Chapter 15
One of the biggest opportunities that enabled Jiang Qi to rise to the position of prime minister was the public support he gained during this crisis.
He abandoned his pride for the sake of the common people and knelt before the Bai family mansion.
But the Bai family was already going to hand over all their food and medicine, but because of his kneeling, he took away all the last bit of light!
Under the behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Jiang family and Jiang Qi, through intermediaries, rhetoric, and rumors, the Bai family was ultimately condemned by the people for being blinded by greed and disregarding the common people.
Jiang Qi, who merely bent his back and knelt in worship, was praised as the bright moon rather than a turbid object of the world.
Ling Wu withdrew her gaze from the outside world.
This time, however, he doesn't need to show his face.
——
Lingwu put down her brush and blew the ink off the letter.
“I remember this year is the third year that my elder sister entered the palace.”
Qinglu took the letter and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Madam said a few days ago that she wanted to go to the palace to visit Consort Xian. It should be within the next few days now."
Lingwu nodded to indicate that she understood, then lifted her skirt and went out. She saw Bai's mother sitting in the sun with a radiant smile, while Bai's father massaged her shoulders.
Ling Wu, her watery eyes crinkling, stepped forward. Bai's father, understanding the situation, raised an eyebrow, then Ling Wu took over, massaging Bai's mother's shoulders. "Mother, tomorrow..."
Mother Bai was not surprised. Her eyes were gentle, but her tone was firm as she said, "Mother knows you miss Chu'er."
Bai's mother turned around and pulled Ling Wu to sit beside her, looking closely at Ling Wu's slender white fingers, feeling proud yet unable to suppress her worry.
“Wu’er is intelligent, and she must know why her mother won’t let you enter the palace.” Mother Bai held Ling Wu’s hand, her voice soft and weak, but Ling Wu heard it clearly. “His Majesty is wise, but he is, after all, a man…”
She wasn't afraid that her youngest daughter might harbor feelings for the emperor, who was above all others; what she feared was that her daughter's stunning beauty might even tempt the wise ruler to fall for her.
"Mother, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Besides..." Lingwu took out the letter in her hand, "If anything unexpected happens tomorrow, Her Highness the Princess will be the savior I've invited."
Bai's mother has always been well protected by Bai's father, but she must go there this time.
She needed to personally confirm whether Bai Qingchu had truly seen through the Emperor's heart, and Bai Qingchu needed to know what would happen a month from now, so that Bai Qingchu could gain a foothold in the harem.
Seeing Lingwu's stunningly beautiful face pouting coquettishly, Bai's mother couldn't help but soften her heart. She sighed, "You miss your elder sister that much?"
Bai's mother pretended to be a little jealous, her unhappiness clearly written on her face, "In Wu'er's heart, is your elder sister better or is your mother better?"
Bai's father couldn't help but add in a low voice, "And your father, a few days ago, personally went to Cangshan Temple and donated dozens of boxes of gold and silver..." He stole glances at Ling Wu's face.
Then, seemingly casually, he asked, "Well, how am I, your father?"
Lingwu blinked, thought about it seriously for a while, and then said, "Mother is the best now."
Bai's mother was amused, and then glanced at Bai's father, who was being ignored by everyone.
Upon receiving the gaze, Mr. Bai immediately smiled apologetically and bent down to massage Mrs. Bai's shoulders.
"Xiao Wu is right, Madam is the best! Madam is the best!"
next day
Bai Qingchu, the virtuous concubine who had remained the most favored concubine in the palace for three years, was already waiting outside her bedchamber early in the morning.
Her relatives, whom she hadn't seen for three years, were waiting for her.
Lingwu took Bai's mother's arm and saw that dignified figure coming towards them.
Bai Qingchu rose from a fifth-rank concubine to the first-rank virtuous consort in just three years, demonstrating that she is a woman of exceptional skill and great fortune.
She was dressed in a crimson palace gown.
The color of the summer solstice is called "red and fiery".
Just like Bai Qingchu himself, it is like the bright and radiant light of early summer, neither so scorching nor so serene.
Bright as the morning glow, her gentle eyes concealed all her beauty, yet every movement exuded a captivating charm that surpassed all others.
She stared at Lingwu for a long while before she came to her senses and called out, "Mother... Xiaowu!"
Only after leading the two into the palace and dismissing all the palace maids did her eyes well up with tears.
In the palace, one must be careful with every word and action, and crying in front of others is especially taboo.
Bai's mother couldn't help but wipe away her tears, and finally pulled Ling Wu into a hug and wept together.
After crying her heart out, Bai's mother took Bai Qingchu's hand and said, "My Chu'er has lost so much weight..."
Bai Qingchu shook his head, grasped his mother's hand in return, and then pulled Ling Wu's hand over, holding it tightly together.
Her watery eyes were filled with longing and reluctance. "Xiao Wu has grown up so much. Do you still remember the day I entered the palace? You held my hand and cried and begged me not to leave."
Her eyes were slightly red, yet she was both amused and radiant. "However, these days, Xiao Wu has become quite distant from her older sister. She doesn't cling to her like she used to, acting all cute and spoiled..."
Her eyes dimmed, then she embraced Lingwu and whispered in Lingwu's ear, "I've read all your letters."
"Don't be afraid, Xiaowu. Your older sister would never do that. Besides, your older sister has to protect you and Mother. I will never let anyone bully you, no matter who it is!"
Her eyes shone with a firm and unwavering light.
Lingwu smiled, but felt a tightness in her chest. "Don't worry, sister, I've grown up too."
She looked up, her gaze meeting Bai Qingchu's intently. "Sister, when Xiao Wu isn't by your side, no matter what happens, never forget what was said in that letter."
Bai Qingchu was slightly taken aback, then remembered the letters that Ling Wu had secretly sent from outside the palace these past few days, and couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
"Everyone says that you, Xiaowu, are introverted and kind, but in my opinion, your little brain is just as sharp as ever!"
The mother paused in wiping away her tears. "You two little girls, you're even whispering behind your mother's back."
They chatted and laughed for a while, their faces full of smiles.
After an unknown amount of time, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"
The joyful atmosphere instantly froze!
Bai Qingchu's gaze flashed with coldness, then he subtly pulled Ling Wu behind him.
In the past, when the maternal families of the empresses and concubines came to visit, His Majesty never attended in person, but today…
Bai Qingchu, with a gentle demeanor similar to his mother's, had a cold glint in his eyes.
Xiao Wu is about to come of age, and because of that young master Jiang, everyone in Shengjing knows her.
Her beauty, which had been hidden since childhood, could no longer be concealed. Furthermore, due to the Princess's inexplicable favor, His Majesty inquired about Xiao Wu several times out of curiosity.
at the moment……
Bai Qingchu recalled how he had been amazed and stunned by Ling Wu's beauty when he first saw her, and his heart trembled.
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