Is that not so?
The Xuanwu Emperor thought that his beloved Consort Jiang Xinyue was indeed adorable. Every emotion was etched on her face, as if inviting everyone to see right through her.
He gently tapped on Jiang Xinyue's supposedly "innocent" head, "The Prefect of Qinzhou is but a minor official, I do not believe he has the audacity to act in such a high-profile manner on his own. There must be someone pulling the strings from behind. If Minister of Rites Jiang has any other evidence, he shouldn't fear retaliation. Simply hand it over, I am here, I won't allow wicked spirits to cause a commotion."
What a bold move!
It's as if he had the words "Targeting the Song Family" plastered on his face.
Just as Jiang Xinyue thought!
During the miscarriage of Concubine Li, she forced the emperor to punish Consort Shu and brought up both Pei and Song families to pressurize the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Surely, she won't be ending up well.
Looking through history, which influential nobility who fails to adopt a low profile, keeps their talents hidden and remains unabatedly arrogant ends well?
None!
Absolutely none!
They all believe that their powers extend throughout the Great Yan Dynasty and even if the Emperor is unhappy, they can do nothing to them.
But they have forgotten the ancient phrase: "If the monarch wants a minister to die, the minister has no choice but to die."
Even without evidence, the Emperor would hint at his ministers to fabricate some.
Jiang Xinyue nodded, "Your Majesty is correct. Unfortunately, I, as a concubine, cannot summon my father into the Palace. Otherwise, I would surely convey Your Majesty's words to him in full."
Right, the Emperor forgot. Though Jiang Xinyue ascended to the rank of concubine within a year of entering the Palace, concubines below the position of consort do not have the privilege to summon their own family. Only with the Emperor or Empress's approval can this be done.
"Do you miss home?" the Emperor asked, rubbing Jiang Xinyue's small hand, every bone massaged through thoroughly, "It's not difficult. The Empress's birthday is in the eighth lunar month, and the Tubo Royal Family sent us some gifts. The Ministry of Rites is due to discuss with me about the return gifts. Why don't you come with me to the Imperial Study tomorrow?"
The Xuanwu Emperor did not wish to reveal his enmity with the Song Family and intended to push the Jiang Family to the forefront.
Being the Emperor of a country and saying she missed home, could she deny it?
How to put it?
It's a mix of good and bad, actually.
The good part is that currently the Jiang Family is not very noticeable. Dear father is still just an official of the Ministry of Rites, while Concubine Li's grandfather holds the highest position in the Internal Council and Department of State Affairs. The rank and actual power are far too disparate with the Jiang family.
If the Emperor wished for Jiang Yankun to confront the Song Family, he surely needed to elevate the Jiang family's status first.
If the gap is too wide, a confrontation would leave the Jiang family with no option but to take it on the chin.
At night, the Xuanwu Emperor stayed at Concubine Li's Palace. However, as she was still in confinement after her miscarriage, she could not sleep with him and instead sent a beautiful palace maiden as a substitute, hoping to please the Emperor. But this backfired and irritated the Emperor, leading him to visit the nearest Jingren Palace.
The Jingren Palace was formerly inhabited by Consort Shu but the current occupant was her younger sister, Consort Rong. The following day after the Emperor went to court, Wang Dequan took the decree promoting her to Noble Consort to Jingren Palace.
Everyone in the inner court believed that Consort Rong was benefiting from her elder sister's influence. The emperor was compensating for the suffering Consort Shu had undergone under Concubine Li by showering affection on Consort Rong.
Jiang Xinyue touched her not-so-obvious baby bump, her thoughts starkly contrasted with the others in the imperial harem.
If the Xuanwu Emperor really cared for Consort Shu, he could have simply moved her from Changxin Palace. He didn't need to shift his affections to Consort Rong, who looked nothing like Consort Shu and could never act as her substitute.
The Xuanwu Emperor appeared to be a passionate man, he loved Consort Shu, Concubine Li, and even her, Jiang Xinyue – the latecomer who ended up on top.
However, the reality was he loved none of them. He adored himself the most, and if their interests ever intersected with those of the previous dynasty, he wouldn't hesitate to abandon them.
Such an emperor might be good for his subjects, but he was far from being a good man to his wives.
Jiang Xinyue tilted her lips slightly, relieved that she was a spirit who had traversed time from the 21st century, rather than a well-bred lady of this feudal society.
Not that these ladies weren't good, they were quite wonderful.
Like Concubine Li – she was breathtakingly beautiful with alluring dance moves. In the future era, she would be a widely recognized superstar with a queue of eligible men from one end of the Yangtze to the other, vying for her attention.
Take Empress Zhu for example – she was decisive, smart, and resourceful. In the future business world, she could easily establish her place, keeping a large corporation running smoothly and successfully. If she desired to resign from a company, the boss would undoubtedly offer an attractive salary to retain her. She wouldn't need to be an old maid for a man who didn't love her, without the choice to resign.
Within the royal harem, Consorts Rong, Jin, Zhang, and Noble Consort Ye, each had their own strengths.
But it was a pity that these wonderful women spent their entire lives scheming against each other and causing pain for the sake of one man...
Such a waste.
If they had been born in Jiang Xinyue's time, they surely could have had a remarkable life on their own.
"Sigh…"
It was pointless to pity them; she was the most pitiful one.
Having seen how vast the world was, she was now trapped in this small world, her discontent greater than anyone else's.
"Your Highness, Your Highness…"
Jiang Chuan ran over breathless, "The people of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Li are fighting in Changxin Palace. The Emperor has confined Concubine Li, and the Empress Dowager has forcibly taken Consort Shu back to Kunning Palace."
Xi Que couldn't help laughing, "Concubine Li is getting increasingly impulsive, isn't she? She had just been released from confinement and now, she has landed herself back into trouble."
Xi Que didn't understand, but Jiang Xinyue could empathize with Concubine Li.
The person who didn't want her to conceive was the Xuanwu Emperor.
From the moment she became the Emperor's wife, she was destined never to have her own child.
One time, Jiang Xinyue had met Lady Pei, Concubine Li's mother in the palace. Accompanying Lady Pei was a woman carrying a medicine box who later appeared by Concubine Li's side.
She guessed that the Song family, seeing that Concubine Li had not conceived for a long time and that she was getting older, sent a doctor into the palace.
There were thousands of maids in the palace, with individuals being transferred daily. Even Empress Zhu, who was in charge of the harem, might not catch onto this.
The medical woman was quite nondescript and usually did not attend to Concubine Li, Jiang Xinyue had just happened to see her once while passing by Changxin Palace.
As a woman inspiringly determined to be a favored consort, and then to become a grand concubine after the death of the emperor, she is acquainted with all the maids in the palace who serve the noble imperial consorts.
Of course, most importantly, she has met that medicine woman who serves Lady Pei.
Concubine Li must have known it too!
The reason she couldn't conceive was due to her physical impairment. Even if she managed to conceive, she would easily miscarry.
Therefore, after all the hardships she went through to conceive this time, she still used the child to frame Consort Shu.
She knew all too well that the child she carried was doomed to perish sooner or later!
Yet, it is uncertain whether she would think that the person who shattered her dreams of becoming the queen was Empress Zhu.
If that were the case, how wrongful it would be for Empress Zhu.
