Consequently, the idea of dissolving Jiang Li’s engagement began to take shape.
When Yin Xun received the news, he was leaning against a couch, racked by violent coughing. It wasn't until he saw blood on his handkerchief that he managed to steady himself. He lifted his ink-black eyes, his voice sounding exceptionally hoarse from the lingering illness.
"A Ruo, where did you hear this news?"
A Ruo handed him his medicine, her face filled with irrepressible joy. "It’s the talk of the entire palace now. Haven’t you noticed that our meals have been much better today? Who knows, in a couple of days, Your Highness might just become the Chancellor's son-in-law!"
"Though Fourth Miss Jiang has a bit of a temper, her beauty is on par with Second Miss Jiang—they are the two pearls of Shengdu. And with her formidable martial arts skills—once you move out of the palace to establish your own residence, having her there to guard the house means you’ll never have to worry about being bullied again!"
Yin Xun listened, bowing his head to cough a few more times. His sickly, gaunt face lacked any semblance of beauty; he looked more like a withered branch, ready to snap at the slightest touch. His speech, too, sounded as though he were barely clinging to life.
"...Don't talk nonsense. The Fourth Miss is not a temple guardian. Besides, she might not even be willing to protect me." He coughed again. "Ahem, she’s in love with the Fourth Prince, after all."
Furthermore, it was highly doubtful whether a man like Chancellor Jiang, who doted on his daughter as if she were his own life, would be willing to marry her off to him.
Lowering his gaze, the young man seemed momentarily lost in thought, a heart-wrenching loneliness etched onto his pale features.
A Ruo realized what she had done and scratched her head. "Don't think like that, Your Highness. Since Fourth Miss was willing to risk her life to save you, she will surely protect you in the future."
"It’s the Second Prince and A Zhong we should be angry at! I actually thought the Second Prince was a good person, and I considered A Zhong a confidant, just like me! To discard us the moment they were done with us—it’s absolutely infuriating!"
***
In reality, of course, Jiang Li was less than willing.
Chancellor Jiang Qin had specifically sought out Ming Li twice to have a heart-to-heart, discovering that his daughter truly seemed to have let go of the Crown Prince. While he felt a pang of sympathy, he also felt rather deflated.
That Seventh Prince? He wouldn't even consider him as a live-in son-in-law, let alone a proper husband. An incompetent, virtue-less prince whose days were numbered—the words "death trap" were written all over him from beginning to end. How could he possibly let his daughter jump into that pit?
Therefore, for the past while, Jiang Qin had been working on Ming Li’s state of mind while simultaneously placing portraits of other young noblemen from Shengdu before her. Given his status and position, there was no one his precious daughter couldn't choose, with the exception of the Crown Prince.
"Why, just look at how quickly Zhao’s daughter was married off when she got pregnant after three months! Our A Li is so wonderful, she won't have to worry about such things at all!" If his colleagues in the imperial court saw him like this, they would be shocked beyond belief. He was a complete daughter-doted fool, his face beaming like a blooming flower—a stark contrast to the stern, imposing figure he cut in the courtroom.
After being pestered for two days, Ming Li finally leaned her head on her hand and gave her answer.
"Father, let me think about it some more."
In truth, there was no need to think.
"The best way to protect that guy is to keep him close and under my constant watch; that way, I can prevent anything from happening outside my control." That was Ming Li’s original thought.
However, as the daughter of a powerful official, Jiang Li held immense significance in the power struggle. Her future could not be determined solely by her own whims, because the world line of this plane existed within the political machinations of this small capital of Shengdu. Marriages between the elite were merely another piece in that game of power. To avoid crashing at the start, she had to control the influence of her own will.
Therefore: "I can only look forward to that Highness’s performance. He wants to use me to climb out of his death trap? That alone won't be enough." Ming Li touched her scabbing wound; the itchy, stinging sensation was still unbearable.
She said it with such teeth-gritting intensity that the Divine Stone grew anxious. "Ahem, self-preservation is an instinct, after all. Little Mistress, you’ve struck the Prince down so many times before, and this time you were the one who drew blood first. Why not... just forgive him a little?"
Ming Li smiled sweetly. "Of course I can."
Divine Stone: *I don’t believe you for a second.*
However, what Ming Li waited for first was not an action from Yin Xun, but a summons from the Empress.
The Empress was not a gentle or kind-hearted person; every word she spoke was steeped in the cold calculations of someone in high office. She didn't say anything pleasant. She had merely called her over to offer, as if bestowing charity, the position of a concubine, urging her to consider it carefully. It was clear she was unwilling to let go of the "fat meat" that was the Chancellor's influence.
But with the original owner’s personality, would she ever agree to be a concubine?
Ming Li hummed and hawed a few times to brush her off. On her way back through the back courtyard, she encountered a gentle and graceful woman. Ming Li gave a slight nod, then, under the woman's solemn gaze, entered Madam Jiang’s room, where she recounted the events at the palace to her parents, adding plenty of inflammatory details.
Consequently, the usually refined Madam Jiang flew into a rage. "She really has some nerve."
"They call it a 'secondary consort' to make it sound nice, but it’s still just a concubine. My daughters in the Chancellor’s Estate are all raised like precious jewels. A concubine for the Crown Prince? How dare she?"
"I truly want to slap her!"
Aunt Qiu was also nearby, slamming her teacup down with a loud clatter. "A concubine is bullied everywhere she goes! A Li was raised by us with such care; how can we let her go somewhere else to suffer?"
"That slap is well-deserved!"
Ming Li nodded in agreement. "Mother and Auntie are right!"
Jiang Qin only had one wife and one concubine. Madam Jiang and Aunt Qiu each had two daughters, but one of each had passed away in infancy. Thus, the two women shared a deep bond, closer than sisters, and always treated each other's daughters as their own. Even though there was some friction with Jiang Ling, Aunt Qiu was effectively a second mother to Jiang Li.
Listening to double the maternal complaining provided double the warmth.
The Divine Stone, sensing absolutely nothing, muttered, "Are you sure you feel warm?"
Ming Li replied, "If I say I feel it, then I feel it."
Consequently, there were no further moves from the Empress's side.
Two days later, however, an invitation to the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet arrived.
"I’m not saying this just to hear myself talk, but such a grand banquet is the perfect time for foul play." Perhaps due to the intuition of an artifact, the Divine Stone kept repeating its warning before they even set out.
Ming Li rubbed her heavy head, nodding in agreement. It was only when she boarded the carriage that she realized there was someone else inside.
She was as beautiful as a flower in the water and the moon in the night, her eyes sparkling with charm, her expression exceptionally calm. It was the original owner’s half-sister, Aunt Qiu’s daughter, Jiang Ling.
Seeing Ming Li, she seemed hesitant to speak, but finally said, "Fourth Miss, about the hunting trip... I’m sorry."
Ming Li glanced at her, confused. "Why are you saying sorry?"
Jiang Ling’s expression chilled; she mistook the look for mockery and fell silent.
It wasn't until they reached the palace and were stepping out of the carriage that she heard the other woman add in a low voice, "Regardless of what you think, Fourth Miss, I have no delusions about the Crown Prince."
Even though the Crown Prince had indeed treated her well, she had always found it burdensome. Not every woman yearned for the deep palace.