"Congratulations, Your Highness! You've gained two sworn sisters at once! Aren't you happy?"
Happy, my ass!
How could an illegitimate daughter possibly deserve to become my sworn sister?
"Congratulations, Your Highness. My aunt is greatly favored by Lord Jiang, and my mother goes without saying. You've truly gained two excellent allies."
Zhou Luming?
What nonsense was that little hussy spouting?
Chu Xin'er also stepped forward with a smile. "What are you all standing around for? Bring out the incense burner! Her Highness is waiting to swear sisterhood."
The palace servants were equally bewildered. Urged along, they brought out the incense burner in a daze.
"Your Highness, please."
Zhou Luming personally lit several sticks of incense and placed them in Consort Shu's hands.
Jiang Shuyue immediately knelt. "Heaven above, I, Jiang Shuyue, hereby become sworn sisters with Her Highness Consort Shu. We shall share our blessings and spend our money together. Should I break this oath, may heaven strike me down and earth destroy me."
Jiang Shuyue knocked her head against the floor three times with resounding thumps, then looked at Consort Shu expectantly.
Under everyone's watching eyes, Consort Shu could only grit her teeth and kneel.
"Little sister, hurry over too. Her Highness's knees are precious. You wouldn't want to keep her kneeling too long, would you?"
"I-I understand."
Jiang Liuli felt a little anticipation. Hadn't she tried every possible way to build ties with Consort Shu precisely so she could soar to success?
Once they became sisters, she would have someone looking out for her.
Jiang Liuli happily swore the oath and kowtowed, leaving Consort Shu even more miserable.
Was this girl an idiot?
Consort Shu clenched her teeth fiercely, not daring to let anything show on her face.
Crack!
Consort Shu: "...Mm..."
System: [Hahaha! Consort Shu cracked a back tooth! She was afraid people would gossip if she spat it out, so she secretly swallowed it just now!]
Jiang Shuyue: [Eating little bits of grit occasionally aids digestion.]
Chu Xin'er: Do you think Her Highness is a chicken? Does she need to eat pebbles to help her digest?
Beaming, Jiang Shuyue had the servants carry in the gifts she had prepared.
"Today truly brings a double blessing! Fortunately, I prepared a lavish gift, or I would have done this special day a disservice. Hurry and take a look, Your Highness. Do you like these things?"
The moment the servants opened the chest, Consort Shu's face went pale.
"Marchioness of Zhennan, what is the meaning of this?"
"Big sister, we're sworn sisters now. Don't be so formal! Let me hear you call me little sister."
"Little... little sister..."
"My dear big sister, I heard you especially enjoy riding horses, so I prepared lots of little riding crops. Take a look. Do you like them?"
The young girls did not understand and looked curiously toward the older women.
The young married women blushed, not daring to look yet desperately wanting to, and kept stealing glances at the designs on them.
Consort Shu's face alternated between red and white.
Bastard!
"Big sister, these things will surely help you through your lonely days. There's no need to thank me. It's only what a little sister ought to do."
"Little sister, you really are... quite knowledgeable."
Yes, yes, I'm very knowledgeable, but I don't show it. I just want to infuriate you to death.
Jiang Shuyue tilted her head. "Mm-hmm. I carved all of these myself, and the material is exceptionally rare. I hope you like them, big sister."
"You..."
System: [Host, I've detected some juicy gossip approaching.]
Jiang Shuyue: [Where's the gossip?]
"Your son pays his respects, Mother. May your blessings be as vast as the Eastern Sea and your longevity rival the Southern Mountain."
System: [Here he comes, here he comes! The Fourth Prince, the future emperor, is here!]
The future emperor?
The crown prince wasn't dead yet. How could...
Everyone exchanged glances. Were the skies over Great Zhou about to change?
Jiang Shuyue: [His looks are only passable, yet he dares imprison my man and kill my children. Who gave him the nerve? Little brat, his hair hasn't even grown in yet, but he's certainly dreaming big.]
System: [His hair really hasn't grown in yet, or he wouldn't wet his pants. Last night, he chased the Great Villain in his dream. As he chased him, the urge to pee rose up, and he wet the bed in the middle of the night.] [To cover up the disgrace, he disposed of three palace servants. Then, when he went back to sleep, he dreamed that the Great Villain spanked his bottom. In the morning, he found his bottom wedged in the headboard and had to struggle mightily to pull it free.] [Oh, and there's a scar on his bottom, left when he pulled it out this morning. It's heart-shaped!]
Jiang Shuyue: How unusual. I really want to see...
The Fourth Prince felt a chill across his backside.
"Marchioness of Zhennan, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, my little nephew, why so polite? Don't be so formal from now on. Just call me Auntie."
Auntie?
Jiang Shuyue pulled Jiang Liuli over too. "This is your second aunt. We became sworn sisters with Her Highness Consort Shu."
A shadow flickered between the Fourth Prince's brows.
He had come intending to seize the opportunity and ask Consort Shu to grant him a marriage, only to discover that she had made them her sisters.
Why swear sisterhood out of nowhere? Had she gone mad?
Now that Jiang Liuli had become his elder, how could he ask to marry her? Even taking her as a concubine would leave people pointing at his back and condemning him.
System: [Gossip detected. After failing to secure a marriage to Jiang Liuli, the Fourth Prince has set his sights on Chu Xin'er.]
Chu Xin'er: What? This walking disaster wants to marry me?
Chu Xin'er clutched her chest and began coughing violently. "Your Highness, my prince, I don't feel... bleurgh... I'll withdraw and res... bleurgh..."
"All right, all right. Go and rest."
Consort Shu had no time or energy left for anyone else's affairs. Chu Xin'er immediately slipped away with her maid and mother.
The Fourth Prince frowned.
With Chu Xin'er gone, arranging another meeting to discuss marriage would be difficult.
Fortunately, it did not have to be her. Plenty of other ladies present could take her place.
Jiang Shuyue: [Look at his eyes. It's like a lust demon has descended. So lecherous at such a young age. He truly is Consort Shu's son.]
System: [He kisses your husband's portrait every day until his lips have practically developed calluses. Tonight, he plans to sleep holding a new portrait. In that one, the Great Villain isn't wearing any clothes.]
Eww...
So this was the sort of person the Fourth Prince was.
The Fourth Prince sensed something strange about the atmosphere, and the looks directed at him were strange too.
They seemed like... disgust!
The Fourth Prince sneaked a glance around.
Jiang Shuyue shouted: [Oh no! This little lecher is sneaking looks at other girls again! You little lecher, how about...]
Jiang Shuyue smiled, revealing two sweet dimples.
The system immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Jiang Shuyue said, "Your Highness, are you looking at Miss Chen? Of course, Miss Chen is so beautiful she puts the moon to shame and makes flowers blush, like a lotus rising from the water. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a beauty who could topple kingdoms and cities. No wonder you were stealing looks at her."
"Miss Chen? Surely you don't mean..."
"Your Highness was already sneaking looks, so why be embarrassed now? Furong, look how shy His Highness is. What a good boy."
Chen Furong held a chicken drumstick in her left hand and a pastry in her right. Who knew what she had stuffed into her mouth? Crumbs were still falling out.
She blinked her mung-bean-sized eyes, and two patches of red bloomed on her cheeks.
The Fourth Prince swallowed. A beauty who could topple kingdoms and cities? Is something wrong with your eyes?
Before you continue