Rongrong saw through her thoughts, realizing that Liang Muchen couldn’t accept this reality just yet.

Since no one else was around, she decided to lay it all out clearly: “I’m telling you all this just to remind you that status isn’t the most important thing. Once you enter Prince Qing’s mansion, as long as he supports you, dignity will naturally come with it.”

“But what dignity can a concubine have?”

“Do you think the wives of Prince Gong and Prince Jing have dignity?” Rongrong asked in return.

Liang Muchen thought for a moment before firmly shaking her head.

Neither Rongrong nor Liang Muchen were married yet, especially Rongrong, whose marriage was still undecided.

The only reason the Princess of Su invited them to the mansion today was because of this, so there was no breach of etiquette.

This is why the wife of Prince Gong had no valid reason to cause trouble.

Otherwise, if the wives of other princes were enjoying the flowers and the Princess of Su invited concubines to join them, it would have been improper and against the rules.

But putting that aside, as guests, even if what the wife of Prince Gong said had some justification, her harsh words, disregarding the host’s feelings, showed no dignity at all for a prince’s wife.

“So, for a woman to have dignity, status alone isn’t enough. Only with her husband’s trust and love can she have true dignity,” Rongrong spoke more openly, seeing that Liang Muchen was reasonable.

She just lowered her voice out of habit. “To say something bold, the Empress is respected by everyone now, and no one in the palace dares to offend her. But think about it, the Empress has been loved and supported by the Emperor for decades, which is why she holds her current position. Without the Emperor’s love and respect, would her position be as secure?”

Liang Muchen stubbornly replied, “But she is the Empress, the mistress of the entire palace. Of course, the Emperor would love and respect her.”

“Do you know the story of Empress Chen Ajiao from the Han Dynasty?”

Empress Chen Ajiao was of noble birth, the daughter of Princess Guantao, and grew up with Emperor Wu of Han.

But when she lost his favor, she was banished to the Cold Palace at Changmen.

Liang Muchen’s expression changed slightly as if she had realized something, but then her face quickly became sad again.

Since everything had been said, Rongrong no longer held back. “What are you thinking about?”

“I… Even though the Crown Prince doesn’t like me, everyone thinks I’m going to marry into the Eastern Palace. But now… I don’t know how Prince Qing will view me.” Liang Muchen’s voice started to choke as she spoke.

Rongrong was a little surprised.

She thought Liang Muchen was still obsessed with the Crown Prince and couldn’t move on.

But from what Liang Muchen just said, it was clear she had already been seriously thinking about her future with Prince Qing.

She just hadn’t realized she was already looking ahead.

Rongrong couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Liu Zhen, oh Liu Zhen, you think everyone adores you, but Miss Liang isn’t that into you.

“I haven’t interacted with Prince Qing much, but I know Yuanbao really likes him. He especially loves the wooden carving that Prince Qing’s gave him. Don’t be fooled by Yuanbao’s small size; he has a sharp eye for people. Prince Qing must be someone worth relying on, someone who won’t be shallow.”

Liang Muchen lowered her head, pondering Rongrong’s words, then shook it with all her might. “A good person might still care.”

“Care about what?” Rongrong didn’t think much of it. “The Emperor and Empress never decreed a marriage for you, so what’s there for Prince Qing to care about? What’s there to criticize?”

Seeing that Liang Muchen remained silent, Rongrong spoke more seriously, “Don’t waste your time worrying about what Prince Qing might think. Instead of doing something pointless, focus on yourself.”

“How? You just said that for a woman to settle down, she needs a man’s heart. What good does it do to focus on myself?”

“You have to believe in yourself. You only became engaged to Prince Qing because you fell into the water, and the Empress felt sorry for you, so she arranged for you to become his secondary wife,” Rongrong’s voice grew more firm. “You and the Crown Prince never had anything to do with each other.”

Liang Muchen was slightly stunned.

Never had anything to do with the Crown Prince…

That’s right.

The Empress did hint at something, but the Emperor and Empress never made it clear.

She and the Crown Prince never had anything to do with each other.

“As long as you believe that in your heart, once Prince Qing knows how you feel, he won’t mind these things.”

“Sister Rongrong, is it really that simple? Do you think this is the right thing to do? Will I be happy in the future if I do this?”

Rongrong sighed, “You come from a good family. It’s understandable that you can’t accept being a secondary wife right away. But since everything has already happened and you can’t break off the engagement, you have to look ahead.”

“Break off the engagement? If I do that, will I be able to marry anyone else in the future?”

Rongrong thought for a moment and said, “If you really want to break off the engagement, do it before the marriage arrangements are finalized. Have your mother plead with the Emperor and Empress, saying your health is too poor and the doctor advised against marriage. However, if you go this route, you’ll have to leave the capital afterward. But I feel that if you forcefully break off the engagement, it might be even harder for you than marrying into Prince Qing’s household.”

The story of Liang Muchen falling into the water in the Eastern Palace and being saved by Prince Qing had likely already spread among the nobility.

Just today, the cold remarks from Princess Gong and Princess Jing had deeply affected her.

If she insisted on breaking off the engagement, how much criticism would she face?

Could she really handle that?

“No, I can’t call off the engagement,” Liang Muchen instinctively refused. “Both my father and mother think this is the best arrangement. If I break off the engagement, how would my father handle the situation?”

Rongrong sighed inwardly.

Especially with the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence involved, if Xue Xiaoshan’s true identity were revealed, Liang Muchen and her family would face even more difficulties.

Without the Weiyuan Marquis’s influence, what future would a woman who called off her engagement have?

It would be one thing if she were alone, but she has a whole family depending on her, and Liang Muchen couldn’t ignore that.

Thinking about this, Rongrong sincerely advised her, “You might not think so, but in my view, marrying into Prince Qing’s residence and winning his affection would be the most beneficial for you.”

Liang Muchen’s expression was complex.

She kept fidgeting with her handkerchief, pulling at it with noticeable force, clearly anxious and uneasy.

Rongrong exhaled softly, surprised by how much she had ended up talking with Liang Muchen.

Liang Muchen was indeed special to her.

As the daughter of the Weiyuan Marquis and a candidate for the Crown Princess chosen by the Empress, she would soon lose both the prospect of being the Crown Princess and the influence of the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence.

Neither of these issues was directly aimed at Liang Muchen, yet they affected her.

Rongrong didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong, but she felt inexplicably soft-hearted towards Liang Muchen.

Maybe it was because she was such a delicate beauty?

“Sister Rongrong, can you teach me?” Liang Muchen suddenly mustered the courage and grabbed Rongrong’s hand.

“Teach you? Teach you what?”

“About how…” Liang Muchen’s face turned bright red. “The Crown Prince favors you so much. You must have some special method, right?”

Huh?

Rongrong was confused by Liang Muchen’s question.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not infatuated with the Crown Prince. I just…” Liang Muchen tightly gripped her own fingers, “I once boldly confessed my feelings to the Crown Prince, but he was very displeased. You said I need to win Prince Qing’s favor, but I really don’t know how to do that.”

Liang Muchen spoke with tears in her eyes, looking very sad.

All Rongrong could think about was the phrase: I once confessed my feelings to the Crown Prince.

When did Liang Muchen confess her feelings to the Crown Prince?

She seemed delicate but had the courage to openly express her feelings to Liu Zhen.

In contrast, Rongrong had only subtly made moves in front of Liu Zhen and had never boldly expressed her feelings.

“Sister Rongrong, don’t misunderstand. I’m not overly infatuated with the Crown Prince. I just don’t know… how to be liked.”

Rongrong was at a loss for words. “You’re so beautiful. Why would you worry about not being liked?”

“I’m not as beautiful as you. The Crown Prince doesn’t even want to look at me.”

This…

Rongrong’s face turned red.

“Sister Rongrong, please teach me.”

Rongrong’s expression turned troubled.

Just a moment ago, she had spoken confidently, but now she couldn’t say a word.

In the past, when she was Jing Rong, she was only at Liu Zhen’s side to handle the duties of the Jing Shi Room.

She never expected to gain favor, nor did she have the qualifications for it.

Unexpectedly, she became pregnant by chance and lost her life by chance.

Now, having been reborn, she hasn’t done much but has easily gained Liu Zhen’s favor and even learned that he loved her all along.

But if she were to explain how she gained his favor, she wouldn’t know where to start.

Could it be that she did well with her duties in the Eastern Palace and earned his favor that way?

It’s possible; back then, he was always very pleased with Jing Rong every night. But how could she put that into words?

“I don’t know why I caught the Crown Prince’s eye. People are different; what the Crown Prince likes, Prince Qing might not, and what Prince Qing likes, the Crown Prince might not. How could I teach you?”

“No, Sister Rongrong,” Liang Muchen said sincerely. “To be honest, I once underestimated you, thinking you were just someone who used their looks to gain favor. But after talking to you today, I understand that not only are you beautiful, but you also have a kind heart. Even though I’m down and have competed with you for attention, you still offer me advice and help. Sister Rongrong, please teach me.”

Seeing Liang Muchen’s plea, Rongrong’s heart softened a bit. “Has the Empress told you when the wedding will be?”

“My mother said the palace wants to settle things quickly. The Bureau of Astronomy is still looking at dates, and both a month from now and the end of the year have good dates.” In theory, the Bureau of Astronomy wouldn’t handle the marriage of a secondary wife, but the Emperor was concerned about the reputation of the Marquis of Weiyuan’s family, so all the rituals were being done as if it were a main wedding.

“A month from now?” Rongrong was surprised. “That’s very soon. Let me say a few things. If I’m wrong, just consider it a story.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Since the wedding is likely to happen in a month, you need to take care of your health.”

Liang Muchen pressed her lips together and remained silent.

“Your complexion looks bad today. It seems you were injured after falling into the water. If you enter the Prince’s residence with such a complexion a month from now, it might not look good.” Rongrong reasoned, “If Prince Qing sees you like this, he might think it’s because you don’t want to marry him.”

“I…” Liang Muchen did have some resistance to this marriage.

“So, we’re back to what I said earlier. If you feel that marrying Prince Qing will make you miserable, then you should decisively break off the engagement. If you’re willing to marry into Prince Qing’s residence for the sake of your family, then you need to stop hesitating.”

Liang Muchen frowned but made up her mind. “Then I will go home, take my medicine on time, eat well, and take care of myself.”

Rongrong nodded in satisfaction. “That’s the first step. The second step is to completely forget your past involvement with the Eastern Palace.”

“But even if I can pretend, Prince Qing knows about these matters. He might think I’m unclean.”

“So, you need to show him that the Crown Prince means nothing to you compared to the Duke of Su, Duke of Gong, Duke of Jing, and the others—just that he’s Prince Qing’s older brother.” Rongrong, looking at Liang Muchen’s pitiful expression, was slightly moved. “If you can do these two things, at least Prince Qing won’t dislike you, and you might have a smoother life in the residence.”

Though Liang Muchen was innocent, she was not foolish and understood that Rongrong’s words were sincere.

Hearing this, she stood up and bowed to Rongrong. “Thank you for your guidance.”

“I can only help you up to this point. Whether you can win Prince Qing’s favor depends on yourself.”

A man’s heart is not so easily won.

Jing Rong lost a life to barely touch Liu Zhen’s heart.