Consort Shu was already furious with Jiang Shuyue's attitude, and these words only fueled her anger.
"You, you..."
"Let me remind you, Mother, your son is still counting on me. If I were gone, would your son be able to show his face before the Emperor? Would he be able to sit in the position of Imperial Concubine?"
These words terrified the nanny beside him.
He quickly ordered the people inside, "Everyone, get out."
Even when His Highness and the Empress had arguments in the past, it was never as tense as it is today.
"Oh, Your Highness, please say less."
Consort Shu calmed down and sneered, "What, now that you think you can rival me, you don't take me seriously anymore?"
“Jiang Shuyue, no matter how capable you are, you are still my daughter and Yuande’s elder sister. You should be your brother’s servant.”
If it were before, she would definitely be sad and upset to hear these words, but now, go to hell with it.
Er Ya is right. You make others feel good, but if you don't even love yourself, who else in this world will truly love you?
"Your Highness, did you come here today just to say these things to me?"
The old nanny chimed in, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. We still have important matters to attend to."
Consort Shu's expression softened somewhat, and she adopted the demeanor of an elder: "I heard you opened your own shop?"
"yes."
Snap!
Consort Shu slammed her hand on the carved sandalwood table, her tone icy: "A princess of the nation, daring to imitate those lowly commoners and show her face in public, what kind of decorum is this? Go and close that shop right now."
Consort Shu's family held considerable influence in the court, and the grand opening of Fangcaoxuan today was so lively that it couldn't be kept secret.
Consort Shu only wanted Jiang Shuyue to remain quietly in the shadow of Jiang Yuande.
The fewer people outside the family who know about Jiang Shuyue, the better.
That would put her at ease.
Jiang Yuande is currently very favored by His Majesty and is only one step away from becoming the Crown Prince.
She could only be at ease if her son became the crown prince and eventually the emperor.
Jiang Shuyue must not step forward before her son becomes emperor.
If it were discovered that Jiang Yuande was backed by Jiang Shuyue, things would be terrible.
Jiang Shuyue already knew what kind of person her mother was, so she wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "Opening a shop and doing business is permitted by the laws of the Jin Dynasty. Does the Imperial Concubine disagree? Could it be that she wants to challenge the laws of the Jin Dynasty and the authority of Father Emperor?"
Since Jiang Shuyue was going to do this, she must have made up her mind.
Even if Consort Shu were to descend from the heavens, it wouldn't be able to change her decision.
Seeing that her forceful approach wasn't working, Consort Shu immediately changed her demeanor, smiling broadly as she approached Jiang Shuyue to take her hand.
Jiang Shuyue sidestepped and dodged.
"Shuyue, I know that for so many years, my heart has been focused on your younger brother and I have neglected you. But you are my child after all, how could your mother not care for you? If your younger brother inherits the throne in the future, you will also benefit from it, won't you?"
"This business is done by ordinary people. You are a princess of the Jin Dynasty, of noble status. How can you do something so degrading and humiliating yourself?"
"If word gets out, won't people laugh at us to death?"
Before the Jin Dynasty, it was indeed forbidden for people in the palace or those with official positions to engage in business.
However, the Jin Dynasty also had to look forward, and after His Majesty ascended the throne, he abolished this rule.
These days, people still talk about how doing business is shameful. Do they think she's some naive kid who didn't know anything back then? Do they believe whatever she says?
“It’s my business to do business. Since Your Majesty feels that you have embarrassed her, then go and tell Father that you should sever your mother-daughter relationship with me.”
Jiang Shuyue is no longer so naive as to believe that her mother still cares about her even a little bit.
When she was young, they disliked her because she wasn't a son. She was raised by palace maids from a young age. Later, when she had a son, they disliked her because she was a burden.
Now that they've discovered she's still somewhat useful, they've started to have designs on her.
A mother like that is better off not having at all.
Seeing that Jiang Shuyue was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Consort Shu dropped her previous "everything for your own good" act and glared at her fiercely: "Tell me, what exactly do you want in order to stop me from going out and showing my face in public?"
"Your Highness, please go back. My mind will not change. If you dare to cause trouble in my residence again, you will have to find someone else to handle Jiang Yuande's affairs in the future."
Jiang Yuande was Consort Shu's darling, and she valued him the most, after all, she was counting on her son to become Empress Dowager in the future.
The moment Jiang Yuande was mentioned, his expression changed immediately.
Consort Shu clenched her fists in anger. She refused to believe that she couldn't handle such a young girl. Just wait and see.
"Walk."
Just as she reached the door, Jiang Shuyue's indifferent voice rang out again: "For the sake of your son, you'd better not appear in front of me again. My mood is unpredictable, and I might not be in a good mood any day."
Consort Shu gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke, her gaze like a knife as she pierced Jiang Shuyue.
Once outside the princess's residence, the nanny quickly comforted her: "Your Highness, please don't upset yourself. You and His Highness have both been suicidal; you mustn't let your hearts drift apart."
Consort Shu sat on the carriage and coldly ordered, "Go and find out who she's been associating with since she came in. Her sudden desire to open a shop must be because she's been misled by someone."
"Yes, I will give the order right away."
"Send someone to invite the Minister."
"yes."
Consort Shu's father is currently the Minister of Revenue, who is the purse strings of the entire court and holds a very high position in the government.
Now that the Third Prince is favored by His Majesty, no one in the Qin family dares to offend him.
Consort Shu came to the princess's residence, but not only did she gain nothing, she also got a lot of anger. How could she be willing to accept that?
Her son has finally caught His Majesty's eye; she can't let it all go to waste.
When her son becomes emperor in the future, not only Jiang Shuyue, but even the Duke's Mansion will have to bow down to her.
Jiang Shuyue also understood her mother; the entire capital city knew what the Qin family was up to.
"Send a message to the palace: keep an eye on the Imperial Concubine and see what she does next. If she goes after Er Ya, come back and report to me immediately."
"yes."
From now on, she will only do what she wants. What mother-daughter bond? What sibling loyalty? It's all fake.
Only self-interest matters.
Only when you become stronger will others not look down on you.
Now, her mother and younger brother have to act according to her wishes.
Even if they're unwilling, what can they do? They have to swallow their resentment.
Soon someone came to report that members of the Qin family had entered the palace.
Jiang Shuyue scoffed, "She's too impatient."
Peony asked worriedly, "Your Highness, what do you think they are plotting this time?"
"What else could they be plotting? They're either scheming to marry me into the Qin family or trying to use me to gain Prince Qi's support."
She could now guess eight or nine tenths of what her mother was thinking.
In any case, she was just a stepping stone for Jiang Yuande to rise to power. Wherever the benefits were greatest, that's where she was placed.
It's a pity that she's no longer the Jiang Shuyue who was easily manipulated.
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