"You're not lying to me, are you?"
Xu Shu looked at Jiang Wan with a puzzled expression, her slightly wide round eyes revealing her straightforwardness.
Why would you help me for no reason?
“Miss Xu and I are complete strangers, so of course you don’t have to believe me,” Jiang Wan said with a smile. “But if I were you, I would choose to give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work out, it won’t do you any harm. If it does work out, it will solve your biggest worry, won’t it?”
After thinking it over, Xu Shu realized that Jiang Wan's words made sense, and she was somewhat persuaded.
Looking at Cui Yingying again, she was nodding repeatedly, urging her to agree.
Xu Shu nodded and said, "Okay, I will do as you say. If you can help me achieve my wish, I will repay you."
"No need for repayment."
Jiang Wan smiled slightly.
"I just hope Miss Xu won't drug the banquet and cause unnecessary trouble."
"Alright." Xu Shu tossed the pills in her hand into the flowerbed beside her. "I'll do as you say and let Pei Xi off the hook for today."
Seeing that Jiang Wan was still staring at her with her eyes curved, she pursed her lips again and handed the hairpin in her hand to Jiang Wan.
"Can you rest assured now?"
Jiang Wan took it, grasped the end of the hairpin and gently turned it. The mechanism clicked, and on the surface it looked like just an exquisite hairpin.
The gold hairpin is light and airy, while the pearl flower at the end is made of glass, shimmering in the sunlight. It is carved into the shape of a butterfly spreading its wings, making it lifelike.
Among noble ladies in the capital, only a minority wore glass ornaments.
With its noble gilding and elegant jade, it is the most popular accessory among wealthy women today.
Xu Shu and Pei Tang share similar personalities: innocent and childlike, with a fondness for the shimmering, mottled glass.
Jiang Wan put the hairpin back into her sleeve, smiled gently, and nodded goodbye to the two of them.
After she left, Cui Yingying finally relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Why are you so afraid of her?" Xu Shu asked curiously. "I thought Madam Jiang was just a bit aloof, but she's so beautiful. Why are you so scared?"
Cui Yingying shuddered again as she recalled the past: "A-Shu, are you really going to listen to her?"
Xu Shu retorted, "Weren't you the one nodding and telling me to agree?"
"I... I was afraid that if you refused, it would anger her, and then neither of us would have a good ending!" Cui Yingying said, biting her lip. "You don't understand, she's not someone to be trifled with."
Xu Shu didn't understand what he was saying. She wasn't good at complex thinking, so she waved her hand impatiently.
"Fine, let's give it a try, just in case it works."
In the study of the imperial palace.
Emperor Jingyuan sat opposite Jiang Linyuan, holding a white chess piece and slowly placing it in a corner of the chessboard.
“My dear minister, you and Ji Rong have always been at odds. I never expected that you would come to speak up for him today.”
Jiang Linyuan glanced at the chessboard, seemingly casually placed a piece, and said, "After all, he is my deceased wife's brother, there is still affection between us, please understand, Your Majesty."
"Yesterday, the Empress also spoke up for Ji Rong, hoping that I could release him back to his residence as soon as possible." Emperor Jingyuan smiled: "I only kept him in the palace to recuperate, not to eat him. Why are you all pleading for him, as if I were deliberately detaining him?"
"His Majesty is magnanimous and forgiving, not pursuing his offense of behaving inappropriately in front of the Emperor, and even ordering the imperial physician to treat his illness. This is a blessing for Ji Rong."
Jiang Linyuan said.
"It's just that my daughter is very close to her uncle, Ji Rong, and I haven't been able to visit him recently. I'm worried about that, so I dared to ask."
Emperor Jingyuan nodded: "I knew that the Empress had come to plead for Lady Jiang's sake."
"After being treated by the imperial physician, Ji Rong's condition has stabilized. Today is Zhao Hua's birthday, and I have granted him permission to attend the banquet. If he does not relapse, you may send him back to his residence after the banquet."
Jiang Linyuan hurriedly said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingyuan placed his last piece and said with a smile, "My dear minister, you have given me three rounds of free play. How can I refuse your request?"
"Your Majesty's chess skills are superb; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority." Jiang Linyuan nodded.
"It's getting late, the banquet is about to begin." Emperor Jingyuan glanced at the sky, stood up, and said, "Come, come with me."
"His Majesty."
Jiang Linyuan suddenly spoke, his expression solemn.
"Is the matter of Ji Rong's illness truly over and done with?"
Emperor Jingyuan paused, and after a long while, he said quietly.
"I understand what you want to say, my dear minister."
"Since the late emperor subdued the various tribes on the frontier, the Great Yong Dynasty has enjoyed peace and prosperity. This is exactly the kind of peaceful and prosperous era that the people desire. As the sovereign, I must maintain this peace for ten years, or even a hundred years."
Jiang Linyuan frowned: "Although the Miao people have disappeared for many years, it doesn't mean they have fully submitted. Miao secret arts are extremely strange; if..."
"My dear minister."
Emperor Jingyuan's expression darkened slightly, and he interrupted him.
"There are no Miao people in the capital. Even if someone uses secret techniques, I believe it is a misunderstanding and absolutely does not involve any treason or rebellion."
"Alright, this matter must not be mentioned again, lest it cause unrest."
Jiang Linyuan cupped his hands in response, but his eyes darkened slightly.
Upon arriving at Funing Palace, before the banquet began, he sent someone to find Jiang Wan.
“I tested His Majesty, and just as you guessed, His Majesty knows that Ji Rong’s matter is not simple, and has even made a judgment, but he is unwilling to pursue it.”
"However, His Majesty has agreed to your request for Ji Rong to attend the banquet."
Jiang Wan's expression turned slightly somber: "Knowing that the hidden danger lies in the capital, does Your Majesty not intend to investigate?"
"I always felt that His Majesty vaguely knew who was behind it and trusted that person, and was confident that it would not cause a major upheaval, which is why he chose to deal with it perfunctorily."
Jiang Linyuan sighed and patted Jiang Wan on the shoulder.
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