Huh… While eating melon (gossiping), I suddenly became the main character?
When Jiang Yunshu woke up the next day and heard this juicy piece of gossip from Zhezhi, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
"What time is it?" Jiang Yunshu rubbed her eyes.
"It's already past Chen hour," Zhezhi replied.
Eight in the morning… Jiang Yunshu mentally converted the time. Waking up at eight in ancient times was practically sleeping in.
She was well-rested and definitely not dreaming. Jiang Yunshu looked at Zhezhi in disbelief. "What did you say? Eldest Sister cried and refused to enter the palace last night?"
"And she said she wants me to go in her place?"
Has Eldest Sister lost her mind? Handing over such immense fortune to me?
Jiang Yunshu saw Zhezhi’s excitement and Taoye’s steadiness, though the latter’s eyes also held a hint of anticipation.
Jiang Yunshu bluntly shattered their foolish dreams. "Stop dreaming."
"Eldest Sister must have been delirious from fever, spouting nonsense in the middle of the night."
"Even if, by some wild chance, Eldest Sister really wanted me to replace her, would Madam agree? Would the Marquis agree?"
"Most importantly, would His Majesty agree?"
"The imperial decree clearly states that Eldest Sister is to be named as a consort."
As Jiang Yunshu finished speaking, the expressions on Taoye and Zhezhi’s faces sobered.
The young miss was absolutely right. There was no way the selection for palace consort could be switched from the eldest miss to the second miss. They had been daydreaming.
But what a dream it was… Becoming an imperial consort was undeniably a path to immense wealth, not to mention the current emperor had just passed his capping ceremony (coming of age at 20) and was exceptionally handsome.
What’s more, the emperor still had no heirs!
If one could bear the emperor’s first son after entering the palace… The possibilities that followed were too dazzling for Taoye and Zhezhi to even imagine.
This was precisely why the Marquis and Madam had been overjoyed upon receiving the decree.
Eldest Sister, though reserved and dignified, couldn’t hide her delight either.
After the Marquis's Mansion received the decree, Jiang Yunshu went to congratulate her, only to see Eldest Sister’s eyes sparkling with excitement.
If Eldest Sister herself was so eager to become an imperial consort, why would she suddenly refuse and demand Jiang Yunshu take her place?
She must have been raving from fever!
Jiang Yunshu warned her maids, "Pretend you never heard any of this! And don’t you dare spread it!"
Taoye and Zhezhi quickly agreed.
Stretching lazily, Jiang Yunshu decided to crush any lingering fantasies. "Look at me—do I seem like someone fit to be an imperial consort?"
Taoye and Zhezhi exchanged glances, neither able to lie and say yes.
The young miss was undeniably beautiful—slender figure, snow-white skin, jet-black hair, features like a painting, lips like rosebuds.
Her peach-blossom eyes were especially striking, brimming with an indescribable liveliness.
Taoye and Zhezhi had never seen such captivating eyes. When Jiang Yunshu fixed her gaze on them, even they, as women, would sometimes forget to breathe under the weight of her beauty.
After serving her for so many years, they still hadn’t grown accustomed to her charm. Perhaps they never would.
But beyond her beauty… well…
Music, chess, calligraphy, painting? Not a single skill mastered.
Needlework or cooking? Don’t even ask.
Her handwriting resembled that of a child just starting to learn.
The flowers she embroidered? Taoye’s six-year-old stitches looked better!
In truth, Jiang Yunshu cared for only three things in life: eating, sleeping, and dancing.
Had she studied under a renowned dance master, it might have been a respectable talent. But her teacher was none other than Concubine Qiao from the neighboring courtyard.
Concubine Qiao… was a former "shouma" (a trained courtesan).
After being taken into the Marquis's household, she enjoyed favor for barely a year before being forgotten. As Jiang Yunshu put it, they were both "invisible" in the mansion.
This was precisely what Eldest Sister despised most about Jiang Yunshu!
In Eldest Sister’s eyes, Jiang Yunshu’s close association with a former shouma and learning dance from her was nothing short of self-degradation!
When Jiang Yunshu was younger, Eldest Sister had scolded her repeatedly for it.
Jiang Yunshu never argued back, but she never changed either.
Eldest Sister thus concluded that Jiang Yunshu was hopeless, the most disgraceful among her sisters—a girl who willingly "lowered herself."
But Taoye and Zhezhi knew better.
Their young miss was sharp as a mirror, never judging others by their origins!
And her life had been hard—losing her birth mother at infancy, ignored by her stepmother, neglected by her father.
Though the old madam was kind, her affection was evenly distributed among all grandchildren, leaving Jiang Yunshu at the bottom of the pecking order.
In the vast Marquis's Mansion, the lonely child had found solace only with the equally isolated Concubine Qiao.
Motherless, childless—though unrelated by blood, the two had formed an unspoken bond, like mother and daughter.
Had Jiang Yunshu known her maids’ thoughts, she would’ve protested immediately—she didn’t see Concubine Qiao as a mother!
To her, Concubine Qiao was simply an incredibly skilled and beautiful dance teacher!
For Jiang Yunshu, transmigrating to ancient times had one silver lining—as a passionate dancer, she’d stumbled upon a master who could perform long-lost classical routines!
Like a mouse tumbling into a rice vat, she reveled in her good fortune.
As a child, she’d cautiously tested the waters. Discovering no objections to her dance lessons, she’d thrown herself into learning with abandon.
Madam couldn’t be bothered to interfere, the old madam dismissed it as trivial, and Eldest Sister’s disapproval… well, Jiang Yunshu soon realized Eldest Sister had no real authority over her.
True, ignoring Eldest Sister’s lectures might tarnish her reputation.
But when forced to choose between "a spotless reputation" and "learning forgotten classical dances," Jiang Yunshu hadn’t hesitated for even a second!
After breakfast, Jiang Yunshu sent Taoye to inquire next door: "When is Concubine Qiao free today?"
She wanted to maximize practice while spring’s coolness lingered. Once summer’s heat arrived, dancing would become unbearable. In this life, she wasn’t competing to be prima—when summer came, she’d happily lounge in shaded rooms sipping chilled drinks!
Taoye returned promptly: "Concubine Qiao says she’s free all day. You may visit anytime."
Jiang Yunshu stretched. "Then I’ll go now."
Yet her plans were interrupted.
The moment she stepped out of Yunshu Courtyard, she encountered Madam’s maid.
"Second Miss, Madam requests your presence in the main courtyard."
Jiang Yunshu was surprised. With Eldest Sister ill, why would Madam summon her now?
Dressed for dance practice in lightweight clothes, she said, "Let me change first."
But the maid pulled her along. "The old madam, Marquis, and Madam are all waiting. There’s no time for changes."
Jiang Yunshu’s astonishment grew.
The entire household leadership waiting for her? Why?
Then she remembered Eldest Sister’s delirious words last night, and a preposterous thought struck her…
Could Eldest Sister actually be serious about making her replace her as the imperial bride?
