Lin Yanxi’s star-like eyes cast downward slightly. Without haste or deference, she performed a ritual bow and replied calmly, “To Your Majesty the Empress, the Crown Prince and Your Majesty’s intentions are more precious than any reward. It is just that I have always been an impetuous person. The palace has too many rules, and I fear I would cause trouble for the Crown Prince even in the East Palace, making me unable to bear such a significant responsibility.”
The Empress let out a cold snort, glaring at her with a stern face for a few seconds. Suddenly, she smiled again, “You have quite a sharp tongue. Very well, I am not an inflexible person, and I won’t trouble a junior like you over such a matter, will I?”
She picked up her teacup, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and took a small sip from the rim. “I have a gift for you and Princess Chaoyang.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Jingxin also rose from her seat and walked to the center, bowing to express her gratitude.
Two palace maids, carrying two wooden trays, each with an exquisite small sandalwood box, approached.
Lin Yanxi paused as she reached out her hand and accepted the box.
The Empress gestured with her palm, “Open it and take a look.”
The wooden box was opened, revealing a golden, intertwined hairpin within. It was bare and unremarkable, appearing to be made of gold but feeling light in the hand.
It did not seem like gold.
Lin Yanxi turned to look at Luo Jingxin’s wooden box. Her box contained a hair ornament. Compared to Lin Yanxi’s, this hair ornament was more exquisitely crafted, adorned with pearls and interspersed with red gemstones.
It was clearly chosen specifically for Luo Jingxin, who favored pearl embellishments.
The Empress asked, “Xin’er, this hairpin suits you. Do you like it?”
Luo Jingxin quickly replied happily, “I like it.”
Lin Yanxi did not understand the Empress’s intentions. She turned the hairpin in her hand and suddenly recalled the saying from folk tales about marrying a wife and taking a concubine. Understanding dawned on her.
Her probing gaze fell upon Shen Muzhou again. His fists were clenched beneath his sleeves, his brows and eyes cold and distant. He sat upright, as frigid as frost and as pure as snow.
She could not decipher his thoughts.
Was this his intention?
It shouldn't be. If he intended to marry Luo Jingxin as his main consort, he should have discussed it with her first, rather than the Empress summoning her directly.
The Empress, seated in the main position, slowly spoke, “Jingxin and Little Jiu have harbored mutual affection for many years, only the marriage remains. I heard that Jingxin offered considerable help after the incident with the Jade Talisman. I believe she shouldn’t be wronged.”
“How about this, Jingxin will marry into the princely estate first as the main consort. As for you, you are currently in mourning. Once your mourning period is over, you can marry Little Jiu as a secondary consort.”
Lin Yanxi frowned. This marriage was a pretense to begin with, and whether she was the main consort or a secondary consort, she didn’t care.
However, in the Empress’s eyes, this marriage was real. By designating the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor’s manor as a concubine, she was disrespecting his father.
Lin Yanxi sneered and retorted sarcastically, “Your Majesty the Empress, can being a concubine truly be called a marriage?”
This retort left the Empress speechless. Everyone present was shocked and terrified. Who dared to speak to the Empress in such a manner in the palace? It was tantamount to seeking death.
Shen Muzhou, who had been lowering his gaze and remained silent, slowly lifted his eyelids. The coldness in his eyes softened as he looked at her.
An old嬷嬷 standing beside the Empress sternly rebuked, “In the presence of the Empress, you must not speak carelessly! No wonder they say the daughters of the Grand Tutor’s manor are the most ill-mannered, daring to talk back to the Empress!”
She was truly a good dog by the Empress’s side.
In her previous life, this old 嬷嬷, relying on the Empress’s favor, had never taken Lin Yanxi seriously. She had engaged in countless acts of duplicity and even accepted bribes from her father under the guise of caring for her.
All that money had been poured into a black hole.
Lin Yanxi tutted and retorted, “Tsk, tsk. May I ask which palace this madam belongs to, that she dares to comment on the affairs of my Grand Tutor’s manor? She must hold a rather high position in the palace?”
Shen Muzhou’s deep eyes held a complex expression, his face like a layer of frost. She was truly a little girl unafraid of death. A barely perceptible smile flickered at the corner of his lips.
The old 嬷嬷’s eyes widened in anger, her finger pointed at Lin Yanxi without hesitation, about to utter something.
Lin Yanxi, wearing the soul ring on her hand, let it hang by her side. With a slight flick of her wrist, the 嬷嬷’s mouth became as if sewn shut, unable to open at all, only emitting muffled sounds.
Her master’s teachings were indeed effective. She raised an eyebrow.
The 嬷嬷, terrified in the hall, no longer cared for etiquette. She writhed and made continuous ‘woo woo’ sounds, desperately trying to pry her own mouth open with her hands.
“What… what is happening to Madam Zhao?” the Empress was also startled by her appearance.
Luo Jingxin stood below, watching in horror as Madam Zhao’s mouth bled from her own efforts to pry it open, yet it remained stubbornly sealed.
Everyone was chilled by this sight. Lin Yanxi also feigned fear, stepping back a few paces, exclaiming dramatically, “Heavens, what is happening to Madam Zhao? Such indiscretion in front of the court, truly lacking in manners, daring to disturb Her Majesty the Empress!”
Saying this, she lowered her gaze, unable to suppress a smile from curling at the corners of her lips. This was a immobilization technique her master had taught her. She had refined her original immobilization technique to only target specific areas. Now, with such a minor spell, she no longer needed the ring to cast it freely.
Luo Jingxin noticed her cunning smile. Madam Zhao’s sudden erratic behavior was undoubtedly related to her.
Madam Zhao was the Empress’s confidante, and her every action reflected the Empress’s dignity.
The Empress had never been so humiliated. The embarrassment on her face, mottled with shades of green and white, was quite a spectacle.
In a fit of rage, she struck Madam Zhao across the face, saying, “If you’re going to go mad, get out of my sight and go mad elsewhere.”
Madam Zhao immediately calmed down, her eyes wide, letting out muffled sounds and tears. Trembling, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed, not daring to look up at the Empress again.
Luo Jingxin quietly instructed, “Quickly, escort Madam Zhao away.”
The palace maids, who had been stunned speechless, finally reacted and quickly pulled Madam Zhao away.
After this disruption, the Empress’s original intentions were largely forgotten, and she lost the mood to continue.
Luo Jingxin refused to let this opportunity slip away. She smiled gently, “Perhaps Madam is suffering from some strange ailment. She’ll be fine after the imperial physicians examine her later.”
“Oh, right, Sister Lin, do you like the hairpin that Her Majesty the Empress gifted you?”
Lin Yanxi looked at the hairpin in her hand, her eyes curving into a happy smile, “Of course, I like it. Anything bestowed by the Empress is not ordinary.”
This hairpin had no particular design, made of the most common and vulgar gold-plated silver material. It would even be considered unsuitable for gifting to palace maids.
The Empress had intended it to be so. By praising it so, she inadvertently made the Empress lose even more face.
Lin Yanxi’s eyes darkened again, blinking innocently, “It’s just a pity I cannot use this hairpin. The Prince said the hairpin he gifted me was made by his own hands and that I should wear it at all times.”
Luo Jingxin’s face flushed and paled with anger, finding it incredibly humiliating. She had known Shen Muzhou since childhood. He enjoyed carving things from wood. She always pestered him to carve something for her, but he would always find excuses or simply ignore her.
Gazing at the little rabbit hairpin on Lin Yanxi’s head, she was consumed by jealousy, yet she maintained a placid expression. “Sister, this matter was proposed by Muzhou himself. I have no intention of interfering between you.”
“He wished to give me a proper title, which is why he approached Your Majesty. In truth, you and I are like sisters, so what does it matter who is the main wife and who is the secondary?”
As she spoke, she took Lin Yanxi’s hand and placed her palm on Lin Yanxi’s hand.
Lin Yanxi paused, her long eyelashes fluttering like raven’s feathers. She turned to look at Shen Muzhou. His gaze darkened slightly as he met her eyes for a moment before he helplessly looked away.
She withdrew her small hand, let it fall to her side, and took half a step back.
Luo Jingxin continued, “I originally wanted Sister to be the main consort, but both the Empress and Muzhou said that the An Chang Princely Estate has protected the Southern Min for a hundred years and should not be subjected to any humiliation as a secondary consort. But what humiliation is there, really? As long as I can be by the Prince’s side, what importance does the title hold? Don’t you agree?”
An Chang Wang was a founding minister, later enfeoffed as a prince of a different surname and stationed at the frontier. However, due to their immense power, the Emperor both relied on them and feared them. Therefore, Luo Jingxin was brought to the palace from a young age. Ostensibly due to the harsh border climate, she was in reality no different from a hostage.
However, her personality was pleasing, and she was adept at observing people. The Empress favored her greatly and raised her by her side since childhood.
The An Chang Princely Estate cannot be humiliated, but the Grand Tutor’s manor can?
Lin Yanxi felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She could not answer any of Luo Jingxin’s words.
When she was at a loss, Shen Muzhou suddenly stood up from his seat and said, “I agree. Stop pressuring her.”
Luo Jingxin pursed her lips, a hint of resentment in her gaze as she looked at him. He walked from his seat to Lin Yanxi’s side and stood behind her, shielding her.
“Heh heh, Your Highness, isn’t this your intention? How has it become me pressuring her? The beautiful prospect of having both a wife and a concubine is yours, yet I am made to be the villain.” Luo Jingxin smiled somewhat bitterly and asked relentlessly.
Shen Muzhou frowned, gazing at her for a long moment without speaking. His clenched fist tightened and then loosened, his eyes filled with disgust. His tone was flat, “It is my intention.”
Lin Yanxi stood behind him, tilting her small head to look at him. After hearing his answer, she lowered her gaze.
Luo Jingxin’s gentle smile returned. She could read the disgust and displeasure in his eyes. So what?
As long as the An Chang Princely Estate remained, he would have to marry her.
Whether he married her willingly or under duress, she didn’t care. Shen Muzhou’s affection for Lin Yanxi was only temporary. He would eventually understand that the only one who could accompany him to the end was her, Luo Jingxin.
Her voice was soft, devoid of any aggression, “Sister Yanxi, don’t worry. We are only nominal wife and concubine. In private, in the manor, we will be treated as co-wives.”
When Luo Jingxin said this, it carried a tone of a victor’s pity and charity towards the weaker party, as if making a compromise to prevent the situation from becoming more awkward.
Lin Yanxi’s small face looked listless, “There is no such thing as co-wives.”
The main consort was the wife, and the secondary consort was the concubine. Co-wives were merely a comforting delusion, intended perhaps to console either Lin Yanxi or Shen Muzhou.
He took Lin Yanxi’s sleeve and, bypassing Luo Jingxin, turned to the Empress and said, “Your son takes his leave.”
After they turned and left the palace hall, the Empress’s dignified and benevolent smile vanished. She asked with a cold face, “Xin’er, have all the arrangements for the An Chang Princely Estate been made?”
Luo Jingxin nodded, “Wanwan has already entered the capital. I am worried about the Fifth Prince’s side…”