“Originally, a cup of poisoned wine would have made it easy and comfortable to go, but instead, they had to die by their own hand. Tsk tsk tsk… stabbed over a dozen times, and it’s said that the final stab pierced the heart, causing them to die in agony. How painful!”
“So, it’s a reminder that we can’t just focus on raising our sons; the education of our daughters is equally important. Just look at Minister Jiang’s daughter—she’s been raised so well that the entire Jiang family benefits. Take those two descendants of the Jiang family who were recently sent back from Yu Province, Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Shouwei. They risked their lives to protect evidence that implicated officials involved in the siege of Yu Province. As a result, they’ve been appointed to positions in the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Personnel by the Emperor himself, despite their young age.”
Although their positions are not high, there’s plenty of room for advancement!
And they’re still so young—many people don’t achieve anything significant until middle age.
After a few years of training in the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Personnel, and then serving as officials in the provinces, enduring some hardships and achieving some successes, these two Jiang descendants will likely become high-ranking officials in the future, with limitless prospects.
“Speaking of daughters who weren’t raised well, that brings us to Duke of Cheng. I heard that on the day his estate was confiscated, that courtesan cried and shouted that her two sons weren’t Duke of Cheng’s. She claimed she was never his concubine. After the Ministry of Justice confirmed her claims, they released all three of them on the spot.”
“What a disgrace! His only daughter was so poorly raised that she brought ruin to the entire family, lost their title, and even allowed a courtesan to cuckold him, raising someone else’s sons for over a decade. Duke of Cheng didn’t seem that foolish, so why did he keep doing such stupid things?”
“I saw him the other day on the street, completely lost in his thoughts, wearing tattered clothes, sitting on the ground drinking. He was absolutely plastered. He’s made plenty of enemies in the past, and someone dragged him into an alley and beat him up. He looked pretty badly injured.”
“Oh, come on! It’s the New Year; let’s not talk about such unlucky things. Look! Princess Lihua of Goguryeo is about to perform a dance.”
Goguryeo is known for its beauty, and its royal court is a veritable nest of beauties. Princess Lihua is the cream of the crop, the most exquisite beauty in that nest.
The King of Fusang once offered her the position of queen in hopes of winning her heart, but she rejected him.
Many royal families from various countries have tried to win her hand, but all have failed.
It’s said that Princess Lihua has been in love with the Emperor of Great Yan for twelve years. Twelve years ago, the Emperor was invited to Goguryeo for a visit, and the then eleven-year-old princess fell deeply in love at first sight.
She rejected all those suitors just to wait for the chance to grow up and accompany the diplomatic mission to Great Yan.
Since taking her seat, Jiang Xinyue has been hearing whispers about Princess Lihua’s unrequited love for the Emperor.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Under Jiang Xinyue’s increasingly dangerous gaze, the Xuanwu Emperor cleared his throat a few times: “Yue’er, when I went to Goguryeo twelve years ago, Princess Lihua was only eleven years old.”
Eleven years old—for the Emperor, no matter how beautiful she was, she was still just a child. He wasn’t so depraved as to have any interest in a girl who hadn’t yet come of age.
“What did I say?”
Jiang Xinyue smirked coldly, her eyes icy: “Your Majesty, you should take a good look. Princess Lihua is Goguryeo’s pearl, and it’s said that her beauty surpasses even mine. She rejected all advances just to gamble on an uncertain future for the sake of Your Majesty. Aren’t you even a little moved?”
Whether the Emperor was moved or not, he didn’t show it.
But he definitely didn’t dare to move.
The enchanting music of a traditional instrument played heavenly melodies. On the central performance stage, a group of beautiful women in white corseted skirts danced the traditional dance of Goguryeo.
Jiang Xinyue’s mind couldn’t help but hum: Arirang~ Arirang~ Arirang~
Among the pale whites, there was a striking red. Jiang Xinyue was far away, so she could only make out the general outline, but even so, she could clearly feel that the woman in the red dress far surpassed the other dancers in terms of appearance, figure, and demeanor.
When she looked at the Emperor again, he was leaning on his hand, his pale face tinged with two spots of red. He tilted his head and gazed at Jiang Xinyue, his eyes seemingly filled only with her, unable to contain anyone else.
Princess Lihua's dance became faster and faster, spinning in circles as she moved towards the direction of the Emperor and Jiang Xinyue, amidst the sounds of amazement and admiration from the audience.
When she was still five meters away from the Emperor’s position, she was stopped by the guards at the steps.
Consort Wen couldn’t help but say: “Princess Lihua, you haven’t paid your respects to the Emperor and our Imperial Noble Consort yet. Without their summons, you cannot approach.”
If anyone could just walk up to the Emperor, his grave would have grass as tall as a person by now.
Low Level Consort Yu, whose neck was still wrapped in a white rabbit fur collar, claimed it was because her scars hadn’t healed.
But her neck injury didn’t stop her from laughing out loud: “Sister Consort Wen, Goguryeo is a small place with few people. How could they have so many rules? If they all had to stay so far away from their king, there wouldn’t be enough space in all of Goguryeo!”
Despite having her vocal cords injured, Low Level Consort Yu was determined to ridicule Goguryeo for being small, with few people and no proper etiquette.
Princess Lihua, as if she didn’t understand the subtext, smiled sweetly at the Xuanwu Emperor and spoke fluent Great Yan official language: “Lihua greets the esteemed Emperor of Great Yan.”
Jiang Xinyue: Well played! Treating the rival as if she doesn’t exist.
…
The Xuanwu Emperor didn’t even glance at Princess Lihua. Under the table, his hand continued to massage Jiang Xinyue’s small hand, occasionally giving her a smile that seemed like he was drunk and acting cute.
Jin Lihua, who hadn’t heard a response, couldn’t help but look up. How could the Emperor she revered so much be… exchanging affectionate glances with a concubine?
Curious, she looked at the person beside the Emperor and was stunned by Jiang Xinyue’s beauty, thinking to herself: My brother lied to me. He said there were no beauties like her in Shen Ye’s harem, so who is this woman sitting next to Shen Ye?
Her hair was smoother, her eyes brighter, her lips redder, and even her proud figure seemed less impressive compared to this woman.
However, since everyone called her Imperial Noble Consort, she must be quite old, right?
She appeared to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, likely due to excellent skincare. Jin Lihua thought she might be able to exchange some beauty tips with this Imperial Noble Consort.
After all, Goguryeo is renowned for its beauty.
If this Imperial Noble Consort could maintain such looks even in her thirties, that would be quite impressive.
But why hasn’t she told me to rise yet?
“Princess Lihua, there’s also the Imperial Noble Consort! Is your big eyes only capable of seeing the Emperor and not anyone else?”
Although Jin Lihua had learned Great Yan’s language, she couldn’t fully grasp the nuances of sarcasm and could only understand the literal meaning.
After thinking for a moment, she gracefully bowed again to Jiang Xinyue: “Lihua greets the respected sister, Imperial Noble Consort.”
