...
Half an hour after Jing Yan got up, Yue Jiang also got up.
When a hostage is coming to the palace, the inner palace will definitely make big preparations. As the Crown Princess, she wanted to be a good one, so she came to the Jiaofang Palace to take a look.
Although she had been a bride for two days, Empress Ye still showed great enthusiasm for Yue Jiang when serving tea.
“Jiang’er, even Consort Cheng and Consort Zheng haven’t paid their respects to me yet. You and Yan’er have just gotten married, you should rest more, there’s no need to come so early in the morning.”
Empress Ye took a sip of the tea that Yue Jiang offered, her eyes filled with undisguised joy for Yue Jiang.
Looking back on yesterday, others may not have noticed the atmosphere between Jingyan and Yuejiang, but Empress Ye secretly discovered it.
The marks on the son's lips that he had deliberately covered up, and the scratches on his neck, all proved that their wedding night was very good.
But his own son certainly doesn't know how to cherish women, otherwise he wouldn't have provoked someone as gentle as Yue Jiang to give him those two blows.
Yue Jiang was quite to her liking, and she even had the idea of having children for her son as soon as possible, since Empress Ye had a knot in her heart about having children.
When Jing Huaixu ascended the throne as a child, he found himself in a turbulent Jing Kingdom. As the so-called ruler, he was always surrounded by regents.
It wasn't until Jing Huaixu became more and more familiar with politics and was able to handle national affairs independently that he began to relax.
He was able to marry Empress Ye, but the two had no children for many years.
Only after seeing the imperial physician did they learn that Jing Huaixu was under great pressure from state affairs, which had weakened his body. If he did not take good care of his health, his future offspring would be in serious trouble.
After more than six or seven years of recuperation, Empress Ye and Jing Huaixu finally welcomed their first son, Jingyan, followed by their other children.
Over the years, Empress Ye has seen her son work no less hard than her husband, spending his time either in the Eastern Palace or the military camp. She couldn't help but worry about his health. Fortunately, he was able to marry a considerate woman like Yue Jiang.
Yue Jiang smiled gently and deliberately acted coquettishly: "No, when Jiang'er arrived, Mother had already gotten up, so it wasn't early. The two ladies haven't arrived yet because it's not time."
"Jiang'er just wants to spend more time with her mother, unless her mother finds Jiang'er bothersome and wants some peace and quiet."
Empress Ye was pleased and chuckled softly.
"You're quite the smooth talker. I can't help but say I like you. I wouldn't have peace and quiet without you here. The hostage from the Jade Kingdom has arrived. The palace is going to be lively."
Yue Jiang was about to inquire about this matter, but usually, hostages were exchanged between two countries, or between two countries where the weaker country sent hostages to the stronger country to express goodwill and sincerity.
We only just learned that the Jade Kingdom has sent a hostage, while the Jing Kingdom has remained silent. However, given the Jing Kingdom's current strength, it's not enough to make the once-powerful Jade Kingdom show any sincerity.
Yue Jiang asked, "Mother, is there any particular custom or reason why the Jade Kingdom would send a hostage?"
Yue Jiang was completely unaware of this matter. It was because Empress Ye considered that Yue Jiang had just arrived in Jing Kingdom and that she herself had a lot of things to do, so she did not say anything else to bother her.
Just as she was about to explain in detail, someone outside announced that Consort Cheng and Consort Zheng had come to pay their respects with their children. Empress Ye nodded and asked Lanse to welcome them in.
As they entered, Empress Ye and Yue Jiang were first drawn to Jing Yi's loud and clear voice.
"Mother, I've come to pay my respects," Jing Yi said, ostensibly to pay her respects to Empress Ye, but in reality, she was holding Cheng Suyun's hand and deliberately squeezed in front of Consort Zheng and her entourage, not letting them show their faces at all.
Empress Ye looked at her daughter and sighed inwardly with concern: "Look at you, all your elders, brothers and sisters are here, none of them have a louder voice than you, just walk properly."
"My daughter has always been very well-behaved!" Jingyi boasted without realizing it, saying this as she let go of Cheng Suyun's hand and ran a few steps to sit down in front of Empress Ye.
Just across from them was Yue Jiang. Jing Yi saw her but didn't react at all. Seeing this, Empress Ye urged Jing Yi, "Don't you know what to call Jiang'er? Do you want your brother to spank you?"
"Mother!" Jingyi's smile vanished immediately when her mother mentioned this embarrassing incident.
However, she was afraid of her elder brother, so she casually glanced at Yue Jiang and reluctantly said, "Greetings, Crown Princess."
Although Jingyi is fifteen, she hasn't reached the age of coming of age yet. She still looks very young and immature. She has always been arrogant and haughty, and now that she is being forced to lower her head, she feels as uncomfortable as if she has been stepped on.
Even though she had to shout, the defeated expression on her face betrayed her, which made Yue Jiang see a bit of Jing Yan's shadow in Jing Yi's face.
Last night, she found it amusing that she couldn't live without Jingyi. Yuejiang smiled and replied to Jingyi, "Hello, Jingyi. Come visit me at the East Palace when you have time."
Jingyi wanted to say she wouldn't go, but her mother was watching her, and besides, the Eastern Palace belonged to her brother, so why couldn't she go? She raised her chin.
"Don't worry, I will definitely go."
The three of them got away with it, and then Consort Cheng and Consort Zheng began to lead their children to pay their respects to Empress Ye.
Empress Ye gave a soft "hmm" and then asked them to sit down. Perhaps because they had all been there to pay their respects for most of their lives, they found their seats quite familiarly.
Consort Zheng was in high spirits recently. She first steered the conversation to the hostage who had come today, as if she, Consort Zheng, had made a great contribution to the matter of the Jade Kingdom's prince being sent to Jing.
"The Empress Dowager accompanied the late Emperor when he was seeking jade, and she was not idle. She had many friendships with the nobles of the Jade Kingdom. This time, the Ninth Prince of the Jade Kingdom has come. I heard that he was born to the Jade Emperor's most beloved concubine."
"They are so sincere. I believe that once Ning'er marries into the Jade Kingdom, the Jade Emperor will surely dote on her."
Yue Jiang: I'd heard long ago that Jing Ning was going to be married off to the Jade Emperor. He must be about the same age as Jing Huaixu.
Jingning is only nineteen, yet they're giving her, such a beautiful young woman, to an old emperor!
What is the Zheng family after?
Consort Cheng scoffed: "That's right. The Jade Emperor is forty-six years old, two months older than our Emperor, but many of his sons died young. This Ninth Prince, although he is the ninth in line, already has no older brothers."
"My mother was once favored, but she passed away many years ago. Even if the Emperor of Yu Kingdom still favors her, she has been gone for many years. How much affection can we still remember her?"
“The Ninth Prince is frail and sickly. Even if he has a twin brother who is the crown prince in the Jade Kingdom, who can say that his health will be good?”
"Ning'er is so lucky to marry into the Empress. She is young, beautiful, favored, and has a noble appearance. Perhaps she will even become the Empress Dowager in the future if she has children."
Consort Cheng's words sounded like praise, but in reality, they were all sarcastic.
The satirical remark suggests that the Zheng family, coveting the lack of offspring in the Jade Kingdom, cruelly sent Jingning to marry the Jade Kingdom's emperor. If the Jade Kingdom's emperor was already infertile, wouldn't all their efforts have been in vain?
In fact, Empress Dowager Zheng, Consort Zheng's aunt, had this plan, and Consort Zheng was heartbroken.
Although Jingning is a daughter, she was born after ten months of her pregnancy. How could she bear to marry her off to a distant country, especially to such a...
If they stayed in Jing Kingdom, there would only be two princesses in the entire kingdom, Jing Ning and Jing Yi. Jing Ning would be just as glamorous as the legitimate princess.
Seeing that the Cheng family was in decline, the aunt felt that the time had come to strengthen the Zheng family's position. So, taking advantage of the past ties between the Jing and Yu kingdoms and the current rise of the Jing kingdom, she discussed the matter of friendly relations between the two countries.
The Jing Kingdom sent its princess in a marriage alliance, and the Yu Kingdom reciprocated by sending its prince as a hostage.
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