The Battle to Claim Her

As soon as Jiang Nuan entered, Consort Shu warmly took her hand.

"Nuannuan is so adorable. I felt close to you the moment I saw you. Ah, this is my first visit to your place, and I didn't bring any expensive gifts. Let me give you this jade bracelet."

As she spoke, she slipped an emerald-green bracelet from her own wrist and placed it in Jiang Nuan's hand.

"Your Highness, I couldn't possibly accept this."

Jiang Nuan hurriedly refused, while inwardly screaming:

[Whoa, this bracelet looks like imperial green jade! It must be worth a fortune! What do I do? I want it so badly, but accepting it wouldn't be right. I'd better forget it.]

With her heart aching terribly, Jiang Nuan pushed the bracelet back.

Consort Shu's hand shook, and she nearly dropped the bracelet, but she quickly composed herself. Was this the inner voice the storybooks spoke of? She could actually hear it. Could she be the chosen one?

The thought excited Consort Shu, and she shot her maid a meaningful glance. The maid immediately brought over ten gold ingots, each as large as an adult's palm.

"These are all for you. I never take back anything I give. Just accept them."

[Wow, Consort Shu is so domineering. I love it! Let the gold ingots rain down even harder!]

Jiang Nuan's eyes had practically turned into gold ingots, and she could no longer contain her delight.

Seeing her like this, some of the other consorts thought she was refreshingly genuine, while others felt she was petty and provincial, unfit for polite company.

But remembering how much importance the emperor placed on her, they decided they could not catch a wolf without sacrificing a child, and gritted their teeth as they handed over quite a few fine gifts.

Consort Liang, who held the same rank as Consort Shu, was particularly generous. The two always liked to compete, and this occasion was no exception.

Consort Liang pulled Jiang Nuan over, rubbed her little cheeks, and said:

"Is that all Consort Shu gave you? How dull. It seems you like gold ingots. Excellent, you have taste. Everyone thinks gold and silver are vulgar, but I certainly don't. Here are twenty gold ingots. Take them."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

This time, Jiang Nuan did not refuse and happily accepted them.

Consort Xian and Consort De both had two children and had only come to join the fun. Seeing Consort Shu and Consort Liang spare no expense, they doubled the gifts they had originally prepared to avoid diminishing their own standing.

Receiving gifts alone took Jiang Nuan a full half hour. Looking at the gifts covering the floor behind her, she felt absolutely wonderful.

[Guagua, is this what getting rich overnight feels like? This is pure bliss! Ten thousand taels of gold, fifty thousand taels of silver, and luminous pearls, pearl jewelry sets, jade bracelets, and all that. I think I can just lie flat and coast through life now. Hehehe.]

[Yep! Congratulations, host.]

The moment those two inner remarks rang out, the air froze for an instant.

Everyone exchanged glances.

Just as Jiang Nuan was about to notice something amiss, a eunuch's voice rang out from outside:

"His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress have arrived!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

"Greetings, Father and Mother."

"You may rise."

Jiang Yunsheng and Xiao Xiao took the seats of honor and looked at the crowd below. Although they both knew why everyone had come, Jiang Yunsheng still made a show of asking:

"Do you all have so much free time today? What are you all doing here at the Hibiscus Pavilion?"

There was no question now that Jiang Yunsheng valued Jiang Nuan, but Xiao Xiao's attitude remained unclear, so the women intended to wait and see a little longer.

After hearing Jiang Yunsheng's question, they exchanged glances. In the end, the childless Consort Zhen stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I am the only resident of Jingyang Palace, and I have no children. The Ninth Princess is at an age when she needs someone to care for her. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to allow me to raise her."

Consort Zhen spoke with heartfelt sincerity and looked expectantly at Jiang Yunsheng.

[Uh, let's pass on Consort Zhen. The Thirteenth Prince was frail and sickly from birth, but he could have survived with proper care. Instead, she deliberately made him ill to compete for favor, and he died at just three years old. Guagua, tell me, how could she be so heartless?]

Seeing how meek and vulnerable she looked now, Jiang Nuan could not help shuddering.

Consort Zhen's face instantly went white. Seeing her guilty expression, those around her could hardly fail to realize that Jiang Nuan had hit the mark. They hurriedly moved away, leaving an empty circle around her.

[Host, I know this one. Because the Thirteenth Prince had been frail since birth, he was certain never to inherit the throne. It was even doubtful whether he would live long enough to be granted a princely title. So Consort Zhen decided to gamble, making that scumbag dad visit her more often in hopes of conceiving another child. But she never got pregnant.]

[That's terrifying! I don't want to go to her. Otherwise, I'll definitely become a tool for competing for favor too!]

Every fiber of Jiang Nuan's being rejected the idea.

At that moment, Consort Wen, who had been sitting beside Consort Zhen and held the same rank, stood up.

"Your Majesty, I am also the only resident of Jinghe Palace. I feel rather lonely as well, and would like to ask for the chance to raise the Ninth Princess under my name."

Consort Wen was something of a clear stream amid the harem's murky waters. She never fought or competed for anything. Had she not been so extraordinarily beautiful that scarcely anyone in the harem could surpass her, she would probably have been forgotten long ago.

Even so, after more than ten years in the palace without a son or daughter, she still held only the rank of consort.

Even Jiang Yunsheng found it rather strange. In all these years, this was the first time he had seen her actively seek anything.

*[Pfft, hahahaha! Host, this Consort Wen is hilarious. She even has two different faces! And she's so innocent. She's always been lively, but her parents thought that temperament wasn't suited to palace life, so they told her to be more mature and composed, and not to fight for anything in the palace. All they wanted was for her to stay alive and well.

So she's kept up the act all this time, and no one except her two personal maids has noticed. She even disguises herself as a maid to gossip with other maids who don't know her. With newcomers entering the palace these past two years, that scumbag dad has hardly visited her, making it even easier for her to feast on gossip. It's no exaggeration to say she knows at least half the juicy gossip in the palace.]*

After hearing Guagua's words, Jiang Nuan looked at Consort Wen in surprise. She had a cool, aloof face, and when she pressed her lips together, she resembled a snow lotus high in the mountains, too pure for anyone to profane. Yet in reality, she was a lively gossip lover. What a contrast!

The corner of Consort Wen's mouth twitched, and she nearly failed to maintain her icy mask. Fortunately, this was nothing too serious.

She had originally come today just to join the fun, only to unexpectedly hear Jiang Nuan's inner voice. Discovering how much Jiang Nuan knew, she thought sharing gossip with her would be great fun, which was why she had spoken up. Instead, her entire disguise had been exposed.

[Who knew she was so much fun? Hahahaha! If only I could enjoy gossip with her.]

Consort Wen nodded in agreement. Sometimes, knowing too much gossip with no one to share it with was painful too. Hurry up and join her little gossip squad!

Seeing signs that Jiang Nuan was tempted, the others could no longer sit still. They were just about to speak when a single remark from Guagua nailed them to the spot.