The Old Madam held her hand, beaming with joy. “Back in the day, our Jiang family produced several high-ranking officials. My mother-in-law was granted the title of First Rank Lady and often entered the palace to accompany the late Empress. Those were the most glorious times for our Jiang family.”
Her excitement was unmistakable, her face flushed with emotion. “Who would have thought Her Majesty the Empress would summon Rufei to the palace for her birthday celebration? I heard it’s because she saved the Princess, and the Grand Princess mentioned it to Her Majesty. The Empress then expressed a desire to meet this child.”
The aunts from various branches chimed in with smiles, “Indeed, Rufei has truly brought honor to our Jiang family.”
“If she can win Her Majesty’s favor, that would be even better.”
Cui Shi from the second branch praised, “Sister-in-law is truly blessed to have such a fine daughter.”
Yao Shi had initially been displeased—if only it were her daughter Rulin going instead. But hearing her sister-in-law’s words, she thought it made sense; after all, it reflected well on her too. Why should she be upset?
With a mix of modesty and pride, she said, “Look at you, we’re all family. When the children achieve great things, it brings honor to everyone.”
Cui Shi grew irritated at her smug demeanor.
Give her an inch, and she takes a mile. As if everyone in the Jiang residence didn’t know how poorly Jiang Rufei had been treated since childhood.
She said with a smile, “Sister-in-law used to always say Rufei had many flaws and wouldn’t amount to much, but I always thought this girl had a cleverness about her. Now that she’s grown and come to her senses, it seems I was right.”
Yao Shi’s face instantly turned pale then flushed with anger. Cui Shi’s blatant provocation—did she think she was deaf and couldn’t tell?
Jiang Fei also noticed that the various branches of the Jiang family were not harmonious.
Between her and Yao Shi, there was no need for others to stir trouble. If it were the original host, she might have been easily swayed by gossip, but now that it was her, there was no possibility of reconciliation with Yao Shi. Reconciliation would only allow the bully Yao Shi to walk all over her.
Adopting the mindset that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Jiang Fei decided to win over Cui Shi.
“Aunt, you flatter me too much. How could I deserve such praise? Sister Ru Jin is the one who is cultured and reasonable. At the last flower-viewing banquet, a young lady mentioned her, saying she truly embodies the phrase ‘graceful and virtuous.’ Hearing that made me feel honored too.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Shi was even more delighted. “Mother, look, this girl’s words are sweeter than ever.”
The Old Madam nodded in satisfaction. “She has indeed improved greatly. Once you enter the palace, be cautious with your words and actions, and do not betray Her Majesty’s grace.”
Yao Shi, listening nearby, felt stifled and couldn’t help interjecting, “Mother, since this is Rufei’s first time entering the palace, why not let Rulin accompany her? It would be good to have someone to look after her.”
The Old Madam’s face darkened. “Nonsense! Her Majesty only summoned Rufei. Do you think the palace is someplace where you can bring anyone you please?”
Scolded for no reason, Yao Shi’s expression turned even uglier.
Jiang Rulin sat to the side, feeling wronged, occasionally shooting glances at Jiang Rufei, her teeth gritted in resentment.
She couldn’t understand how someone who used to be foolish had suddenly become so clever. Previously obedient to her every word, now she overshadowed her at every turn.
She had heard folk tales of ghost possessions—could it be that some unclean entity had taken over this person?
“We can’t go empty-handed to Her Majesty’s birthday celebration. We need to think about what would be an appropriate gift.”
The Old Madam’s words interrupted Jiang Rulin’s thoughts.
Jiang Fei couldn’t contribute to this conversation—she had no experience whatsoever. She quietly listened as they deliberated for a long time before settling on a set of gilded ornaments, a safe but unremarkable choice.
…
In the blink of an eye, the birthday banquet arrived.
At the palace gate, specialized eunuchs guided the guests. Upon reaching the entrance of Fengyi Palace, the eunuchs withdrew, and palace maids took over as escorts.
The banquet was scheduled for the evening. The sun lingered as a warm yellow sliver on the horizon, and Fengyi Palace began to glow with lanterns, illuminating the gilded phoenixes on the corridor pillars, poised as if ready to take flight.
A palace maid led Jiang Fei to a table and seated her, then knelt beside her.
The spot was quite good—tucked away in a corner with several rows of seats in front. Once those were filled, no one would notice the back.
About a third of the seats were occupied. Jiang Fei scanned the surroundings, hoping to see if Wei Mingzhen had arrived, and instead spotted Zhou Ruolan and the two young ladies from the Liu family’s flower-viewing banquet.
Zhou Ruolan seemed to sense her gaze and turned around. Seeing Jiang Rufei, she froze, apparently surprised to find her there.
At the Empress’s birthday banquet, Zhou Ruolan naturally didn’t dare cause trouble. She merely shot Jiang Fei a glare before looking away.
Suddenly, a young woman in a light purple gauze dress caught Jiang Fei’s attention.
The girl had features as delicate as a painting, and her movements carried a natural liveliness. Like Jiang Fei, she sat alone, though her seat was much closer to the main table than Jiang Fei’s.
Noticing Jiang Fei’s prolonged gaze, the palace maid beside her kindly said, “That is the young lady of Dingyuan Marquis Manor. Would Second Miss Jiang like to go greet her?”
The young lady of Dingyuan Marquis Manor? Wasn’t that the female lead, Wei Ciying?
She was crucial to Jiang Fei’s mission.
Jiang Fei immediately stood up, but as she took a step, a familiar figure strode over to Wei Ciying first.
Wasn’t that “Pei Jing”?
The two exchanged a few words, and Wei Ciying reluctantly stood up, her expression grave, before following “Pei Jing” away.
Jiang Fei’s heart sank. In the book, Pei Jing was infatuated with Wei Ciying, and he was a reckless madman who feared nothing. What if he took this chance to do something inappropriate to her?
At this thought, Jiang Fei quickly rose and stealthily followed them.
Outside, the palace lanterns swayed, casting dimmer light than inside the hall.
Jiang Fei didn’t dare get too close. Just as she rounded a rockery, her wrist was abruptly seized.
She was startled, and a large hand immediately covered her mouth and nose.
It was a familiar scent—belonging to “Wei Mingzhen.”
Pei Jing released her and looked at her. “Where are you going?”
Jiang Fei hastily pointed in that direction and whispered, “Wei Ciying was taken away by a madman. We need to save her quickly.”
“Which madman?”
“Who else? Pei Jing!”
Pei Jing’s narrow eyes lifted slightly at the corners, reflecting the palace lanterns, his pupils as deep as an unfathomable cold pool.
“Oh,” he replied leisurely.
Jiang Fei found his calmness excessive. “Aren’t you worried?”
“Not really.”
“If you’re not, I am.” With that, she pushed his hand aside and hurried in the direction Wei Ciying had gone.
Pei Jing watched her retreating figure, suddenly feeling a rare sense of anticipation.
He wanted to see how Jiang Rufei would react when she realized she had mistaken his identity.
…
Zhou Ruolan returned to her seat, trembling uncontrollably with anxiety.
Just moments ago, she had seen Jiang Rufei sneaking away and had secretly followed.
Little did she expect to witness such a shocking scene.
Jiang Rufei was actually with Zhaoning Wang.
Zhaoning Wang possessed formidable martial arts skills, so she dared not approach closely and could only watch from a distance.
Yet their movements were clearly intimate—when Zhaoning Wang embraced Jiang Rufei from behind, she didn’t even cry out.
Moreover, judging solely by their demeanor while speaking, their relationship was far from ordinary.
She never should have—absolutely never should have—provoked Jiang Rufei, much less caused trouble for her.
“Ruolan, what’s wrong?” Lin Zhishuang, standing beside her, noticed her face growing increasingly pale after returning from outside and couldn’t help but ask with concern.
Zhou Ruolan opened her mouth, momentarily tempted to reveal what she had just witnessed.
But on second thought, Zhaoning Wang and Jiang Rufei had deliberately chosen a secluded spot for their rendezvous precisely to avoid attention. If this matter were to spread and Zhaoning Wang investigated, wouldn’t she become the first target of his wrath?
No, absolutely not.
Zhou Ruolan forced a faint smile. “N-nothing, I just suddenly felt a bit dizzy.”