“Yes, your servant takes her leave,” Jiang Yingwan replied obediently.

Back in her own chambers, after dismissing her maidservants, Jiang Yingwan carefully lifted her clothes to examine her abdomen.  There was nothing outwardly wrong, but the Fourth Princess had indeed bumped her quite hard.

She hesitated about whether to summon the imperial physician, but if she did, the matter would certainly escalate, possibly even reaching the emperor’s ears.  If the physician found nothing wrong, might the emperor suspect that she was deliberately feigning injury to frame the Fourth Princess?

After much deliberation, she decided against it.  Perhaps in the emperor’s eyes, the Fourth Princess’s actions were merely childish playfulness, and he might even think she was making a fuss over nothing.

She should focus on how to win the emperor’s favor and how to save her life when the truth was revealed.

——————

The Fourth Princess, furious, returned to Jingxiu Palace after leaving the Xuanzheng Hall.  Upon seeing her mother, Yang Jieyu, she threw herself into her arms, weeping.

“Mother!”

Yang Jieyu embraced her, concerned. “What’s wrong? Did some inattentive servant offend you?”

The Fourth Princess sulked in her arms, refusing to look up. “Mother, I hate Second Sister. Can’t we just get rid of her from the palace?”

Yang Jieyu was momentarily stunned before realizing who “Second Sister” referred to. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of coldness in them.  She patted the girl’s back gently. “Don’t talk nonsense. Your Second Sister was lost for many years and has only recently been found. How can we drive her away again?”

“But Father only cares about Second Sister and doesn’t love me anymore,” the Fourth Princess sniffed, remembering the stern tone her father used when forcing her to greet her Second Sister.  “Father even said he’ll throw a grand birthday banquet for her. She’s just a country bumpkin raised by merchants. How can she compare to me?”

“Jiaru, who taught you to speak like this?” Yang Jieyu frowned at her daughter’s uncouth language and lack of princess-like demeanor.

The Fourth Princess, already upset by her father, was further angered by her mother’s reprimand.

She pushed Yang Jieyu away, stubbornly shouting, “It’s true!”

Yang Jieyu almost fell, saved only by the quick intervention of the maidservants.

“Jiaru!” Yang Jieyu was furious at being so rudely rebuked by her own daughter, but when she saw her daughter’s distress, her anger subsided.

After regaining her balance, she dismissed the maidservants and pulled her daughter back into her arms, softly saying, “Father will naturally be more affectionate towards her since she’s just returned to the palace. But in terms of affection, she can’t compare to you. You are Father’s most beloved princess.”

Yang Jieyu soothed her daughter for a while until she calmed down, though the Fourth Princess remained resentful, planning to teach that “country bumpkin” a lesson when her father wasn’t around.

Yang Jieyu thought the matter was over, but in the evening, Guo Gonggong from the emperor’s inner court arrived at Jingxiu Palace with two female officials.

“Guo Gonggong, what is this…?” She looked at the two stern-faced female officials behind Guo Gonggong, unsure of the emperor’s intentions.

Guo Gonggong bowed, smiling. “His Majesty thinks the Fourth Princess has been neglecting her etiquette and has sent me to bring two female officials to further instruct her in palace rules.”

Yang Jieyu’s face stiffened. The emperor was practically saying that Jiaru lacked manners.  But what had happened?  Wasn’t he always most fond of Jiaru?

“Guo Gonggong, what mistake did Jiaru make?” Yang Jieyu asked cautiously, forcing a smile.

She had served the emperor for nearly ten years.  Although she was relatively favored compared to other concubines, she knew that this favor was insignificant.

The emperor was cold and naturally authoritative. He rarely showed affection to his concubines, barely speaking to them. After Jiaru’s birth, he rarely summoned her, visiting Jingxiu Palace only to see Jiaru, ignoring her.

She feared the emperor more than she admired him. If it weren’t for Jiaru, maintaining her outward appearance, she would have long since fallen into the ranks of neglected concubines.  Therefore, hearing the emperor’s disapproval of Jiaru filled her with fear.

Guo Gonggong chuckled. “Why don’t you ask the princess, Jieyu Niangniang? These two officials will stay at Jingxiu Palace. His Majesty said that they will leave once the princess has learned the rules.”

Yang Jieyu could only smile stiffly as she saw him off, then summoned a maidservant to take the two officials to rest.  She dared not neglect the people sent by the emperor, but seeing the officials’ unyielding attitude, she felt a surge of anger.

“Call Jiaru over,” she rubbed her aching temples and instructed the maidservant.

She had worked hard to reach her current position and wouldn’t allow herself to fall.

After leaving Jingxiu Palace, Guo Gonggong returned to the Xuanzheng Hall to report to the emperor.

“Mm,” the emperor responded indifferently, continuing to handle the documents on his desk.

Only when the sun began to set, casting an orange glow on the sky, and the hall grew dim, did the emperor put down his pen and look up from the pile of documents.

“How is Princess Lingyi? What did the imperial physician say?”

Guo Gonggong broke into a cold sweat. “This… Yongning Palace didn’t summon the imperial physician.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor’s sharp gaze swept over him. Guo Gonggong trembled, feeling as if his skin and flesh had been flayed.

“Nonsense,” the emperor shouted, immediately picturing the frail appearance of his second daughter and her timid gaze, unable to rest easy.  He rose from his seat. “Prepare the carriage for Yongning Palace.”

When the emperor appeared at the entrance of Yongning Palace, a triumphant smile spread across Wang Zhaoyi’s face as she rushed to greet him.

“Your servant greets Your Majesty.”

Wang Zhaoyi’s eyes were filled with uncontainable excitement. She had only enjoyed the emperor’s favor for a short time after his ascension, then gradually faded into obscurity. If it weren’t for her title as the head of the nine concubines, her life would be worse than many favored lower-ranking concubines.

Only after she took the risk of acknowledging Jiang Yingwan did the emperor visit Yongning Palace more often.  Even if it was only for the “fake princess,” she was satisfied to see him.

“Rise,” the emperor’s indifferent gaze swept through the room, but he didn’t see the figure he was thinking of. “Where is Wanwan?”

Wang Zhaoyi was pouring tea for him.  Her movements froze for a moment, her smile strained. “Wanwan isn’t feeling well, so your servant sent her to rest.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the emperor’s gaze sharpen, a scrutinizing look.

“Knowing Wanwan is unwell, why didn’t you call the imperial physician?”

Wang Zhaoyi’s heart trembled. “Your servant was negligent. Wanwan had just recovered from a serious illness, and your servant made her go to the imperial court. Please forgive your servant.”

The emperor’s brow furrowed slightly. Wang seemed unaware.  Perhaps Wanwan hadn’t told her about the incident with Jiaru.

His expression softened slightly. “Forget it. I’ll go see her. You don’t need to follow.”

He knew Wang had previously used Wanwan to curry favor with him.  However, considering their separation due to his negligence, he could tolerate her actions as long as they weren’t excessive.  But he had overestimated her maternal instincts. If she had been more attentive to Wanwan, she wouldn’t have missed her discomfort.

“Your servant thanks Your Majesty,” Wang Zhaoyi watched the emperor leave, her smile fading once he disappeared from sight.

She had hoped to gain favor by finding the princess, but now it seemed the emperor’s affection was entirely focused on the fake princess, his attitude towards her unchanged.

She suddenly clenched her hands, a premonition that things were spiraling out of her control.

Jiang Yingwan was racking her brains in her chambers to think of ways to please the emperor when she heard the announcement that the emperor had arrived.  She almost fell off her chair in surprise.

The emperor entered, meeting her anxious gaze, and his stern face softened.

“Greetings, Father,” Jiang Yingwan lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him.

Even without looking up, she could feel his overwhelming presence, making her breathless.

“Mm, rise,” the emperor didn’t let anyone else in, finding a place to sit.

Jiang Yingwan couldn’t be as relaxed as he was.  Usually, when she was with the emperor, there were others present. Now, it was just the two of them, and she was afraid.

She stood nervously beside him, like a rabbit cowering under a tiger’s paw.

“Wanwan,” the emperor suddenly called her name.

Jiang Yingwan trembled, then nervously raised her head, her eyes wide, her lower lip tightly bitten, showing extreme panic.

Seeing her expression, the emperor’s heart softened, and his tone became gentler.

“You were bullied. Why didn’t you tell Father?”

Crying, She Doesn’t Really Resemble Wang Zhaoyi

Why didn’t she tell the emperor? Naturally, she was worried that he wouldn’t help her.  Compared to the princesses who were favored and raised in the palace, she, a princess raised outside, was already at a disadvantage, let alone her fake identity.

She was timid and fearful, walking on eggshells in this deep palace, afraid of angering the emperor and repeating her past life’s tragic end.

But when her parents were alive, she had been pampered, and someone would always stand up for her when she was wronged.