerful.
For instance, if an outsider insulted the Holy Maiden, they could be beaten to death by the angry Wumiao people. But if someone cursed the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, most Zhou citizens would pretend not to hear.
In Wumiao, the Holy Maiden and the Grand Elder were symbols of the divine, and reverence for the True God was even more profound.
The Grand Elder sighed, “I never imagined that in just a few decades, she would cast the True God aside.”
Jiang Si suddenly felt the Grand Elder was somewhat naive.
This naivety was probably related to how Wumiao raised their Holy Maidens.
Gifted girls were selected from a young age to train diligently. The one who stood out became the Holy Maiden, respected by all. Upon becoming the Grand Elder, her word became law, controlling the fate of the tribe.
There might be some intrigue, but it paled in comparison to the bloody path to power in the Great Zhou royal family.
“Decades of luxury and privilege, not to mention Great Zhou’s vast territory,” Jiang Si said softly.
The Grand Elder’s expression changed slightly as she sighed, “Besides that, we had also placed a gu worm in her body. But I heard from Elder Hua that the gu in her body had been removed somehow…”
Jiang Si’s eyes flickered.
Could the Grand Elder be referring to the Mother-Child Heart Connection Gu in the Empress Dowager’s body? That Gu worm seemed to have been removed by her…
However, at that time, she could sense that the Mother-Child Heart Connection Gu hadn’t been in the Empress Dowager’s body for very long, certainly not for decades.
“So, there’s no way to deal with this?” Jiang Si passed the ball back.
Whoever caused the trouble should be the one to resolve it, that was only fair.
But Jiang Si knew it wouldn’t be that easy, after all, Wumiao couldn’t implicate themselves.
“There is one way,” the Grand Elder said.
“I’m all ears.”
After hearing the Grand Elder’s plan, Jiang Si hesitated, “If we do this, Elder Hua might—”
The Grand Elder’s face remained expressionless as she said, “It would be Elder Hua’s honor to resolve issues for the Holy Maiden. She would die without regrets.”
Jiang Si’s mouth twitched.
She could understand the Wumiao people’s spirit of sacrificing everything for their Holy Maiden, but having not been born and raised in Wumiao, she couldn’t ignore others’ lives just to solve a problem.
“Besides this, there is no better option,” the Grand Elder calmly reminded, seeing Jiang Si’s hesitation.
She was somewhat puzzled that Jiang Si would hesitate for Elder Hua’s sake, but felt inexplicably reassured.
A Holy Maiden who cared for the lives of the Wumiao people should be reliable, right?
Jiang Si finally nodded, “Very well then. I’ll do my best to protect Elder Hua’s life. If anything happens to Elder Hua, I’ll take good care of her granddaughter.”
Behind the screen, Elder Hua, upon hearing this, burst into tears.
Dying for the Holy Maiden would be without regret, and hearing the Holy Maiden say this left her with no worries.
“I see the current situation is very unfavorable for the Holy Maiden. This matter needs to be dealt with quickly,” the Grand Elder said.
Jiang Si smiled nonchalantly, “There’s no rush. It’s not the right time yet. I’ll resolve the current troubles.”