As soon as she uttered those words, the palace servants carrying the sedan chair froze in place.
Jingyi said nervously, "Sister-in-law, why did you call it a halt? Now that you've married the Emperor, and Empress Dowager Cheng is also your grandmother, shouldn't you pay your respects?"
“Of course I should pay my respects,” Yue Jiang nodded in agreement.
Jingyi sighed and smiled, "Isn't that it? Then come with me!"
“Wait, we must go, but Empress Dowager Cheng is an elder, we can’t be in such a hurry.” Jingyi’s appearance was all seen by Yue Jiang, and she understood Jingyi’s purpose today: to take her to Yongshou Palace.
Yue Jiang wanted to find out more about Jing Yi, whether she had some ulterior motive or whether Yongshou Palace wanted to win her over.
Jingyi: "Fine, let's go. What's there to prepare? I never need to prepare anything. Do you think I'm taking you to the Longevity Palace?"
“Jingyi is so smart, that’s exactly what I was worried about,” Yuejiang said with delight, praising Jingyi generously and explaining her own predicament.
“I am different from Jingyi. I am a married-in daughter-in-law. If I want to see Empress Dowager Cheng, I must also see Empress Dowager Zheng. Neither can be omitted.”
"But before I pay my respects, shouldn't I, as the new bride, prepare something for each of the two elders? But I'm empty-handed right now, how can I be so careless and impolite?"
If Yue Jiang hadn't mentioned Empress Dowager Zheng, things would have been fine. But as soon as she did, Jing Yi's face contorted in anger, and she slammed her hand on the armrest, her anger palpable.
They even thought Yue Jiang was stupid: "Why are you going to the Longevity Palace? Don't you know they're after you?"
Yue Jiang looked around in a flustered manner, lowered her voice intentionally, and waved her hand to move the sedan chair closer to Jing Yi.
She coaxed Jingyi in a low voice, "Jingyi, even if you are a princess, the people in the Longevity Palace are your elders. How can you criticize your elders?"
Yue Jiang glanced at Jing Yi's hand and hinted with concern, "How can you be okay after getting a spanking!"
Upon hearing the sound of the slap, Jingyi subconsciously clenched her fist, then huffed angrily, "This is the first time I've ever been hit like this, and it's all because of you, my brother! You're truly blinded by lust."
Yue Jiang: "..."
Yue Jiang skipped over that and continued to coax her gently: "I don't think it's necessary to go to Yongshou Palace right now. Come with me to the East Palace and tell me what you want to say. If Sister Jingyi wants to take care of me, I will definitely listen to her."
"Once the trouble is resolved, I will definitely prepare a generous gift and go with my sister to pay my respects at the Yongshou Palace."
"You really want to listen to me?" Jingyi was both skeptical and tempted. Yue Jiang was actually a sensible person.
If she's willing to side with me, I don't necessarily have to dislike her.
Yue Jiang smiled and flattered, "You and His Highness are siblings, how could you possibly harm His Highness?"
Jingyi quickly shook her head: "No."
Yue Jiang: "That's it then. Your brother and his wife are one, so naturally I also hope that Your Highness is safe and sound. Would Sister Jingyi really want to harm me and implicate your brother just because she dislikes me?"
Jingyi shook her head again: "No."
Yue Jiang said with satisfaction, "That's settled then, I believe you."
Jingyi found the idea quite reasonable, but she still hesitated.
"But Grandmother Cheng said that the people in the Longevity Palace are elders, and we cannot offend them. It is not appropriate for my brother to get involved in this matter."
Yue Jiang: "..."
What good intentions could Yongshou Hall possibly have?
"It's alright, I won't tell your brother. It'll be a secret between the two of us. Your Highness isn't coming back to my palace right now."
“Alright then! I’ll go to the East Palace with you,” Jingyi finally said without further hesitation.
The two were unusually friendly, and upon returning to the East Palace, they went directly to Yue Jiang's bedchamber. Jing Yi poured out all the things she had prepared to say to Yue Jiang.
It seems that Empress Dowager Zheng wanted Jingning to have a grand marriage, and she repeatedly brought up the matter of a generous dowry with Jing Huaixu.
The Ministry of Rites was in full charge. Later, after hearing this rumor, apart from knowing that Jing Huaixu had transferred some silver from his private treasury to Jing Ning, no other orders were issued.
The Ministry of Rites, having ascertained the Emperor's intentions, knew that Jing Huaixu was unwilling to waste public funds and resources on extravagant spending for Princess Jingning, and was even willing to use his own private funds.
The Ministry of Rites prepared a dowry for Princess Jingning according to the standards for a princess of a country, without adding much, but Empress Dowager Zheng still found fault with the dowry list.
Either this item is outdated, or that item is unsatisfactory upon seeing the actual product; the busy Ministry of Rites has revised the gift list more than ten times.
Empress Dowager Zheng only stopped after she subtly added a portion to the dowry.
Yue Jiang brought a large dowry from the Yue Kingdom; even if she carried several boxes over, it wouldn't harm her foundation in the slightest.
The dowry was just the pretext; the real purpose was for Empress Dowager Zheng to send a message to Yue Jiang: Empress Dowager Zheng was, after all, Jing Huaixu's biological mother and had a blood relationship with Jing Yan.
Even if she had an enormous request, Jing Huaixu would eventually comply, just as the Ministry of Rites later compromised.
If Yue Jiang were smart, she would know how to please her.
However, Empress Dowager Zheng had to consider that Yue Jiang was a newlywed, and she wanted to save face but was unwilling to humble herself.
He had hinted to Empress Ye several times, asking her to persuade Yue Jiang, but Empress Ye ignored him, and Yue Jiang was spared from being bothered.
But when Empress Dowager Zheng personally invites Yue Jiang to visit, perhaps the truth will be revealed.
If Yue Jiangzhen is misled by this wind and fears the fact that she is the Empress Dowager Zheng's grandmother, and gives the Empress Dowager Zheng things, then in the future, if the Empress Dowager Zheng beckons, she will be helpless.
After Jingyi finished explaining the whole story, she said indignantly, "Sister-in-law, don't let the Longevity Palace deceive you. They don't treat my brother and me well at all. Consort Zheng's children are her lifeblood. You absolutely cannot give them your things."
"It makes me angry just thinking about it. Jingning is just the daughter of Consort De, yet she wants to surpass me in terms of pomp and circumstance. Fine, she can surpass me, but it's all because Empress Dowager Zheng is biased."
In private, Jingyi never addressed Empress Dowager Zheng as her grandmother; she always used "Changshou Hall" or something similar instead.
"Anyway, our Jing Kingdom is frugal, but just to marry off an old emperor, we'd practically empty the national treasury for her. What, just because she marries into the Yu Kingdom, does that mean the Yu Kingdom becomes ours? When the old emperor of the Yu Kingdom passes away, will her brother be able to become the emperor of the people of the Yu Kingdom?"
“Sister-in-law, for the safety of your belongings, you must be of one mind with Grandmother Cheng. Grandmother Cheng will not be biased and harm you.”
Yue Jiang found it amusing and asked with a laugh, "Why does Jingyi think that Grandmother Zheng is bad, but Grandmother Cheng must treat you well? It's because Grandmother Cheng promised you that she would prepare a generous dowry for you when you get married."
Jingyi paused for a moment, then denied it: "No, but since childhood, Grandmother Cheng has treated me and my second brother Jingshuo the same. It's a pity that my brother doesn't associate with the Changshou Palace, nor does he like to associate with Grandmother Cheng. He has always been studying and practicing martial arts."
She blushed: "Of course, I haven't reached the age of marriage yet, it's too early to talk about dowry. Even if I were to get married, I wouldn't be as shameless as those people from the Longevity Palace, hmph!"
Jingyi disliked Empress Dowager Zheng and Consort Zheng and their group, and when she learned that they had this plan, Yuejiang didn't dislike them as much anymore.
If she could bring Yue Jiang to Yongshou Palace and get close to Cheng Huangzu's mother, it would mean that her brother was also close to Yongshou Palace, which would surely make the people in Changshou Palace furious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
