20demayo Chapter 288
Chapter 288
jiang yankun sat behind his desk, having sighed for the eightieth time. jiang junze was examining a terrain map with a western-made magnifying glass, moving back and forth across it. "father, the southern regions are just too vast. how are we supposed to find someone from the miao borderlands who knows witchcraft?"
and they only had four days.
the officials aligned with minister pei of the privy council were watching like hawks. forget about helping - it was only due to the emperor's warning that they weren't actively interfering.
"my lord, the imperial noble consort has arrived."
upon hearing the servant's announcement from outside, jiang yankun immediately rose to welcome her. at this moment, for his daughter to leave the emperor's side meant there must be something more urgent that couldn't be delayed.
in the front hall, lady ruan and jiang xinyan were accompanying jiang xinyue, while lady sun and two female cousins were also present.
lady sun grabbed jiang xinyue's hand as soon as she saw her: "sister yue, how is his majesty? is he alright?"
their family's immense fortune and status depended entirely on sister yue's favor with the emperor. if the emperor were to pass away, it would be disastrous for them!
in the struggle for succession, it was life or death. lady sun recognized that the jiang family currently lacked the strength to contend with both the mansion of the duke of cheng and the pei family.
while the emperor lived, any chance to grow stronger was welcome.
this thought actually aligned perfectly with jiang xinyue's own thinking.
"if something were truly wrong, i wouldn't be here right now."
the entire jiang family had been anxious, but jiang xinyue's single statement seemed to instantly calm everyone's nerves.
"why has your highness come?"
with servants everywhere in the garden, jiang yankun, not wanting any small detail to ruin his position, hurried to bow. jiang xinyue quickly stopped him: "father, no need for formalities. i'm here to point you in the right direction."
what direction could she be pointing to?
jiang junze was quicker to react than his adoptive father. upon hearing about directions, he hurriedly presented the roughly drawn map he was holding.
"bring me a brush."
jiang junze ran to the study and personally brought back an inkstone and wolf-hair brush: "sister, here!"
in her previous life, she had worked diligently just to earn enough money to retire comfortably.
to her adoptive father's doubts, jiang xinyue replied: "the palace library is extensive, containing all manner of rare books. i've always loved reading geographic records and accounts of local customs. in these two years since entering the palace, i've gone through the entire imperial collection, so naturally, i've learned quite a bit."
she turned to jiang junze: "if there are any books you'd like to read, junze, just tell your sister. i'll send them to you."
as the emperor's favored consort, she at least had this much authority.
jiang junze nodded: "when i need something, i'll have father tell you."
he was still young. when he grew older and passed the imperial examinations to become an official, he would be able to enter the palace regularly.
after some brief pleasantries, jiang xinyue hurriedly departed, worried about leaving the xuanwu emperor unattended.
lady sun spoke anxiously: "my goodness, was that really sister yue? she seems completely different from before. just look at her bearing - if you didn't know better, you'd think she was already the empress!"
she shook her head in amazement: "how impressive! yankun, i was so flustered earlier that i forgot to pay proper respects to the imperial noble consort. she won't mind, will she?"
aliali: 674af0d8c4f3f33ac49b0a11
lady ruan smiled: "sister yue isn't that petty."
in the past, when they brought junze back home for ancestral worship, main family members like lady sun had always looked down on their branch of the family.
now they had all learned to watch their attitudes.
sister yue was right - if you could endure, good days would eventually come.
"how dare you prevent me from entering? his majesty is in critical condition, and as his consort, i'm not even allowed to see him?" outside the hall, low level consort yu was arguing with wang dequan: "just because his majesty is ill, does jiang xinyue think she's in charge? since when does she have the authority to decide who can or cannot see his majesty?"
outside the sleeping chamber, low level consort yu led a group of palace consorts, including noble lady liu who had to be carried due to her broken waist.
"where is his majesty? did he personally say he wouldn't see us? this isn't imperial noble consort jiang's domain. wang dequan, don't forget who your true master is."
"guards!"
jiang xinyue strode over quickly to support wang dequan, who was being forced to retreat while clutching his back: "anyone who dares disturb his majesty's recovery shall be driven out!"
low level consort yu, that stubborn fool, must have been provoked by someone's words to come here and cause trouble.