flstandardbreds Chapter 75: He liked to pick flowers, so he carved a few on his face.
Chapter 75: He liked to pick flowers, so he carved a few on his face.
The Empress's residence, Biluo Palace, was not too far away. After passing through several palace alleys, it didn't take long to arrive.
The palace gates were half-open, a cold wind swept through, and the palace guards looked desolate and tired.
"Miss Jiang, please wait a moment. I will go and inform her."
The palace servants went in, and she waited outside the door.
Speaking of Biluo Palace, in the past, due to her low status, the Empress did not allow her to come. Later, after she became Empress, she disliked the name 'Biluo' as unlucky, so she moved to Fenghua Palace.
So even though he had lived in the palace for a long time in his previous life, this was his first time here.
Looking around, the furnishings were quite exquisite. Some pink ribbons were even hanging on the withered branches of the flowering trees, showing that the Empress had intended to decorate them so that they would look better when the Emperor arrived.
What's the point of just decorating with flowers and trees? Men don't care about that. What men like is novelty. If you look different today and different tomorrow, he'll find it interesting no matter what.
Unfortunately, the Empress did not understand this principle and was lifeless all day long. No wonder the Emperor favored Consort Yu more.
A moment later, the palace servants came out.
"Her Majesty the Empress invites you in, Miss Jiang. Please come in."
As soon as the words were spoken, the two maids unceremoniously dragged Jiang Mian inside.
"Your humble servant, Jiang Mian, greets Your Majesty."
Inside the hall, the Empress sat gracefully on a rosewood chair, drinking tea. Her sharp eyes scrutinized Jiang Mian from head to toe, as if she were inspecting a piece of merchandise.
"You're Commander Jiang's second daughter?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jiang Mian bowed respectfully, her voice neither humble nor arrogant, her expression revealing a sense of composure.
The Empress chuckled lightly, thinking to herself: She really is a vixen, not even considering her own status, yet she dares to try and curry favor with the Crown Prince.
"I've heard that you and the Crown Prince are good friends?" she asked casually, observing Jiang Wan's reaction.
Jiang Mian frowned slightly and replied cautiously, "I was rescued by His Highness the Crown Prince by accident, and I dare not presume to call myself His Highness's friend."
"You're quite the smooth talker."
The Empress slowly put down her teacup, then said coldly, "Picking a flower wouldn't have been a big deal. But you were reported by someone, and if I don't deal with you properly, I'm afraid I'll be accused of condoning such behavior, and then no one will follow the rules anymore."
Jiang Mian lowered her eyes, concealing the coldness in them.
Sure enough, this was the Empress's usual tactic. She was simply using the guise of etiquette to warn her not to get close to the Crown Prince.
It was the same as what I experienced in my previous life.
This time, however, she won't be foolish enough to let herself be punished.
“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be even more inappropriate to impose punishment without first understanding the reasons?” Jiang Mian spoke slowly, her tone unhurried.
The Empress's eyes turned cold, as if she could see through her thoughts, and she said disdainfully, "I don't fall for clever words. Songlan, bring me a needle."
A needle? Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat.
The Empress is never lenient when punishing people, especially since there is a pretext for this matter; she will likely take this opportunity to punish them severely.
"Since you like picking flowers, then let's carve a few on your face as a lesson."
Songlan is the head maid in the Empress's palace. She has been serving the Empress since she was a young lady and has always been of one mind with her.
Even if the Empress ordered her to kill someone, she would dare to do it.
In her past life, she carried the Empress's orders and caused Jiang Mian a lot of trouble. But this loyal servant later turned to Jiang Mian after the Empress's death and told her a secret.
As the needle tip drew closer, Jiang Wan parted her lips slightly and said in a voice only Song Lan could hear, "Auntie, did you just go to Consort Yu's palace?"
Songlan stopped, her expression changing drastically.
"How...how did you know...?"
Jiang Mian smiled calmly, showing no sign of nervousness.
Everyone in the palace knows that the Empress and Consort Yu are at odds. If the Empress finds out that her most trusted maid has dealings with Consort Yu, she would rather skin her alive than let her go.
Jiang Wan knew that Song Lan was not afraid of death; what she feared was something else entirely.
She stared into Songlan's eyes and slowly added, "I not only know that you have dealings with Consort Yu, but I also know many other things about you, such as your daughter..."
Jiang Mian's voice was extremely soft, yet it made Song Lan's body tremble, and the needle in her hand fell to the ground with a barely audible crisp sound.
No one knew that Songlan had a daughter with the Empress's brother, and this daughter was working in Consort Yu's palace.
This was Songlan's secret: her brother, the Empress, spent the night with her while drunk, and she fled in panic the next day, soon discovering she was pregnant. She knew that if this matter were exposed, she would surely be executed.
So she pretended to disappear until she gave birth to her child outside the palace, then pretended to be looking for her way back.
Unexpectedly, her daughter, whom she had raised outside the palace, entered the palace as a maid in search of her mother, and even entered Consort Yu's palace. After Consort Yu discovered this, she used it to blackmail Songlan into becoming her spy.
......
Jiang Wan smiled faintly. What kind of expression would the Empress have if she knew that the head maid who had served her loyally for many years had an affair with her brother and had been exchanging letters with Consort Yu in private?
"Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that I saw Aunt Songlan in Huifang Garden just now. She must have seen it too. Did I pick these flowers...?"
Her words, spoken like a viper's tongue, drove Songlan to the brink of despair.
Actually, she hadn't seen Songlan at all, but now it wasn't her who should be covering up the lie.
Songlan suddenly knelt down, cold sweat beading on her forehead, and stammered as she spoke.
"Just now, this servant...did indeed pass by Huifang Garden...and saw Miss Jiang and Miss Wen San..."
The Empress lowered her eyes, a hint of confusion in her expression: "Weren't you just going to the Inner Court to fetch charcoal? How did you end up passing by Huifang Garden?"
Songlan lowered her head and thought quickly: "Your Majesty, it's because... because the Empress Dowager is holding a banquet at Yunxi Palace today, and there are many dignitaries on the main road, so I took a detour and passed by Huifang Garden."
The Empress frowned slightly, signaling her to continue.
“This servant saw that the flower branch actually… actually broke off on its own due to the severe cold weather, it wasn’t broken by Miss Jiang… Miss Wen must have mistaken it.”
Jiang Mian raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.
I thought she would push the blame onto Wen Yin, but I didn't expect her to say that.
However, it makes sense. Wen Yin has the backing of the Wen family, and Song Lan should not dare to offend her. Under these circumstances, this reason is barely acceptable.
The Empress looked somewhat displeased. She didn't know why Songlan had suddenly spoken up for Jiang Mian. Just as she was about to ask again, Songlan spoke up once more.
"Commander Jiang's daughter is surely well-mannered. Your Majesty, please don't let a misunderstanding cause the General to harbor resentment."
Upon hearing this, the Empress hesitated for a moment, pondering: If Jiang Mian were punished today, it would be to vent Chi Yu's anger, but if Jiang Xun found out and whispered in the Emperor's ear that the Empress was making a big deal out of a small matter and using it as an excuse to punish, the Emperor would probably feel even more that the harem should be handed over to Consort Yu to manage.
She almost overlooked this matter of losing sight of the bigger picture for the sake of a small thing.
A moment later, the Empress stood up and helped Jiang Mian, who had been kneeling on the ground, to her feet, her expression now one of kindness.
"Miss Jiang, why didn't you explain earlier? You almost caused a misunderstanding."
"This humble woman believes that Your Majesty will surely uncover the truth." Jiang Wan rose, her smile calm and composed. She looked at Song Lan, "Thank you, Aunt, for testifying for me."
After this farce, Jiang Wan walked out of Biluo Palace without a single stumble.
When Songlan saw her off, she kept stammering as if she had something to say.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Wan chuckled and said, "Auntie, there's no need to be nervous. I'm not one to gossip. I really had no choice today. You can rest assured, Auntie. I'll need your help in the future, and no one else will know about this."
When Songlan heard her say that, a huge weight was lifted from her heart.
In this palace, I'm afraid I'm not even of any use. As long as I'm still useful, I still have a chance to survive.
"This servant only asks Miss Jiang to keep my affairs a secret."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I always keep my word."
She hurried back to Yunxi Palace, and fortunately, she remembered the way to the palace, and finally arrived at the banquet.
Fortunately, the meal had just started and wasn't too late.
Jiang Xun winked at her, signaling her to come in quickly.
"Your subject, Jiang, is late. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
She kowtowed outside the door, her voice respectful.
Upon hearing the voice, Wen Yin stared at her in astonishment, looking her up and down.
How did she arrive unharmed? Why didn't the Empress punish her?
The Empress Dowager was a kind person, especially fond of the younger generation. She smiled and said, "Don't kneel outside. Come in quickly and have some hot soup."
"Thank you, Queen Mother."
Jiang Wan got up and sat down. After looking around, she was a little curious. Why were there so few people at today's banquet? Besides the Jiang family, was Wen Yin the only one there?
Before she could think any further, she met Wen Yin's gaze.
Wen Yin gripped her chopsticks in exasperation, but still forced a smile and feigned concern: "It's all my fault. If I hadn't taken Miss Jiang to Huifang Garden, she wouldn't have been reprimanded by the Empress for breaking a flower branch."