The Empress listened to the sarcastic and provocative words of the group, her eyes deep and unfathomable, and remained silent with a smile.
The fourth princess's marriage is now settled.
The fifth and sixth princesses died young, so the seventh princess should be next.
Before the New Year, Her Majesty received a letter that the Northern Mongols intended to form a marriage alliance. She had been considering the Fourth Princess, but unexpectedly, the Fourth Princess suddenly got engaged.
Then we can only choose from... the princesses in the back.
Unlike the Xiongnu in the south, where a noblewoman could simply be chosen and made a princess, the Northern Mongols were no match for the fierce and ruthless Northern Mongols, whose kings were not easily subdued by a mere noblewoman.
After Consort De left.
The atmosphere in the garden became inexplicably awkward. Consort Zhang had strained her back while beating the Third Prince and was not present.
In the garden, besides the Empress, the only other concubines above the rank of Consort were Consort Liang, Consort Shu, and Consort Mei.
Consort Liang always followed the Empress's lead.
Consort Shu was a woman from Jiangnan, petite and graceful. She raised her twelfth son to be well-educated and reasonable, and was highly regarded by His Majesty.
Then there's Consort Mei.
The eighth princess was timid and weak, and did not win the emperor's favor. The emperor only bestowed the title of Consort Mei because the fourth princess's marriage had been arranged, and the emperor remembered her merit in raising the fourth princess.
Hearing everyone talk about the Seventh Prince and Miss Jiang, she immediately felt uneasy and anxious, fearing that they would take their anger out on her and the Eighth Princess because of the Fourth Princess's marriage to the Jiang family.
Inside Qixiang Palace.
Consort Jin, oh no, Consort Xi, was pulling Jiang Jiaojiao along, looking like she was eagerly waiting to see what was going on.
"Such a big thing happened, why didn't you send anyone to inform me? Tell me properly, what exactly happened?"
"Who did this?"
Jiang Jiaojiao had no choice but to recount the whole story in detail.
Chen Jin'er's eyes sparkled as she listened, analyzing as she went, "I think the Third Prince doesn't have the brains; he's definitely just a scapegoat!"
"Scapegoat?"
Jiang Jiaojiao was taken aback. What kind of word was that?
Chen Jin'er waved her hand, "That's not the point! The point is... the Second Prince also shouted that he was wronged during the morning court session. I think he might actually be wronged! Unless..."
Chen Jin'er suddenly stopped talking.
"Unless what?"
Jiang Jiaojiao was taken aback. Was he only saying half of what he meant?
Chen Jin'er whispered in Jiang Jiaojiao's ear, "Unless... it's the one on the phoenix throne who makes the move."
"The Empress?"
"Well, the Empress is not as simple as she appears. His Majesty has thirteen princes and ten princesses in his harem. Half of them have grown up, which is quite a lot, but... I have thought about it carefully and found that the mothers of the princes who have grown up have no background or real power."
"And those princesses, their birth mothers were of even lower status and easier to manipulate."
"Consort Xian and Consort Liang came from noble families, but neither of them were able to save their unborn children."
"I don't believe it's all a coincidence."
Chen Jin'er unconsciously touched her lower abdomen and analyzed, "I didn't originally intend to get pregnant and have a child, but the emperor has been coming too frequently..."
After listening to Xiao Jinjin's analysis, Jiang Jiaojiao's expression gradually became serious. She looked at Chen Jin'er, her eyes filled with worry and unease: "Then the child in your belly..."
Chen Jin'er lowered her head and gently stroked her belly: "If it were before, perhaps I would have had a chance to survive, but now..."
"I'm afraid it's in jeopardy..."
In the past, the Jin family was just an ordinary merchant family. Whether she gave birth to a prince or a princess, it wouldn't have had a significant impact, let alone threaten the second prince's position.
But now...
Jiang Jiaojiao became the Seventh Prince's wife, which brought prosperity to the Jin family. The eldest son of the Jin family even became the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, which changed the status of the Jin family.
The Jin family's descendants are all promising, having become disciples of Master Li, and are fellow students with the princes and noble families. It's only natural that they will enter the imperial court one day.
"Then... you'd better be careful."
Jiang Jiaojiao said worriedly.
As she spoke, she pulled out all the purses hidden in her sleeves at once, then gently lifted the thin gauze covering them to reveal the colorful pills inside. She counted them as she spoke, saying, "There are pills for preventing miscarriage, pills for protecting the heart, pills for stopping bleeding quickly; antidote pills that can cure all poisons… and many other pills with different effects, all carefully prepared by me!"
Then, she asked Ah Xiang and Ah Yuan to open the boxes they were carrying. Inside were various precious medicinal herbs: "This is ginseng, which can replenish qi and nourish blood; Ganoderma lucidum, which can prolong life; snow lotus, which can clear heat and detoxify..."
Chen Jin'er burst into laughter as she watched Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly become rich, lavishly setting out a table full of food.
"Hahaha--"
Chen Jin'er laughed so hard she almost fell over, startling Granny Jin so much her face turned pale. "Your Highness... Your Highness, please slow down..."
"Ouch, ouch—"
Chen Jin'er laughed until her stomach hurt.
The whole room was so frightened that everyone knelt down. The personal maid was so scared that she ran out to call the imperial physician. Chen Jin'er ordered Granny Jin to stop her, but she couldn't.
"Oh, Granny, I'm fine! I'm just too happy! No need to call the imperial physician! No need!"
Jiang Jiaojiao was so frightened she almost jumped up.
Chen Jin'er quickly grabbed her hand, "It's alright, it's alright. I just found it funny how nervous you were. Don't worry, the Empress has her methods, but I'm not one to be trifled with either."
As he spoke.
Chen Jin'er asked Granny Jin to bring out a thick book.
All the eunuchs, maids, and guards in Qixiang Palace were registered in detail, with even their families' lineage clearly marked, leaving Jiang Jiaojiao speechless.
As expected of... a woman in the harem!
but.
Jiang Jiaojiao thought of her past life, when Xiao Jinjin was falsely accused of having an affair with the Third Prince. It seemed that there was a traitor among her own people, and she couldn't help but worry again.
"You are pregnant now, so you still need to be careful."
She was plotted against and killed even when she wasn't pregnant in her previous life, and this pregnancy has made her an even bigger thorn in other people's side.
Jiang Jiaojiao said helplessly, "This is the harem after all. If she is determined to scheme, even if you escape today's flower viewing banquet, can you escape the Dragon Boat Festival banquet later? Or the Emperor's birthday celebration?"
"I never intended to avoid it. I just didn't want to deal with them today and wanted to chat with you, so I'm not going."
Chen Jin'er looked disdainful.
"you……"
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about me anymore. You're in high demand right now, attracting a lot of attention, so you need to be careful."
Chen Jin'er interrupted Jiang Jiaojiao.
She hadn't expected His Majesty to value the Seventh Prince so much. While her influence with the emperor's pillow talk certainly played a part, it was far too powerful.
She even suspected...
Did the Seventh Prince benefit from her fame, or did she benefit from the Seventh Prince's fame?
The emperor actually entrusted him with the entire authority over such a major event as the palace examination.
Those who entered the palace examination were all disciples of the emperor.
Throughout history, it was always the emperor who did it personally; even the crown prince had no say in it…
No wonder the Seventh Prince became the target of everyone's criticism.
Jiaojiao is quite remarkable now. She is the darling of the Jin family, the richest family in the country, and her Red Mansion is making a fortune every day. It is a gathering place for literati and scholars.
They are no safer than themselves.
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