Chapter 79 Part 5: Ostentatious

Shortly after, Jiang Li saw the people of the Ji family, including Ji Shuran’s father, Ji Yan Lin, there’s also Liu Xu’s father, Liu Yuan Feng/ Cheng Wang came a bit later. When he arrived he immediately paid respect to the Empress Dowager.

The last to arrive was Hong Xiao Emperor.

In the two lifetimes, this was the second time Jiang Li saw Hong Xiao Emperor. Hong Xiao Emperor was now 27 years old, a very young age for a monarch. Since he ascended the throne seven years ago, there had not been any major turmoil in the Yan Dynasty. Though it was so, his position as the emperor was still unstable, not as smooth and steady as what it seemed on the surface.

Every single person in the imperial court knew that Chen Wang was Hong XIao Emperor’s greatest threat. Seven years ago, Hong Xiao Emperor succeeded the throne in a haste and Cheng Wang’s soldiers were defeated. In these seven years, had Hong Xiao Emperor caught up with Chen Wang?

No one knew.

A young woman stood beside Hong Xiao Emperor. This woman was born extremely beautiful and delicate, lovely and moving. However, her clothes were not gorgeous at all, it could even be said as simple and clean. She kept smiling from the beginning. Liu Xu whispered in Jiang Li’s ears: “That’s Li pin, Jiang You Yao’s maternal aunt.”

Jiang Li suddenly understood, as it turned out, this was Ji Yan Lin’s eldest di daughter, Ji Shuran’s eldest sister, Li pin.

The last time she entered the palace to follow Shen Yurong, she didn’t see Li pin, but she was aware of this person. Some people said that Li pin was akin to Xia guifei to the late emperor, the beloved woman of the late emperor. However, Li pin and Xia guifei were not the same as there’s the Ji family behind Li pin while there was no one backing Xia guifei.

Jiang Li looked at Li pin, Li pin even looked a bit younger than Ji Shuran. No idea how she maintained herself usually, she looked the same as a young lady in the prime of youth. Very tender, also very amiable, nothing to pick about her. It’s simply modest and easygoing compared to Princess Yongning’s aloofness. However, Jiang Li knew clearly, if Li pin was truly as weak and unambitious, she wouldn’t attack and cut a bloody path in the harem, becoming Hong Xiao Emperor’s favored imperial concubine.

Without the ability, she would have earlier become a sacrificial victim in the law of the jungle. How would she be able to stand calmly beside Hong Xiao Emperor, with a winner’s attitude pretending to be humble, those were all acts in a play.

Li pin said something to Hong Xiao Emperor and Hong XIao Emperor waved his hands. Then Li pin came to greet Ji Chen shi and Ji Shuran.

Jiang You Yao obviously should meet this aunt and the surrounding noble ladies, without exception, looked enviously at Jiang You Yao. Having an aunt like Li pin was more well-regarded than having an aunt like the empress. Although the empress gave birth to the crown prince, the crown prince was still young, had not yet reached five years old. If Li pin also gave birth to a young prince, in view of the way Hong Xiao Emperor doted on Li pin, nobody could tell for sure in which family the position of the crown prince would fall into.

After all, the matter of changing the established crown prince was not something unheard of from previous dynasties.

It was unknown what Ji Shuran said to Li pin, Li pin smiled and glanced at Jiang Li. There was no emotion indication in that glance, but Jiang Li felt an indescribable feeling of extreme unease.

Liu Xu asked: “You are not going there to give a courtesy?”

“They didn’t call me.” Jiang Li didn’t pay much attention and said: “No need to go.”

Liu Xu was stunned, after a while something seemed to dawn on her and she said happily: “Your temperament is really.”

Jiang Li broke into laughter. She wasn’t like Jiang Yu’e, who rushed to fawn over Ji Shuran to win favors. She also wasn’t like Jiang You Yao who had blood relations with Li pin. She and Li pin only have the titular name of aunt and niece. Perhaps this was the first time the former Jiang second miss saw this Li pin.

In the end, Li pin was Ji Shuran’s older sister, naturally she would side with Ji Shuran. Li pin was bound to treat her as an enemy. In this hostile standpoint, it’s impossible to change anything just because Jiang Li came up and offered her courtesy.

No need to do unnecessary things, especially this was something you were actually unwilling to do. Xue Huaiyuan said this before, Jiang Li also remembered it in her heart.

Just as the emperor was in the middle of chatting with the empress dowager, a eunuch came to inform that someone was coming.

Able to come later than His Majesty, this person’s courage could be considered too big. It should be made aware that even Cheng Wang, this kind of person, still abided by etiquette. Jiang Li lifted her eyes and saw in the corridor outside the palace door, a person walking neither slowly nor hastily.

The youngster wore a crimson robe weaved with gold. The corner of the gown waved, cutting a radiance under the bright lights, more dazzling than the gems inlaid in the big halls pillars.

Such complicated and gorgeous clothes, as long as the appearance was insufficient, the clothes would press the person down and make it seem that “the clothes was wearing the person”. Only if it was an exceptional beauty whose five features were exquisite that not a single flaw could be picked, whose style was unmatched, could the clothes barely go well together.

But the clothes worn on the youngster’s body could not only be said to barely go well with one another, it actually complemented each other well. The people couldn’t help gasping seeing him in these clothes with no other choice but to admit that on this earth, he was the only one who could wear it. Definitely lived up to the name splendid clothes.

The splendid clothes were brighter than the gems, while his good looks were more ostentatious than the splendid clothes.

This was precisely Duke Su, Ji Heng.