In the palace, Eunuch Li went early in the morning to pay respects to Empress Lin Zhilan. While passing through the Imperial Garden, for some unknown reason, his foot suddenly slipped.
“Ah…”
His entire body fell into the drainage ditch beside the path. His left leg made a cracking sound, and the pain caused his vision to go black.
Several young eunuchs hurried over to help him. Eunuch Li’s left leg was clearly broken, and as cold sweat covered his forehead, a sentence Jiang Zhaoxue had said yesterday suddenly flashed through his mind:
“Pay special attention to the northwest direction. Avoid going northwest these days…”
The place where he had fallen was precisely the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden.
Eunuch Li’s face turned deathly pale, unsure whether it was from the pain or fear.
“Quick… quickly carry me to the Imperial Medical Academy!”
When the news reached the Empress, Eunuch Li’s leg had already been set, but he would have to remain bedridden for at least three months.
The Empress put down her teacup, her brows slightly furrowed.
“How did he fall?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Eunuch Li slipped because the road was slippery.”
“Slippery?”
The Empress let out a cold laugh.
“The roads in the Imperial Garden have been slippery for more than twenty years. Why did it only make him fall today?”
No one dared to answer.
The Empress pondered for a moment before suddenly asking,
“When he went to Jing Prince’s residence yesterday to deliver the decree, did he say anything he shouldn’t have?”
The young eunuch hesitated.
“Princess Consort of Jing Prince gave him a fortune reading and said he would suffer a bloody disaster soon, and that he should avoid the northwest direction.”
The Empress’s hand holding the teacup paused.
“Fortune reading?”
“Yes. The Princess Consort of Jing Prince said she understands physiognomy.”
The Empress slowly placed the teacup back on the table and looked toward the hall entrance. The sky outside had already grown bright.
“Where is the Princess Consort of Jing Prince now?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, she is already waiting outside the palace gates.”
The Empress stood up, adjusted her robes, and a mysterious smile appeared on her lips.
“I want to see exactly what kind of person this Princess Consort who married Jing Prince to bring him good fortune truly is.”
Outside the hall, Jiang Zhaoxue knelt steadily, her eyes narrowed as she dozed off.
Behind her, Granny Cui forced a polite smile. Her knees were already faintly aching, and she complained inwardly:
This Princess Consort’s endurance is far too strong, isn’t it?
From inside the hall came waves of laughter and conversation. Shadows of people moved behind the beaded curtain.
This was the rule of the palace, but in reality, it was also a show of authority.
It was meant to make you understand that in the palace, you were nothing.
Jiang Zhaoxue knelt there and had already cursed the Empress’s entire ancestry eighteen generations over in her mind.
If it were not for the fact that she had Xiao Chenghuai as her backing, she would have already cursed her out without mercy.
Fortunately, fortunately, that blind old Taoist priest used to punish her by making her kneel on stone tiles every day. Sometimes she had to kneel for half a day, which was much more painful than this.
The palace even provided a cushion. Kneeling here was practically child’s play.
She lifted her eyelids and glanced toward the upper part of the palace hall. The circles of fortune energy surrounding everyone were all different in color.
As for the one surrounded by a faint golden glow, it was probably the Empress. However, that gold was not pure, with dark patterns entwined around the edges. It seemed this Empress was not an easy person to deal with either. She had plenty of troubles clinging to her.
After another half-stick of incense’s time passed, Jiang Zhaoxue had already cursed the Empress’s ancestors two more times in her mind.
A young eunuch lifted the curtain and came out, shouting loudly:
“Summoning the Princess Consort of Jing Prince into the hall…”
Jiang Zhaoxue stood up, her knees not trembling in the slightest.
Granny Cui rubbed her sore legs and lowered her voice to remind her:
“Princess Consort, you must remain calm no matter what.”
“Don’t worry.”
Jiang Zhaoxue brushed the dust off her skirt and casually said,
“I’m very calm.”
The main hall of Fengyi Palace was warm and comfortable.
The Empress sat upright in the main seat, dressed in a purple phoenix robe woven with gold threads. A red-gold phoenix crown adorned her head, and a natural sense of authority radiated from her brows and eyes. She did not even need to deliberately put on an imposing act to intimidate others.
Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at her.
The display was indeed quite grand.
However, wasn’t the color of that phoenix robe a little too old-fashioned?
Of course, she kept that thought to herself.
“This consort pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live for a thousand years, a thousand years, and ten thousand years.”
She performed a grand salute, though her posture could not be considered particularly standard.
The Empress simply remained seated. A long time passed without any response, and she did not ask Jiang Zhaoxue to rise.
Jiang Zhaoxue knelt there with her back straight, showing no trace of panic.
The hall fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jiang Zhaoxue, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Jiang Zhaoxue cursed inwardly:
*What are you all looking at? Which one of you imperial concubines and noble ladies hasn’t knelt before the Empress? Why are you all pretending?*
Granny Cui beside her was extremely anxious. Her palms were covered in sweat, but she did not dare say a word.
The Empress finally spoke:
“Raise your head and let this palace take a look at you.”
Jiang Zhaoxue lifted her head and met the Empress’s gaze. Her eyes did not show the slightest hint of avoidance.
The Empress had originally thought that the Princess Consort sent by the Jiang family to bring Jing Prince good fortune was nothing more than a village girl. She had not expected the woman before her to be unexpectedly impressive. She was not unattractive, her eyes were bright and clear, and even after kneeling for so long, she showed not the slightest bit of disarray.
“Rise.”
The Empress finally allowed her to stand.
Jiang Zhaoxue got up, and Granny Cui quickly stepped forward to support her. Jiang Zhaoxue waved her hand, indicating that she was fine.
The Empress lifted her teacup and took a slow sip.
“I heard that the Princess Consort often beats and kills servants in Jing Prince’s residence. Is this true?”
Jiang Zhaoxue sneered inwardly.
*Here it comes. As expected, she’s going to use this matter against me.*
“Reporting to Your Majesty, those people were all harming His Highness the Prince.”
She answered calmly and neither arrogantly nor submissively.
The atmosphere in the hall became strange. Several noblewomen exchanged glances.
The Empress put down her teacup, her gaze turning colder.
“Oh? There are actually people in Jing Prince’s residence who dare to harm the prince?”
“There are.”
Jiang Zhaoxue raised her head and looked directly at the Empress.
“If Your Majesty believes that my handling of the matter was inappropriate, I can send those people to the palace and let Your Majesty personally interrogate them.”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell completely silent.
The hairs on Granny Cui’s back stood on end.
*Good heavens, the Princess Consort is turning the Empress’s own words against her!*
If the Empress did not accept this offer, then her earlier questioning would have no basis. But if she did accept it, that would mean interfering in Jing Prince’s household affairs.
No matter how she chose, the Empress would be the one at a disadvantage.
The Empress smiled faintly.
“The Princess Consort is joking. This palace was merely concerned about Jing Prince’s health. After all, he was personally appointed by the late emperor. If anything happened to him, this palace would also find it difficult to explain to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Your Majesty can rest assured.”
Jiang Zhaoxue smiled obediently.
“Since this consort has entered Jing Prince’s residence, I will never allow anything to happen to His Highness.”
Her words were flawless.
She showed her loyalty but promised nothing beyond that.
Granny Cui gave her a thumbs-up in her heart.
Just as the Empress was about to speak again, a consort on her left suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.
“Empress, this Princess Consort of Jing Prince is indeed a straightforward person. However… I heard that the Princess Consort was raised in an old temple outside the city? Tsk tsk, that place is not exactly somewhere pleasant. For the Princess Consort to have grown into such a person, it truly was not easy.”
This consort was none other than Consort Xian.
Jiang Zhaoxue quietly took out a few copper coins from her sleeve and casually played with them while silently calculating several readings.
Consort Xian’s surname was Chen, and her given name was Yao. Last year, her maternal family had just received a promotion, jumping from the third rank to the second rank through connections in the Ministry of War.
*Tsk, there’s definitely something suspicious going on here.*
“Your Ladyship is right. This consort’s background is indeed not very good.”
Jiang Zhaoxue’s tone was extremely sincere.
“Unlike Your Ladyship, I heard that your maternal family was just promoted last year? From the third rank to the second rank. Truly something worthy of celebration.”
The smile on Consort Xian’s face stiffened. She forced herself to tug up the corners of her lips.
“The Princess Consort certainly has quite a wide source of information.”
“This consort just asked around.”
Jiang Zhaoxue smiled harmlessly.
“A country girl entering the city finds everything new and interesting. Isn’t that right?”
The atmosphere in the hall became subtle.
The Empress held her teacup and glanced back and forth between Jiang Zhaoxue and Consort Xian without saying anything.
Jiang Zhaoxue had been arranged to sit in the lower position. In front of her were several delicate dishes, but the portions were pitifully small.
She picked up a bite with her chopsticks and chewed twice. The taste was excellent, but there was barely enough to fill a gap between her teeth.
Among the people in the hall, Jiang Zhaoxue had already noticed that Consort Xian had dirty hands.
Consort De was named Liu Ruolan. The aura above her head was dull and gray, making her seem like someone without much presence. However, in reality, her thoughts were deep and ruthless. It was hard to tell what kind of grand plan she was secretly plotting.
As for those noblewomen, there was no need to mention them. Their fortunes were murky; at a glance, it was obvious they were people skilled at flattering and currying favor.
Jiang Zhaoxue secretly clicked her tongue and picked up another bite of food.
At this moment, the Empress suddenly spoke.
“Princess Consort, how is Jing Prince’s health now? This palace heard that he is already able to get out of bed and walk?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness’s condition has indeed improved greatly.”
Jiang Zhaoxue put down her chopsticks.
“The imperial physician said that after a period of further recovery, he will be able to return to normal.”
“That is good.”
The Empress nodded, her tone impossible to read.
“Jing Prince is an important official entrusted by the late emperor. His health has always been something His Majesty the Emperor and this palace have kept in mind.”
“This consort thanks Your Majesty on behalf of His Highness for your concern.”
Jiang Zhaoxue was neither overly eager nor distant. Her sense of propriety was handled perfectly.
Several noblewomen had originally been waiting to watch her make a fool of herself, but from beginning to end they failed to find anything they could use against her. One by one, their expressions became unpleasant.
Halfway through the banquet, the Empress rubbed her forehead, her face turning pale.
“Your Highness?” The maid beside the Empress hurried forward.
“Nothing. I’m just feeling a little dizzy.”
Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at the Empress. The gray-black aura of fortune above her head had grown even denser than before.
This thing really chose its timing well.