The palace maid's shout was so loud that it startled Jiang Shuwan.
She never received this treatment before. The Imperial Noble Consort is indeed the Imperial Noble Consort; she really knows how to handle things.
"The county princess has arrived!"
Sure enough, the head lady-in-chief, who was busy in the inner palace, immediately put down her work and went to the door to personally welcome Jiang Shuwan in upon hearing the maid's singing.
The Grand Lady was the Imperial Noble Consort's most trusted confidante, and fewer than five noble ladies were personally greeted by her at the entire banquet.
"Please come in, Your Highness. Our Imperial Noble Consort is still getting ready. Please wait a moment."
As the head lady spoke, she led Jiang Shuwan to her seat. Previously, Jiang Shuwan had always sat in the second or third row when attending banquets of this caliber.
Now, the Grand Lady has placed her directly in the first row, only below the various imperial concubines, the Crown Princess, and the Princess Consort of You (Guo Yaqin), which shows how terrifying her rise in status has been.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Jiang Shuwan nodded with a smile. She sat down gracefully and looked around, noticing that all the noblewomen were glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally.
Today, these ladies from both the inner and outer courts, dressed in their finest attire and adorned with jewels, entered the banquet hall with graceful bearing. Power and influence have nurtured them, and each of them possesses a dignified countenance and elegant demeanor.
However, this group of people, who would be considered extremely powerful by ordinary people, were all positioned behind Jiang Shuwan, and were led in by palace maids when they entered.
Unlike Jiang Shuwan, who was immediately rushed over by the head female official as soon as she appeared, for fear of neglecting her.
Thinking of this, the noblewomen felt a tightness in their chests and a sense of unease.
Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi, that couple, one was involved in commercial taxation and the other in land reform, which almost blocked their future sources of income, yet they couldn't do anything to them. Isn't that infuriating!
Especially Jiang Shuwan.
Pei Yanzhi is not in the capital now, which should be the perfect time for them to have their way with Jiang Shuwan. However, unexpectedly, a good show on Donglai Street turned the tables on them, and Jiang Shuwan ended up having the upper hand over them.
The three generals held extraordinary positions; who would dare to offend them!
Even their husbands and fathers-in-law said they should respect and honor Jiang Shuwan.
Why should I?!
How could a woman from a poor family rise above those who are rich and powerful?
Someone covered in mud and still not clean is now sitting in the front row. Isn't that ridiculous?
—The thought of this made the noblewomen unhappy.
Then, they saw Jiang Shuwan smile and nod at them. They were all acquaintances, so they had to greet each other.
The ladies of the court froze, their hands clenched tightly. They wished they could pretend they hadn't seen anything, but they had no choice but to nod in greeting. Then they turned around and were furious with themselves.
"How can she be so shameless? She knows we don't get along, yet she still greets us..."
One of the noble ladies said indignantly that she thought everyone would agree with her, but when she said that, everyone else immediately stepped aside.
"Are you stupid? How dare you speak ill of the county princess?"
"Is her brain full of straw? We should stay away from her. She'll drag others down with her. You know, Princess Jinzhu is the most untouchable person in the capital. How dare she speak ill of the princess?"
“The county princess once said, ‘The blessings of a virtuous person will last for three generations,’ and now it seems that there is some truth to that.”
"The county princess is brilliant!"
“…You!” Upon hearing these words, the noble lady who had spoken ill of Jiang Shuwan earlier blushed, thinking to herself, “You clearly hate her to death, who are you pretending for now!”
However, these people didn't care and just kept their distance from her. As for Jiang Shuwan, they didn't want to get close to her, but they absolutely dared not show her the slightest disrespect.
"Princess."
"Greetings, Crown Princess."
"Greetings, Princess You."
Two more people arrived outside the hall. It turned out to be Crown Princess Ye Jingyi and Princess Guo Yaqin of the Prince of You. Upon seeing them, everyone bowed in greeting.
"No need for formalities, please rise."
Before the Crown Princess could react, Guo Yaqin raised her right hand towards the assembled noblewomen, and Ye Jingyi's face instantly turned ugly.
"Your Highness, Princess Consort You is being extremely rude," a female official beside Ye Jingyi said in a low voice.
Guo Yaqin heard it, but pretended not to.
She is the Crown Prince's wife, and Consort Gao's palace is like her home ground. She also comes from one of the eight great families and considers herself superior. She had previously disrespected Ye Jingyi, and even said that Consort Gao is now an Imperial Noble Consort, only one step away from becoming Empress.
In addition, her husband, the eldest prince Li Chengyou, came forward to support the land reform and won the hearts of many people. If we really think about it, the Crown Prince has been suppressed by them recently, so why should they be afraid?
Remembering this, Guo Yaqin smiled and casually asked, "Why is it that only the Crown Princess has come? Where is Her Majesty the Empress?"
Ye Jingyi: "..."
Ye Jingyi's face turned even uglier. Everyone knew that after Consort Gao was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, the Empress fell seriously ill. Guo Yaqin's question to her in front of so many people was clearly a deliberate attempt to ridicule her.
Trying to suppress her dissatisfaction, Ye Jingyi smiled and said, "My mother is unwell and unable to come, so she sent me to deliver the congratulatory gift. I didn't expect that Princess You would care so much about my mother. I'm sure I'll see Princess You every time I go to my mother's place for the morning and evening."
Guo Yaqin: "..."
Guo Yaqin was taken aback. Ye Jingyi looked so dignified, but she was unexpectedly so sharp-tongued. No wonder she was the daughter of the General of Pingxi and the Crown Prince's cousin.
"The Crown Princess is right. From now on, I will definitely pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress more often."
As she spoke, Guo Yaqin took a quick step forward. She had originally intended to embarrass Ye Jingyi, but unexpectedly, she had gotten herself into a mess.
Regret!
Guo Yaqin thought unhappily, and the peacock pearl hairpin on her head swayed more and more violently. When she reached her seat, a surge of anger rose in her heart.
Jiang Shuwan!
He actually sat down next to her.
"………………"
Gritting her teeth, Guo Yaqin summoned the head female official to ask what was wrong. The head female official quickly said that it was the Imperial Noble Consort's intention, which made Guo Yaqin even more angry.
She recalled what the Imperial Noble Consort and the First Prince had said before.
In front of her, the Imperial Noble Consort actually said that she wanted Jiang Shuwan to become the Crown Prince's concubine.
Afterwards, the Imperial Noble Consort sent invitations to Jiang Shuwan several more times, but Jiang Shuwan did not respond. Now, taking advantage of the banquet, she placed Jiang Shuwan next to her, which shows that she has not given up yet.
She clenched her fist tightly, staring at Jiang Shuwan as if she wanted to devour her alive.
The Jiang family!
It's the Jiang family again!
Her older sister was killed by the Jiang family, and now Jiang Shuwan wants to take her place...
Sitting angrily in her seat, Guo Yaqin felt extremely distressed. To her left was Crown Princess Ye Jingyi, and to her right was Jiang Shuwan. She was sandwiched between the two, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Ye Jingyi was also upset. She thought to herself that she, the Crown Princess, not only had to put up with Guo Yaqin's bad temper, but also with Jiang Shuwan. She had previously intended to cooperate with Jiang Shuwan in the wool business, which was practically giving her money for free, but Jiang Shuwan actually refused.
To call her ungrateful would be an understatement; she still greeted Jiang Shuwan with a smile.
It's all because Li Chengyun is so useless. He has a handsome face, but he can't even seduce a woman.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
