The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

The emperor was a man of integrity, the ruler of a vast nation, how could he be inferior to the despicable emperor of the Jin Kingdom?

It was all because they used despicable tactics.

The emperor took a deep breath: "Shi Ruojun just recruited new soldiers last year, and there are still quite a few female soldiers among them. It has only been a few months. If a real battle were to break out, would we have a chance of winning?"

Jiang Xinyue looked up at him: "Your Majesty, even if you don't believe in me, you should believe in General Shi. The soldiers she trains, even if it's only been ten days, I believe they can transform completely."

Shi Ruojun was indeed a natural talent in military affairs, with exceptional military capabilities.

The emperor could not deny this, and he also appreciated her for it.

In the spring of the third month, the Jiang family hosted two weddings.

The Jiang household of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces married off their eldest daughter, Jiang Yunxia, to Ma Yiyang, the harsh and unfeeling Minister of Justice.

Jiang Yunxia had previously been engaged to the son of the salt transport commissioner of Jiangnan, Su. However, for some unknown reason, the Jiang and Su families had a falling out, and even the Empress herself intervened to smash up the Su family.

As a result, the bright young man from the Su family ended up renouncing the world for her sake, and the Su family has been in turmoil ever since. Their daughters in the capital can no longer find suitable husbands and have had to marry out of town.

No one seems to know exactly what happened.

But since even the Empress was involved, it must have been something truly outrageous on the part of the Su family.

The Su family has since been completely ostracized, their former arrogance long gone, and their status now worlds apart from the Jiang family.

However, Jiang Yunxia's reputation was not good. The noble families in the capital, who would normally consider a suitable match for their cherished sons, were unwilling to marry their heirs to her. Yet, they still wished to curry favor with the Jiang family, so they urged the governor's wife to marry Jiang Yunxia to their sons as a concubine.

The governor naturally refused, but for the time being, he could not find a suitable family to marry his daughter to.

Ma Yiyang was in a similar predicament to Jiang Yunxia.

This man had already amassed too much sin, his very nature was one of calamity. He also had an elderly mother and an unmarried sister living with him, and Jiang Yunxia was essentially marrying down.

One couldn't marry out, the other couldn't find a bride, they were indeed well-matched.

There was also the Jiang household of the scholar Jiang Yankun, the Empress's family. Jiang Yankun's adopted daughter, Xi Que, was to marry Meng Qingyu, a deputy general in the Swift Cavalry Army.

This was a genuine case of marrying up.

Although Xi Que had become Jiang Yankun's adopted daughter, this could not change the fact that she was born a servant, the Empress's personal foot washer.

What merit did she possess to go from a first-class palace maid to becoming a deputy general's wife?

The Jiang family returned Xi Que's family's slave contracts, and from then on, she too would be a noble lady.

Meng Qingyu's sister, Meng Fanyin, had previously been critical of Xi Que's background, believing that a mere servant-born palace maid was unworthy of her promising brother.

Now, however, Xi Que was not only a free woman but also the Empress's adoptive sister. Who would dare to criticize her background now?

Xi Que's sedan chair arrived at the Meng household, the festive music blaring. The matchmaker helped the bride out of the sedan chair, and the newly purchased residence, which had been decorated recently, appeared lively and bright.

A large fire bowl was placed at the entrance of the Meng residence, and the matchmaker said that the bride must cross the fire bowl when entering.

However, the firewood in the bowl was piled too high, the flames nearly reaching as tall as Xi Que.

How could she possibly cross it?

Usually, crossing the fire bowl is just a symbolic gesture, but it seemed the Meng family was deliberately making things difficult for the bride.

Meng Fanyin and a younger girl, her niece from her husband's side, were hiding behind the door, covering their mouths and giggling.

The girl was the one Meng Fanyin had hoped would marry her brother, but now that the marriage had fallen through, they were resentful and decided to play a trick.

"Auntie, do you think she'll cry when she tries to cross the fire bowl? Hahaha... What did you put in there? The fire is so intense."

"Humph! The more intense, the better! She's marrying into our Meng family, a blessing she's accumulated over eight lifetimes. If she doesn't bring some good fortune, how could she deserve that priceless brocade bridal gown?"

Meng Fanyin believed that Xi Que could wear such a fine gown only because the Empress was looking out for her brother's sake, aiding the Crown Prince in securing a valuable ally. The Empress must have used the maid to bewitch her brother.

Otherwise, why would her usually obedient and sensible brother have argued so fiercely with her over a woman?

The Empress was only doing this to win over her brother.

Xi Que was simply benefiting from her brother's influence.

Her brother had been bewitched by the seductress, insisting on bringing a servant into the family, and her grandmother, not seeing the situation clearly, said that as long as her brother was happy, it was fine.

To ensure the marriage went smoothly, her grandmother even forbade her from interfering in any family matters.

Hmph!

She was Meng Fanyin, the lady of the Meng household, and there was no way she could be stopped from playing her tricks.

Xi Que would cross that fire bowl, whether she wanted to or not.

However, no matter how naive Xi Que seemed, having been influenced by Jiang Xinyue, she could tell that someone was targeting her.

With a firm swing of her skirt hold, she boldly faced the flames.

Meng Qingyu glared at his sister behind the door and stepped up to Xi Que's side: "I'll carry you across."

Being a martial artist, he was light as a swallow, and if he couldn't cross it, he'd just fly over it.

Xi Que directly pushed him away: "It's aimed at me, I'll handle it myself. Don't let anyone think I'm just a weak woman who can only rely on a man."

She wasn't someone to be trifled with.

The flames in the fire bowl burned high, and everyone waited to see how she would resolve the situation.

Xi Que hiked up her skirts again, took a few steps back, then with a forceful push from her feet, she launched herself into the air.

Before everyone's stunned eyes, she soared like a fiery red phoenix, clearing the fire bowl in one leap, landing perfectly.

"Bravo! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

The applause roared like thunder, and in the midst of the cheers, Xi Que calmly pulled down her skirt, pressed her veil back down, took the red silk from the matchmaker, and walked into the main hall of the Meng household alongside Meng Qingyu.

Her movements flowed effortlessly, looking so effortless it seemed almost casual.

Only Meng Fanyin and the girl who fancied Meng Qingyu were left standing there, dumbfounded, too shocked to even speak.

Just moments ago... When Xi Que charged out of the fire bowl, the pressure was so intense that they felt, should there be a next time, they wouldn't be able to endure it.

Strangely enough, Xi Que hadn't said a word, yet they felt their faces had been slapped.

"Your Majesty, a wind is picking up, let's return!"

Jiang Xinyue stood at the highest observatory in the imperial palace, her gaze far away, taking a deep breath, and revealing a gentle smile: "I'm happy for Xi Que, knowing she's found a good man."

Shuang Jiang stood behind her, gazing at the distant red, her eyes also moist.