Lady Ruan felt as if she were floating on a soft cloud as Jiang Chuan escorted her out through the imposing gates of the imperial palace, her steps unsteady.
The Jiang family's carriage was waiting just outside the palace gates. Seeing Lady Ruan's dazed expression, Jiang Yankun thought something must have happened inside and quickly jumped down from the carriage to support her. "My dear, what's wrong? Has something happened to Xinyue?"
Everyone longed for the overwhelming favor of the emperor, but those who received it lived each day in fear, never knowing when that favor might turn into a death sentence.
Lady Ruan's gaze was blank as she mechanically turned her head. She seemed to be looking at Jiang Yankun, yet also looking through him into the future.
She blinked twice, still with an expression of disbelief, and slowly said, "My husband, I believe that grand dream of yours may not be impossible to realize after all."
What a nonsensical thing to say out of nowhere.
Jiang Yankun helped Lady Ruan into the carriage. As they settled in, a sudden realization struck him: "My lady, what did you mean by what you just said? How could my grand dream be realized? Did the emperor say something?"
His only grand dream was to support the Sixth Prince in becoming Crown Prince and eventually emperor. Then he would be the emperor's maternal grandfather.
Lady Ruan shook her head. "The emperor didn't say anything."
Jiang Yankun couldn't hide his disappointment. "Then why do you look so dazed?"
"Our daughter Xinyue..."
Lady Ruan recounted in detail how their daughter had comforted the eldest princess, scolded the third prince, and even reprimanded the emperor himself.
She concluded with a sigh, "My husband, I've seen my fair share of nobles in my life, but I've never seen a concubine who dared scold her husband like that. Even proper wives are always respectful, treating their husbands with the utmost reverence. Our Xinyue is truly remarkable - she has the emperor wrapped around her finger."
Though inwardly shocked, Jiang Yankun maintained a calm facade to appear worldly in front of Lady Ruan. He said casually, "What's so surprising about that? A daughter of the Jiang family is naturally far superior to those common girls."
His daughter had entered the palace just two years ago, and had already risen from a mere Noble Lady to become the Senior Concubine Xian, first among the four imperial consorts. She had even given birth to a prince. How could she be an ordinary person?
Having witnessed the extent of Jiang Xinyue's favor, Lady Ruan wholeheartedly agreed with Jiang Yankun's assessment.
Well then, if she had given birth to such an extraordinary daughter, surely she herself must be even more extraordinary.
As the clip-clop of horse hooves gradually faded, Jiang Yankun felt a growing excitement. He was eager to return home and carefully plan his next moves.
He was now a high-ranking official of the second grade, and many other officials had begun seeking his patronage upon seeing the emperor's recent favor towards him.
However, Xinyue had warned that her prominence in the palace meant the Jiang family would likely be under scrutiny outside the palace as well. Therefore, he needed to proceed with the utmost caution.
The current emperor disliked officials forming factions, so Jiang Yankun had cultivated a few advisors. These advisors, dressed as ordinary people to avoid attention, served as intermediaries to relay messages with the officials who sought connection with the Jiang family.
Hmm?
Lost in thought, Jiang Yankun realized he had been standing beside the carriage for quite some time, yet Lady Ruan still hadn't alighted.
He lifted the carriage curtain and urged, "My lady, please come down quickly. I have important matters to attend to."
"Ahem..."
Lady Ruan lifted her chin haughtily, casting a sidelong glance at him. Then, with an air of noble grace, she extended her hand, indicating that Jiang Yankun should help her down from the carriage.
After all, she was now the birth mother of Concubine Zhenxian. Even Xinyue's father had to take a step back in her presence!
If not now, when else would she have such an opportunity to put on airs?
Lady Ruan's face bore a slightly arrogant yet somewhat bashful expression, her eyes twinkling with childlike mirth.
Jiang Yankun was taken aback for a moment, suddenly recalling the first time he had seen her twenty years ago.
Back then, Lady Ruan had been a dancer at the Ruyang Prince's Residence. She was stunningly beautiful, pure as ice and clean as jade. Many officials attended the prince's banquets just to catch a glimpse of the legendary beauty.
He too had been one of those drawn by her fame.
Twenty years had passed, yet her beauty remained unchanged. Free from Lady Zhou's oppression, her personality was becoming more like it had been in the past.
Jiang Yankun chuckled softly and extended his hand to her. "We're home, my lady. Please alight."
Only then did Lady Ruan shake her head slightly, delightedly taking Jiang Yankun's hand as she stepped down from the carriage.
"My lord, my lord!"
Just as they entered the main gate hand in hand, a figure in bright red came rushing towards them, carrying an eight-year-old girl in her arms. "Miss Mengyi was pushed into the water by the third young miss! The family doctor is on leave. Please save Mengyi, my lord! If anything happens to her, I cannot go on living!"
Startled, Lady Ruan quickly let go of Jiang Yankun's hand. Reacting even faster, she ordered someone to take Jiang Mengyi from the woman's arms. "Quickly... take the fifth young miss to the nearest clinic. Use the carriage that just brought me back from the palace. Hurry!"
The little girl's lips had turned bluish-purple, her body was shaking uncontrollably, and her face was deathly pale. The situation looked dire.
Concubine Lin tearfully expressed her gratitude as she followed the servants carrying Jiang Mengyi to the carriage, clumsily climbing aboard herself.
Jiang Yankun frowned. "What happened? How could the third young miss push the fifth young miss into the water for no reason?"
An elderly maid stepped forward to explain: "My lord, the third young miss was making a fuss about wanting to follow the second madam into the palace. She said she wanted... wanted Concubine Xian to request an imperial physician for the first madam. She also said that before Concubine Xian entered the palace, if the first madam told her to go east, she wouldn't dare go west. She called her..."
The maid glanced at Lady Ruan, then suddenly fell to her knees. "This old servant dares to speak boldly, only so that my lord and the second madam can seek justice for our fifth young miss. Please don't blame this old servant. When the household servants stopped the third young miss from leaving, she began shouting vulgar insults about the second madam and Concubine Xian in the back garden. The fifth young miss used to be very close to Concubine Xian, so when she heard the third young miss speaking so crudely, she tried to reason with her. As a result... as a result, the third young miss grabbed her hair and threw her into the koi pond in the back garden that madam loves so much. By the time we servants realized what had happened, the fifth young miss was already drowning."
At that moment, there wasn't a single maid by the pond who knew how to swim. The male servants who could swim didn't dare to rashly jump in to save her, fearing they might touch the young miss inappropriately and lose their lives as a consequence.
They might save the fifth young miss, but at the cost of their own lives.
In the end, it was the fifth young miss's wet nurse, Nanny Chun, who is now giving this report, who found a bamboo pole. Together with the people on the shore, they managed to fish the fifth young miss out of the water.
The third young miss, realizing she had nearly caused a tragedy, had already fled back to her own quarters.
Lady Ruan's eyes flickered. It seemed Concubine Lin was trying to curry favor with her!
The fifth young miss probably wasn't in any real danger.
The one truly in danger was likely the third young miss, Jiang Yulin.
