Even if the cheap father wanted to deal with Lady Zhou, he hoped she could hold on until the Sixth Prince's full month celebration. Otherwise, it would be unlucky and not good for the Sixth Prince's reputatio
Lady Ruan stopped smiling and, seeing only Xique in the room, whispered in her ear: "She was actually about to die a few days ago, but your father said the Sixth Prince was about to be born, so he had the doctor use ginseng to keep her alive! It's just a matter of time now
It was impossible not to wish for Lady Zhou's death
Lady Zhou was not a kind and generous mistress of the household
Lady Ruan was famous for her beauty. When Jiang Yankun took her as his favored concubine, she could enter the family genealogy after paying respects to the main wife with tea
A favored concubine was different from a concubine or a lowly concubine
But when Lady Zhou saw her beauty, she adamantly refused and forced Lady Ruan to sign a contract of servitude. Though called a favored concubine, signing such a contract made her a lowly concubine. Lady Zhou held her contract and could beat her to death or sell her at any time
Back then, Jiang Yankun's official career was difficult, and the Zhou family pressured him. Even though he was unwilling, he was forced to have no choice
From then on, Lady Zhou targeted her in various ways
The suffering she endured at Lady Zhou's hands over these ten-plus years could not be fully described in three days and nights
Her methods of tormenting people were truly extremely vicious
On Jiang Xinyue's ninth birthday, Jiang Yankun gave her a fine piece of jade. But when Jiang Yutong saw it, she insisted on taking it
When the matter reached Lady Zhou, she punished Jiang Xinyue without listening to explanations, beating her until she was covered in injuries. Not only that, but she also made her personally remove the jade from her waist and give it to Jiang Yutong
At the time, Lady Ruan cried and begged Lady Zhou not to beat her, but Lady Zhou was unmoved. Lady Ruan could only throw herself onto Jiang Xinyue's back, using her body to protect her daughter
Jiang Xinyue had always been stubborn, preferring to shatter like jade rather than remain whole like tile
Seeing Lady Ruan being beaten, she finally begged for forgiveness and admitted her mistake. When Lady Zhou ordered the servants to stop, Jiang Xinyue's face had been whipped with a thorn branch, leaving a very severe-looking red mark
As she unfastened that piece of jade from her body, Jiang Yutong even mocked her for not knowing her place
It was this taunt that angered Jiang Xinyue. She smashed the jade to pieces on the ground and then ran out
The little girl's explosive power was extremely strong. Even though Lady Zhou called for people to catch her, they couldn't
It happened that Jiang Yankun was returning from the government office. Jiang Xinyue fell directly at the feet of Jiang Yankun, who was about to enter the door
Many merchants at the Jiang family gate watched this little girl who had suddenly rushed out. She deliberately raised her head, letting everyone see the wounds on her face, and cried out loudly: "Father
Father... I beg you to go save Concubine Ruan! Just because my sister took a fancy to the jade pendant you gave me, and I was unwilling to give it to her, Mother... she wants to beat me and Concubine Ruan to death!"0
The little girl was born beautiful and charming. Although she was still young, she had already grown into a graceful beauty, stunningly gorgeous
The mistress of this household was so heartless that she wanted to beat the little girl to death over a jade pendant
Look at that large mark on her face from being beaten. It was clear she intended to ruin the little girl's beauty
That time, not only did Jiang Yankun have an argument with Lady Zhou, but rumors also began to spread outside that Lady Zhou was harsh and intolerant
It could be said that if Jiang Xinyue hadn't been clever from a young age, Lady Ruan wouldn't have survived until now
The mountain that had been pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe, was about to fall. How could Lady Ruan not look forward to it happening quickly
But her husband was right. It couldn't happen before the Sixth Prince's full month celebration, because Lady Zhou was still nominally the Sixth Prince's maternal grandmother
"We must make sure she holds on past the full month celebration. We can't leave any openings for those with ulterior motives
Lady Ruan nodded repeatedly: "I'll tell your father when I go back
"How did Brother Ze and the others do in the provincial examinations? Yan Sister will be fourteen after the new year. Is it time to arrange her marriage
He remembered that his cheap father had set up a family school and brought several talented youths from the clan to the capital to focus on preparing for the examinations
Lady Ruan answered her questions one by one: "Brother Ze almost passed the provincial exam, but your eldest brother was far from passing. Lady Zhou was so angry about this that she fell ill, which is why her condition became so serious. Your father said the next imperial examination won't be for another three years. Brother Ze has become a disciple of the master of Songshan Academy and has gone to Songshan to study. As for your cousins, they're a bit older. I often hear your father telling them that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I guess after the Sixth Prince's full month celebration is over, they'll all go out to travel and study
Jiang Xinyue nodded after listening: "Don't forget to remind them to be cautious when they're out. Don't believe in pie-in-the-sky good fortune; it might not be pie but a trap. If they implicate me, I won't show any mercy. I'm saying this plainly now, so don't blame me for being cold-hearted later.
Lady Ruan took all her words to heart: "I'll relay this to your father when I return
The mother and daughter talked in hushed tones for quite a while. When Jiang Xinyue started feeling drowsy, Lady Ruan tucked her in: "Rest well. The Emperor has invited me to stay for several days to keep you company. We'll have plenty of time together.
It was indeed difficult for mother and daughter to meet while in the palace, and they had endless things to talk about. But having just given birth, her body was at its weakest, and Lady Ruan didn't want to tire her out
Jiang Xinyue nodded and fell into a deep sleep
"Imperial Physician, is my mistress alright
Jingren Palace was brightly lit, with several Imperial Physicians gathered around Consort Rong's bed, treating the necrotic flesh below her left shoulder
"Consort Rong, please bear with it. This subject needs to scrape off the necrotic flesh. It might be a bit painful.
Consort Rong gritted her teeth: "Go ahead and scrape
The Xuanwu Emperor stood at the doorway, not entering for a long time
Lianqiao watched Consort Rong anxiously, feeling dissatisfied. She wiped her tears and said: "Your Highness, you took an arrow for the Emperor and suffered such a serious injury, yet he only gave you the title of Consort without even holding an investiture ceremony. For so long, apart from the Empress, no one in the harem has come to see you. Now that Consort Xian has given birth to a son, she's stealing all the limelight. The Emperor only has eyes for her. How could he forget that you were willing to give up your life for him
"Enough
Consort Rong's face was pale as she tried not to look at her wound: "My taking an arrow for the Emperor was just an instinctive action. It wasn't deliberately done to make the Emperor grateful to me. Consort Xian is the one the Emperor favors. Why should I belittle myself by comparing with her? I don't have such great ambitions. I'm content to live peacefully in the palace
"But..
"If you continue to gossip like this, I won't be able to keep you here
Lianqiao's eyes reddened: "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I won't dare to do it again."0
The Xuanwu Emperor turned his head and asked Wang Dequan: "Wasn't there a grand investiture ceremony when Consort Rong was given her title
Wang Dequan thought for a moment and said: "At that time, the Ye family had staged a palace coup. Your Majesty and the Empress were busy clearing out spies in the palace. When things calmed down a bit, Consort Xian was pushed down by Consort Yu. I suppose the Internal Affairs Department was too busy and forgot about it
After all, she was the consort who had taken an arrow for him, and also his cousin. The Xuanwu Emperor ordered
Convey my imperial decree. Once Consort Rong's wound has healed, hold a grand investiture ceremony for her in Taihe Hall