Once the Sixth Prince grows older and accumulates a certain amount of reputation, with the court and the common people both recognizing him as the crown prince, then Jiang Yankun will transfer Zhu Qianyi to a position under his jurisdiction.
This will both extinguish Zhu Qianyi's original ambitions and win his loyalty, making him grateful and devoted to serving the Sixth Prince.
This move might not be friendly to Zhu Qianyi, but it is beneficial to the Jiang Family and the Sixth Prince without any drawbacks.
If one does not act in their own self-interest, heaven and earth will destroy them!
The Emperor himself wants him to do this, so how could he possibly disappoint the Emperor?
"Your humble servant knows what to do."
The two of them playing guessing games left Jiang Hewei in the dark.
Who is Zhu Qianyi? What does the Fifth Prince have to do with it? What is this talk about the East Mountain? He thought he understood, yet he didn't.
It was as if he heard something but didn't, yet he seemed to know quite a few secrets.
When he left the imperial study, Jiang Hewei still couldn't help but ask, half-understanding: "Minister Jiang, the Emperor said not to heavily promote Zhu's second son now, what does that have to do with the Fifth Prince?"
After all, he's not the biological son of the previous Empress, and Zhu's second son doesn't have much affection for the Fifth Prince, does he?
Besides, he went to the East Mountain when he was just over a year old. Who knows if he'll even remember the Zhu family in the future.
Jiang Yankun looked deeply at the vast sky outside the imperial study and sighed: "Minister Jiang, it's better to keep it like this and not ask too much. The more you know, the less likely the Emperor will include you next time."
"Tsk... What do you mean by that? Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"
In Hexi Palace—
"What did you say? Imperial Doctor Hu was beaten up and expelled from the palace?"
Consort De, lying in bed, winced in pain as she sat up too quickly, her wound throbbing. After a long while, she managed to speak: "What do you mean? Imperial Doctor Hu wasn't... ugh..."
Jiang Xinyue, however, did not return to Chengqian Palace. She pushed open the door of the side hall, interrupting Consort De's conversation with her maid: "What do you mean, 'wasn't'? Why does Consort De look so surprised to see me standing here unharmed?"
Consort De's wound ached continuously, and she was also shocked, the double pressure causing her wound to reopen.
Blood flowed out along the white cloth, and the maid was startled, immediately wanting to run out to call a doctor. Xi Que, with a smile, blocked the door, not letting her pass.
Seeing this, Consort De forced herself to look up: "Imperial Noble Consort, what... what do you mean by this?"
"I'm declaring war on you."
Jiang Xinyue stood by the bed, looking down at her with blatant malice: "You and your old man concocted that stone tablet about the 'Jiang replacing Shen,' thinking the Emperor would execute me and annihilate my family?"
"You..."
Halfway up, Consort De was shocked and frowned, rarely showing a hint of panic: "When did you find out?"
There was no point in pretending anymore. Jiang Xinyue had her eyes and ears everywhere, didn't she?
"Tsk!"
The stunning imperial concubine sneered: "There aren't many ambitious concubines left in the palace. Consort Wen and Low Level Consort Yu are on my side, Noble Consort Ye doesn't have the background to pull this off, and Concubine Cheng and Noble Lady Liu don't have the ability. The only one left with a name in my book is you, Consort De. Small schemes, I might suspect others, but such a big move? I knew it was you the moment I heard about it."
"Do you have any..."
"I don't need evidence. My sixth sense has always been accurate, helping me dodge one scheme after another. I also know that you've been trying to harm me from the very beginning. Do you really think I know nothing?"
Consort De, whose complexion was sallow, looked even more suspicious: "What do you know?"
Her voice was already tinged with ferocity.
Jiang Xinyue leaned closer to her, placing a hand on her wound and pressing slightly, causing more blood to gush out.
"Imperial Noble Consort!"
The maid cried out in alarm and tried to rush forward, but Xi Que and Shuang Jiang blocked her like two gatekeepers.
"I know nothing. I just know that you and your old man want to annihilate my family. So from today onwards, I'm tearing the mask off. All your schemes, I'll return them one by one."
A warm breath brushed past her ear, but Jiang Xinyue's words sent a chill through Consort De's heart: "From today onwards, I'll play this game with you—slowly."
She chuckled, and when her fingers left Consort De's wound, they were covered in blood.
"Tsk!"
Disgusted, she wiped the blood on Consort De's clothes, and Xiao Xiangzi immediately handed her a damp handkerchief to clean her hands.
Consort De couldn't argue a word, as she was already in so much pain she was about to faint.
Yan the Imperial Physician had been waiting outside for some time. Only after Jiang Xinyue left did she tell him: "Go in and treat Consort De. Make sure she leaves with a scar."
"Your humble servant obeys... Ah?"
Yan the Imperial Physician thought she meant to heal her completely.
Jiang Xinyue glanced at him again, as if to say: Is this too much for you?
"Yes, yes, yes. Your humble servant will definitely follow the Noble Consort's instructions and treat Consort De accordingly."
Consort Wen, Low Level Consort Yu, and Noble Consort Ye were all waiting outside the side hall. The door had been left open, and they had watched and listened to the whole scene.
Low Level Consort Yu: "Your Highness, you were so domineering just now. I think I'm falling for you. I was just a child before, and I did a lot of foolish things. I hope Your Highness can forgive me for my past mistakes and see that I'm trying to change. In the future... if I ever get hurt, please don't treat me like you did with Consort De, okay?"
It looked painful!
Consort Wen, with a look of disgust: "You're twenty-eight years old, and you still think you're a child? The Imperial Noble Consort is only eighteen or nineteen! How shameless! Unlike me, I only feel heartache for the Noble Consort. Did it hurt your hand to press on Consort De? The smell of blood is hard to get rid of. I have a handkerchief soaked in Guangling incense. Your Highness, please use it to wipe your hands. It will make your hands smell nice and fresh."
Honestly, after pressing on Consort De, please don't press on me.
Noble Consort Ye couldn't help but admire the thick skin of Consort Wen and Low Level Consort Yu, but she was even more relieved that she hadn't done anything bad to the Imperial Noble Consort yet.
Mainly because she wasn't high enough in rank to reach that level. Suddenly, she felt that being a small Noble Consort wasn't so bad.
As for Concubine Cheng and Noble Lady Liu, they haven't been having a good time lately. This must be the result of going against the Imperial Noble Consort!
The originally violent mood was calmed down by the two lively characters of Consort Wen and Low Level Consort Yu.
It had been two and a half years since she arrived in the Great Yan Dynasty. She had developed a sense of belonging to this place, and an indescribable affection for her adoptive father, her mother and siblings, and her capable clan members.
Perhaps it was the feeling of being supported that gave her a sense of being loved, something she had never experienced before.
Even if there were other motives mixed in, it didn't matter. As long as it provided her with emotional value, it was good enough.
"Ahhh... There's a ghost... There's a ghost..."
