'Noble Consort Rong, on the other hand, is the other extreme—even harder to deal with than the Emperor.'
Jiang Xian didn't just think it; she said it out loud. When Noble Consort Rong heard Jiang Xian say she was more difficult to communicate with than the Empress, her eyes reddened with fury. She was about to rise and storm off, but then Jiang Xian continued, "Then I figured it out. It's because the Empress and I are partners. We share a mutual respect, the kind of bond comrades-in-arms have. But you... you are my dearest friend."
...
Noble Consort Rong sat back down. "Hmph."
'Actually, I had originally just wanted to say 'friend.''
'But I felt that word was a bit too plain and was afraid Noble Consort Rong would misunderstand, so I leveled it up a notch.'
'I just don't know if she's satisfied with that explanation.'
