Jiang Ruobai pushed the wheelchair through the halls in silence as questions still whirling in his head. "Xiao Qi, what do you know about that old man Li you mentioned?" He asked carefully.
"He's a fat, greedy old man. I saved him at the entrance of my shop restaurant once, and he's been clinging to me ever since. He often comes to my place for free food and doesn't pay."
"..." The smile on Jiang Ruobai's face was stiff.
If His Majesty knew that he was described as a fat and greedy old man, he wondered how the emperor would feel.
His little girl still thought that His Majesty was freeloading.
She probably didn't know everything in that basket was enough to keep an ordinary man afloat for a lifetime.
Despite wanting to tell his daughter about her frequent customer's identity, Jiang Ruobai still didn't know the emperor's true intentions behind his secrecy, so he didn't dare to act rashly and tell her everything.
He knew the emperor's eyes would not leave the Jiang family so easily.
But no matter what, he could not let Xiao Qi go to the palace and become His Majesty's concubine.
His Majesty was old enough to be her father.
Even the thought was enough to bring a shudder down his spine and stir disgust in his stomach.
In the past, Zizi was able to escape His Majesty's evil clutches because she married him first.
Now, he doesn't know what else to do other than follow that foolproof plan and marry Xiao Qi off as soon as possible.
After all, His Majesty wouldn't risk losing face in front of his subjects by being a home wrecker. Or at least, he would think twice before doing such things in the open.
Jiang Ruobai was lost in thought as his feet carried him and his daughter to a purple bamboo garden by memory.
This was the courtyard where Lin Zizi, the madam of the Jiang family's second branch, resides. She was also Jiang Ning's birth mother.
Jiang Ruobai and Lin Zizi had two children. Their firstborn, a son, was studying in the academy and would only come back once every month and a half. Their second-born was, of course, Jiang Ning.
"After you went missing that year, your mother was distressed, and her spirits have been low ever since. That's why I'm not telling her of your identity for now. I worry that it might affect her health if we instantly bombard her with the information." Jiang Ruobai explained.
"I understand," Jiang Ning nodded.
"You can live in a purple bamboo garden as a distant relative of the Jiang family. We'll talk about it when you're more familiar with it."
"Okay,"
Seeing that she was so well-behaved, Jiang Ruobai was slightly relieved and pushed her further into the courtyard.
They found themselves in a forest filled with purple bamboo when they entered.
And a woman in purple robes was leaning against a pillar in the open corridor, looking confused.
The woman was beautiful but frail and pale, and her eyes were glazed over like she was in a daze.
"She really looks like me," Jiang Ning mumbled to herself.
"It's you who looks like her."Jiang Ruobai corrected her. A gentle smile played on his face. "She's your mother, so naturally, you two will look alike. Your mother has aged, but she looked just like you when she was young. She was the beauty of Chang'an City."
He looked at Lin Zizi and gently called out, "Zi,"
Lin Zizi turned around and looked at Jiang Ning. Her eyes still looked a little glassy. Like she wasn't entirely there.
Jiang Ruobai pushed her wheelchair over and said with a smile, "This is Jiang Ning, Fourth Master's granddaughter. She'll be staying in our residence for a while. Zi, can you take care of her?"
Lin Zizi squatted down in front of Jiang Ning and looked at her thoughtfully. "Ning Ning is so pretty. What's wrong with her legs?"
"I had an accident when I was a kid," Jiang Ning said with a smile.
Jiang Ruobai's eyes dimmed when he heard this.
Lin Zizi touched Jiang Ning's face and smiled. "It's okay. Ning Ning is pretty. She's still beautiful even if she doesn't walk."
Then she turned to Jiang Ruobai, "Our Xiao Qi should be around her age, right?" She asked.
But she didn't want him to reply because her gentle eyes were already back on Jiang Ning before she asked, "Is Ning Ning married?"
"Oh, no,"
"Ning Ning is beautiful. She should only marry the best man." Lin Zizi smiled and continued, "Prince Yu will choose a consort in two days, my Lord. Aren't
"Jiang Ruobai was stunned at the suggestion for a moment before he decided it was a brilliant idea.
He should ask Xiao Qi to participate in Prince Yu's concubine selection.
Prince Yu was young, handsome, talented, gentle, and polite.
The old emperor would surely not bring himself so low to fight with his son for a wife if she was chosen.
"
'I almost called her Xiao Qi!' He was lucky that he was quick to mend the situation.
Jiang Ning didn't care about his slip of the tongue.
She did hear Fifth Lady mention something about Prince Yu choosing her as a concubine. So there was an upcoming event…
'This Prince Yu seemed to be a very popular person.'
But what did that have to do with her?
She still had a little child in her stomach of unknown origin. If they found out about the baby, they might think she was cheating on the Imperial family and will accuse her of trying to taint the Imperial bloodline to gain standing. If that happened, she would be in trouble.
That would be death!