“Uncle, Yuejiang doesn’t understand what you’re saying. It’s true that Princess Cheng is the one who brings me today, but it’s also true that what I brought is not acceptable.”
Yue Jiang stood tall and showed no sign of backing down in the face of the crowd's doubts.
The old man's words were absolute, but Yue Jiang simply countered with a question, leaving him stammering and unsure how to explain.
He turned to look at everyone around him and saw that they had lost their enthusiasm for Yue Jiang, and their faces were all looking increasingly grim.
In fact, it was an open secret that they trusted the Cheng family more. The old man didn't intend to argue with Yue Jiang and adopted a completely unyielding attitude.
"We want Princess Cheng. She and the Cheng family have helped us for forty years. Without Princess Cheng, we don't want any of these things!"
An old man raised his arm and called out, and others followed suit.
At first, because Cheng Suyun didn't come in person, they simply refused the alms. But later, relying on their numbers and the fact that they were orphans of the Jing Kingdom who couldn't be mistreated, they became increasingly indignant.
She even vented her anger on Yue Jiang, unconsciously blaming her.
“You’ve only been here from the Moon Kingdom for a few days. Do you know what contributions we’ve made to the Jing Kingdom? This leg of mine was cut off by the enemy,” the old man said to Yue Jiang, pulling at his trouser leg and recounting his “merits” with bloodshot eyes.
“The pain flares up every time it rains. Other people also have many minor ailments. It was Princess Cheng and the Cheng family who hired imperial physicians from the palace to treat nobles to treat us.”
"That's right. If you hadn't come, Princess Cheng might have been our Crown Princess. You're so young, yet you want to act virtuous like us. Why don't you learn from the Empress in the palace?"
The person who said this looked Yue Jiang up and down. She had a beautiful face, a slender waist, and fair skin. The person was amazed by her beauty, but ultimately couldn't resist the slanderous words they wanted to say.
"With her looks, she'd surely be completely captivated by His Highness, unlike Princess Cheng who is so dignified and elegant."
"We want Princess Cheng. If it's not Princess Cheng, anyone from the Cheng family will do. Otherwise, we don't want anything."
Immediately afterwards, as if making a vow, the group of orphans put down their bowls on the ground, dusted themselves off, and sat down directly on the ground.
There was an attitude of not waiting for the Cheng family to come over, and absolutely refusing to accept any small favors from others.
The attitude of the orphan before her was fully displayed. Yue Jiang had expected this, so she remained calm and composed, even pacing a few steps in front of the stall with a peaceful mindset.
The orphans saw that Yue Jiang couldn't do anything about them, and the people around them were even whispering and laughing to each other.
Yue Jiang ignored those voices, her tone slightly helpless and regretful.
"How can we not do it? The scriptures were copied day and night by the monks of Huayi Hall, and the rice soup was freshly cooked from the granary of Jing Kingdom. Everything is done according to the old custom, and the amount of ginger is exactly the same!"
Even though she spoke so softly and earnestly, no one paid any attention.
The ordinary people of Jing Kingdom watching the show outside the stall shook their heads repeatedly. Yue Jiang glanced at them silently, without revealing the smile on her lips.
She picked up a bowl of freshly served corn soup from the stall and walked over to a woman and a child, smiling at the child in the woman's arms.
"Auntie, it's only early morning. You must not have eaten before coming here. How can the child stand it? Why don't you let the child have something to eat first?"
"We'll wait for Princess Cheng to arrive; the child isn't hungry!"
The woman turned her face away, and even the child in her arms showed no desire for the rice soup that Yue Jiang brought, not at all like someone who couldn't afford to eat.
Yue Jiang looked at the millet soup in her hand. It was called millet soup, but this thick porridge must have taken a lot of effort from the farmers, yet they didn't seem to care at all.
She didn't offer any further advice, but instead praised the child: "Auntie's child looks very healthy, and is quite clever and mischievous."
The woman didn't understand what Yue Jiang meant and turned to glare at her warily, but Yue Jiang had already straightened up and returned to the stall with the millet soup.
She looked at the scriptures on the table and the buckets of corn soup with a worried expression, and said dejectedly, "I have no way to help."
"Everyone, the scriptures can wait, but the millet soup will be wasted after today. You can all be considerate of the farmers, but are you really not hungry or don't want it? Aren't you going to give Yuejiang some face?"
Yue Jiang's words implied defeat, which was exactly what the orphans wanted to achieve. They wanted to force Yue Jiang away and replace her with the Cheng family, whom they truly cared about.
Of course, they would not allow themselves to be swayed by a woman's pitiful words at this moment of victory.
Besides, what does farming have to do with them? They are farmers too, working hard in the fields, only they don't have to pay taxes. The orphans refused one after another.
"No, we cannot bear to see Princess Cheng today, we absolutely refuse!"
A nonchalant smile appeared on Yue Jiang's lips, but her words became increasingly lost and helpless: "Okay, Yue Jiang understands!"
...
Yongshou Hall.
Cheng Suyun knelt before Empress Dowager Cheng and was casually massaging her legs.
She was absent-minded, tapping her leg with varying pressure. Empress Dowager Cheng slowly opened her eyes, glancing at Cheng Suyun with drooping eyelids, and said.
"Alright, you're always so listless. All you did was listen to your aunt and send some tainted pastries to the East Palace. You've already done it, what are you afraid of now?"
Cheng Suyun felt wronged, but then she regretted and felt ashamed when she thought about the effects of the medicine: "If it succeeds, I am not afraid. As long as my grandniece becomes His Highness's person, His Highness is responsible. Anyway, His Highness will protect my grandniece at that time."
"But my grandniece didn't succeed. My palace maid said that Yue Jiang ended up eating a piece of pastry that was laced with drugs."
"I later had someone inquire about it. It turns out that Yue Jiang stayed at the East Palace for two hours that day before leaving, and His Highness personally escorted her back to Qiluan Palace. Grandmother, do you think His Highness has already... with Yue Jiang...?"
The thought of her shameless and risky move, which allowed Yue Jiang to get away with having sex with His Highness, made Cheng Suyun feel a burning rage in her heart.
"They'll be husband and wife sooner or later, what's there to cry about?" Empress Dowager Cheng said with a hint of anger.
Cheng Suyun flinched in fright, not daring to show her sour side too much, and said with a troubled expression.
"Even if my grandniece gets through this, His Highness will surely know about the methods she used. Will he be disgusted and want to settle scores with her?"
Empress Dowager Cheng didn't take it seriously: "What's there to settle? Jingyi was with you too. Even if she doesn't know exactly what you did to the pastries, she's still your accomplice."
“The Empress and His Highness would not disregard her reputation. Besides, all the pastries from that day are gone. According to you, His Highness and Yue Jiang have already had an affair before their marriage.”
"For various reasons, this matter will be dropped. The only troublesome thing is His Highness's attitude towards you. Has he never even considered marrying a daughter of the Cheng family?"
Over the years, although Empress Dowager Cheng had considered Jingyan's marriage to Cheng Suyun as a done deal, she had never actually asked Jingyan for his opinion.
Empress Ye's responses have always been vague, and she has assumed that Empress Ye is simply unwilling to offend her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Zheng.
Empress Dowager Cheng never truly asked a question, let alone now that she no longer has the right to ask.
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