无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

After departing from the Empress, Jiang Ning let Xiaoman push her leisurely in preparation to leave the palace. As they passed the Imperial Garden, they happened upon the sedan of Concubine Jin.

Xiaoman steered her to one side.

Upon sighting her, Concubine Jin instructed her sedan to pause, waving her over, “Come here.”

Xiaoman propelled the wheelchair towards her.

Concubine Jin inquired, “Where are you coming from?”

“From Her Highness the Empress.”

“Oh.” Concubine Jin slightly nodded, “You left my quarters this morning, went to the Empress, and you are only leaving now?”

It was almost midday.

Essentially, she must have spent over an hour with the Empress.

Jiang Ning jested, “Surely Your Highness Concubine Jin is not planning to invite me to dine?”

“What were you doing with the Empress?” Concubine Jin sidestepped her question, switching to another topic.

“Nothing much, just accompanied the Empress in eating some litchis.”

“Oh, so you have had your fill of litchis, so why would you need my invitation to dine?”

“…” Jiang Ning thought to herself, it was just a courteous remark, yet you are taking it seriously.

Concubine Jin continued, “This morning you came asking a favor from me and left hurriedly after giving me a bag of sunflower seeds. Yet, you seemed to have devoted half of your day serving the Empress.”

Jiang Ning was taken aback, but immediately caught on.

Could it be…. Concubine Jin was jealous?

Concubine Jin indifferently commented, “Apparently my words carry less weight than those of the Empress.”

“No, no, no, how could that be.” Jiang Ning hastily laughed, “Everyone in and out of the palace knows that you are the most favored among the harem. Moreover, our relationship is far more intimate than that with others. The reason I didn’t serve you is precisely because of this closeness.”

“Oh?”

“Your Highness, consider it, given the intimacy of our relationship, I don’t need to bend over backwards to win your favor.”

“Hmph.” Concubine Jin snorted lightly, “Stop giving me such twisted logic. If this happens again, I will not help you anymore.”

“Yes, yes, yes, if I spend an hour serving the Empress, I will surely spend two hours serving Your Highness.”

“Tell me, why did you want the emperor’s eldest grandson to stay in the residence of the Prince of Yu? Is taking care of two children not enough for you?”

“I am not fond of taking care of children, but I feel pity for Xiaoqian. Besides, with the Prince of Yu absent, I feel responsible for taking care of him a little more. After forcing the Prince of Yu out, the Crown Prince and Princess Consort view Xiaoqian as an eyesore. Xiaoqian’s life in the East Palace would not have been easy.”

“Neither the Emperor nor the Empress care for their eldest grandson.”

“What others do is none of my concern. I only follow my heart.”

“You certainly have a way with words.” Despite her words, Concubine Jin’s tone softened significantly, “His Majesty has agreed, for now, to allow Xiaoqian to reside in the Prince of Yu’s residence. From now on, the child will be your responsibility. If you take good care of him, that is your duty. If you fail, you will be held accountable.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning joyfully responded, “Thank you, Your Highness. When I get back, I’ll be sure to prepare some tasty dishes to send over to you.”

“Ensure that your actions match your words. You can go now.”

Concubine Jin retracted her gaze, sat in her sedan, and then slowly drifted away.

As she watched her receding figure, Jiang Ning mused, regardless of whether the Emperor views her as a substitute for Lin Zizi, his affection for her is genuine.

In the entire harem, the only person capable of influencing the Emperor’s decisions is her.

Perhaps it’s precisely because of her aloof nature, her unwillingness to interfere even in matters concerning her own son, that the Emperor behaves the way he does?

Jiang Ning shook her head, deciding not to think too much about it, and said to Xiaoman, “Let’s go home.”

Upon their return to the Prince of Yu’s residence, Xiaoqian was anxiously standing at the entrance..