From this, it was clear that the Imperial Noble Consort's willingness to sit and wait patiently beside the Emperor was already a sign of great trust.
Wang Dequan's meaning was obvious: as an old servant, he advised that it would be unwise to make unreasonable demands, as in the end, one would still need to appease the Imperial Noble Consort.
He feared most when the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort had disagreements, as ultimately, it was always the palace maids and eunuchs serving the Emperor who suffered.
The Xuanwu Emperor closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to release some of his frustration, but he still felt disappointed by Jiang Xinyue's reaction.
He felt he had given his all, only to discover that the person he had been so considerate of didn't love him as much as he had imagined.
Love requires reciprocation, and not receiving an equal emotional response truly hurt him and made him somewhat angry, though he didn't dare direct this anger at Jiang Xinyue.
He had his reservations, because Yue'er was truly difficult to appease, and it was best not to provoke her anger unnecessarily.
Wang Dequan was right - in the end, he would be the one shamelessly trying to make amends.
No, wait!
Had Wang Dequan actually described him that way earlier?
Probably not!
He wouldn't dare to.
The Xuanwu Emperor, bottling up his anger, could only vent his frustration on Third Young Master Qu.
Jiang Xinyue brought back Jiang Yuncai unharmed at nightfall, which somewhat disappointed those who had been waiting for drama to unfold.
They had been waiting all day, sending out several groups to gather intelligence, all hoping to get the latest firsthand gossip about the Jiang family.
Hadn't a group earlier reported that they had gone to Yihong Tower?
Was she really brought out from a brothel? It didn't seem like it!
How could anyone enter such a place and emerge unscathed if they didn't comply?
Someone with a quick tongue couldn't help but ask, "So... where did Second Miss Jiang go? We searched everywhere but couldn't find you."
Jiang Xinyue shot them a glance, causing the questioning lady to quickly shrink back.
But since this was everyone's primary concern, another person continued, "It's nothing serious, it's good that she's been found. Second Miss Jiang, you weren't hurt, were you? If you were, don't hide it - it would be best to have the imperial physician check you in the morning."
They might as well have written "Were you defiled?" on their faces.
Jiang Xinyue almost laughed from anger, and indeed let out a chuckle, "Guess what? When I found her, she was fighting with a group of little beggars over a money pouch!"
"Beggars?"
"Fighting over a money pouch?"
"Yes!"
Jiang Yuncai was quite angry, her brows furrowed into a deep crease as she said displeasedly, "I was about to change clothes inside when a group of little brats pushed open the partition. When my maid went to scold them, they knocked her unconscious with a stick. They came straight for my money pouch, and in the heat of the moment, I chased after them. I ended up running far, following them to an old temple. You should have seen it - the temple was full of sick and elderly beggars. My heart softened, and I gave them all the money I had. But I wanted my pouch back, and those little brats wouldn't return it, so we started fighting over it. If the Imperial Noble Consort hadn't found me with her people, I would have been beaten by those little brats."
This was understandable.
A noblewoman's personal items usually bore unique markings, and if they fell into beggars' hands, ill-intentioned people might spread all sorts of rumors to harm her reputation. Of course she needed to get the money pouch back.
Lady Sun slapped Jiang Yuncai's arm, "You fool! If the money pouch was stolen, so be it. If necessary, we could have reported it to the authorities tomorrow to get it back. Running off without a word - do you know how worried I was?"
She began crying with lingering fear, "If it weren't for the Imperial Noble Consort... if she hadn't found you, were you really going to fight with beggars?"
Jiang Yuncai's face turned pale as she forced a smile, "Mother, I'm sorry. Your daughter didn't think it through."
She still had hidden injuries all over her body, and to prevent others from discovering her wounds, she had only applied some pain-relieving medicine to her fingertips. When Lady Sun slapped her arm just now, the movement caused blood to seep from her fingertips again.
Su Ruyue seemed to notice something, but couldn't quite make it out clearly.
Jiang Xinyue moved to block Su Ruyue's prying eyes, then glanced at Jiang Yuncai and gestured for her to step on her dress hem.
Jiang Yuncai didn't understand and just stared at her with innocent eyes.
Xi Que was so anxious that she pushed Jiang Yuncai, who then fell forward. Now there was no need to step on the dress hem - she fell flat on her face.
"Oh dear, oh dear! This servant deserves death!"
Xi Que immediately showed a pained expression, leaning into Shuang Jiang's arms while lifting her previously injured leg, "Your Grace, this servant's leg has been aching ever since it was bitten last time. Could it be that rain is coming? I lost my balance and accidentally pushed Second Miss. This servant truly didn't mean to."
"It's... it's not your fault!"
Jiang Yuncai hadn't gotten up yet but was already grimacing, "I lost my balance myself."
"Oh my!"
Shuang Jiang pointed at her scraped palm, "Second Miss, your hand is injured!"
There were some protruding small stones on the ground that had scraped her palm, drawing blood, which conveniently concealed the bleeding from the needle pricks on her fingers.
Jiang Xinyue quickly had people help her up, "Don't let it scar - quickly take Second Miss to see the female doctor to clean the wound."
"But I heard the Imperial Noble Consort went to Yihong Tower? Could it be that Second Miss Jiang was brought back from the brothel by the Imperial Noble Consort?"
Some people around cast strange looks at Jiang Yuncai, and Lady Sun was so angry she wanted to tear that person's mouth apart.
Jiang Xinyue gave Shuang Jiang a meaningful look, and several maids came to support Jiang Yuncai, "Second Miss, don't listen to these gossipmongers. Let's quickly go see the female doctor about your hand."
After the elder aunt's family had left, Jiang Xinyue turned to Miss Pei who had spoken earlier, "I did go to Yihong Tower, but I didn't find my cousin there. However, I did see Third Young Master Qu seemed to have gotten himself into some trouble."
Lady Zhen of the Qu Family, who had been leisurely watching the drama unfold, suddenly frowned upon hearing her son's name, "What does the Imperial Noble Consort mean by that?"
Jiang Xinyue smirked, looking at the ill-intentioned Miss Pei pointedly, "Well, we should thank those little beggars. If they hadn't stolen my cousin's money pouch, making me think she had been kidnapped, I wouldn't have begged the Emperor to accompany me to Yihong Tower. I didn't find my cousin there and left immediately, but I heard they had recently purchased a fallen noblewoman who turned out to be the concubine of a capable official under the Qin Province magistrate. That concubine had fled with a list of corrupt officials."
Madam Zhen was no fool. The Imperial Noble Consort's repeated pointed remarks toward the Pei family clearly suggested that the Pei family's kidnapping of Third Miss Jiang had led to the Emperor discovering her son's misdeeds.
