The next morning, Jiang Segu received two invitations.
One was sent by the Prince of Jing'an's Mansion, and the other was sent by the Grand Princess!
Knowing that Prince Jing'an had returned to the capital, Jiang Segu was not quite sure whether the invitation was sent by Prince Jing'an or by his wife.
As for the invitation from the Grand Princess, Jiang Segu knew why she was there.
Thinking back to the time he bought the book, Jiang Segu felt a pang of sadness.
Mother, look! The Princess has come looking for me!
She initially wanted to attract the eldest princess with 100,000 books, partly to find a backer for herself and her mother, so that her grandfather could not arbitrarily harm her mother!
Secondly, she wanted the princess to take care of her elder sister in the palace, so that she could also enter the palace through the princess and see her elder sister more often. In this way, she could persuade her elder sister not to do the foolish things she did in her previous life, so as not to end up dying young!
Thinking about all this now, Jiang Segu's eyes welled up with tears.
Aunt Lan frowned as she looked at the date on the invitation.
"It's the day after tomorrow, whose banquet are you planning to attend, young lady?"
On the same day?
After thinking it over, Jiang Segu finally decided to decline the invitations from both families, citing the reason of mourning.
However, the Princess sent Aunt Lan to deal with the Princess. Aunt Lan was the only one from the palace who could escape unscathed when facing the Princess.
Although Aunt Lan frowned slightly, she still agreed to go to the Princess's side.
"It's you?!"
The eldest princess was somewhat surprised to see Aunt Lan.
"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of good fortune and peace!"
The eldest princess sat upright on the couch, looking at Aunt Lan kneeling on the ground, "It's been a long time. I never thought we'd meet again outside the palace."
Aunt Lan didn't speak. Having spent a long time in the palace, she knew that in front of her masters, not speaking was more likely to save her life than speaking!
"Consort Min is quite generous to let you, her right-hand woman, leave the palace. I'm curious, what was she thinking?"
"How could a servant like me know what my masters are thinking? I have come today on the orders of my young lady to inform the Princess that I will be unable to attend the banquet the day after tomorrow due to the mourning period. However, the ceremony cannot be disregarded even if I am not present. My young lady has already ordered people to prepare books, which will be delivered to the Princess's residence soon."
"Your daughter is quite perceptive. Before I even opened my mouth, she had already figured out what I was thinking!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Lan broke out in a cold sweat!
“My daughter would never presume to know the Princess’s thoughts. It was merely a coincidence. Furthermore, my daughter had heard General Gu mention the great merit of helping women across the land to study, and she was filled with admiration and longing for it. That is why she was willing to donate the books in her home. I hope the Princess will not find it distasteful.”
The Grand Princess's expression softened. "How could I possibly dislike it? If all the girls in the world were as sensible as your daughter, why would we worry about girls' schools not flourishing everywhere!"
The princess's face darkened when the topic of establishing a girls' school came up.
She spoke to the Emperor about this matter, and he replied that the national treasury was not sufficient. The concubines in the harem, led by the Empress, were only showing their appreciation out of respect for her, which was no different from giving alms to a beggar!
That's how she stirred the hearts of the court ladies.
Someone, knowing her interests, told her about Jiang Segu's purchase of 100,000 books!
She had just sent an invitation to Jiang Segu.
I thought I'd have to use a lot of words, but this girl turned out to be quite perceptive.
Seeing that the Grand Princess no longer showed any displeasure or became aggressive, Aunt Lan breathed a sigh of relief. However, she did not dare to let her guard down. After saying a few flattering words, she tried to take the opportunity to leave.
To her surprise, the Grand Princess wouldn't let her leave, and brought up the old topic again: "Don't be in such a hurry. We're acquaintances. I feel a sense of familiarity when I see you. Please stay and talk to me a little longer!"
Aunt Lan immediately felt nervous, but on the surface she could only agree.
"You still haven't told me why Consort Min would be willing to let you leave the palace?"
The reason why the Grand Princess is so persistent is entirely because she has some disagreements with Consort Min.
Consort Min was not a combative person. When she was first favored by the Emperor, she even thought about getting closer to the Grand Princess. However, the Empress plotted against her, and Consort Min violated the Grand Princess's taboo. As a result, the misunderstanding escalated, and the relationship between the Grand Princess and Consort Min became increasingly tense.
Later, the Grand Princess married Hu Xiyan, the son of Grand Scholar Hu, and moved out of the palace. Whether it was fate or not, Hu Xiyan was assassinated in the county where Consort Min's father lived.
Although the officials sent by the court quickly found the murderer, the Grand Princess hated the Min family to the core and opposed Consort Min in everything she did.
If it weren't for the Grand Princess, who knows who would be the current head of the harem!
Aunt Lan snapped out of her reverie and said respectfully, "This servant is ill and, according to palace rules, cannot continue to serve in the palace."
"You might be able to fool others with these words, but to try and fool me is a bit of a stretch! That Consort Min has committed countless heinous acts, and you are her most trusted servant, so you must know a lot of her secrets!"
In this way, even if she doesn't kill you, she will never allow you to be a servant for someone else outside the palace, nor will she let you live so peacefully in Consort Hui's family home!
Could it be...?
The Grand Princess, her nails painted with henna, scraped across the coffee table, making a grating sound. "Does Consort Min not know your current whereabouts?"
Aunt Lan resisted the urge to cover her ears, "I dare not deceive the Grand Princess, that is indeed the case!"
The Grand Princess smiled with delight, "You're so honest!"
Aunt Lan lay on the ground without saying a word, thinking of all sorts of ways to escape.
I thought the Grand Princess would keep pressing me for answers, but to my surprise, she simply waved her hand and dismissed Aunt Lan.
Aunt Lan stood up, bowed, and retreated to the door. Just as she was about to turn around, the Princess said again, "Go back and tell your young lady that I want to see her the day after tomorrow! If I can't see her, I'll have to go to the palace to talk to some acquaintances!"
This means that if they cannot find Jiang Segu, they will inform Consort Min of Aunt Lan's whereabouts.
Aunt Lan should have left.
After returning to the Marquis of Changping's residence, Aunt Lan seemed preoccupied and appeared less composed and more absent-minded than usual.
Jiang Segu saw this and dismissed everyone, leaving only Aunt Lan to ask her questions.
"Has Aunt been given a hard time by the Grand Princess?"
"No, it's just that the Grand Princess insists on seeing the young lady!"
Aunt Lan concealed her own affairs, not wanting to cause the young woman before her any trouble. Besides, General Gu was already taking care of her matter, and she expected to avenge her great wrong soon!
Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Jiang Segu thought for a moment and then said, "Aunt, please tell me about the taboos of the Grand Princess, so that you will not offend the Grand Princess in the future!"
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