In the past few days, Jiu Yue had managed to gather some information about the Great Yan imperial palace.
The top boss, Consort Ning, appeared harmless and was widely regarded as someone who avoided conflict and knew her place. She was once considered the best candidate for the position of Empress. However, Emperor Yan stubbornly refused to appoint another Empress, leaving the matter with no hope of resolution.
Consort Ning had two children: a son, Yan Zhouheng, the Sixth Prince of Great Yan, who was only eleven this year. Before Grand Tutor Fu fell ill, he had been responsible for the prince’s education. Jiu Yue hadn’t met him yet and wondered if he was secretly a cunning little troublemaker.
Her daughter, Yan Lingshuang, the Third Princess of Great Yan, was sixteen and about to replace Muling as the bride sent to the grasslands for a political marriage.
Additionally, there were two other children in the palace—the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess—born to other concubines, but they were quite close to Consort Ning. As Eunuch Mao had said, Consort Ning treated all the children as her own, showing no favoritism.
Just like the Tianqi imperial palace, the Great Yan palace also had numerous skilled experts hidden in the shadows, and their abilities were nothing to scoff at.
Once, when Jiu Yue had considered sneaking in to see if she could gift Consort Ning an assassination "surprise," she discovered that the consort’s palace was guarded by such an expert.
The question was whether this person had been sent by Emperor Yan… Jiu Yue still hadn’t confirmed whether the emperor knew Consort Ning’s true nature.
The maidservant Lianqiao rushed in with a plate of pastries.
"Princess, these are osmanthus cakes bestowed by His Majesty." Lianqiao gazed at her eagerly. "I heard this was the first batch made by the imperial kitchen, and as soon as it was presented to His Majesty, he immediately sent someone to deliver it to you."
Jiu Yue tilted her head, meeting the girl’s sparkling eyes, and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Then you try some."
Lianqiao was a little palace maid Jiu Yue had picked herself—an ordinary, gluttonous girl with simple thoughts. Even if Jiu Yue suddenly started jumping around the palace, Lianqiao would probably just clap and cheer.
"It’s really fragrant… Oh, Princess, I heard the osmanthus flowers in the imperial garden have bloomed. Would you like to go see them?" Lianqiao brought it up casually.
She didn’t think the princess would go.
Jiu Yue was so lazy—aside from accompanying the emperor for meals and walks, she never went anywhere on her own.
But Jiu Yue’s eyes flickered mischievously, and she suddenly asked, "Are there many people there?"
Lianqiao thought for a moment. "Well, lately, whenever they have free time, the other princesses and consorts love to stroll there."
"Is that so?" Jiu Yue smirked and urged Lianqiao, "Then eat quickly. Once you’re full, we’ll go take a look too."
Lianqiao was clearly surprised but then nodded vigorously.
"Princess, it’s wonderful that you’re willing to go!" She immediately set down the osmanthus cake, wiped her mouth, and a competitive glint flashed in her eyes. "Then let’s do it!"
Jiu Yue: "…Huh?"
Lianqiao led her to the dressing table, grinning confidently. "Don’t worry, Princess. This servant will make sure you shine brighter than anyone else!"
Jiu Yue: "…"
As Lianqiao enthusiastically styled Jiu Yue’s hair and applied makeup, she chattered away.
"Princess, you might not know this, but many people in the palace haven’t seen you yet. Those lowly servants have been spreading rumors that you’re ugly—bah! Today, we’ll make them witness your beauty!"
Jiu Yue: "…As long as you’re happy."
She didn’t care.
The reason she hadn’t gone out was simply because she’d been busy! No one knew how many nights she and Tong had spent analyzing things behind the scenes.
Of course, the most important matter was the political marriage. But right now, the only option was that old man from the grasslands… Jiu Yue rejected that outright.
Mainly because she hadn’t yet secured her footing, and Consort Ning’s true motives remained unclear. Deep down, Jiu Yue had a feeling something big was about to happen.
And judging by the current situation… even if there were other marriage opportunities, Emperor Yan would never send her away.
She was the daughter of the late Empress, lost for over a decade, one of only two daughters left. The Empress had died without revealing the truth to the emperor… That was too many layers of emotional leverage.
Jiu Yue could clearly sense the weight of Emperor Yan’s paternal love.
After a moment of contemplation, an idea suddenly popped into her head.
"Tong," Jiu Yue asked, "does a political marriage have to involve a princess being sent away? What if a prince or nobleman married into another country instead?"
Tong paused, double-checked, and replied, "There’s no strict rule against it. Theoretically, it’s possible."
"So, if another country wanted to establish ties with Great Yan, they could send a prince or noble son here for marriage?"
"In principle, yes… but there’s no precedent for it."
"If there’s no precedent, we’ll set one." Jiu Yue grinned confidently.
That made things much easier!
It was always better to keep the initiative in her own hands.
"Princess, all done!" Lianqiao admired her handiwork with starry eyes. "You look absolutely stunning!"
Jiu Yue snapped out of her thoughts and was momentarily dazzled by her own reflection.
Perfect—she looked gloriously bold!
She stood up, straightened her posture, and strode forward.
"Lianqiao, let’s go!"
Lianqiao trotted after her eagerly.
"A touch of fragrance from the moon, spreading across the mountains in full bloom."
Before even spotting a single osmanthus tree, Jiu Yue caught the faint scent of the flowers in the air.
The imperial garden boasted many other blossoms—chrysanthemums, hibiscus, and numerous flowers Jiu Yue didn’t recognize—but few paid them any attention. The area around the osmanthus trees, however, was bustling with activity.
Jiu Yue had imagined a vast grove, but there were only a few trees.
Then again, Great Yan’s climate differed from Tianqi’s. Keeping these osmanthus trees alive must have taken the gardeners tremendous effort.
The crowd near the trees was sizable, but Yan Lingshuang—the person Jiu Yue had hoped to "coincidentally" run into—wasn’t there. Losing interest, she turned away.
"Princess, aren’t you going over?" Lianqiao sounded a little disappointed.
Jiu Yue patted her hand in amusement. "Go pick a small branch and bring it back for our palace."
"Alright." Lianqiao obediently headed off.
Jiu Yue wandered around, admiring the other flowers, when her sharp ears caught a faint rustling. She paused, then crouched down, carefully parting a patch of grass.
Hidden in the shadows was a child hugging a tiny kitten, his dark eyes fixed on her—then flickering with unfamiliarity.
"You’re the Eldest Imperial—"
Jiu Yue clicked her tongue. "Who are you calling ‘Big Yellow’?! Your whole family’s ‘Big Yellow’!"
The child slowly finished, "…Sister."
Jiu Yue: "…"
Brat, who taught you to pause like that?! Tell me, and I swear I’ll beat them to death!
