"Crash!"
A teapot shattered at her feet, completely broken. The second princess jumped up from her chair and rushed forward, slapping Consort Ru across the face: "I warn you, if you dare touch the eldest princess even a single hair, I'll kill you."
"You hit me? Even my older brother never hit me! I'm going to fight you!"
In an instant, the palace attendants hadn't even reacted yet, but the second princess had already started fighting with Consort Ru.
Jiang Xinyue massaged her temples, looking at Ruyi and the Second Princess kneeling in the main hall with a headache.
Both of them had messy hair like a bird's nest, with a stream of nosebleed hanging from their noses. Neither had come out unscathed, and they both glared at each other, unconvinced.
"Consort Ru, how old are you? Why are you seriously fighting with a child? The second princess is only twelve years old, and you're over twenty. Can't you let her win?"
Low Level Consort Yu didn't hold back in criticizing Consort Ru.
"Why should I let her? She was the one who started hitting first. Do you expect me to just stand there and let her hit me?"
The second princess glared at her fiercely: "You deserved it!"
Jiang Xinyue raised her eyes: "What did you say to the second princess?"
...
Silence, complete silence.
Consort Ru didn't dare to say what she had said. She had been inciting the second princess to disfigure the eldest princess or ruin her reputation!
Although the second princess also suspected that Jiang Xinyue knew about her hatred for her, she didn't want to break that thin layer of window paper and withdrew her gaze that was staring fiercely at her like a concubine, lowering her head in silence.
Jiang Xinyue understood. It was something she shouldn't hear. That meant both of them were talking bad about her or plotting to harm her. But their opinions differed, so they ended up fighting.
“Consort Ru, you have shown contempt for the palace regulations and assaulted a royal princess. You are sentenced to three months of house arrest, one month's salary deduction, and you must copy the palace regulations twenty times. No one is allowed to copy on your behalf.”
"Why?"
Consort Ru immediately stood up from the ground.
"Thirty times."
"I don't give a damn!"
"Forty times."
"You!"
"Fifty..."
“Stop adding! I'll copy... I'll copy, alright?”
Consort Ru had a bitter expression, wanting to cry and return to Goguryeo.
Her older brother had told her that once she arrived in Great Yan, she could bewitch the emperor and make him infatuated. Liars, all of them.
She hadn't won the emperor's favor, but instead got beaten and now had to copy the palace rules forty times. Wu wu wu wu...
"The second princess, your impulsive behavior and assault on a foreign princess are unacceptable. You will receive the same punishment. Do you have any objections?"
The second princess respectfully bowed: "Thank you, Imperial Noble Consort Jiang, I have no objections."
Just after rewarding the second princess with out-of-season fabrics, she coincidentally got into a fight with Consort Ru, knowing that the Imperial Noble Consort would definitely intervene to resolve the conflict.
When Shuang Jiang left, she paid special attention to her feet, and Jiang Xinyue only glanced sideways to notice the reflection in the sunlight.
Although there were traces of rainwater covering the surface, no matter what kind of oil it was, it couldn't mix with water and would always leave floating oil stains.
The water puddles on the ground had been swept clean, without any accumulation, and the oil stains were not obvious.
Jiang Xinyue lifted her leg high and, under the second princess's intense gaze, turned a corner and stepped on the clean ground, as if mocking her childish tricks.
What made the second princess even angrier than Jiang Xinyue avoiding her trap was the disdain in Jiang Xinyue's eyes, not taking her provocation seriously.
"Your Highness..."
Both Shuang Jiang and Xi Que saw the second princess's clumsy scheme and were furious.
The second princess really is Consort De's daughter, full of evil intentions. She actually wanted to make our Empress fall!
The entire harem knew that the emperor had postponed the coronation ceremony to take care of Jiang Xinyue's pregnancy, not wanting her to be too tired.
Was the second princess trying to cause the Imperial Noble Consort to miscarry?
Low Level Consort Yu had some affection for the second princess. She awkwardly laughed: "Maybe it was that old nanny around her who took the initiative? I always felt that the second princess isn't that bad of a child..."
Back then, when the former empress was still alive, and Consort De hadn't fallen out with them, their children often played together. The second princess was always a quiet, gentle girl who would blush at a compliment from the former empress and cry when the eldest princess pricked her finger while sewing.
After the princesses turned seven, they were taught by specialized tutors, so Consort De didn't need to worry much. But the second princess always adored her mother and often clung to her.
Who knows what Consort De has been teaching the second princess these past few years to turn her into what she is today?
The second princess's wet nurse has already been taken away by the emperor. The one now serving her is a new one appointed by the emperor.
This means there's no one left to take the blame for the second princess.
Low Level Consort Yu chuckled again: "This child... Tomorrow, I'll have Ming Yu talk to her."
"Don't involve the eldest princess."
Jiang Xinyue shook her head: "Her main task now is to prepare for her marriage. Although my cousin is the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, his family background isn't as strong as those of the aristocratic families in the capital. You should focus more on your daughter and not worry about others. The eldest princess's marriage is the priority."
Having the eldest princess lecture the second princess might lead to the second princess taking her anger out on the eldest princess.
With the wedding approaching, it's best not to create unnecessary trouble.
Low Level Consort Yu seemed to understand Jiang Xinyue's implied meaning, her eyes calm as if deep in thought.
Chuxiu Palace—
A charming and bright young lady poured dirty water over another girl dressed in white: "Pfft! How dare you compare yourself to my cousin Jiang Xinyue? It's already your fortune to resemble her even a little. Yet you still say you're just yourself, not like anyone else. Then why are you imitating her fashion style?"
The girl in white had tears in her eyes: "I've never met the Imperial Noble Consort, and I've always dressed this way. I'm not deliberately imitating anyone. Huang Yanyu, don't push me too far."
Huang Yanyu sneered: "What if I bully you? You're just a country bumpkin from the countryside. What can you do to me? I'm the Imperial Noble Consort's cousin. Who do you think you are?"
Surrounding them were other beautiful women watching the spectacle, but no one dared to step forward to help the girl in white. Huang Yanyu became even more arrogant, her words full of mockery: "I heard your father owes gambling debts, and you were bought by eunuchs for twenty taels of silver. Living with you lowers my status."
It turned out that because they lived in the same room, but the girl in white arrived first and took the bed by the inner room, Huang Yanyu was taking her anger out on her.
"You can talk to Madam Duan and ask her to arrange for you to sleep elsewhere."
Mu Qianqian's eyes were blazing: "Now, please move aside. I need to go in and change my clothes."
The weather had just started to warm up, and she was worried that this cold water might cause her to catch a fever. Tomorrow was the palace selection.
She couldn't miss it.
