Before Marriage (Five)

  "You're such a clever and diligent child, it's perfect to use this as material."

  In the imperial palace, Empress Yang, dressed in a colorful flying flower golden phoenix coronet and adorned with pearls and jade, looked at the letter wrapped in oil paper brought by Ninth Sister and said with great satisfaction.

  "It's an honor for me to share Her Majesty's worries!" The Ninth Sister bowed modestly.

  "Look... " Hearing her say that, Empress Yang immediately smiled, "She's really a lovable one, not only clever, but also understanding and with a mouth as sweet as honey."

  Being praised by the mother of a country like this, Jiu Jie naturally hurriedly lowered her head in time, making a shy appearance...... Uh, only in this way, will it be more lovable and adorable, right?

  "Your Majesty, this insect white wax can not only be used to make candles and soap, but also as medicine." After a pause, Ninth Sister said.

  "Really?"

  "Yes, the ancient books have records of the medicinal use of this insect wax to stop bleeding, promote tissue regeneration, and relieve pain. It can be taken orally, made into pills or powder, and is a highly valuable medicine."

  "Oh, I didn't think this thing was still so rare." After hearing Jiu's words, Yang Huanghou's gaze fell on the white wax again.

  "Indeed, you can buy a hundred and eighty taels of silver with just one envelope." Jiuniang continued, pretending to be casual.

  "Hmm, one hundred and eighty taels..." Empress Yang was taken aback after hearing her words, then a smiling gaze fell on her face, "I wonder how many taels that little Ninth is going to charge this palace?"

  "What did Her Majesty say? How dare Little Ninth..." Jiuniang was frightened by her words, and she knelt down immediately.

  "Alright, alright..." but was pulled by Empress Yang, "You child, it's just a joke, don't take it seriously."

  "Her Majesty, Her Majesty treats Xiaojie with great kindness, not to mention this small amount of silver, even if Xiaojie is in a difficult situation, she would still... still be willing to offer it up without taking a single penny..." Jiujier hurriedly added.

  It was a speech of utmost sincerity and determination, yet for some reason it sounded discordant to the ears. Yang Huanghou couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly, her gaze falling on Jiu Si'er's face once again.

  But it was clear that Jiu Jie didn't notice, because at this moment she was slightly dazed, her small face scrunched up, as if thinking about something.

  Yang Huanghou couldn't help but slightly furrow her brow, and coincidentally at this time, Jiu Si'er raised her head, naturally meeting Yang Huanghou's expression of discontent.

  "Your Majesty, I...I..." Jiuniang's face immediately turned pale with fear.

  "Do you have something on your mind?" Empress Yang asked her, with a light tone but an aura of unyielding authority.

  "There is no..."

  "Do you know? I actually like those who get things done efficiently." Yang Huanghou interrupted her again.

  "Xiao Jiu...... Xiao Jiu...... just, just......" Upon hearing this, Jie Er's body bent again and she knelt down once more. However, unlike usual, she didn't speak with her usual quick wit, but instead stuttered, unable to say a word for half the day.

  Until Empress Yang's beautiful and dignified face sank, Ninth Sister suddenly knocked her head on the ground twice and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I have a request. Can you let Miss Han be the legitimate wife and I'll be the concubine?"

  Yang Huanghou's face changed color, "What did you say?"

  "Your Majesty, it's not that Xiaojie doesn't respect the imperial will, but rather... Xiaojie is of humble origin and fears being criticized by others, which would implicate Your Majesty..."

  "Shut up, how can you be so useless!" But her words were cut off by Yang Huanghou's angry voice, "If you didn't want to be the proper empress, then why did you show off in the imperial study that day? Did you think you could scheme for something other than the position of proper empress?"

  How could her sharp eyes not see through the girl's little tricks?

  "Your Ladyship, forgive me... that day, Xiao Jiu... it was just that I admired Your Ladyship and didn't want you to be oppressed by Consort Lan, so I carefully planned..."

  "Hmph......" Empress Yang sneered, "I didn't expect you to still be so mindful of me, but do you know that rashly discussing palace affairs and driving a wedge between the emperor's consorts will get you punished for what crime?"

  "Spare my life... spare my life..." Ninth Sister was greatly shocked and hastily kowtowed.

  Although everything up to this point was under her control, she was still frightened by the punishment mentioned by Empress Yang.

  If possible, she really didn't want to have anything to do with these royal people in her next life, they were too damn dangerous...

  "Haha……" Looking at her like that, Empress Yang suddenly laughed again, but this time it wasn't cold, and even had a hint of warmth. "Alright, stop making that face. How could the palace not see through your little thoughts? Speak up, how many taels of silver do you want the palace to lend you as dowry?"

  After hearing this, Jiuniang's first feeling was that this Yang Empress...was too formidable, no wonder she was the woman who monopolized the harem.

  The first feeling is gone, the second feeling has come again, how can it be... borrowed? Did she just dedicate so much white wax in vain? It's a stable profit without loss, and it's thanks to her that she came up with this idea.

  "What, don't you want the silver that this palace lent?" She pondered for a moment, and Empress Yang spoke again, "Wenjiu, I'm telling you, no matter if you want it or not, your dowry cannot lose face, because behind you stands this palace!"

  The voice was soft and gentle, with an aura of intimidation.

  The ninth sister could say nothing more, and could only kowtow in gratitude.

  Alas...

  This PK was also a sawing game, and it wasn't just about who had calculated whom. Jiūjiě couldn't help but laugh wryly in her heart.

  "Miss, Little Jiu... Little Jiu is still worried, I heard that this Korean princess is not only beautiful but also intelligent, and her dowry is countless, Little Jiu... Little Jiu..."

  After this episode, the atmosphere between the two naturally became a bit awkward. At this time, Jiujie's gaze shifted again, starting to find a new close point, and that close point was none other than Han Jingniang, who was about to become the side consort.

  Because her keen intuition told her that this Han Jingniang seemed to be quite out of favor with Empress Yang, but she didn't know why.

  "...Choosing you as the rightful queen of Weiyuan is not out of the blue, Xie Jun said that although Weiyuan Wang's power is unmatched in the world, this marriage proposal is actually not easy to discuss. Why? It's because of the issue between the emperor and the powerful ministers, with great merit comes great suspicion. How could the emperor possibly allow such a powerful minister to marry into another powerful minister's family? That would be asking for suspicion..."

  Fourth sister came back to congratulate her after hearing about her arranged marriage, and when she left, she quietly pulled her aside to talk, naturally it was again about the matter of her family's Xiao Jun.

  However, what Xie Jun's family said made sense, she raised both hands in agreement, and this fourth brother-in-law was indeed insightful.

  "It's just that Xie Jun said she couldn't understand why Empress Yang pretended not to know the intentions of Old Yao, when in fact Old Yao had long since set his sights on Prince Weiyuan and wanted to marry his niece to him. This niece of Old Yao is quite suitable: firstly, she is a pitiful orphan living with her maternal grandparents, without many family connections; secondly, Old Yao has always maintained a neutral stance and is an iron-clad supporter of the imperial court. Logically speaking, if Empress Yang were to propose marrying Princess Hanjing to Prince Weiyuan, the Emperor should have agreed, but why didn't he?"

  After fully affirming her fourth sister-in-law Xie Jun, the ninth sister naturally listened to the fourth sister's retelling of another remark from this insightful fourth sister-in-law, and was deeply puzzled.

  But she, who was always good at thinking, had been pondering this doubt for many days and finally came to a realization: it was because of some unknown reason that Empress Yang had prejudices against Han Jingniang...

  "What's the big deal? She may be exceptional, but she is still a concubine. If she dares to overstep her bounds, you can use your authority as the legitimate wife to put her in her place. She won't be able to turn things around, and you don't have to fear anything, because I will support you through everything."

  As expected, Yang Huanghou spoke up, first offering her suggestions and then making a solemn promise, completely putting aside the unpleasantness from earlier.

  "Thank you, Ninth Sister!" The ninth sister naturally hurriedly knelt down again and thanked her repeatedly.

  After chatting for a while, Ninth Sister excused herself on the pretext of embroidering her trousseau.

  That Empress Yang was indeed a decisive and straightforward person, immediately letting the water spirit take out a bundle of silver notes for her, and instructing her to tuck them away safely.

  This time Ninth Sister was truly moved, this Yang Empress although cunning and ruthless, with a heart full of schemes, but she didn't lose her true nature.

  Thank her again, she is sincere now.

  After bidding farewell to Empress Yang, she was led by Shuiling out of the Hui'an Palace gate and onto the winding road. With her sharp eyes, she immediately caught sight of a large, pink figure with a big belly flashing before her.

  "Shuiling sister, I...I think I lost the hairpin that the empress rewarded me with just now. Can you...can you help me find it?" She immediately put on a look of urgency.

  The water spirit didn't say much either, she glanced at her and turned around to return by the same route.

  As she watched the agile figure disappear around a corner, she smiled slightly and lowered her head to slip the golden hairpin into her sleeve.

  After putting away the golden hairpin, she looked around and saw no one suspicious. She then walked quickly a few steps and called out to the pregnant woman being supported by two palace maids, "Princess Jingning, long time no see!"

  He naturally stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her.

  "How many months is the princess's child? Has the imperial physician examined her? Is she still in good health?" She asked with a smile, completely disregarding the hostile gaze from across.

  " Wen Jiu sister," Jing Ning princess's beautiful eyes narrowed, "what are you saying? Cursing the child in my belly? You don't want to live?"

  "What are you doing, Princess?" Little Jiu asked with good intentions. "You're being quite rude and impolite!" She didn't show any fear, still smiling.

  "You..." Princess Jingning's beautiful face turned red with anger, her eyes glaring at her, her fists clenched, as if she was about to rush over and slap her.

  "Princess, don't be impulsive," she stood straight like a small green pine, "hehe, because the times are different now, in a few more days, I will become the Princess of Weiyuan, which is also your aunt."

  "You... you're really shameless..." The beautiful face that had been fluctuating between red and white finally turned pale, but the clenched fist was loosened as if all its strength had been drained.

  She thought she didn't dare to fight, the princess is noble, but compared to that King Wei, it's not on the same level.

  That Empress Yang today had an unusually tolerant attitude towards her, let alone this princess.

  Alas...

  It's great to lean against a big tree!

  Although the man she was about to face, the place she was entering, and the life she was starting were all extremely unwilling for her, at this moment she still felt physically and mentally unobstructed. The feeling of avenging past grievances was just refreshing.

  "Shameless?" After gauging the timing, she no longer bothered to bicker with this idle and trouble-seeking princess. Her expression turned stern, "Who's more shameless is obvious; as a proud daughter of heaven, you take pleasure in designing plots against others and pushing them into traps. Is there anyone more despicable and shameless than that? Unfortunately, I benefited from the calamity... Ha..." She ended up laughing again.

  "You... you'd better not talk nonsense..." This sentence was quite effective, and indeed, Jing Ning's face changed, but the tone of voice couldn't hide the guilt.

  "Nonsense! Anyone with eyes can see that, haha..." She quickly threw out a string of cold laughter and turned to leave.

  "Wen Jiu sister, I'm telling you, don't be so smug, in the future you'll definitely be unlucky, Jingniang will certainly make you, this main wife, feel ashamed to show your face." But behind her, Jingning didn't let her off, shouting loudly.

  She just slightly curled up her lips after hearing this sentence.

  For this unpredictable future, she was a bit helpless, being led by fate step by step, and could only take it one step at a time.

  But no matter what, it's tomorrow's problem. Tomorrow's worry, she had a premonition that this evil princess would be unlucky before tomorrow.

  The gaze falls on that heavy eaves building, among the green trees and red flowers, where is the water spirit with the ultimate skill hiding behind?

  Returning to the mansion, Jiu immediately went to see Jiang and handed over those silver tickets to her.

  Facing a large sum of silver tickets, Jiang naturally froze and hurriedly asked about the origin.

  "The money the queen gave for buying white wax!"

  "Uh..."

  "Actually, this money should belong to Mother. The workers were found by Mother and the helpers were also sent by Mother. Xiaojiao will take the money for the second batch of white wax."

  "My son..."

  Jiang looked at her for a long time before his eyes turned red and he hugged her tightly.

  The matter of the dowry was soon spread throughout the entire mansion, and Lady Li got out of bed again. Without any conflicting interests, everyone's relationship naturally returned to its former harmony.

  The tenth sister and Little Eleven made up again, but Little Eleven was too embarrassed to bring the dowry box himself, so he let the tenth sister deliver it.

  With an added sense of guilt, it's naturally very heavy.

  She couldn't bear to hold a grudge against a little girl of just over ten years old, so she immediately gave the money to the kitchen to arrange for an invitation, and in the end, she still invited that little girl over. After meeting, they naturally let bygones be bygones. She said a few more sentimental words, finally moving the little girl to tears, who hugged her and called out "good sister".

  Tolerance and forgiveness are always better than sharp conflicts!

  Under this peaceful atmosphere, she went to Xu Niang's place accompanied by Qing Xing.

  Actually, Auntie Xu had already asked Auntie Xu to find her many times, but she never went. There were two reasons for this: one was that she was busy preparing her dowry, and the other was that she didn't want to let her mother worry about her. She was most afraid of seeing her tears, because those tears were the most real and precious.

  As she looked at the delicate butterfly-embroidered shoes made by Aunt Xu, and the pair of golden hairpins that had been specially made for her, she was overcome with emotion and tears fell uncontrollably.

  Others gave her a part of it, but this mother of hers is everything, how can she not cry?

  To the point where her mood on the way back was hard to calm down, until she saw Zou Shi's gloomy face looking at her as she walked in.

  The struggle is coming again, but she believes she will win...

  ……

  Digression

  Hehe......