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Chapter 37
Xiao Xuanzi didn't speak, his eyes showing no hint of emotion, still smiling at her.
Jiang Yuan smiled viciously, "You're so loyal to her, only hoping that one day she'll be restored from the Palace of Exile, and you can ride on her coattails to success. Let me tell you, don't dream about it. She's only pretending to be nice to you because she's temporarily fallen out of favor. Once she regains her power, that will be the day you die."
In the palace, there were too many masters and servants who stood by each other through hard times, but on the day the master regained power, the first thing they did was turn on their loyal servants.
Only because that person had seen her at her worst and knew her deepest secrets.
Xiao Xuanzi sighed, "The goods have been delivered, do with them as you wish!"
He was trying to curry favor with Consort Zhen. In this palace, masters and servants were all the same, wanting to avoid being bullied, so who wouldn't want to climb up the ranks?
He had previously served the favored consorts, but because the chief eunuch was jealous of his capabilities and feared he would threaten his position after receiving praise from the master, he had him transferred to the Palace of Exile, where he would never rise again.
He had lived in the Palace of Exile for three years, originally resigned to his fate. But heaven sent Consort Zhen his way, practically handing him a ladder to climb. Would he be a fool to not climb it?
But Jiang Yuan was wrong about one thing—people exchange sincerity for sincerity.
If Consort Zhen was only using him with no genuine feelings, then he would treat her the same.
Yet after spending so much time together, he could sense that Consort Zhen possessed a simplicity and genuineness that most consorts in the palace lacked.
She was cunning and scheming, but her calculations were directed only at her enemies. With her own people, she was extremely protective.
This could be seen from how she risked being caught by Concubine Li to deliver the hot coals to the Palace of Exile during the first frost.
The howling north wind swept through the hall. Jiang Yuan never dreamed that on her first winter in the Palace of Exile, when she was nearly freezing to death, the first warmth came from her enemy.
She felt no gratitude at all, even thinking that Jiang Xinyue was just showing off—they were both exiled consorts, yet she lived in luxury with servants attending to her needs, while Jiang Yuan suffered cold and loneliness.
Now, even to wash her clothes, she had to fetch water herself.
Zhong Cui Palace—
Consort Wan knelt on the ground, her eyes as red as a rabbit's, her tears unshed, looking utterly pitiful.
But the Xuanwu Emperor on the throne was stony-hearted, unmoved. "Consorts are not permitted to meddle in state affairs, yet Consort Wan made suggestions to me about making the Secretary of the Ministry of Rites the Vice Minister. Do you know that Vice Minister Jiang studied abroad and speaks five languages? He is the most talented man in the great Yan dynasty."
The Emperor seemed angry. Consort Wan dared not speak. Wasn't it the Emperor who had expressed reluctance to rehire the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in front of her, showing his difficulty? To help resolve the Emperor's dilemma, she had casually suggested the Secretary.
She was a woman who had never left her family compound before entering the palace, and had been locked in the inner palace since. How could she know how talented Vice Minister Jiang was?
She only knew that the Ministry of Rites oversaw foreign envoys and guests, determining their ranks and hosting them with proper ceremony, assigning them quarters, greeting them upon arrival, bestowing gifts, and hosting banquets for them. It also warned the relevant departments to make preparations in advance.
If there were tribute items, it would record the quantities and report them to the Foreign Quarters, then escort the envoys to present the tribute.
How could she have known they needed to speak so many foreign languages?
For her interference in state affairs, Consort Wan of the fourth rank was demoted to the fifth-rank Concubine Wan. This caused many of the other consorts who had hoped to make a splash at the New Year's banquet to quiet down.
None of them wanted a decade of effort to go to waste in a single day.
So when the Ministry of Rites lacked enough translators, leaving the Emperor at a loss, Empress Zhu suddenly announced the findings of the investigation into Concubine Li's drowning incident from some time ago.
It was all because the wicked servant Jiang Yuan, jealous of Consort Zhen's favor and her own demotion over the Xiao Xi incident, harbored malicious intentions toward Consort Zhen.
First, she sawed through the railings at Xihuo Palace, then lured Concubine Li there, deliberately greasing the already damaged floorboards, causing the eunuchs carrying Concubine Li's sedan to slip and drop her into the water.
Afterward, she bribed a eunuch from the Internal Affairs Department using a nonexistent palace maid to frame Xi Que, Consort Zhen's attendant, then manipulated the uninformed consorts into pressuring the Emperor to exile Consort Zhen to the Palace of Exile.
Her goal was to have Consort Zhen ingest arsenic that day and die a miserable death in exile.
"What an evil mind," Consort Liang chimed in. "So Consort Zhen suffered that injustice for no reason?"
Empress Zhu smiled slightly and suggested to the Emperor, "I once heard that Vice Minister Jiang's daughters were all taught foreign languages from a young age by their father. Five talented linguists. Since there is a need for such talents at the New Year's banquet, why not release Consort Zhen to make amends and have her accompany and translate for Your Majesty? Would that not better showcase our great nation's tradition of having educated and talented women?"
In short, the Xuanwu Emperor would look good to have such an accomplished consort.
Sitting in her seat, Concubine Li seethed with hatred. The injury on her forehead had actually healed in just three days, but to sell the act, she had bandaged it for over a month.
She had worked so hard to put on this show, only for a wrench named Jiang Yuan to be thrown into the works, even preparing bridal garments for Jiang Xinyue.
But what could she do?
Jiang Yuan had become a sacrificial pawn, and the Emperor's expression told her that he was tempted by the Empress's proposal.
She certainly couldn't go against the Emperor's wishes just for the sake of Jiang Yuan.
Consort Wan was demoted for suggesting that the Secretary of the Ministry of Rites replace Vice Minister Jiang.
Sometimes Concubine Li felt utterly confused. Was the Emperor angry at Consort Wan for bullying Consort Zhen in the Palace of Exile? Or was it really because she interfered in state affairs?
When the first snow of the year fell in the great Yan dynasty, Jiang Xinyue had Xiao Xuanzi fetch the imperial chef she had previously taught to make roasted meat, and had him bring the ingredients she needed—she wanted to make fried chicken.
The Korean drama trifecta: fried chicken, beer, and a handsome man.
The handsome man hadn't come to find her yet, so she'd have to make do with just the food for now.
The two chefs, having gained status in the imperial kitchen by learning Jiang Xinyue's roasted meat recipe, quickly prepared all the ingredients she requested upon hearing that Consort Zhen wanted to cook something delicious again.
They didn't care whether they went to Hexi Palace or the Palace of Exile. What mattered was learning the skills to impress the Emperor and the consorts, so they could gain whatever they desired.
Gazing at the array of stoves and pans before her, Jiang Xinyue rolled up her sleeves and got to work: "Let's marinate the chicken first."
Otherwise, once battered and fried, the meat inside would be flavorless and not as tasty.
"My lady, you have some flour on your nose, allow this servant to wipe it off for you."
Before Xi Que could act, the Imperial Edict arrived, causing everyone to immediately kneel on the ground, disregarding the mess on their hands.