Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 090

Chapter 90: One and a Half Years Later

After issuing the imperial decree, Eunuch Chang, seemingly wanting nothing more than to leave the streets, turned and boarded his carriage without a word.

Once Eunuch Chang’s carriage had sped away in a cloud of dust, the crowd on the street remained stunned, especially the noble ladies like Princess Qingyue, who stared at Jiang Mi with expressions of utter disbelief.

In the silence, Jiang Mi turned, and as she walked, the dense crowd began to part to either side.

And so, Jiang Mi walked away, leaving behind only the speechless, bewildered noble ladies.

When Jiang Mi entered the Princess’s Mansion, the Three Mothers and all the servants were present. Upon seeing her, they swarmed around her.

Before Jiang Mi could speak, Mother Gui waved for the servants to disperse, and then the Three Mothers escorted her into the study.

Even after Jiang Mi had sat down in the study for a long time, the Three Mothers, who had also sat down, remained silent. Their expressions and eyes were too complex; at that moment, words had lost their power.

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After a while, Mother Li said in a hoarse voice, “Ah’Mi, we know what happened.”

Jiang Mi nodded. Perhaps because of her near-death experience, she was very weak and just wanted to lie down and sleep. She weakly lifted her eyelids and whispered, “It’s alright now.” Then she softly reassured them, “It’s all over now; everything is alright.”

Mother Gong slowly asked, “Princess, do you know why His Majesty let you go?”

Jiang Mi shook her head. She blinked and said weakly but matter-of-factly, “Because I was lucky.”

Mother Gong chuckled, and under Jiang Mi’s surprised gaze, she shook her head again.

Slowly shaking her head, Mother Gong carefully chose her words, saying, “An old friend of mine from the palace told me that after what happened that day, a young man named Cui Wu, one of Cui Zi Xuan’s confidants, approached His Majesty…”

Jiang Mi was shocked.

Seeing her Princess staring blankly at the sky, Mother Gong said in a hoarse voice, “Princess, it was Young Master Cui who saved you!”

Jiang Mi listened blankly, and after a while, she whispered, “It seems so… but why?”

She was not stupid. Therefore, Jiang Mi knew that Cui Zi Xuan would have to pay a heavy price for interfering in such matters. Moreover, the Emperor of Shu had promised her three pardons for capital offenses… such treatment was unprecedented for Jiang Mi since the founding of the Later Shu state. Naturally, the greater the benefits she received, the higher the price Cui Zi Xuan would pay!

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Mi slowly bit her lip. She gazed ahead, her eyes glazed, and murmured, “I have to ask him… I want to ask him.”

She naturally could not ask. Because Cui Zi Xuan had long since left Shu Capital.

The Three Mothers watched Jiang Mi silently until she calmed down from the news, then Mother Li suddenly said, “The Princess has to move.”

Jiang Mi was startled, and she looked up at Mother Li in a daze.

Seeing her looking bewildered, Mother Gui said from the side, “The Princess is moving.” In a hoarse voice, she explained to Jiang Mi, “Ah’Mi, you are not truly of noble birth. To receive the title of Princess Yihua and live in the Princess’s Mansion is a favor bestowed upon you by the Emperor and the Empress… Now, although His Majesty has spared Ah’Mi’s life, he must be extremely angry with the Princess, so the Princess should not appear in public for a while.”

Jiang Mi understood and quickly asked, “Then where should I move to?”

Mother Gui replied decisively, “To the Taoist temple! The Princess can stay at the Taoist temple and feign repentance!”

…In other words, she was to withdraw from the social circles of Later Shu and temporarily disappear from everyone’s sight?

Jiang Mi frowned and pondered for a while, then whispered, “Then I want lots and lots of books… lots and lots of books I could never finish reading.”

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The Three Mothers had originally thought that Jiang Mi, having gone from poverty to wealth, would surely be reluctant to give up her current luxurious and comfortable life. They were all prepared to offer earnest advice, but they had not expected Jiang Mi to agree so readily!

Hearing her soft, endearing request for many books, the Three Mothers could not help but smile with satisfaction and affection. Mother Li even whispered, “While the Princess may lack the social skills of Her Late Imperial Highness, her composure, magnanimity, and understanding of propriety far surpass Her Late Imperial Highness’s.”

Mother Li was a loyal confidante of Jiang Mi’s mother, and this was arguably the first time she had praised Jiang Mi for being superior to her mother in any way.

…

After making up her mind, Jiang Mi began moving.

After Jiang Mi moved out of the Princess’s Mansion, she did not submit any memorials or explanations to the Emperor of Shu. She knew that the Emperor of Shu probably did not want to hear her name anymore, so at this time, the more discreet and quiet she was, the better.

After moving out of the Princess’s Mansion, Jiang Mi chose to settle in the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Temple.

After paying a large sum of gold, the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Temple specially provided Jiang Mi with a secluded courtyard.

The people of Shu loved hibiscus, and Qingcheng Mountain was especially famous for its sea of ​​hibiscus. Jiang Mi’s courtyard was now surrounded by these hibiscus trees. Imagine her courtyard in the golden autumn of October, when the hibiscus blooms; it must be as beautiful as a fairyland.

In truth, Jiang Mi was by nature a quiet and unassuming person. After moving into the Taoist temple, she was busy reading and learning the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—skills expected of noble ladies. She was incredibly busy. In this hectic pace, Jiang Mi gradually forgot the bustling city of Shu Capital, the grand banquets, the elegant ladies, and even her friends.

A month after Jiang Mi moved into the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist temple, the Empress was banished to the cold palace, leaving the position of Empress of Shu vacant.

From the moment the Empress became the former Empress and was banished to the cold palace, the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist temple was frequently visited. But Jiang Mi refused to leave her house, and no one could find her. Princess Qingyue, Prince Kang, and even the Wu family, to whom the Empress was related, were all turned away.

Jiang Mi vaguely sensed that someone had been peeking into her courtyard, and one rainy night, a series of strange footprints suddenly appeared outside her door… But before Jiang Mi could panic, those furtive figures vanished completely…

Time flew by. Summer passed, then autumn, and now winter.

When another spring arrived, Jiang Mi had turned seventeen.

However, even at this point, the Three Mothers was not ready to let Jiang Mi leave the temple. It was not until early October, when hibiscus flowers bloomed all over Qingcheng Mountain, that the Three Mothers said to Jiang Mi, “Princess, you can go back now.”

Jiang Mi, who had always worn a veil and rarely met outsiders since turning seventeen, had not even had time to rejoice when Mother Li’s excited voice rang out again, “Young Master Cui is about to return to Shu Capital! I heard he made a great contribution to Shu State this time, and even His Majesty is going to personally greet him!”