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Chapter 473 The Miserable Former Emperor

Actually, it was not their fault.

The second branch and the fifth branch had few male heirs in this generation. Although the girls led a luxurious life as well, they were far less cosseted than their cousins in Sir Jibei’s Mansion and Marquess Qin’s Mansion in Jing City.

When Jiang Huiyan and Jiang Huili were in Kui County, they had been in their boudoirs and never been out for banquets. Otherwise, when they heard that they were going to the banquet in the palace, they would not have been so timid as to refuse it on the pretext of being ill. After Madame Ho’s consolation and enlightenment, they finally entered the palace for the banquet. But it could be imagined that how they were both excited and apprehensive!

After the banquet started, while the song and dance shows were going on, they toasted several times with people around them. It was after they had a few glasses of fruit drink that they began to relax.

Once relaxed, the two sisters became curious and looked around frequently. It was common for people like them as it was their first time to be in the palace.

But they had only been in Jing City for a few months. And their fathers had no official position. Moreover, their aunts and uncles happened to either be busy or have other concerns. So, they were not brought into the social circle of noble women in Jing City. After several drinks, the hall began to be completely livened up. But the two sisters were sitting there alone, without anyone going to talk to them. They had thought to listen to what their cousins were talking about. But they grew up in different circles and so they felt unable to enter the conversation.

The girls were so embarrassed that they wanted to go for a walk and see what the palace looked like outside the hall. In so doing, they entered the palace and could see something, didn’t they?

A young maid showed them the way. They just wandered around outside the hall and saw what appeared to be two people in the shadows in the corner.

That was not the point. The point was that before they could see if it was two people and what they were doing here, a pair of dark green pupils suddenly appeared in the darkness behind them!

“Ah!”

Without even thinking, the two sisters screamed hysterically. By the time the hall was rattled and a tidal wave of armoured soldiers came over and surrounded them, Jiang Huiyan had even fainted from sheer terror!

... And then before the eunuch steward, who had rushed to ask what had happened on behalf of Empress Dowager Jiang, could console the two sisters, he was stunned by the scene in the corner illuminated by the lantern torches raised by the armoured soldiers. There were indeed two people in the corner.

One of them was a woman, who was no stranger to the people around.

It was Old Concubine Fan.

The deadly thing was that the other person was a man.

Adding to the problem, the man was dressed in the costumes of the Imperial Guard.

What made the eunuch steward want to die a million times over was that even though the two people, pale as death, had parted and done their best to straighten up with faces ashen, it was hard to say that they were fully clothed.

If only a few or a dozen people had seen it, it might have been possible to keep it quiet.

Unfortunately, Jiang Huiyan and Jiang Huili’s shout was so loud that it drew almost all of the Imperial Guard nearby garrison over. There were at least hundreds who had seen it on the spot. How could it be kept quiet?

The eunuch steward moved as if in a dream and ordered someone to send Jiang Huiyan and Jiang Huili to the side hall. And then he returned to the hall and reported as if nothing had happened, “Your Grace, Your Majesties, it’s no big deal outside. The two junior young ladies of the Jiang Family were startled by a leopard cat and so they screamed. They are still reeling from that. So, I have asked someone to take them to the side hall. And after tidying themselves up, they will make amends to you!”

Empress Dowager Jiang believed it and said with a smile, “Anyone would be shocked when a pair of eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness! Besides, as it is their first time entering the palace, they may get nervous. It is natural for them to scream. Send two bowls of tranquilizing soup and tell them not to panic. They don’t need to come and make amends. It’s the lunar new year. I’m going to let it go.”

And again, she said, “Have the soldiers look around. If there are any leopard cats, drive them away, so as not to scare anyone again!”

The eunuch steward dared not raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat. He said yes, forcing himself to be calm, and then excused himself. Only when he heard that the hall had resumed its bustle did he lean back against the pillar and order his trusted junior eunuch, “Go inside later and ask the maid who serves wine to spill some on Her Majesty’s dress. In that case, Her Majesty can walk out and change her dress!”

With that, the eunuch steward reported to Empress Dowager Jiang in person what happened. Empress Dowager Jiang almost vomited blood at the news, “Who was that man?”

Old concubine. Just by hearing this title, it could tell that she was someone left when the former Emperor was alive! Empress Dowager Jiang remembered that Old Concubine Fan was a new favorite of the former Emperor, who had been taken as a concubine only six months before his death!

In the past, Jiang Yadan also seduced the concubines of the former Emperor. He often used his identity as the General of the Feather Squad to have a date in the quiet corners of the palace. But Jiang Yadan at least knew that he should ask the concubines to meet in the Ganli Palace, where he was in charge of the garrison and not many people were around. However, this man was so bold that he had the audacity to do such a thing not far from the hall where the banquet was held!

Empress Dowager Jiang was outraged, “What kind of place did they think this was? What a heartless and shameless act! Did they have any respect for Emperor, Empress, and me? They, they...” Empress Dowager Jiang was so angry that she could not speak!

“That man was... Yan... Yan Linxue, the Commander Yan! The eunuch steward reported in a buzzing voice as he got down on his knees, hands and head, not daring to look up.

“What about the commander of the Imperial Guard who is in charge of the banquet? Who is that? How could he let him in?”

“... It’s Commander Yan!” The eunuch steward carefully replied. After that, Empress Dowager Jiang didn’t make a sound for a long time. When the eunuch steward was getting more and more frightened, he suddenly heard a muffled “bang”. He looked up, only to find that Empress Dowager Jiang fall onto the carpet with her arms and legs open. She had passed out!

The eunuch steward slipped and staggered to go out, asking Maid Lin to come in. They hurriedly sent Empress Dowager Jiang to Hall of Taishi for rest and called the imperial doctor over... During this period of time, the news spread that the old concubine left behind by the former Emperor had an affair with the commander of the Imperial Guard in the palace not far from the banquet!

After all, there were so many people witnessing the affair. The eunuch steward ordered that the Imperial Guard be transferred from elsewhere to take over the guarding of the banquet in the palace. And he made these people assemble quickly and warned them that they should keep it secret. But as mentioned before, almost all the guards guarding the banquet in the palace had been drawn there. If they were to be replaced together, there was no way that the noise could be hidden from Emperor and ministers in the palace who were feasting.

It didn’t matter much if the palace scandal was spread out immediately. But if there was any misunderstanding that the banquet of Lunar New Year’s Eve was actually a trap for murder, there would be a big problem!

So, the guards could only be changed quietly. Only several guards were changed at a time...

That was a slow process. During the banquet, some people went out to change their clothes, sober up, or whatever. And those who went a little further made contact with the guards. And then the news came out. Especially, Empress Dowager Jiang went to change her clothes and never returned, making the news more reliable!

“You go and check on Huiyan and Huili.” Looking around the hall full of whispering, Jiang Yashuang cleared his throat and inclined his head to Qiu Yelan, saying softly, “My fourth sister-in-law went over to look at them just now. But she hasn’t returned for such a long time. Are they frightened?”

Qiu Yelan understood what he meant. When she got up, she subconsciously looked at Jiang Yadan. When she saw that Jiang Yadan was indeed in position, she was relieved. It was said that the man who had seduced Old Concubine Fan was a commander of the Imperial Guard. And Jiang Yadan had long been expelled from the Imperial Guard. But whenever she heard of such things, she was always worried that he was one of the main characters...

She hadn’t taken a few steps when she was called by Madame Zhuang Junior and He Shuijin together, “Yelan, are you also worried about our fourth sister-in-law, Huiyan and Huili? Shall we go together?”

When the three sisters-in-law hurried to the side hall, they saw that Jiang Huiyan was still in a coma and Madame Ho was holding Jiang Huili. Madame Ho and her daughter Jiang Huili both were in a state of confusion. When Madame Ho saw them, she let go of her daughter, lifted her skirt, and knelt down to them, “My three sisters-in-law, please help us! The two children were really frightened by the leopard cat. They didn’t mean to expose such a thing to the public!”

“Is there really someone around to seduce the old concubine?” Although they knew that no one would dare to make such jokes about the former Emperor’s concubine, Qiu Yelan and the other two were still shocked after hearing the confirmation from Madame Ho. They were speechless for a long time. And they thought to themselves, “What’s wrong with this world? Jiang Yadan used to cheat on the former Emperor. Anyway, he had a good grandfather and a good aunt as his backdrop. But what kind of a person that Commander called Yan Linxue is? How come he dares to be even crazier than Jiang Yadan?”

“How many sins did the former Emperor commit in his previous life?” Qiu Yelan truly felt that the former Emperor had not done a single good thing in his last eight lifetimes and so he had such a miserable life before and after his death. “He had been a puppet all his life. His nephew Jiang Yadan alone cuckolded him numerous times. At last, he lost his life at the hands of his own mother. Now, even the old concubine he left behind hooked up with someone... It is really...”

Her heart was in turmoil. Madame Zhuang Junior and He Shuijin were also disgusted, looking as if they ate a bad burrito. They made themselves say something comforting, “My sister-in-law, do not panic. Please get up and talk. Tell us clearly what happened... Now people in the hall are whispering about this. But what was going on is still not clear. Perhaps there still have a chance to save it?”

Madame Ho had already asked Jiang Huili about what had happened. So, she did know that hundreds of people had already witnessed the scene. Today was a time of great festival when Emperor and his ministers had fun together. It was impossible to block the scandal. It was not the fault of her two daughters as they didn’t mean it. But if they hadn’t been so young and ignorant, and hadn’t been frightened by the leopard cat that happened to pass by and screamed, it would not have come to that!

Now the royal family had been embarrassed. No matter how ignorant Madame Ho was, she was also the first granddaughter-in-law of the second branch of the Jiang Family and had been the lady of the house for many years. How could she not know that Jiang Huiyan and Jiang Hui Li had directly offended Empress this time? Xin Fubing was in charge of the palace. With such a big scandal in the palace, how could she, as Empress, not bear the brunt of that?

When Madame Ho thought about her family, which didn’t even have an official member, had gotten Empress into trouble, she couldn’t stand up and just wept, begging her sisters-in-law to show her daughter a way out!

Some time had passed before Qiu Yelan pulled her up and told her off. And then Madame Ho told what had happened heard from her daughter in snivel tears. “... They were really scared by that leopard cat. They really didn’t mean to make a big scene! In fact, if the Imperial Guard hadn’t arrived and shone a light on the people, they wouldn’t have been able to see if there was anyone in the corner or not!”

“...” After hearing this, Qiu Yelan and the other two looked at each other and did not make a sound. What they thought was the same, “Did Jiang Huizhi make it? If Empress did poor in managing the palace, as a rule, it is the noble consort who is responsible for managing... Is she for the palace power of Empress?”