Yue Jiang was flattered and refused, saying, "Princess Cheng, please don't. If you kneel like that, I won't be able to explain myself."
She glanced at Jingyi, then at Cheng Suyun, who had lost all her momentum today, and chuckled softly.
"What's wrong? What happened? Why are you all so silent? His Highness isn't in the palace. If you leave like this without any reason, the palace servants will think I've mistreated someone."
"Wouldn't I, as the sister-in-law, be wronged?"
“Sister-in-law,” Jingyi said, her personality straightforward. She could only be direct once; any more than that would be too much for her.
Moreover, in the Yongshou Palace, Cheng Suyun's "grievances" had already been fully explained, showing that Jingyi's feelings for Cheng Suyun were indeed deep.
When Yue Jiang softened her tone, she felt there was something to talk about.
“Cousin Suyun is already eighteen years old. She really can’t afford to waste her time. The reason she entered the palace was for the sake of my brother, the Emperor.”
"There used to be a rumor that the Cheng family's daughter would definitely become the crown prince...and enter the Eastern Palace," Jingyi had already accepted that Yuejiang was her brother's crown princess, but she almost blurted out the wrong thing and quickly corrected herself.
"Before you came, everyone knew that her reputation was already inseparable from that of the Emperor."
“If we delay in setting a formal title now, not only will it be difficult for Cousin Suyun to stay in the palace next year, but people will also gossip about her when she goes out.”
“Sister-in-law, Grandmother Cheng said that if you could take pity on Cousin Suyun, it would be fine to let her... let her become a concubine for the Emperor.”
As soon as Jingyi finished speaking, Cheng Suyun stood up and knelt before Yue Jiang, her attitude extremely humble: "Your Highness, please grant Suyun's wish!"
Although there may have been some exaggeration, in Cheng Suyun's mind, Jingyi was absolutely right.
After the Cheng family's downfall, all they could hope for was a future crown princess.
As a result, over the years her great-aunt has painstakingly paved the way for her. Whenever she returned to the Cheng family during festivals, all the relatives and neighbors believed that she had a bright future, and everyone flattered and fawned over her.
She dared not imagine being sent back to the Cheng family, where she would receive no title or status, be ridiculed, and forced to marry an ordinary man.
Cheng Suyun felt suffocated just thinking about it; she would rather have a small title to stay in the palace first.
"Sister-in-law," Jingyi couldn't bear to see her cousin Suyun being so humble, and called out softly.
This was indeed a good excuse to coerce Yue Jiang. She pondered for a while, ignored Jing Yi, and instead gave Cheng Suyun a faint sigh.
“Princess Cheng, there’s no point in saying this, and it’s also damaging to your and His Highness’s reputations.”
“The princess said you entered the palace at a young age, but didn’t you enter the palace specifically to live in Yongshou Palace to accompany Empress Dowager Cheng? The East Palace and Yongshou Palace are separated by many palaces and city walls. This rumor is not good to spread.”
"In the ten years or so between, if your father, mother, and grandmother Cheng had been interested, you would surely have had a betrothal with His Highness long ago."
"If there's a pre-arranged agreement, you wouldn't need to come begging to me, and I can't stop you from your path, but there isn't."
“But one day, this rumor, which was passed down by word of mouth, suddenly affected Princess Cheng’s reputation, and she asked to become a concubine in the Eastern Palace. I was furious when I heard this.”
“A woman’s reputation is precious. I feel sorry for you, Princess Cheng. His Highness’s reputation as Crown Prince represents the face of Jing Kingdom in the eyes of other countries. This is not something that Princess Cheng can resolve by humiliating herself into becoming a concubine.”
"So it is necessary to find out who has allowed these rumors to spread for so many years, and only after the truth is clear in the future should we talk about other things."
“Princess Cheng’s arrival today was sudden. I suspect that she left the palace not long ago and was thus affected by the rumors.”
"To put it bluntly, neither His Highness nor Princess Cheng is an insignificant person. Princess Cheng, can you tell me where you went after leaving the palace?"
"I request that my father issue an imperial decree to investigate and find out which villain is so vicious."
Cheng Suyun looked up in disbelief: "Crown Princess, Suyun only asks for a title, must you be so heartless?"
Yue Jiang was extremely puzzled and looked at Jing Yi blankly, asking, "Jing Yi, wasn't I considering the reputation of Princess Cheng and His Highness first? Do you really want His Highness to unjustly admit to the rumors and acknowledge his moral failings?"
Although Jingyi was biased towards Cheng Suyun, she knew who her real brother was. She couldn't help but speak up when she heard that Cheng Suyun's reputation was being damaged.
But Yue Jiang said it would be better to investigate thoroughly to ensure her brother's reputation is clear, so as not to tarnish his reputation.
Jing Yi felt a sense of retreat and secretly tugged at Cheng Suyun's sleeve, advising, "Cousin Suyun, your sister-in-law is right. We can't just follow the rumors. We should investigate thoroughly."
"Can we discuss other matters after we've investigated the matter thoroughly?"
How could Cheng Suyun dare to investigate? Would she investigate her entire family?
"Actually, there's no need to make a big fuss. Princess Jingning is about to be married off, so let's not bother with Suyun's matter. Suyun will simply give up and leave the palace when the time comes."
After stammering through her words, Cheng Suyun felt utterly humiliated. She helped herself to her feet and stumbled out of Yichun Palace.
Jingyi stood there dumbfounded, while Yuejiang continued to mix the incense in her hands, gently reminding her.
“Jingyi, Princess Cheng is not in good condition. Keep a close eye on her so that no one sees her and thinks I mistreated her when she came to the East Palace.”
"Sister-in-law, I'm going first," Jingyi said, having come with Cheng Suyun. Cheng Suyun had run off in a daze, and Jingyi was genuinely worried about her.
After Yue Jiang spoke, she got up and chased after her.
After everyone left, Yue Jiang put down what she was holding and looked up at the peach blossoms in the jade vase.
...
The next day, although it did not rain, it was still a bit dark. Qingke returned from outside and reported something to Yuejiang as soon as she entered the palace.
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