Xi Que's eyes finally lit up with genuine excitement.
With such a generous mistress, how could she not swear undying loyalty?
She tentatively took two gold leaves, then looked up at Jiang Xinyue. Seeing no displeasure, she took another.
Jiang Xinyue didn't even raise her head, glancing at her from the corner of her eye: "Take more. This reward from me is a one-time offer. Don't let greed get the better of you and regret not taking enough later."
Xi Que's little face reddened: "My Lady, my brother is about to get engaged."
She was explaining that it wasn't out of greed, but because she wanted to save more for her brother's dowry.
Jiang Xinyue directly pushed all the silver from the jewelry to Xi Que: "Take it. Consider it my wedding gift to your brother."
"My Lady... My Lady... The Dowager Empress is coming..."
"Get out of my way, all of you!"
The "Four Guardians" guarding Hexi Palace were all inside the room, and the other palace servants couldn't stop the imposing and ill-intentioned Dowager Empress.
Consort Shu was about to be forced to drink poison, which Jiang Xinyue didn't know yet, but the Dowager Empress had already blamed Jiang Xinyue for Consort Shu's predicament.
As the Dowager Empress entered the inner chamber, before she could even unleash her anger, she saw treasures strewn all over the floor, with several eunuchs and maids clutching various items. The flames of her fury blazed even higher.
Had Jiang Xinyue caused such harm to Consort Shu, only for the Emperor to think she was the one wronged?
To think he would send so many gifts to appease her.
"This concubine pays her respects to the Dowager Empress."
"We servants pay our respects to the Dowager Empress."
"Concubine Zhen is still as charming as ever. The Emperor has protected you well, hasn't he?"
Jiang Xinyue heard the seething hatred in these words.
Of course, the Dowager Empress was the champion of the previous palace intrigue competition. Even though years of pampered living had dulled her sense of crisis, allowing Jiang Xinyue to outmaneuver her repeatedly, she still retained at least basic reactive abilities.
She probably realized she had been tricked not long after punishing Jiang Xinyue with confinement.
But by then, the Emperor had already taken Jiang Xinyue under his protection, and she, as the dignified Dowager Empress, couldn't lower herself to rush to Hexi Palace to cause trouble like some shrew.
The pent-up anger reached its peak when the Emperor ordered Consort Shu to drink poison.
If she didn't release it now, the Dowager Empress felt she might fall ill from holding it in.
"I don't understand what the Dowager Empress means, but Dowager Empress, I'm already over five months pregnant. Do you intend to keep me kneeling while we talk?"
"What? You think you're above others now that you're carrying a royal heir? You dare refuse to kneel when I command it? Don't forget, Concubine Zhen, the Emperor himself came from my womb."
Jiang Xinyue let out a cold laugh, raising her hand. Xi Que immediately stood up and supported her mistress's hand.
Following suit, Shuang Jiang shifted on her knees, kneeling to support Jiang Xinyue's other hand.
As she stood up with their support, her height, slightly taller than the Dowager Empress, brought an overwhelming aura of intimidation.
"How dare you!"
Granny Gui, having forgotten the pain of her previous lesson, stepped forward to block the smirking Jiang Xinyue, angrily rebuking: "The Dowager Empress hasn't given permission to rise, you..."
"Ah—"
As Jiang Xinyue stood up, her face suddenly contorted in pain, and she hunched over, clutching her belly.
Granny Gui was startled, the memory of being kicked against the wall by the Emperor and coughing blood seemingly about to repeat itself. She quickly retreated behind the Dowager Empress: "You... what trick are you playing now? Dowager Empress... Dowager Empress, please be my witness, I didn't touch her at all!"
Look at that...
Jiang Xinyue's antics had given her post-traumatic stress, yet she still insisted on being the first to act, waiting for Jiang Xinyue to target her.
Her cowardly appearance made Jiang Xinyue snicker: "Oh my! For some reason, seeing Granny Gui's useless behavior has made my stomach feel better. Xi Que..."
"I'm here, My Lady."
"The Dowager Empress is our guest. Go brew a cup of the finest Jiuyun Mountain Da Hong Pao tea."
As she spoke, she had already seated herself in a chair, then looked at the Dowager Empress in surprise: "Dowager Empress, why aren't you sitting? If you won't sit, I must, after all, I'm carrying your grandchild!"
"Shut your mouth!"
The Dowager Empress grabbed a eunuch's hand and strode quickly to Jiang Xinyue, raising her hand to slap her again.
"Smack!"
That well-maintained female hand was firmly caught by Jiang Xinyue. She gripped it so tightly that the Dowager Empress's wrist, trapped in her palm, turned bright red.
Jiang Xinyue flung the Dowager Empress's hand away, stood up, and shoved her hard. The onlookers, caught off guard, watched in shock as the Dowager Empress fell backward onto the ground.
Nanny Li, due to her past relationship with the Dowager Empress as her servant, feared that her presence would make the Dowager Empress treat Concubine Zhen even worse, so she had hidden in her own room.
But Nanny Xiang was there!
She was greatly alarmed, and in her shock, she instinctively ran forward to prevent the Dowager Empress's eunuchs from touching Concubine Zhen... or more precisely, Concubine Zhen's belly.
"You... you... you insolent creature!"
The Dowager Empress was even more shocked than Nanny Xiang. She... had been struck by... a mere... a mere concubine?
She was the Dowager Empress! The Emperor's birth mother!
Even the Emperor had never dared to hit her, how dare Jiang Xinyue? How could she possibly dare?
This was outrageous!
Absolutely outrageous!
"Guards!"
The Dowager Empress roared: "Seize Concubine Zhen for me! I'll teach her the palace rules myself!"
The servants of Hexi Palace all stepped forward to protect Jiang Xinyue, while the Dowager Empress's people hesitated, afraid to act.
The Dowager Empress suddenly realized that her authority in the palace was now inferior to that of a mere concubine. Enraged, she stood up and violently overturned the nearby table: "You all refuse to obey my orders now, is that it?"
The eunuchs from Kunning Palace stirred restlessly.
"I'd like to see who dares!"
Jiang Xinyue's beautiful almond eyes were filled with cold ferocity. Whichever eunuch her gaze fell upon immediately lowered their head, not daring to meet her eyes.
"Hmph!"
She let out a cold laugh, looking mockingly at the Dowager Empress: "Dowager Empress, this is no longer the harem of the late Emperor. It's not a place for you to throw your weight around. If you want to hit me, you need a legitimate reason. Running to my quarters to throw a tantrum for no reason... well, I'm not one to be pushed around either."
She wasn't a pushover, and the Dowager Empress had known this for a while. But knowing was one thing, accepting it was another. She still couldn't resign herself to it.
Moreover, she believed that no matter how outrageous she behaved, Concubine Zhen wouldn't dare to do anything to her.
Every time she caused trouble for her, didn't she just play the victim in front of the Emperor to gain his sympathy?
This time, she had controlled the people in Hexi Palace to prevent them from running to inform the Emperor.
She thought that without the Emperor, Jiang Xinyue would be nothing more than a helpless white lotus, completely powerless.
"If the Dowager Empress has no other business, please leave. You're not welcome in my Hexi Palace."
