Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 252

Chapter 252: Entering the Palace

When Jiang Hao heard the servant tell him to go back, his face froze.

After delivering the message, the servant from the An Mansion left without giving him a chance to speak.

When he went to call for help, the An Mansion’s people ignored him.

“What the hell was that?” Jiang Hao descended the steps of the An Mansion, staring back at the plaque as if he wanted to poke holes in it with his eyes.

How dare an ugly, unmarriageable woman confront him like this?

He’d only spoken a few truths, and yet she humiliated him like this!

Jiang Hao felt he had to make Xu Wenjuan admit her mistake and relent. After all, all the noble sons of the capital knew Xu Wenjuan was crude and unattractive, making her a poor match. As long as he went to the Xu family to complain, Minister Xu would surely pressure her into apologizing.

Besides, men were supposed to be respected, and as his fiancée, Xu Wenjuan should always abide by him.

The thought of letting out his anger quickened Jiang Hao’s pace.

At that moment, in a carriage in a nearby alley, Lin Shuyao smiled at the enraged Jiang Hao. Guessing what Jiang Hao was about to do, she told the coachman to follow him.

Jiang Hao confidently went to the Xu Mansion. Since Minister Xu was away, Madam of Xu received him.

He had expected Madam of Xu to be frightened and immediately give him a miserable look when she heard him say Xu Wenjuan was ignoring him and ask whether he was breaking off the engagement. Instead, Madam of Xu acted indifferent, saying if he was fine, he could go back, as she was tired and needed to sleep.

In the past, Jiang Hao was an honored guest when he came to Xu Mansion, but now he was suddenly ignored. He really wanted to call off the engagement, but then he thought about the fact that his family was still waiting for Xu Wenjuan’s dowry to pay off the debt. So he had to swallow his anger, and he left Xu Mansion with an angry face.

Madam of Xu knew Jiang Hao wasn’t serious about marrying her daughter, but her daughter was almost twenty. If she kept putting it off, she’d become an old maid.

Although the Xu family had the money to support one daughter, there were other girls in the family who needed to marry. If Xu Wenjuan remained unmarried, her daughter’s value would also decline.

Madam of Xu wanted to protect her daughter, but reality didn’t allow it.

Later, when Jiang Hao proposed, Madam of Xu and Minister Xu reasoned that Jiang Hao was, after all, the son of a sixth-rank official. After the marriage, they could support him and help him secure a position. With the two elders around, Jiang Hao wouldn’t dare bully their daughter.

But even before their daughter married into the Jiang family, Jiang Hao was already saying unpleasant things behind her back. Madam of Xu, having witnessed many inner courtyard conflicts, knew her daughter wouldn’t have a good life if she married someone like Jiang Hao. So, when her daughter suggested seeking help from An Zhi to lose weight, she helped to speak to the master.

“Chunxia,” Madam of Xu said to the round-faced maid beside her, “Find someone to follow Jiang Hao. From now on, have someone follow him wherever he goes and report back to me every day.”

Madam of Xu was truly worried about Jiang Hao.

Not long after Jiang Hao left the Xu Mansion with a sullen face, he was stopped by a strange servant who said his master had invited him for tea at a nearby teahouse.

Jiang Hao was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing the stranger, he pushed the servant aside. “A good dog doesn’t block the road. Get out of here!”

The servant’s face immediately darkened. He pulled a badge from his sleeve and whispered, “Young Master Jiang, are you really not going?”

Jiang Hao’s legs weakened at the sight of the palace badge. Remembering the insults he had just made, he stumbled back. If it weren’t for the wall behind him, he would have fallen flat on his face.

Jiang Hao followed the servant to the teahouse, wondering what the Eighth Prince wanted to see him about. Unexpectedly, upon entering the private room, he saw an elderly lady.

~

The day before entering the palace, An Zhi received a headpiece from Pei Que. It was crafted from icy jade, exquisite and luxurious, and Xu Wenjuan was fascinated by it.

Shunzi, who had delivered the headpiece, said it was a gift from the master for Young Lady An’s arrival in the palace. However, An Zhi felt it was a bit too ornate. If she wore Pei Que’s gift, she would steal the spotlight from the other nobles in the palace.

So, on the day of her entry, An Zhi only chose a hairpin and a pair of earrings.

After boarding the carriage, Xu Wenjuan lamented that An Zhi didn’t wear a headpiece; otherwise, she would definitely be the most eye-catching person at the banquet.

An Zhi, however, didn’t want all the attention. Listening to the carriage passing through the busy streets, she figured they’d reach the palace gates in another quarter of an hour. She looked at Xu Wenjuan and said, “After we enter the palace, if Young Master Jiang comes looking for you again, you must avoid a confrontation. Also, when Lin Shuyao deliberately tries to provoke you, don’t force it. She’s the princess consort now, a young lady of status…”

“Alright, alright, why are you being so fussy like my mother?” Xu Wenjuan curled her lips impatiently. “I’ve heard you say all this for the second time. I’m not stupid. Lin Shuyao’s provocation is just to see me angry, isn’t it? I don’t care to pay any attention to her. Picking up the filthy thing I didn’t want and getting a maid pregnant right after entering the palace—only a pervert like the Eighth Prince could do such a thing.”

“Hush, stop talking!” An Zhi sighed at Xu Wenjuan’s brazen speech and stopped trying to persuade her. That was Xu Wenjuan’s personality. No amount of nagging would help her until she’d been wronged once.

Xu Wenjuan sighed, covering her mouth with one hand while lifting the window curtain with the other and peering out. She caught sight of the palace gates and the noble ladies disembarking from carriages, lining up for inspection by the guards and maids.

After the carriage stabilized, An Zhi disembarked first, walked to a carriage behind, and helped her madam down.

Xu Wenjuan went to find her mother and sisters-in-law.

“Zhi’er, my heart is pounding. I’m a little scared.” Meng Jie had only been to the palace a handful of times and had little experience. The thought of encountering Lin Shuyao and her companions made her dread a trap she hadn’t yet grasped.

“Don’t worry, Madam. We’re just going to the palace for a meal and to present a gift to the Empress.” An Zhi smiled, taking her arm around her as they walked towards Madam of Xu. “Besides, I’m here; nothing will happen. It’s always better to listen more and talk less.”

By the time An Zhi finished speaking, the two of them had already reached Madam of Xu’s side.

The Li family was no longer eligible to attend the palace banquet, so Aunt An couldn’t come today. Otherwise, An Zhi could have asked her to look after Madam.

Luckily, she had been taking care of Xu Wenjuan these days. When they entered with Madam of Xu, Lin Shuyao wouldn’t be so tactless as to offend her.

Madam of Xu’s mood instantly brightened as she saw that her daughter had indeed lost weight and her skin had improved. Perhaps because of her good impression of An Zhi, she held her hand, asked her about her well-being, and talked a lot.

When it was their turn to enter the palace, someone behind them suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and An Zhi and the others turned to look.

Looking behind her, An Zhi saw Pei Que, dressed in black, his hair flowing down his chest. He was riding a chestnut horse, standing out from the crowd.

Pei Que’s gaze was now fixed on An Zhi, completely ignoring the shy glances from the other noble ladies.