Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The Qionghua Palace in the Imperial Palace is where Consort Jiang currently resides. The Emperor specially renovated it before allowing her to move in. The furnishings are quite exquisite, and many of the items were gifts from the Emperor's private treasury, demonstrating the extent of his favor towards her.

Unable to leave the palace, Jiang Xue returned to her sister's chambers with her maids and servants. Those inside had already heard the guards outside report that Madam Shen had returned.

"Xue'er, what's going on? You can't get out either?" Madam Jiang, Jiang Zhen and Jiang Xue's mother, asked as she looked at her daughter who had returned.

"Hmm, he said there's a curfew outside and it's not safe to go out now, so he told me to go out tomorrow. I think he's just making excuses," Jiang Xue said with a sullen face.

"Madam, please sit down and rest for a while. Be careful of the baby in your belly. Since General Shen has told us to go out again tomorrow, we can just go then." Jiang Xue's personal maid helped her young mistress sit down in a chair with concern, worried that something might be wrong with her health.

“Granny Jiang is right. You should sit down and rest. Since he said you can leave the palace tomorrow, you can go tomorrow. Why rush it over tonight?” Madam Jiang looked at her youngest daughter’s swollen belly and was worried about her health.

"Mother, you are such a shrewd and capable person, can't you even tell from their perfunctory words now?" Jiang Xue was angry. She was now pregnant with the Shen family's child, yet they still had no face at all.

Madam Jiang glanced at her two daughters-in-law, who tactfully bowed and took their leave. Seeing this, Jiang Xue knew her mother had something to say to her. She glanced at Granny Jiang, who understood and led the maids out of the hall.

Once only the mother and daughter remained in the hall, Madam Jiang approached her daughter and said...

"Xue'er, I've thought about it again and I think it wouldn't be bad to adopt that child into your sister's family. Regardless of whether she's biologically related or not, your sister will be the rightful Empress Dowager. Moreover, the Emperor has said that your sister will rule from behind the curtain. Wouldn't the Jiang family still be in charge of the country then? When the Emperor comes of age and marries our Le'er, Le'er will become the Empress and give birth to a son..."

"Mother..." Madam Jiang's words were interrupted angrily by Jiang Xue. She knew what her mother was going to say, and she also knew the family's plans. But how could they guarantee that everything would go according to their plan?

Letting out a long breath, Jiang Xue softened her tone and said to her mother.

“Mother, how can you guarantee that everything we plan will go according to plan? I said before that my elder sister’s eldest prince is already grown up, and we should make up our minds about some things sooner rather than later. But my elder sister was indecisive and greedy for the emperor’s favor, which led to the situation we have now.”

Madam Jiang was startled by her daughter's words and quickly reached out to cover her mouth, scolding her...

"Can you really say anything like that? Your sister was indecisive back then. But you have to understand her. After all, he was her husband, who had cherished her for over twenty years. How could she possibly do that? Besides, it's too late to say anything now. The eldest prince is gone, and your sister is half-dead. Never say such things again. What good will it do except stab your sister in the heart?"

“My sister isn’t here now, is she? If she were here, I certainly wouldn’t have said these things,” Jiang Xue said, clutching the handkerchief in her hand, realizing she had just misspoke.

"And that child. When my sister discovered his identity, I said he should be killed. But she didn't believe me and instead believed that other person, who said he wouldn't compete with the Crown Prince. Now look what's happened, all those years of planning have come to nothing, and he's done all the work for someone else. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache with anger."

Madam Jiang knew that her daughter had a stubborn personality; if she went along with her wishes, she was fine, but if she didn't, she would become very difficult to deal with. However, for the sake of the Jiang family's future, she still had to say some things.

"Regarding what you just mentioned, I think you should give up on that idea. Not to mention others, even your two brothers wouldn't agree. Only you could come up with the idea of ​​making Yongning the Empress. If we really did that, we would be putting our Jiang family in a terrible position, committing a grave offense against the world. You can just say this to your mother and forget about it. Remember, never bring it up again."

Hearing her mother's words, Jiang Xue knew that her mother, eldest sister, and sisters-in-law had already made their decision. She hadn't expected that in just half an hour since she left home, they had changed their minds. Although she was annoyed, she knew that saying more would be useless. She only regretted being born too late and being a girl, which confined her to the large family compound, leaving her with no place to use her talents.

Seeing her daughter's displeasure, Madam Jiang took her hand and patted it reassuringly. She knew this daughter had always been headstrong, but their family only wanted the throne to be held by someone of the Jiang family bloodline, so that the family could prosper for another hundred years. Although the eldest prince was gone, the emperor's decisions were still in their favor, and their family could still prosper for another hundred years without worry.

"Xue'er, now that you and your son-in-law have a child, you don't need to worry about these things. Living a good life with your son-in-law is the most important thing. With his help in the previous dynasty, plus the military power in your brother's hands, so what if the person sitting in that position isn't of our blood? The current situation is entirely beneficial to our family, so you should give up those impossible ideas."

Jiang Xue lowered her head, seemingly listening attentively to her mother's teachings. After a long while, she finally spoke.

“Since Mother, my sister, and my sisters-in-law have already made their plans, I won’t say anything more. After all, I am now a married woman, and it’s not appropriate for me to get too involved in my maternal family’s affairs. Mother, I was walking too fast just now and I’m a little tired. I’ll go to the side hall to rest first.”

Madam Jiang knew her daughter was unhappy, but ultimately this matter concerned the Jiang family and her eldest daughter; it had less to do with her. She simply needed to be a good wife to the Shen family. She sighed inwardly, her voice softening slightly.

"Go ahead, and have Granny Jiang take good care of you. Don't think too much. Your mother's only wish now is for you to give birth to a son smoothly."

After saying that, he called out to the outside, "Come in, everyone."

"Yes, I will take good care of myself, Mother, please don't worry." After saying that, she took Jiang Mama's hand and went to the side hall.

After her sister-in-law left, the two daughters-in-law of the Jiang family, noticing their mother-in-law's expression, cautiously asked...

"Mother, has my younger sister agreed?"

"Yes, I agree. Your sister is sensible. Although her previous ideas were somewhat outrageous, they were for the good of our Jiang family." Madam Jiang was unwilling to speak ill of her daughter in front of her daughters-in-law, which would cause discord between the two daughters-in-law.

“Yes, Mother is right. Which married daughter doesn’t think about her family?” Madam Jiang said with a smile.

"This is all thanks to Mother's good upbringing. Our little sister has also married a high-ranking official in the court, which will be of great benefit to our family in the future!" Madam Jiang added.

Madam Jiang understood that her two daughters-in-law were flattering her, and her smile grew even more kind and gentle. Soon, she would be the mother of the Empress Dowager, ruling from behind the curtain; what woman in the world was more honorable than herself?