The mother and daughter from the second branch exchanged a glance.
'Such a valuable gift… Could the Empress Dowager have something else in mind? Does she intend to change the Ji Family's choice for the palace concubine?'
'To choose Ji Qingwu instead?'
Ms. Wu gave a soft cough, and Ji Qingyuan immediately took the hint. Feigning nonchalance, she said, "Our aunt's gift is not only valuable, but the sentiment behind it is also rare. You must be very careful with it, Fifth Sister. Don't let any children touch it, or it might get broken."
"A child?"
The Empress Dowager's hand, which was holding a teacup, paused mid-air. A confused expression crossed her face.
Ji Qingyuan had deliberately refrained from exposing this matter in front of Old Madam Ji, waiting for the "perfect" moment.
She remarked thoughtfully, "Fifth Sister returned home in quite a hurry. I imagine she hasn't had the chance to report to you yet, Aunt."
She then sighed and continued, "Fifth Sister was lost to us for so many years. When she finally returned home, she actually…"
Seeing her falter, the Empress Dowager handed her cup to Shixi and demanded in an annoyed tone,
"Actually what? Qingyuan, speak plainly. What is going on?"
Ji Qingyuan bit her lip, as if she found it difficult to say. "She brought an illegitimate child back to the mansion."
'Qingwu is already married with a child?'
The Empress Dowager's brow furrowed slightly, as if her plans had been upended. She began to finger the Buddha Beads in her hand.
Shixi and Fanghua, knowing this was a sign of the Empress Dowager's displeasure, both lowered their heads.
The hall fell silent for several moments.
Old Madam Ji, seated in a position of lower rank, asked in a heavy voice, "Qingyuan, let me ask you. Why did you not inform me of this the moment your fifth sister arrived at the mansion?"
Ji Qingyuan explained with a helpless air, "This news brings such shame upon our family, I thought I would wait for a better time to tell you, Grandmother. I never expected that our aunt would summon us this evening."
'News that brings shame, indeed.'
The faint smile on the Empress Dowager's lips vanished, and the atmosphere in the hall grew cold.
Hearing the Fourth Miss slander Xiao Wu, Mrs. Qiao could no longer sit still and rose to speak in her defense.
"Your Majesty," Mrs. Qiao began, "it was not Qingwu's intention to conceal anything. When she returned, she brought her child through the main gates of the Ji Mansion for all to see. She never meant to hide the truth. It's only because time was so short today that she hasn't yet had the chance to inform Your Majesty and the Old Madam."
The Empress Dowager huffed. "So it seems the fault is mine for being too eager to summon you all."
At that, Ji Qingwu finally moved. She shook her head at the nervous Mrs. Qiao.
Lifting the hem of her lake-blue skirt, she knelt directly on the floor.
Her posture was humble, but her words were firm.
"Your Majesty, I was lost as a child, ignorant of my origins and of whose daughter I might be. For many years, I scraped by on the borderlands. I was fortunate enough to marry and have a daughter. For the first time, I had a relative of my own blood. To call her illegitimate is laughable. I consider her my rebirth!"
'My Jiu Jiu will absolutely not bear the stigma of being an illegitimate child.'
Ji Qingwu lowered her head, her voice soft yet clear. "I beseech Your Majesty to judge with clarity."
"A rebirth?"
Just then, a man's voice drifted in from the entrance to the hall.
"Fifth Miss Ji is right!"
A tall young man dressed in magnificent, sapphire-blue robes entered the hall.
He walked to Ji Qingwu's side, tilted his head slightly, and let out a low, humming laugh.
Ji Qingwu's back stiffened.
The man approached the Empress Dowager, lifted the front of his robes, and announced in a clear voice, "Your son pays his respects to you, Mother!"
'Is this the reigning Emperor?'
A trace of disappointment flickered in Ji Qingwu's heart.
After all, on her journey, she had heard countless rumors about the new Emperor of Beili—that he was a brilliant strategist, a talent without peer in this generation. All were words of the highest praise.
Yet the man she saw now, this supposedly wise monarch, seemed so… frivolous and unrestrained.
When the Empress Dowager saw him, her eyes immediately lit up. "Ming Hong, what brings you to the palace today?"
The members of the Ji Family also rose to bow, greeting him with reverent voices.
"Your Highness, Prince Yong."
'So he's Prince Yong.'
Since Ji Qingwu was already kneeling, she had no need to bow again. Her gaze met Prince Yong's directly.
His smile seemed to broaden. "Mother, Chang Yan and I just finished some important business, so we finally have a moment to come and pay our respects."
"Enough," the Empress Dowager said. "As if I don't know what you're usually up to."
Ji Qingyuan said with a knowing look, "Your Highness, so you were with my fourth brother. No wonder we didn't see him at home today."
Ji Changyan was the son of Ms. Wu from the second branch, and he was a few years younger than Prince Yong.
The two were cousins with similar temperaments, and they always liked to get together to "handle business"—which was nothing more than using their status to run amok, indulging in wine, women, and song.
As the Empress Dowager's biological son and a prince of the realm, Prince Yong naturally did as he pleased in Lin'an City.
Prince Yong continued, "So this must be the recently found Fifth Cousin from my grandmother's family, yes?"
"You certainly hear things quickly," the Empress Dowager said, a hint of resignation in her voice.
Standing below the dais, Prince Yong said with a teasing expression, "You can hardly blame me. Rumors are flying through every street and alley in Lin'an City that a carriage stopped at the Ji Mansion, and a Lotus Fairy emerged. I wanted to come see this fairy's legendary beauty for myself."
A glint appeared in Ji Qingyuan's eyes. "Now that Your Highness has seen Qingwu, what do you think? Is she as beautiful as the rumors claim?"
Ji Qingwu remained kneeling ramrod straight on the floor. A belt with intricately carved trim cinched her slender waist, and her light, blue-and-white skirt fanned out around her.
Prince Yong's gaze roved up and down Ji Qingwu's form.
Ji Qingwu feigned shyness and lowered her head, but in reality, her brow was tightly furrowed.
'Being stared at by him feels as uncomfortable as being sized up by a python.'
Shixi added a seat for Prince Yong beside the Empress Dowager. After sitting, he said with a smirk, "I find that my Fifth Cousin doesn't quite match the rumors. I wouldn't call her an ethereal Lotus Fairy. When it comes to peerless, nation-toppling beauty, that title still belongs to my Fourth Cousin."
Hearing this, a pleased expression appeared on Ji Qingyuan's face, and she touched her cheek.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. While my fifth sister may not be a Lotus Fairy, she could be considered a demure beauty in her own right."
Prince Yong's eyes filled with relish as he stared intently at the still-bowed Ji Qingwu.
He had countless stunning songstresses in his residence, but none possessed the same kind of bearing as the woman kneeling before him.
She was poised and elegant, yet she possessed an undeniable allure.
He abruptly changed his tune. "Fourth Cousin, you misunderstand. My Fifth Cousin is no fairy. She is clearly a lotus blossom fresh from the water—a delectable little beauty, tender and ripe for the picking."
It was a compliment, but Ji Qingwu couldn't feel happy about it.
'Just one more look from Prince Yong,' she thought, 'and I might actually fall ill.'
But he was the Empress Dowager's son and the Emperor's brother; she couldn't afford to offend him.
Ji Qingwu's hands, hidden from view, clenched into fists as she struggled to suppress her revulsion.
Most of the people in the room were worldly enough to understand the lecherous intent in Prince Yong's gaze.
Mrs. Qiao, the First Madam, frowned deeply.
'That jade bracelet from the Empress Dowager…' she thought. 'Besides my initial guess… there's another possibility. Don't tell me she plans to marry Xiao Wu to Prince Yong.'
'Setting aside Prince Yong's character, there's the simple fact that he married the eldest daughter of the Grand Elder two years ago, making her Princess Yong. If Xiao Wu were to marry him now, she could only be a concubine.'
'He is absolutely not a suitable match for Xiao Wu.'
'She can't escape one pit of fire only to fall into a deeper abyss.'
Mrs. Qiao made a swift decision. She immediately knelt and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have a matter to request."