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墨書 Inktalez
As she stepped into the Phoenix Palace's Main Hall, an unusual silence enveloped the room, with several pairs of eyes fixated on Jiang Xi, scrutinizing her without restraint.
Jiang Xi slightly bowed and greeted, "This humble daughter, Jiang Xi, pays her respects to Your Majesty, the Empress."
One of the concubines seized the moment to criticize, "Lady Jiang dares to refer to herself as a humble daughter. Does she not know that one must kneel to greet the Empress?"
With an air of superiority, the Empress accepted the tea offered by a palace maid and raised her chin, displaying her victorious demeanor. "Lady Jiang's refusal to kneel is clearly a sign of disrespect towards me."
Han Yue immediately retorted fiercely, "How dare you demand my lady to kneel! You have quite the audacity!"
Bai Die, emboldened by her position, scolded, "You are being outrageous! In front of the Empress, how can you show such disregard for rank and propriety?"
Han Yue scoffed, "My lord has decreed that Lady Jiang has the right not to kneel before anyone but him. Does the Empress consider herself more esteemed than the Emperor?"
The Empress set down her teacup, suppressing her displeasure. "If that is the case, then I have wronged Lady Jiang. However, Lady Jiang is indeed beautiful and possesses quite a unique temperament; perhaps she would be willing to enter the palace and keep me company?"
Jiang Xi replied with a faint smile, "Thank you for your kind offer, Your Majesty."
The atmosphere shifted as spring arrived in March, with pleasant weather signaling that the Emperor's Selection was approaching. Lady Jiang's age and family background met the criteria; logically, she should participate in the Selection.
The concubines seated nearby exchanged glances, silently speculating: Is the Empress intending for Jiang Xi to enter the palace as a consort?
Would she then manipulate her further? It seemed that the Empress truly was foolish.
The Emperor had placed her in a position of power within the harem not only to rely on her grandfather and father in opposition to the Regent but perhaps also with some ulterior motive of eliminating threats once they had served their purpose.
“How long can this position last?” Upon hearing that she would be entering the palace as a consort, Jiang Xi smiled, secretly mocking, “This Empress is truly foolish.” She spoke calmly, “Your Majesty, you jest. I have no intention of entering the palace as a consort.”
The Empress raised an eyebrow at Jiang Xi, her gaze filled with authority and dissatisfaction. “Who said I was joking?”
“It is the rule of our dynasty for official daughters to participate in the Selection. Even the Regent cannot object.”
Han Yue attempted to speak several times but was silenced by Jiang Xi. She looked at the Empress as if she were a fool, thinking to herself: If the Emperor truly dares to bring Lady Jiang into the palace, the Prince will definitely dismantle the Emperor's harem.
The foolish Empress actually wanted Jiang Xi to participate in the Selection and believed it was a rule of our dynasty, with even the Regent having no say.
Noticing the Moonlight Silk that Jiang Xi wore, jealousy flared within her, intensifying her anger. As the Empress, she had not received tribute from Mian Kingdom, yet the Regent had given this woman such fine attire.
Taking a deep breath to suppress her extreme anger, she said, “Lady Jiang, the Regent holds a noble status and possesses pure royal blood. When he marries or takes concubines in the future, they must be proper daughters of officials.”
Jiang Xi raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Are you implying that I am not a proper daughter of an official?”
With disdain in her eyes, the Empress reminded Jiang Xi, “Your mother is from a merchant family.”
The Empress thought this statement would embarrass Jiang Xi or make her feel inferior, but she was mistaken.
Jiang Xi never believed that her mother’s background as a merchant made her any less worthy. Even in her past life, when she foolishly loved Huo Xingwen, she never felt ashamed of having a merchant mother.
She smiled lightly and replied confidently, “Indeed, my mother comes from a merchant family, but my father is a Chancellor. Moreover, it was my mother who supported him to rise to that position. I ask you, which proper daughter of an official can achieve such a feat?”
The Empress was left speechless by Jiang Xi’s rebuttal and continued digging herself into a hole. “So you’re saying Lord Jiang achieved his position as Chancellor thanks to Madam Jiang?”
Without hesitation, Jiang Xi nodded. “That’s exactly right; it is indeed thanks to my mother.”
The Queen let out a cold laugh, "I wonder how the Chancellor would feel upon hearing that."
Jiang Xi, however, replied calmly, "Even in front of my father, I would still say the same. Your Majesty summoned me here just to say these things?"
Having lost face in front of the other concubines, the Queen's expression darkened considerably.
Han Yue cheerfully tugged at Jiang Xi's dress and whispered, "Miss, we should head back; the Prince is probably waiting outside."
Jiang Xi looked at the Queen with composure and indifference, saying, "Since Your Majesty has finished speaking, I shall take my leave."
"Impudent!"
The Head Maid glared at Jiang Xi and shouted, "The Queen and all the esteemed concubines are present; do you have no sense of decorum?"
Han Yue immediately retorted loudly, "Stop pretending to be powerful; I'm not afraid of you."
Among the concubines present, there were those who had enough sense but lacked the support of a prominent family to secure a higher position. They spoke up to hasten the foolish Queen's downfall.
Consort Shu spoke coolly, "Lady Jiang is arrogant, and her maid is also taking advantage of her position. According to palace rules, she should at least receive forty lashes to teach her a lesson."
The Queen's expression shifted slightly as she finally realized that Consort Shu was deliberately setting a trap for her.
If she had the maid from the Regent's Palace taken out for punishment, wouldn't that be a direct slap in the Regent's face?
Just as she was about to defuse the situation, her foolish sister Bai Die spoke up first: "What Consort Shu said makes sense; such a servant deserves a good beating."
The Queen quickly shouted, "Bai Die, shut your mouth!"
Han Yue scoffed, disdain evident in her voice. "Who are you trying to scare?"
Jiang Xi saw through the scheming and simply smiled as she turned around, her tone resolute. "The people of the Regent's Palace are not to be dealt with by outsiders, so there's no need for you ladies to trouble yourselves." With that, she stepped toward the exit.
Consort Shu hurriedly fanned the flames. "Jiang Xi, how can you be so disrespectful to Her Majesty? Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourself?"
Jiang Xi turned back with a faint smile, her eyes reflecting a hint of fearlessness. "If I dare to step into the palace, I am not worried about any problems."
The Queen could no longer hold her composure and sternly reprimanded Jiang Xi. "Your disrespect towards me is a challenge to the throne. Today, I will enforce the rules of the palace properly. Guards, seize them!"
Han Yue and Han Shuang swiftly moved in close to protect Jiang Xi.
Han Yue shouted fiercely, "I want to see who dares! Han Shuang, if anyone lays a hand on the young lady, strike them down! Let those who aren't afraid of death come forward!"
Several maids reached out toward Jiang Xi, and the atmosphere in the hall became tense.
Just then, a soft yet high-pitched voice rang out from outside. "His Majesty has arrived!"
"The Regent is here!"
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