Jiang Xinyue looked confused and said, "Huh? Why? Did my father accomplish some great feat?"
The Xuanwu Emperor didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What's the matter with you, my precious consort? When other concubines hear that I want to promote their fathers, they immediately kneel to thank me. But you? You ask me why?"
Jiang Xinyue quickly tried to please him, pulling the Xuanwu Emperor to sit down. She personally poured him a cup of hot tea and even massaged his back, saying, "Of course I'm happy that Your Majesty wants to promote my father. But I don't want Your Majesty to promote him just because of my relationship with you. When I was at home before, my father taught me that one shouldn't accept a salary without merit. He also told me that if one is too ambitious and covets things beyond one's control, it will surely backfire. I'm afraid... afraid that if my father's abilities are insufficient, it might end up troubling Your Majesty and inviting criticism from the court officials. That wouldn't be worth it at all."
She hugged the emperor's neck from behind, her cherry-like lips lingering on his sensitive neck. "My father and I think alike. If he is to be promoted, it should be solely because of his strong abilities, with no other considerations."
The emperor spoke seriously, "I have been observing Lord Jiang for a long time. He is capable of holding the position of Minister of Justice. If not, I wouldn't waste such an important and powerful position on him."
Previously, the father of Noble Consort Su, who had killed Jiang Xinyue's little pet, was a Section Chief in the Ministry of Punishment. But because he failed to educate his daughter properly, he lost his official position due to Noble Consort Su's misdeeds and couldn't survive in the capital, eventually returning to his hometown.
The former Minister of Justice was a close relative of the Su family, and he too was dismissed by the emperor. The position of Minister of Justice had been vacant since then. Both the Song Family and the Pei Family wanted to place their own people in the position, but the emperor had been stringing them along, letting them fight among themselves.
Now this great opportunity had fallen onto Jiang Yankun's lap. The dangers he would face in court were likely no less than those his daughter faced in the palace.
Receiving the emperor's affirmation, Jiang Xinyue beamed with joy. She planted a big kiss on his face and said straightforwardly this time, "Then I'll thank Your Majesty on behalf of my father first!"
The Xuanwu Emperor grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Does my beloved consort only thank me with words every time?"
Jiang Xinyue thought: What else did you expect?
As his kisses fell gently, Jiang Xinyue's delicate hands rested on the Xuanwu Emperor's shoulders, her fingers intentionally teasing his earlobes, making his kisses even more passionate.
"My love, can we..."
"No, we can't!"
Jiang Xinyue panted, pressing a finger against his hot lips. "The little baby in my belly has already taken shape. How can you do... do that kind of thing in front of him?"
Even though she was about to become a mother, her mindset was still like a child's, actually believing that the baby in her belly could see them doing such things.
The Xuanwu Emperor loved this innocence of hers and had no intention of ruining it. He lowered his head and took a deep breath at Jiang Xinyue's neck, then finally gave her a light peck on the cheek. "It seems our child has already replaced me in your heart before even being born."
Jiang Xinyue thought: That's because you have no sense of your own place in my heart.
"My Lady..." Xi Que's gentle voice sounded from outside. "It's time for you to drink your soup. Chief Eunuch Gao has prepared a Chinese yam, lean pork, and pigeon soup for you today. I'm coming in!"
Shuang Jiang had just reminded her at the door to announce herself before entering because the last few times she came in, the emperor was not behaving... no, that's not right... the emperor was being affectionate with her mistress.
Jiang Xinyue quickly seized the opportunity to push the emperor away, nearly knocking him off the chair.
She had finally gotten her revenge for when the emperor almost dropped her on the ground when Concubine Li fell into the water.
Xi Que ladled the fragrant pigeon soup into a small bowl and handed it to Jiang Xinyue with both hands. "My Lady, be careful, it's hot."
The Chinese yam had been stewed for a long time, infused with the savory flavors of pigeon and lean pork. It melted in the mouth, so delicious that one could almost swallow their tongue.
But Jiang Xinyue only took two sips before refusing to drink more. She pushed the entire soup pot in front of the Xuanwu Emperor, her bright eyes misty with pleading as she looked at him for help.
The emperor was used to this by now. In recent days, he had been helping to finish all the nutritious soups that his precious consort couldn't finish.
Before, he thought he would never gain weight no matter how much he ate. Now he didn't think so anymore. In just a few short days, his imperial robes had tightened by a whole size.
A woman's pregnancy was truly more tiring than his court sessions. Court sessions were mentally exhausting, taxing on the mind. Pregnancy was exhausting both mentally and physically, with the constant worry about whether the baby was growing well in the womb and if it could be born safely.
The number of imperial consorts who had died from difficult childbirth in the palace was too many to count on both hands.
So this time, with Jiang Xinyue's pregnancy, the Xuanwu Emperor was particularly nervous.
Every seven days, Jiang Xinyue would summon Fang Rumeng to Hexi Palace. On the surface, it was to make clothes for her, but in reality, it was to measure her waist circumference.
In the 21st century, Jiang Xinyue had been a psychologist at a private elite hospital. Besides the psychology department, the hospital also had gynecology, andrology, pediatrics, and obstetrics departments.
Even if she hadn't experienced it herself, she had seen how it was done. She knew the basic prenatal checkup procedures.
Measuring the waist circumference was to know how big the baby had grown and whether she would have an easy delivery.
The Xuanwu Emperor had seen Fang Rumeng measuring her waist circumference several times. Fang Rumeng was terrified, but Jiang Xinyue told her that the emperor only remembered stunningly beautiful women and wouldn't remember her at all, so she should relax.
Fang Rumeng didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry upon hearing this.
Fortunately, her ambitions didn't lie with the emperor, so it didn't matter whether she was good-looking or not.
Jiang Xinyue indeed understood the emperor well. Despite encountering her so many times, he never recognized Fang Rumeng as the female official from the Weaving Department who had testified for Noble Consort Su back then.
Jiang Xinyue had whispered a few words in his ear, saying that Fang Rumeng was now just a low-ranking female historian in the Imperial Wardrobe, and because she always called for Historian Fang to take measurements, it had aroused suspicion and dissatisfaction among others in the Imperial Wardrobe, causing Historian Fang to be ostracized.
After inquiring with the Internal Affairs Department, the Xuanwu Emperor learned that there was a vacancy for a Chief Clothing Officer in the Imperial Wardrobe. Manager Lin and Manager Wang of the Imperial Wardrobe had originally planned to promote one of the two sixth-rank Clothing Managers.
However, the Xuanwu Emperor made a sweeping decision, directly promoting Fang Rumeng, a seventh-rank female historian, to the position of fifth-rank Chief Clothing Officer.
Now, things were getting interesting in the Clothing Department. The other three female officials had always resented Fang Rumeng for clinging to Noble Consort Zhen's favor. Now, relying on Noble Consort Zhen's support, Fang Rumeng had suddenly become the second-in-command of the Clothing Department, effectively becoming the superior of their immediate superiors.
The lower-ranking female officials' opinions hardly mattered, but Fang Rumeng had taken a position that should have gone to the Clothing Manager's promotion. This meant that Fang Rumeng had essentially offended the entire Clothing Department.
However, both Jiang Xinyue and Fang Rumeng were ambitious women. Otherwise, they wouldn't have become such good friends in the first place.
Adhering to the principle that "only the mediocre are free from jealousy," both women were quite satisfied with the Emperor's decision.
