GTB Chapter 151

Chapter 153: Choosing Concubines

The Next Day

Jiang Jiuchu had just finished her breakfast when the Empress Dowager sent someone to summon her to the palace.

Inside the carriage, Luoluo asked Jiang Jiuchu with concern, “Miss, His Highness only left yesterday, and the Empress Dowager is summoning you to the palace today. Could it be that she heard something from Governess Li and wants to make things difficult for you?”

Jiang Jiuchu shook her head. “Governess Li doesn’t know the whole story, so the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have heard much.”

Although Jiang Jiuchu said so, she was already thinking about how to respond.

After all, although the Empress Dowager didn’t know the specifics of that night, she knew that she and Shí Yan hadn’t consummated their marriage, and that Shí Yan had elaborately decorated the room the day before but ended up sleeping in the study. The Empress Dowager would definitely sense something was wrong.

She sighed inwardly, wondering how she should respond to the Empress Dowager’s questions.

Cining Palace

The Empress Dowager was sipping cool tea, with a stack of portraits on the tea table beside her. A small palace maid behind her was respectfully fanning her with a folding fan.

Governess Li, standing beside her, glanced at the portraits beside the Empress Dowager and suddenly felt that she had been too talkative this time. Were there some things she shouldn’t have reported?

As the mistress and servant were lost in their own thoughts, a small palace maid led Jiang Jiuchu into the hall.

“Granddaughter-in-law greets the Imperial Grandmother,” Jiang Jiuchu said, bowing to the Empress Dowager.

“Sit here!” the Empress Dowager said, picking up a stack of portraits and handing them to Jiang Jiuchu, who had just sat down.

“I’m planning to choose a few concubines for Yan’er, but it’s more appropriate for you, the Princess Consort, to handle this matter. So, take a look and help Yan’er choose a few to serve him in the manor.”

Jiang Jiuchu’s body stiffened as she sat down. Looking at the stack of portraits the Empress Dowager handed her, she paused, then slowly reached out to take them, saying, “Yes.”

As she responded, she pretended to look at the portraits, but her mind was racing.

She felt that the Empress Dowager was probably doing this on purpose, but what could she do?

Directly refusing was definitely not an option, but she didn’t want to and couldn’t do this.

After all, she had just angered Shí Yan, and then she would be helping him take concubines. There would only be two possible outcomes.

One was that Shí Yan would dislike her even more.

The other was that Shí Yan, in a fit of anger or for other reasons, would directly accept these women.

After flipping through a few portraits, she looked at the Empress Dowager and said, “Imperial Grandmother, these ladies all look very good, but…”

“But what?” The Empress Dowager picked up her teacup and drank calmly, her expression unreadable.

Jiang Jiuchu swallowed nervously. “But I don’t know what kind of woman His Highness likes. I’m afraid that if I rashly bring someone into the manor, it will displease His Highness and be unfair to these women.”

The Empress Dowager put down her teacup. “Then it means you, the Princess Consort, haven’t been attentive enough. It hasn’t been a long time since you got married, but it hasn’t been short either. You don’t even know what your own husband likes?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s heart tightened, and she quickly stood up to apologize. “It’s my fault. I will definitely pay more attention in the future.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the Empress Dowager and continued, “However… although I don’t know what kind of woman His Highness likes, I do know that His Highness doesn’t like others making decisions for him. At least, I definitely can’t make decisions for His Highness.”

“But if Imperial Grandmother personally arranges it, then I think that with His Highness’s consistent filial piety and respect for you, he naturally wouldn’t dare to have any objections.”

The Empress Dowager looked at Jiang Jiuchu, her eyes flashing with shrewdness. “In that case, take these portraits back to the manor and give them to Yan’er to choose himself when he returns. After all, you said that if I personally arrange it, he wouldn’t dare to have any objections, not that he has no objections.”

“If he doesn’t like any of them at that time, tell me, and I will personally arrange it then.”

“Yes, I will definitely do as you say,” Jiang Jiuchu said, secretly relieved. It seemed that this was a warning from the Empress Dowager.

“Yes.” The Empress Dowager nodded and looked at Jiang Jiuchu. “Sit down! Stay and have lunch with me before returning to the manor.”

“Yes.” Jiang Jiuchu smiled and sat down, her eyes darting around. She felt that she needed to appease the Empress Dowager, otherwise her impression of her would only get worse.

After thinking for a moment, she took the initiative to chat with the Empress Dowager, and as they chatted, she began to tell her the stories she loved to hear most.

These stories were told by a famous storyteller in Ning An County, about an ordinary person with special abilities who sought the path to enlightenment and became a Buddha.

She felt that her grandmother and the Empress Dowager were about the same age, and if her grandmother loved to listen to them, the Empress Dowager should also love to hear them.

Sure enough, the bizarre stories, combined with Jiang Jiuchu’s vivid descriptions, kept the Empress Dowager engrossed until lunch was served. The Empress Dowager was still enjoying herself.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiuchu did not leave after lunch, but continued to tell the Empress Dowager the story from the morning, until the sun began to set, and she had finished the first half of the story.

“Imperial Grandmother, the story of his experiences before becoming a Buddha is finished, but there are also stories about him after becoming a Buddha. I will continue to tell you when I have time in the future.”

“There are still stories after becoming a Buddha?” the Empress Dowager asked Jiang Jiuchu curiously.

Jiang Jiuchu smiled and nodded. “Yes, there are. I will come to the palace in a few days to tell Imperial Grandmother.”

“Good, it’s getting late, hurry back to the manor!” The Empress Dowager had long lost her earlier indifference and looked at Jiang Jiuchu with a loving expression.

“Then I will return to the manor first?” Jiang Jiuchu said goodbye, not forgetting to pick up the stack of portraits.

Governess Li watched Jiang Jiuchu leave, then turned her gaze back and smiled at the Empress Dowager. “I didn’t expect the Princess Consort to be so good at telling stories. It’s much more interesting than watching those operas. This old servant was captivated.”

“She’s quite good at coaxing people,” the Empress Dowager said, picking up her teacup and taking a sip. “She’s also clever. Look at her rhetoric for refusing to choose concubines. She’s measured and airtight.”

“Indeed, what the Seventh Princess Consort said not only puts her husband first, but also flatters you and distances herself.”

Governess Li saw the Empress Dowager stand up and quickly stepped forward to support her, continuing, “The person that His Highness has taken a liking to certainly won’t be bad. And in this old servant’s opinion… the Princess Consort should like His Highness, otherwise she wouldn’t have declined the matter of taking concubines, nor would she have taken the trouble to please you, Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager walked towards the outside of the house, saying, “It’s hard to say. We’ll see what happens after Yan’er returns. If the two of them still can’t unite, I will really have to choose another concubine for Yan’er.”

Governess Li smiled and responded softly, not saying anything more.

She felt that the Empress Dowager was just saying it casually. Perhaps after the Princess Consort enters the palace two more times and coaxes the Empress Dowager twice more, the Empress Dowager won’t think that way.

Besides, the Princess Consort was right about one thing: the Seventh Prince doesn’t like others making decisions for him. If the Seventh Prince doesn’t want a concubine, the Empress Dowager probably won’t be able to force one into the manor.

On the palace road, the setting sun shone on the mistress and servant like broken gold.

Luoluo looked at the portraits in her hand and asked Jiang Jiuchu, “Miss, are you really going to show these portraits to His Highness then?”

“Yes, it’s the Empress Dowager’s order, so I naturally have to show them to him, but!”