Jiang Ning carefully recalled the details of her interaction with Old Li. But no matter which interaction she recalled, she couldn't see the gluttonous old man as the Emperor of the great Sheng Empire.
She always heard about how extremely beautiful and handsome Prince Yu was. But with a father like Old Li, could he really have such a handsome son?
Jiang Ning was suspicious.
The palace had sent a lot of gifts, such as cloth, jewelry, and red powder, all of which were coveted by girls.
Jiang Ning briefly glanced through the items but quickly lost interest in them.
It was better to give silver coins than to reward her with these things.
However, unlike Jiang Ning, someone's eyes bore into the pile of gifts with jealousy.
It was the Fifth Young Lady, Jiang Yuan.
When she heard that the child Jiang Ning had saved was the Emperor's eldest grandson, she was extremely vexed and remorseful.
These rewards would have been hers if she had taken the initiative to jump into the river to save him.
Not only that, she would have gained the Emperor's favor, and the chances of her being chosen in the consort selection tomorrow would have significantly increased.
'How did such good fortune fall on some cripple!'
Then, she realized that it was all thanks to her that Jiang Ning fell into the river And thus saved the child.
If she hadn't tripped the Seventh Lady, Jiang Ning wouldn't have had the fortune to save the eldest Imperial grandson.
This realization only made Jiang Yuan even more angry and frustrated.
…
Jiang Yuan spent the whole day feeling regretful and angry about how unfair life seemed. Due to her spiraling mood, she wasn't even in the slightest mood to study the palace etiquette from Momo.
She hardly listened to the lessons and had made many mistakes. The strict woman didn't hesitate to reprimand the girl for her lack of focus which only added to her bad mood.
The old maidservant came directly from the palace and had served many of the noble people in the palace. If it weren't for the fact that she was specially invited to teach the Jiang family's daughters the rules and etiquette of the court, she wouldn't even care to come or be treated like some lowly servant, especially not by a spoiled young girl.
Jiang Yuan quickly left the room, feeling too angry and upset at the scoldings.
The older woman didn't even falter at the Fifth Lady's abrupt departure and continued to teach Jiang Yan as if nothing had ever happened.
…
Meanwhile, seeing her two half-sisters busy preparing for tomorrow's selection made Jiang Ning extremely anxious.
So she went to see Jiang Ruobai in hopes of finding a way to avoid going to the palace. "Daddy," She began, "I have something very serious to tell you."
"Xiao Qi, what are you doing up and about? You should be resting in bed." Jiang Ruobai reprimanded her lightly. He immediately dropped whatever work he was doing to give his full attention to the girl.
"This matter concerns my life and the entire Jiang family!"
"What's the matter? Why is it so serious?" Jiang Ruobai indulged his seventh daughter. Looking at his daughter's pink face, he couldn't help but let out a few chuckles.
"I'm really pregnant!"
"Child, don't try to coax your father, okay? Even if you don't want to enter the palace, don't use such an excuse. After all, a girl's reputation and integrity are still important" Jiang Ruobai rubbed his chin. "Although I don't know how much I care about this kind of reputation."
"Father, why don't you believe me?" She asked frutratedly.
"Several doctors checked your pulse, but none of them said that you were pregnant." Jiang Ruobai thought that perhaps his youngest daughter was too worried and anxious about tomorrow's selection, so the girl decided to look for any excuses not to go to the palace. Feeling pity for his daughter's plight, he comforted her, "My good daughter, don't be afraid. This time, Prince Yu is going to choose his main consort, not His Majesty the Emperor. I won't let you stay in the palace as a servant."
"I don't want to be the princess of Sheng Empire. Moreover, many people won't take my crippled appearance too lightly. Daddy, wouldn't it be embarrassing for you to ask someone like me to enter the palace?"
"Nonsense. How could the daughter of the first wife of Jiang Ruobai ever be a disgrace?" Jiang Ruobai caressed her hair. "Xiao Qi, you are the only daughter of your mother and I, but you've been missing for twelve years because of my negligence. I owe you, so I must give you the best."
Jiang Ning was touched by his words, but she still couldn't accept it. "If Daddy wants to be good to me, why don't you just let me enjoy life at home?"
"My daughter is worthy to be with the best man, and Prince Yu is your best choice."
"Daddy, Prince Yu is too perfect. He won't want someone like me. Why bother signing me up for this selection?"
"I don't think that's true." Jiang Ruobai smiled meaningfully. "Be good now and go back to sleep. Tomorrow, father will personally send you to the palace."
Jiang Ning huffed irritatedly. "If daddy doesn't believe me, you can go to Xing Lin's Medical Hut and ask around. There's a young doctor there, and yesterday he took my pulse and told me that I'm pregnant."