Chapter 141 - 121: The Vase Regent
Jiang Ke was a proper man. Even after becoming an official, he never developed a habit of carousing.
He had seen song and dance performances before, though not many. He knew they were performed by beautiful young women with graceful figures. He had also heard about how his own daughter’s dance at the Longevity Festival had captivated the Capital. "Did Xian’er tell the Emperor her dancing skills were a family tradition? If so, they should have summoned me! What does a man like you know about dancing... But since Xian’er has already made the boast, I don’t care. As head of this house, you have to back her up. Go learn how to dance before we go to the Capital!"
Jiang Ke was taken aback. "Nonsense!"
"Deceiving the Emperor is a grave crime. Are you not going to cover for your daughter’s lie?"
Since they had no living parents to care for and were still in their prime, moving the entire family to the Capital was not a difficult matter.
Ms. Zhang shot him a glare and went back into the room to pack the ancestral tablets.
Leaving Father Jiang—Jiang Ke—alone, bewildered, and helpless.
Soon after, along with the imperial edict, a letter from Lady Gu was delivered into Jiang Ke’s hands.
Besides the letter, there were also a thousand taels of silver.
Jiang Ke called his wife out to read the letter with him. Ms. Zhang was polishing the ancestral tablets she was holding. "Just read it out loud."
"Our daughter knows you don’t read much, so she wrote it in simple language. Just read it yourself. You still need me to read it to you?"
Jiang Ke glanced at the letter’s contents.
There were some embarrassing parts, so he was reluctant to read it aloud and wanted her to read it herself.
Ms. Zhang gave him a withering look. "I’ve brought out the ancestral tablets. Shouldn’t the ancestors and your former wife get to hear what she has to say? In three generations, this is the first time the Jiang family has produced a ranked concubine. A letter from the Imperial Palace should be heard by the entire family."
Since she had put it that way, Jiang Ke had no choice but to brace himself and read the letter.
Their daughter wrote that while the saying goes "be frugal at home but generous on the road," they should not reveal their wealth on their journey to the Capital. The silver was to be held onto for emergencies and for settling down after arriving, to buy a suitable courtyard home to live in.
"Father, Mother, you need not worry. The source of the silver is completely legitimate..."
Jiang Ke was just starting to feel relieved when he saw the next line: "It’s money your daughter won from a Noble Consort playing chess."
"..."
’Why is my daughter gambling in the palace?!’
’And for such high stakes!’
Even an official like him knew that gambling was forbidden in the harem.
[Father and Mother, rest assured. The Palace Rules forbid gambling, so your daughter won the silver from the Noble Consort while accompanying the Empress Dowager to a temple to offer incense.]
Gambling in a temple... He could almost hear the sound of the Jiang family’s karmic merit being wiped clean.
[Your daughter is doing well in the harem. The matter of being an accompanying dancer was just a joke by the Emperor. Once Father arrives in the Capital, the Emperor has his own arrangements. Also, your daughter has an agreement over tea with Noble Princess Consort Rong. I must trouble Father to make a trip to the Rong Mansion on my behalf and pour a cup of tea for General Rong.]
Jiang Xian had explained the situation briefly in her letter without going into too much detail.
But even as a greenhorn in the political arena, Jiang Ke understood that his daughter was worried her old father would be lost and unfamiliar with the Capital. She had even arranged a patron for him in advance; all he had to do was show up and pay his respects.
With a daughter like this, what more could a father ask for?
At the end of the letter, the first important matter Jiang Xian urged them to attend to was having a second child.
She had no one in the imperial court. Since her "main account" wasn’t working out, she needed them to hurry up and create a "side account."
Jiang Ke thought, ’Isn’t my eldest daughter doing quite well?’
’She’s already a Concubine.’
Then he thought again and understood. The "main account that wasn’t working out" was him.
"Honestly, Xian’er... telling her parents what to do in the bedroom."
Ms. Zhang’s face flushed with heat. She also wanted to hurry and have a son, so the family line wouldn’t be without an heir. That way, after she and Jiang Ke passed away, Xian’er would still have support from her maternal family. If she had a son, and Xian’er was ever mistreated by her husband’s family after getting married, her little brother could go and demand justice for her. The siblings would be there for each other. But she had been anxious about this for years to no avail; her belly remained stubbornly silent.
The letter also included two packets of medicine.
Jiang Xian instructed them to brew it for her mother only after they had settled down in the Capital.
Fearing the letter might pass through other hands, she didn’t mention a single word about the medicine’s effects, betting on Ms. Zhang’s trust in her.
※
「Back in the harem.」
System: [Host, this is the first time you’ve bought Fertility Pills, and you’re not even using them on yourself. The approval process was exhausting for this system.]
Jiang Xian: [One must have a long-term vision. My future imperial son’s companion reader must be cultivated from the womb.]
Jiang Xian: [And no matter how difficult the approval was, it must have been easier than for that person who wanted to feed Fertility Pills to their pigs and cows to develop their livestock business!]
The system thought about it and agreed.
At least it was being used on a person. It decided not to be picky.
The other packet of medicine was for gentle nourishment and recuperation. Back when the original owner of this body was dumped by a scumbag who broke off their engagement, Ms. Zhang had gone to his home to demand an explanation. But her "combat power" was too low; she wasn’t as thick-skinned as the scumbag’s mother and ended up being showered with cold sarcasm instead. When she returned home and saw her stepdaughter, whom she had raised since childhood, fall ill from pent-up grief, the anger damaged her own health... Jiang Xian wanted to fulfill the original owner’s filial duty and had to ensure her stepmother was well taken care of.
As for that family, she would bide her time. Sooner or later, there would be a reckoning.
Since their character was to despise the poor and chase after the rich, seeing the Jiang family prosper would probably be more painful for them than being sliced by a dull knife.
The system stopped being picky and instead asked the Host when she would get a dose of medicine for herself.
Jiang Xian wasn’t in a hurry. She still had missions to complete.
"Greetings, Lady Gu."
In Qingliu Hall, a separate screen and seat had been set up for Jiang Xian.
After the first day, the summoned officials had all been asked some intimidating questions by the Emperor. Only those who could answer well and had a strong mentality were kept. Realizing the Emperor was cultivating his own group of confidants, those selected were both ecstatic and terrified. When the Emperor clashed with the old ministers, those court veterans couldn’t do anything to the Emperor, but they could certainly make an example of these new officials who served him. The risks of being a loyalist without backing were enormous; they could become cannon fodder at any moment. But if they tried to quit now, they’d instantly become a cup of ashes.
Fortunately, none of them had disappointed the Emperor.
Jiang Xian thus became the smokescreen for their meetings. From time to time, a romantic poem or two would be released, said to be a masterpiece composed in Qingliu Hall that had even earned the Emperor’s praise.
Lady Gu’s reputation grew to legendary proportions. She became the Emperor’s most cherished and favored concubine, whom he couldn’t be without. It was said that he even had to have her by his side when composing poetry with the Hanlin Officials—an incredible honor.
Because she lacked backing from any powerful aristocratic family, the Emperor was very much at ease with her and didn’t avoid discussing matters in her presence. The officials believed that with her humble origins and her role as a beautiful ornament, she wouldn’t understand anything even if she listened in, so they paid her no mind. She, in turn, offered no opinions, simply listening quietly from behind the screen and occasionally peeling a tangerine to feed to the Emperor.
However, after listening for two days, Jiang Xian identified a problem.
Qingliu Hall was short on experienced talent. It was full of interns.
Of course, these were no ordinary interns. To be able to stand before the Emperor, they were all top-tier prodigies; the kind of geniuses for whom simply graduating from an elite institution wouldn’t be enough to even get a foot in the Hanlin Academy’s door. In theory, the Emperor held the best possible hand, a one-in-a-million draw. Every one of them was an SSR-rank character, but they had zero practical experience. Pitting them against those old foxes in the court would likely result in one or two being sacrificed.
Jiang Xian decided it was time to create some opportunities to shine.