Jiang Yingcheng's eyes lit up slightly. Forgetting all about holding out her hand for her beautiful imperial father to take, she threw herself into the grand business of feasting on gossip.
[Wow, wow, wow, this cousin has quite a story!] Jiang Yingcheng was full of amazement. [After all these years surrounded by wives and concubines, with children and grandchildren filling his house, he still turns around and tells my Great-Grandmother, "Zhihe, I've been thinking of you all these years"? Blech-]
[Does he have no shame?!]
The few people silently pricking up their ears instinctively wanted to nod along.
Exactly, exactly!
Did he have any shame at all?!
But halfway through nodding, they caught sight of Emperor Mingze's frost-cold expression out of the corners of their eyes. Looking embarrassed, they smoothly turned the motion into a stretch, hoping to conceal what they had just done.
Jiang Yingcheng noticed none of the undercurrents behind her. The deeper she dug into the gossip, the more excited she became.
[Whoa!!] Jiang Yingcheng's inner voice suddenly rose in volume.
The others instantly stopped moving.
Judging by that tone, had she uncovered a juicy scandal?!
Those still on horseback exchanged glances, each privately weighing the possibility of fleeing the scene outright.
Gossip about that particular person was not something they could listen to just because they wanted to-
[Isn't this cousin a traitor selling out his own country?!]
They stayed put again, reassured.
They could not feast on gossip about that person, but if it concerned that scumbag cousin instead, they were more than happy to listen!
*[He's putting on an act, coming here to fawn all over her, just so that once Great-Grandmother returns to the palace, he can use the affection he's built up during this time to send people into the palace regularly