"Listen to Consort De."
Jiang Xinyue's expression softened, revealing an innocent smile as she affectionately linked arms with Consort De. "I still remember when I first entered the palace. Consort De and the Empress took such good care of me. Sometimes when I think back on it, I feel that was the happiest time for me."
Far from finding her sudden affection heartwarming, Consort De felt her scalp tingle and her body stiffen.
If Jiang Xinyue could see beneath her clothes, she would notice Consort De's hair standing on end.
Seemingly oblivious to Consort De's resistance, Jiang Xinyue clung to her arm even tighter. "You know, Sister De, how long has it been since you last paid respects to the Empress? On the day Yikun Palace caught fire, the Empress held my hand and entrusted me with her final wishes. She said she was going to join Crown Prince Duanhui and the second prince. Sister De, you've seen the Empress's two children, haven't you? They must have been so adorable."
"Bang!"
At the mention of the Empress's children, Consort De suddenly used force, pushing Jiang Xinyue onto the table.
But she immediately went to help her up. "Noble Imperial Consort! I'm so sorry, I... I'm not used to such intimate contact. I truly didn't mean to."
In the palace, sisterhood was typically determined by rank. What exactly was Jiang Xinyue up to?
Suddenly calling her "sister," was there some scheme afoot?
With her hands braced on the table, her expression hidden, Jiang Xinyue smirked. When she turned around, her expression had changed completely. She said coldly, "No matter. It was I who was impolite."
Her ability to change faces was faster than turning pages in a book. One moment she was burning with enthusiasm, difficult to handle, and the next she was cold as frost, leaving others at a loss for how to respond.
Fortunately, at this moment, Luyin returned: "Noble Imperial Consort, My Lady, the Lotus Garden has been prepared."
Consort De finally breathed a sigh of relief. "This way, Noble Imperial Consort."
Sparring with Jiang Xinyue was exhausting, because no one could ever get a handle on her, nor could anyone guess what her next move would be. They could only be led by the nose.
This feeling of not being able to control the situation made Consort De very uncomfortable.
But for now, she could only endure it.
Jiang Xinyue, supporting herself on Jiang Chuan's arm, followed Luyin's lead to the Lotus Garden.
Earlier, when Jiang Xinyue had linked arms with Consort De, Jiang Chuan had taken advantage of the moment before Consort De could pull away to release "Come Here" from inside his clothes, letting it go sniff out the same blood scent that Jiang Chuan had let it smell before.
Jiang Xinyue had just been buying time for "Come Here" earlier.
Consort De's Lotus Garden was arranged quite artistically. Even the flowers in the lotus pond were white, pink, and green, arranged in a pleasing pattern that made one feel relaxed and tranquil.
Those lotus flowers, blooming in eager competition, were just like the consorts in the harem vying for favor.
Jiang Xinyue reasonably suspected that Consort De might have cultivated these flowers while imagining herself as the leader of the harem, controlling the lives of these "blossoms."
"There are even fish in this lotus pond!" Xi Que pointed at the pond. "My Lady, look! That fish is so fat, it must be delicious to eat."
Luyin rolled her eyes in exasperation. "That's a yellow-lipped fish. It's three feet long, and just the fish maw alone could sell for three million taels. Can you afford to eat that?"
Xi Que glanced at her. "Like you can afford it? What are you so proud about?"
Jiang Xinyue also lowered her head to look. "It is indeed very fat."
"Be careful, Noble Imperial Consort!" Consort De pulled back on her body as she leaned forward. "If you were to fall in and get hurt, I wouldn't know how to explain it to His Majesty."
That enormous, plump yellow-lipped fish seemed to be staring at Jiang Xinyue with its strange, lifeless eyes, as if it might leap out of the water at any moment to take a bite out of her.
But this type of fish was edible, and how could a fish have its own thoughts? How could it look at her with such eerie fish eyes?
Jiang Xinyue took two steps back until she could no longer see the fish, then raised her eyes to look at the lotus flowers covering the pond.
A gentle breeze blew past, carrying waves of delicate lotus fragrance that refreshed the spirit.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Where did this dog in Yanqing Palace come from?
"My Lady! My Lady!"
Xiao Xuanzi came running in urgently. "My Lady! Come Here snuck into Yanqing Palace following you!"
Consort De instinctively sensed trouble and immediately ordered the eunuchs behind her, "Quickly, go catch the dog for the Noble Imperial Consort. If anything goes wrong, I won't let you off easily."
Was she more afraid of something happening to Jiang Xinyue's dog, or of her own doings being exposed?
"I'll go too," Jiang Xinyue said, looking anxious. "Come Here is the darling of our Hexi Palace. If anything happens to it, the Fourth Prince will cry his eyes out. Xi Que, quick..."
At her command, Xi Que dashed out, running in the direction Jiang Chuan had led.
Luyin didn't understand what was happening, but with the thought that she couldn't let Xi Que intrude where she shouldn't, she also ran out after her.
As Jiang Xinyue walked, she observed Consort De's expression. It had already changed from initially calm to slightly panicked.
But Jiang Xinyue found Consort De increasingly terrifying.
She knew Jiang Xinyue was observing her, and the panicked expression on her face was deliberately put on for show.
In her heart, she remained utterly unmoved.
Jiang Xinyue had a premonition that today's visit might be in vain. Consort De had likely anticipated something and covered her tracks completely.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Come Here barked incessantly at a tightly closed door. Surrounded by pursuing eunuchs, it leaped into a gap in the windowsill and slipped inside as if it had no bones.
"Come Here!"
Xi Que was about to charge in when Luyin stopped her. "This is where our Lady stores flower fertilizer. The smell is strong and it's very dirty. Miss Xi Que, you'd better not go in."
"I need to bring Come Here out."
"You can't go in."
"What if our Come Here eats the fertilizer thinking it's food and gets a stomachache, or if something else happens? Can you take responsibility?"
"In any case, without Consort De's permission, no one can enter or leave this room."
When Jiang Xinyue and Consort De arrived, Xi Que changed her tone, her clever little eyes darting around. "Fine, I won't go in. When my Lady gets here, let's see how you..."
After she said she wouldn't go in, Luyin let down her guard and loosened her grip on Xi Que.
Who knew Xi Que would play dirty? While still talking, she slipped past Luyin's hand.
Before Jiang Xinyue could call out to stop her, they heard her scream as she pushed open the door.
A basket of red soil above her head tilted due to the vibration from the door opening. As soon as she entered, the basket of red soil tipped over onto her.
The red soil with its earthy smell poured all over Xi Que from head to toe. Even the basket that had contained the soil landed on top of her head. She looked utterly pitiful.
At her feet, the snow-white little dog poked its head out from the soil, shook off the dirt on its head, and looked innocently at Jiang Xinyue.
Come Here: Master, has it gotten dark?
