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Madam Jiang poured tea for Jiang Xi, her voice laced with worry as she said, "Xi'er, you've been to the Regent's Palace, and not a day has gone by without me worrying. Your father is such a coward; he wouldn't dare confront the Regent. How does the Regent treat you? Is it really as terrifying as the rumors say?"
At the mention of Fong Yang, Jiang Xi smiled and reassured her mother, "The Regent is a very good person. The rumors outside are greatly exaggerated, and besides, I want to marry the Regent."
Madam Jiang was taken aback, her eyes wide in disbelief as she looked at Jiang Xi, who wore a shy yet serious expression.
"Mother, don't be so surprised."
"A girl taken away by a powerful man has already lost her innocence. If I don't marry the Regent, who else can I marry?"
Madam Jiang was unconcerned about who he was; her only concern was her daughter's happiness. Furrowing her brows, she asked Jiang Xi, "Do you like the Regent? His status is so high; he will surely have many wives and concubines in the future."
"He won't," Jiang Xi replied calmly, yet there was an inexplicable firmness and trust in her voice.
"Fong Yang has status and power; he can have any woman he desires. Yet he has remained distant from women all these years. That kind of self-control is rare. While I can't say I like him yet, I certainly don't dislike him."
Madam Jiang was even more puzzled by this. "You've liked Huo Xingwen for four years, but for the Regent, you only don't dislike him. Why would you want to marry him?"
At the mention of Huo Xingwen, disgust and hatred filled Jiang Xi's eyes. "Mother, that hypocrite Huo Xingwen isn't worth my affection. I've known the Regent for a short time; I can grow to like him gradually. And don't you think the Regent is handsome and powerful? Isn't he the best choice for a husband?"
The mother-daughter duo chatted happily, unaware that there were ears listening on the other side of the wall.
Unbeknownst to them, Huo Xingwen had stealthily approached to eavesdrop. Hearing Jiang Xi refer to the best choice for a husband made his hatred boil over. He clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding in anger as he felt that Jiang Xi was looking down on him. He turned away, determined to quickly devise a plan to bring down Fong Yang, the Regent.
Madam Jiang still had her concerns and lowered her voice. "The Regent holds great power; the current emperor is wary of him. If anything happens in the future, you could also be implicated."
Jiang Xi smiled lightly and shook her head slightly. "Mother, Fong Yang treats me well; I will treat him well in return. The new emperor is no match for Fong Yang; if someone wants to scheme against him, they must have the capability to do so."
"Madam Jiang" hurriedly interrupted, "You shouldn't say such things casually; there are ears everywhere."
However, "Jiang Xi" didn't care whether anyone would overhear.
"Mother, it's fine. Even if it were true, I'd be willing to die alongside Fong Yang."
She thought to herself that since he had already died once, what was the harm in experiencing it again in this life? Besides, Jiang Xi was no longer the Jiang Xi of her past life.
In her heart, she felt noble; as long as she wasn't Fong Yang's weakness, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to scheme against them.
She was curious to see in this life whether the Emperor could remove the formidable Regent or if the Regent would bring down the Emperor.
Just as Madam Jiang was about to speak, a haughty female voice suddenly rang out from outside the door: "Aunt, Mother, let me take three thousand taels of silver to buy a new bracelet for tomorrow's birthday banquet of Huai'an Princess."
Jiang Xi frowned; that voice belonged to Jiang Jiao. Did she think of Mother as a bank?
To come and demand money like this, a concubine's daughter dared to shout at my mother. "Today, I'll teach you what manners are."
How could a concubine's daughter be so brazen, acting as if she were the head of the household without any regard for rank?
Jiang Xi realized how neglectful she had been towards her mother in the past; the concubines and their daughters in the back courtyard treated her mother with such disrespect.
Madam Jiang told Jiang Xi not to get angry: "It's just a bit of silver; there's no need to take it to heart. I'm too lazy to argue with them; just consider it giving alms to beggars."
Jiang Xi chuckled: "Who gives beggars this much silver? Three thousand taels right off the bat—at this rate, even if Mother had mountains of gold and silver, it wouldn't be enough for them to squander."
“Madam Jiang” lowered her voice to reassure “Jiang Xi,” “What I gave them was just some petty cash; the valuable assets are all reserved for you.”
“Jiang Xi” felt a pang in her heart. “Madam Jiang” gently touched “Jiang Xi's” hand, comforting her, “Your father is cautious and self-righteous, thinking money is a mundane thing, which is why he has remained untainted all these years.”
“With his meager salary, he can barely cover the household expenses, let alone the customary gifts exchanged among officials. So, for daily expenses, they have to come to me for help; no matter how rude they are, they dare not be too presumptuous.”
“Jiang Xi” scoffed, “Self-righteousness! A dignified First-Rank Prime Minister using his legitimate wife's money to support a mistress—besides my peculiar father, I doubt anyone else could pull that off.”
“Oh no, there’s also ‘Huo Xingwen,’ who uses my money to indulge with ‘Jiang Yue,’ making him quite comparable to my father.”
Outside the door, after a long silence without a response, “Jiang Jiao” attempted to barge in but was stopped by “Han Yue,” who held a dagger.
“Jiang Jiao” stared at the dagger blocking her path, her heart racing. “Who are you?”
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before,” “Han Yue” raised an eyebrow.
“You certainly haven’t seen me, but you only need to know what I’m holding,” she replied.
“Jiang Jiao” shouted angrily, “How dare you! Do you know who I am? You actually have the audacity to block my way; do you want to die?”
“Han Yue” stood her ground, coldly staring at “Jiang Jiao.” “Aren't you just ‘Feng Yang’s’ illegitimate daughter? How dare you shout in the Prime Minister's Wife's courtyard? Someone might mistake you for a high and mighty princess!”
Used to being domineering, “Jiang Jiao” was taken aback for the first time. “Han Yue’s” tone was filled with intimidation. “You’d better tone it down; otherwise, you’ll have to face the consequences.”
In “Jiang Jiao’s” eyes, this was merely a servant girl who dared to speak to her like that. She raised her hand to strike back but was suddenly halted by a cool voice.
Jiang Xi stepped out of the inner chamber, her expression indifferent. "Jiang Jiao, flaunting your status as a concubine's daughter in my mother's courtyard—who gave you the audacity?"
Jiang Jiao was taken aback to see Jiang Xi here, her face stiffening. "Elder Sister, when did you return?"
Jiang Xi looked at Jiang Jiao with a cold gaze. "Do I need to report my return to you?"
Jiang Jiao stammered, "That's not what I meant! Elder Sister, please don't misunderstand. I just... I just came to ask Mother for some money."
Jiang Xi smiled faintly, her expression laced with an indescribable mockery. "Does my mother owe you? That makes no sense."
Jiang Jiao's face flushed instantly, feeling cornered by Jiang Xi's words, and a hint of anger began to rise within her.
"Aunt manages the household finances; if I need money, I have to ask her, right?"
Jiang Xi couldn't help but laugh inwardly. How could these people speak so confidently?
"Since you are aware of who runs this household, you should also understand my mother's status as well as yours and your mother's. So I kindly ask you to adjust your attitude in the future."
Jiang Jiao immediately dropped her pretense. "Elder Sister, saying that is pointless. Who doesn't know that Aunt comes from a merchant family? Although my mother is a concubine, she is a legitimate daughter of a noble family. When it comes to status and position, who knows who is superior or inferior?"
Han Yue immediately furrowed her brows in anger upon hearing this. "What did you say?"
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