The young girl looked very undisciplined, and her temperament was completely different from the dignified and noble beauty in the painting.
But their faces were indeed almost identical to one another.
The man in the brocade robe threw the small painting back to his subordinate and said coldly, "Burn the painting."
The subordinate acknowledged and stuffed the small painting into the big sleeves of his arms. However there was something bothering the servant's mind. After hesitating for a moment, he said in a low voice, "My Lord, although Lady Jiang Ning looks similar to the second mistress of the Jiang family, she's still disabled... Are you really going to choose her as your consort? This servant thinks that you are being treated unfairly, My Lord."
"Which do you think is more important, the throne or the woman?" The young man asked coldly.
"The throne is more important."
"As long as this woman can give me a chance to inherit the throne, nothing else matters. I don't care if she's a cripple, even if she's paralyzed and can't move, I can use an eight-carrier palanquin to carry her in."
"My Lord is right. My apologies, this servant was confused," The subordinate hurriedly said.
There can be many candidates fighting to be Prince Yu's consort, but that would change soon.
In the future, there will be no shortage of women in the prince's palace.
However, there can be only one high-ranking lady next to his high and mighty throne.
For the sake of the throne, he had to marry a cripple as his main consort. What did his "little unfairness" he felt would do in the grand scheme of things?
"That's right, this servant had just heard that the young lady's body seemed unwell."
"I do not care about her health. As long as she can persist until the final selection and not die, then she would be it," The brocade-robed man said coldly and turned to leave.
As he leaves the shadows of the tree, the sunlight reveals his face. This young man's face was as handsome as a beautiful jade tree: so vibrant and full of life, a face that clearly came from wealth. Even his piercing, cold, and charming eyes compliments his warm features. He was a sight that would make anybody lose their minds.
Jiang Ning noticed movement in her peripherals, catching a glimpse of this man and was immediately shocked.
There was actually such a handsome young man in the palace. Even as she watched the man's back walking away, she could see that the man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, tall and posture straight.
He was a rare beauty.
But somehow, his back seemed somewhat familiar…
Jiang Ning thought hard about it for a while before she finally remembered.
Wasn't this beautiful young man who had carried little Qian away on the boat the other day?
Which means the cloak that was still in her possession, was probably his.
Since little Qian was the emperor's eldest grandson, he must also be a member of the royal family. The most likely possibility was that he was one of the princes.
As for which one, it was hard for her to guess.
The current Emperor had a total of five sons. The eldest had passed away at a young age, leaving behind a young legitimate son. All four of his sons were bestowed the title of King, and all of them had moved out of the palace once they were married. As for the youngest, the fifth prince, Prince Yu, still remained as 'prince' until he's married.
Jiang Yan had told her this brief summary of the royal family in the carriage.
She wasn't really paying attention to her since she wasn't planning to stay for so long. But now that nobody believed her… She might have to prolong her stay.
However, if the beautiful young man just now was really Old Li's son, it would be hard to believe.
Old Li's face was like a butcher's, round and overall lacking care. How could he have such a handsome son?
On second thought, it must be because Old Li's wife was as beautiful as a flower.
Jiang Ning's mind was filled with made up theories that she almost forgot about her current situation. Fortunately the round-faced palace maidservant from before, found her and pushed her back to Wang Yun Tower.
Apparently, she had wandered off too far in her exploration.
"This is the inner palace's forbidden area, the inner court of the harem. It would be terrible if you were to offend any noble." The round-faced Palace maidservant explained softly.
"You seem to take good care of me," Jiang Ning said with a curious smile.
The round-faced Palace maidservant said, "This servant's name is Huang Ying. My parents used to serve the Jiang family. It was a few years later that they received a great favor from the second mistress and were no longer lowly servants. This servant was born a good citizen, and this servant's family is very grateful to the Second Madam. That is why when this servant sees the Young Lady, this servant feels a sense of familiarity."
So that was what happened.
"How many years have you been in the palace?"
"It's been five years," Huang Ying said with pursed lips, before she smiled. "I'll be 25 in three years. At that time, I can be released from the palace and reunited with my family."
Jiang Ning hummed in understanding. As they got closer to the tower, she noticed the noble ladies gathered together, seemingly preparing for something.
"What are the girls doing over there?" Jiang Ning asked.
"After Momo finished explaining the rules, it is time for a body examination. This servant is following Momo orders to take the Young Lady over. "