Lianxia quickly draped a cloak over her shoulders.
"Your Majesty, it's getting cold. Let me close the window."
Jian Yang nodded, but she had a feeling that something was about to happen.
The following day, the court session ended.
Prime Minister Jian bid farewell to his colleagues and was preparing to return to his residence.
"Prime Minister Jian, please wait."
Jian Xiude stamped his foot, only to find that the person who had called him was none other than his old rival, the Prince of Dingbian!
"May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?"
Although Prime Minister Jian was displeased, he still respectfully bowed to the old man.
The Prince of Dingbian said with a forced smile, "I have heard that the Empress is greatly favored by the Emperor and enjoys great imperial favor, so I have come to congratulate the Prime Minister."
Prime Minister Jian frowned slightly.
It's no secret that the emperor dotes on his daughter, so why would this old man come all the way to offer his congratulations? It's just unnecessary.
"Prime Minister Jian, out of consideration for our many years of working together, I must remind you: too much brilliance will bring disaster." The Prince of Dingbian lowered his gaze. "These words are for Prime Minister Jian, and also for Her Majesty the Empress."
Having said that, King Dingbian turned and left, meeting Jian Xiude's questioning gaze.
Upon realizing what was happening, Prime Minister Jian was instantly thrown into a panic.
The officialdom is like a battlefield. The two factions fought fiercely on weekdays and never spoke to each other in private unless absolutely necessary.
But now that old scoundrel King Dingbian has come all this way to tell him this, things are definitely not that simple.
So he decided to meet Jian Yang.
"Why is Father in such a hurry to see me? Has something happened at home?"
Jian Yang was completely bewildered that her adoptive father would actually come to see her.
Prime Minister Jian said solemnly, "Empress, I inquired with the palace servants on the way here. The Emperor has been favoring only you lately and never stays overnight at the residences of other concubines. Is this true?"
Got it, another lecture.
She immediately became extremely irritated.
Why do men all love to lecture?
So annoying.
She said expressionlessly, "His legs are his own. If he doesn't want to stay somewhere else, I can't just tie him up and take him there."
Prime Minister Jian was immediately displeased, "Is this how you treat your father?"
See? When you try to reason with him, he talks about attitudes; when you try to talk about feelings, he talks about reason!
Men are such boring creatures.
"Father is overthinking it."
"You are so arrogant and spoiled. If the Emperor's heart remains with you in the future, that's fine. But what if he gets tired of you and doesn't want anything new? Have you thought about the consequences?"
Jian Yang didn't like hearing that.
What do you mean by her being spoiled and arrogant?
When has she ever been arrogant because of her favor?
Suppressing her anger, Jian Yang straightened her sleeves: "Father, you don't ask about the framing and slander against your daughter by the people in the harem, but you only accuse your daughter of being arrogant because of the emperor's favor, and even make your daughter push away the only person who can protect you, the emperor. You are really my good father."
Prime Minister Jian was speechless.
"Anyway, I'm tired of being Empress. Why not give it to the concubines in the harem? Let whoever wants it can have it. I wonder if Father would be satisfied?"
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jian immediately panicked.
"Absolutely not!"
The world is bustling with people who come for profit. If his daughter were no longer the empress, his retainers would probably leave in an instant.
Most importantly, his political career will suffer a serious setback.
Jane Xiude would never allow such a thing to happen.
"Father has misunderstood you!" Prime Minister Jian immediately softened his attitude. "Father knows that you seem to be living a glamorous life in the harem, but you are actually facing many difficulties. Father will definitely find a way to help you."
Jian Yang smiled but remained silent.
She should be grateful that her cheap father doesn't cause her any trouble.
She originally thought her adoptive father was just being polite.
To everyone's surprise, Prime Minister Jian took this matter to heart.
When it was time for dinner that evening, Wang noticed that he looked preoccupied and couldn't help but ask him a few questions.
"What is troubling you, sir?"
Prime Minister Jian glanced at Wang Shi and Jian Yang, but did not hide anything.
She then recounted her daughter's situation in the imperial harem to the two men.
Jian Fei asked in surprise, "I've heard that you are favored by the Emperor, how could your situation be so dangerous?"
Prime Minister Jian sighed, "It is precisely because she enjoys the emperor's exclusive favor that people are jealous. They are not worried about scarcity, but about inequality."
"What should we do?" Jian Fei pretended to be worried, but quickly winked at Wang Shi.
Madam Wang nodded, personally served Prime Minister Jian a bowl of soup, and said softly, "I do have a method, would you like to hear it, sir?"
Prime Minister Jian didn't believe that the women in his harem could come up with any good ideas, so he casually nodded and said, "Tell me about it."
Madam Wang smiled and said, "The reason why my daughter is envied in the harem is because she has no helpers or backers. Admittedly, the Emperor's mind is on my daughter, but he is busy with many affairs of state. How can he always pay attention to my daughter? Do you think what I said makes sense?"
Prime Minister Jian nodded: "That makes some sense."
“If the young lady had an accomplice in the harem, it would be different. Someone could help her find out what was going on in the harem at all times and also share the hostility of the concubines. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?”
Prime Minister Jian looked at Madam Wang in surprise, "What you say makes sense, Madam. Do you have any suitable candidates to send to the palace?"
Wang pointed at Jian Fei: "Look, Fei'er is the perfect candidate."
"Mother!" Jian Fei lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Please don't make fun of your daughter."
Madam Wang chimed in, "I wasn't teasing you. Your elder sister is the Empress in the palace. As her younger sister, you should naturally share her burdens and put your father at ease."
After the mother and daughter had made a scene in front of Jian Yang last time, Prime Minister Jian ignored them for a long time.
He only reluctantly forgave them after the two swore an oath never to cause trouble again.
Seeing that the two women were wholeheartedly thinking of Jian Yang and him, Prime Minister Jian was very satisfied.
After thinking about Wang's analysis again, he suddenly felt that it made a lot of sense.
Sending someone else to the palace is less reliable than sending your own daughter.
Moreover, if Jian Yang falls out of favor in the future, the younger daughter might still gain favor.
This is what is meant by "if the east is dark, the west is bright."
Prime Minister Jian was increasingly satisfied with what he thought about it, and immediately decided to send Jian Fei to the palace in the coming days!
Jian Fei pretended to be extremely reserved, but in reality, she was overjoyed.
Once she enters the palace, she will surely steal the Emperor's favor from Jian Yang.
Let her annoying older sister cry then!
...
"Achoo!" Jian Yang sneezed again. "Someone's definitely talking about me behind my back again!"
Lianxia said worriedly, "Your Highness, why don't I go and summon a royal physician for you? It would be bad if you caught a cold."
Jian Yang waved her hand: "I haven't caught a cold. I know my own body."
Lianxia had no choice but to give up.
"By the way, why has Consort Li been quiet these past two days?"
Lianxia said gleefully, "Speaking of which, it was raining the other day, and that person insisted on braving the rain to deliver ginseng soup to the Emperor. As a result, he was dressed too lightly and caught a cold these past two days."
Jian Yang was taken aback. Consort Li had gone to see the Emperor the day before yesterday?
Why didn't the emperor let her go?
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