Caught off guard, Consort Jin instinctively tried to cover her face, but her hand was caught by her.
âWhatâs wrong? Does he not treat you well?â
Her eyes were clear, carrying concern as they did many years ago. Back then, she was aloof and indifferent, with no playmates and no one to talk to. At a flower banquet, she was ridiculed by a certain girl saying how the concubine at her home was comparable to the wife. At that time, Concubine Yulan had just given birth to another son and her mother was heartbroken over this. She was angry but there was nothing she could do. She couldnât help herself and started to fight with the other party.
It was a pity that she was too weak and she was also on her own while the other party had two sisters. Pushed to the ground, she was filled with grief and anger, and that was the moment where she appeared.
Decisive and courageous, she carried a sense of righteousness and pride that only belonged to heroines in novels.
Dressed in red, she was as beautiful as a flame.
She rushed up and slapped each of the sisters, forbidding them to tell others about this matter or else sheâd slap them whenever she saw them. The two sisters were frightened and immediately ran away. Only then did she find out who she was. Her saviour was He Wanyi, the di daughter of Marquis Anqingâs family, and a girl with a reputation for being unruly.
That year, they were both thirteen years old.
Since then, she has gained a new friend.
Consort Jin retracted her messy thoughts and slowly returned to her senses. She lowered her eyes and smiled, and said, âI was only dazzled a bit by the sun.â
Consort Yong sighed in relief, then spoke with hesitation, âThen how have you been over these past few years?â
It seemed that once this first sentence was said, the rest of her words were easier to say. Consort Yongâs tone was filled with melancholy as she said, âOver these years, Iâve always wanted to see you but I never had the chance. Every time I entered the capital, Iâd think to myself that I could finally see you again, but I never did.â
âMy body isnât good and I canât travel long distances so I rarely go out. If it werenât for celebrating Father Emperorâs fiftieth birthday, I wouldnât have entered the capital.â
âI see. Iâd forgotten that your health isnât very good.â
Consort Jin smiled lightly, âYes, after all, we havenât seen each other in many years. Itâs normal to forget.â She glanced at Consort Yong, and immediately lowered her eyes, âDoes fourth sister-in-law still have anything else to say? If not, then Iâll get going.â Her eyes landed on the otherâs hand that was still holding onto hers.
As if being scalded, Consort Yong quickly released her hand, and there was even a touch of embarrassment on her face.
âI donât have anything else. Itâs just seeing you here, standing all aloneâŠâ
âThen Iâll be on my way.â She lowered her head and was about to leave.
But before she could step away, she was held back by Consort Yong. During the brief struggle, she met the otherâs eyes. Those eyes were filled with pain, struggle, and guilt, and she suddenly forgot to look away.
âYanru, Iâve always been worried about you. If we held back that time⊠Actually, I never expected that itâd be so coincidental, that theyâd bump into each other⊠Do you know what Iâve been through these years? Youâre aware of the situation in my family⊠I had no choice but to ingratiate myself with him and to work hard to be a qualified consort⊠I thought you knew me, I thought you could do it as well, but I never expected⊠âŠDid you know how anxious I felt on your behalf after not hearing any news of your pregnancy these years? With our status, weâre destined to live for others, we must submit, we have toâŠâ
âStop talking!â Consort Jin shouted abruptly, stopping Consort Yongâs rambling.
She took a deep breath. Seemingly looking into the Consort Yongâs eyes, her eyes were actually out of focus.
âIâm doing well, Iâm fine the way things are. You know how my body is. Itâs not because of you, itâs not because of some other âthingâ, itâs just the way things are.â She smiled, âYou donât need to explain yourself or feel guilty. Donât blame yourself.â
âI have to go.â
Once she spoke, she turned and left, walking at a quick pace.
âThen are we still friends?â A voice came from behind.
She paused, then nodded for a long time.
âThatâs good.â She heard a relieved voice and walked away even more hastily.
At noon, there was a banquet in Kunning Palace.
After the banquet, as soon as Yaoniang left Kunning Palace, she saw Jin Wang holding Xiaobao walking in her direction.
Without further ado, the group of people left the palace and returned to Jin Wang Manor.
Jin Wang seemed to have drunk some alcohol, so instead of riding a horse, he shared a carriage with Yaoniang. On the way back, he told Yaoniang that the decree would soon come down.
His words were completely out of the blue, so Yaoniang was a bit stunned when she heard them. Then she realized that he was talking about the imperial decree that would title her as a side consort.
To say she felt unhappy would be false. He had only mentioned this to her once, and she didnât expect that heâd get it done so soon.
âYour Highness, thank you.â
Jin Wang snorted, looking a little unhappy.
Yaoniang was a bit surprised at his reaction. She couldnât help thinking whether Jin Wang was admonished by the emperor for giving her this title.
But when she took a closer look at Jin Wangâs appearance, she found that his eyes were on Xiaobao.
Xiaobao was still young and didnât have much strength. Normally, during carriage rides, he would be held in someoneâs arms or he would be sitting on a soft cushion. Today, he was sitting on a big pillow that Yaoniang had made for him before leaving Jinzhou.
The pillow was very soft, wide and big. Nestled inside, it was like a small bed specially made for him. Leaning on it like a lazy cat, he seemed to be preoccupied playing with the carriage curtains. But he was actually listening to Jin Wang and Yaoniangâs conversation with his ears perked.
Jin Wang looked over. Xiaobao paused, then continued to play with the curtains in his hands.
Yaoniang asked, âYour Highness, why are you looking at Xiaobao like that?â
Jin Wang sneered and Yaoniang couldnât understand why.