Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 210

Chapter 210: What Did She Give?

A eunuch, surrounded by a group of palace guards, hurried in. Upon seeing the tense scene, the eunuch shrieked, “Oh dear, what are you doing? Get out of the way!”

After his words persuaded the guards on both sides to lower their hands from their swords, the eunuch turned to Jiang Mi and General Li and said, “Gentlemen, it’s getting late. His Majesty is still waiting for you in the main hall.”

Urged by Eunuch Zhang, no one dared to delay. Cui Ziying, having just helped her grandmother into the carriage, hurriedly called to Jiang Mi, “Big Sister Yang, please sit with us.”

Jiang Mi, who was instructing the guards at that moment, turned and saw the gazes of Cui Ziying and Old Madam Cui. She thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Alright.”

Almost as soon as the word “alright” left Jiang Mi’s lips, Old Madam Cui felt a sense of relief. But the next moment, her expression became complicated: this Lady Yang, whom she had only met twice—why did she feel a sense of security upon hearing that she was sharing the carriage with her?

Throughout her life, Old Madam Cui had rarely encountered anyone who could give her such a sense of security. Thus, ever since Jiang Mi sat down, Old Madam Cui’s expression remained complex.

Looking at Jiang Mi, who had closed her eyes to rest since boarding the carriage, Cui Ziying leaned closer and whispered, “Big Sister Yang, why did His Majesty summon us to the palace?” She was a little afraid, so she bit her lip tightly.

Jiang Mi opened her eyes, glanced at Cui Ziying, and could not help but reach out to stroke her hair, saying gently, “It must be because of that incident at the restaurant that day.”

The restaurant incident? Cui Ziying’s face turned deathly pale.

She gripped Jiang Mi’s sleeve tightly, her voice trembling as she asked, “Then, Big Sister Yang, His Majesty, how will he handle this case?”

Jiang Mi knew what she was worried about. Just as she was about to speak, the deep, authoritative voice of Old Madam Cui came from the side: “The restaurant incident? Ah’Ying, what exactly happened at the restaurant that day? What’s the truth? Are you still going to keep it from your grandmother?”

Old Madam Cui’s words, even before they were spoken, made Cui Ziying’s face turn deathly pale, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Jiang Mi turned to look at Old Madam Cui and said gently, “Old Madam, this era is truly different from the peaceful and prosperous times of the past. What do you think?”

Under Old Madam Cui’s watchful gaze, Jiang Mi continued softly, “Nowadays, there are countless large and small ‘states’ throughout the land. Those military generals, once they have some troops, dare to seize land, claim fiefdoms, and call themselves ‘states.’ Some of these illiterate military generals who have established their ‘states’ even go so far as to exterminate scholars and literati and utterly ravage former prominent families. Have you heard of this, Old Madam?”

If Old Madam Cui had not subconsciously trusted Jiang Mi, she, given her status, would have been quite impatient to be lectured like this by a junior. Her face darkened, and she said, “What does Lady Yang want to say?”

Jiang Mi sighed softly and said gently, “What I mean is, in this world, outsiders have already inflicted enough persecution upon us. There’s no need for our family to be bound by outdated ideas and use them to persecute our own descendants.”

Old Madam Cui understood. She abruptly turned to look at Cui Ziying and asked in a deep voice, “So, Ziying, you were at the restaurant that day?”

Upon hearing her grandmother’s words, Cui Ziying’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She covered her face with her sleeve and began to sob.

Hearing her granddaughter’s cries, Old Madam Cui understood immediately. Her face turned both pale and ashen.

To Old Madam Cui, descendants of their family, even if they died as the last person, should die with a clear conscience. Chaos was temporary; the family’s legacy was eternal.

This very belief explained why, even though they knew Jiang Mi’s existence was highly beneficial to their clan, they did not hesitate to expel her from the clan after questioning her innocence. In their view, as long as the clan survived this chaotic period, it could continue for hundreds or even thousands more years, just as before. But if the clan’s traditions changed, even if it ultimately survived, it would become a laughingstock.

Similarly, for Old Madam Cui, enough had already died in the clan. She truly did not want any more loss among the few remaining members.

Just as Old Madam Cui’s face turned extremely pale, and she hesitated indecisively, while Cui Ziying sobbed softly, Jiang Mi gently stroked Cui Ziying’s hair and whispered, “Old Madam, the most important thing in life is to go with the flow. If you’re too stubborn, you will be like a tree in a storm; because you will not bend, you will be uprooted by the wind!”

Upon hearing Jiang Mi’s words, Old Madam Cui’s expression changed drastically.

Ignoring her chilling gaze, Jiang Mi continued slowly, “History is always written by the victors. Perhaps similar things happened in the chaotic Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties three hundred years ago, but people were too unrestrained to care. Then, once peace returned, those in power waved their hands, and family rules were re-established?”

Almost immediately after Jiang Mi uttered these words, Old Madam Cui coldly snapped, “Lady Yang, watch your words!”

Because Jiang Mi had just been making wild guesses about her ancestors, Old Madam Cui’s face immediately darkened.

Seeing that Old Madam Cui no longer wanted to pay attention to her, Jiang Mi looked away. Seeing that Cui Ziying seemed terrified, she leaned close and whispered a few words in her ear.

Strangely enough, no one knew what Lady Yang had said to Cui Ziying, but in the blink of an eye, Cui Ziying stopped sobbing. Then, she slowly looked up at Lady Yang, and gradually, Cui Ziying’s eyes brightened. She nodded vigorously at Lady Yang and said in a thick nasal voice, “Yes!”

At this moment, they arrived at the palace gate.

Old Lady Cui slowly stepped down from the carriage. As soon as she alighted, several guards surrounded Lady Yang. They bowed respectfully and presented her with a stack of documents. Lady Yang glanced at them casually and then slipped them into her sleeve.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mi and her two companions entered the palace gates.

Emperor Chai Rong was an incorruptible ruler, and having only recently ascended the throne, the Bianliang Emperor’s Palace was very simply built—essentially a combination of former wealthy family residences, renovated and restored.

When Jiang Mi and her companions arrived, the palace was filled with civil and military officials, both inside and outside. As soon as Jiang Mi ascended the steps, she was met with the gazes of the Zhao brothers.

As Jiang Mi approached the Zhao brothers, she paused slightly, and after saying something, Old Madam Cui noticed that the two brothers, who always seemed rather somber, seemed to smile slightly.

When the three of them entered the main hall, Cui Ziying found it filled with people. Standing at the very front was Crown Prince Chai Zongxun. To his side, General Li, who had arrived earlier, had clearly just finished reporting to Chai Rong and was now turning to glare menacingly at the three of them.

Once the three of them were in position, Chai Rong, seated at the head of the table, spoke, his tone weary and resigned, “Lady Yang.”

Jiang Mi responded and stepped forward.

Chai Rong sighed and slowly said, “These days, I’ve repeatedly heard people complaining to me about Madam.” He then gestured to a stack of memorials on the table and said to a eunuch, “Show these to Lady Yang.”

“Yes.” The eunuch took the memorials and strode to Jiang Mi.

Jiang Mi reached out and took the memorials, casually opening one and flipping through it.

Cui Ziying stood not far behind Jiang Mi. Looking up, she saw a memorial stating, “Lady Yang is arrogant and domineering, coercing vulnerable young women into writing obscene documents.” Then, she saw a second memorial saying, “Lady Yang, a mere merchant’s wife, sends people everywhere to gather intelligence; her intentions are unknown.” A third memorial stated, “Lady Yang’s words are offensive, and her attitude is extremely disrespectful to the women of the harem; it is feared she harbors rebellious intentions.”

Reading through these memorials, even a single glance filled Cui Ziying with dread. In an instant, Cui Ziying’s palms were soaked with sweat. She looked up at Chai Rong, whose expression was inscrutable, and felt that if Lady Yang were not a woman, she would likely have already been executed on Chai Rong’s orders!

Jiang Mi quickly finished reading the stack of memorials.

As the eunuch collected the memorial, Chai Rong’s calm voice rang out, “Does Lady Yang have anything to say?”

Almost immediately after Chai Rong uttered these words, the Crown Prince, General Li, and Consort Xian’s relatives, who knew Chai Rong’s character best, simultaneously smiled. Knowing Chai Rong as they did, his words meant he intended to kill Lady Yang!

The hall fell silent.

Even Cui Ziying and Old Madam Cui, who were unfamiliar with Chai Rong’s character, felt the chilling atmosphere and the impending terror.

In the silence, Jiang Mi took a stack of documents from her sleeve and bowed respectfully, presenting them to His Majesty, saying, “I have something to say; please take a look.” Her composure, even at this point, was so remarkable that even Chai Zongxun could not help but glance at her sideways.

Chai Rong nodded and said, “Bring it here.”

“Yes.”

In the blink of an eye, the stack of documents Jiang Mi presented was placed before Chai Rong.

Chai Rong glanced at it casually, then paused, staring intently at Jiang Mi for a moment before lowering his head to carefully examine the documents.

He examined the documents with exceptional seriousness, and after nearly half an hour, Chai Rong’s deep, slow voice finally rang out, “I recall Lady Yang arrived in Bianliang less than a month ago.” He slowly closed the stack of documents, looked at Jiang Mi earnestly, and said, “Your talent is indeed extraordinary!”

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances. They could not understand what Lady Yang had presented to Chai Rong that had caused his tone to shift so dramatically, now praising her intelligence.

Just then, Chai Rong stood up. His hand rested on the stack of documents, and he said in a deep voice, “Alright, it’s getting late. Gentlemen, dismiss the court.”

Huh?

Ahhh??

Crown Prince Chai Zongxun, General Li, and the assembled officials were all stunned.

Chai Rong simply waved his hand and said in a clear voice, “Alright, stop standing there; hurry up and leave.”

With that, he dismissed the eunuchs who rushed to help, picked up the stack of documents, and strode out.

Amidst the murmurs in the hall, Jiang Mi and the other two also left the hall.

Even after sitting in the carriage, Cui Ziying was still confused. As the carriage drove on, Old Madam Cui, who had been watching Jiang Mi, suddenly asked politely, “I really do not understand. Just now, Madam was clearly surrounded by enemies, and even His Majesty harbored prejudice against her. What did Madam give to make His Majesty let her go without asking any questions?” She was genuinely polite, even respectful. When Jiang Mi looked up at Old Madam Cui, she found that this old woman, who always judged people by their status, now looked at her with awe and reverence.