Chapter 1: Chang Yunian Enters the Household

“Princess, Lady Chang has arrived. I observed her and she truly looks as though she is six or seven months pregnant.”

Hearing the clear voice of her maid, Huaixi, Ning Junru felt a sudden haze, realizing she truly had been reborn.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry and bring her in!” Dowager Madam Xu fixed her with an impatient gaze. “The princess has been in the manor for five years and has borne no children. The other women in the rear court are no better—none have conceived! Lady Chang may be an outsider, but she carries the prince’s blood. You must settle her in properly…”

Ning Junru’s lips curled into a barely perceptible, cold smile.

“Years ago, I traveled all the way from the capital to Liangzhou, fell ill for half a year, and the prince, fearing contagion, would not visit my chambers. The border has been unstable, and he’s always away. Even when he returns, he never spends the night in my courtyard.”

“How could I not wish to bear heirs for the prince? But one hand cannot clap alone; even if I desire it, I am powerless.”

Her tone shifted, “But rest assured, Mother. I will see that Lady Chang is well settled.”

Ning had always been gentle and respectful, yet today she dared to answer back?

Dowager Madam Xu shot her a cold glance, thinking her words were not without truth, and suppressed her anger. To conceal her displeasure, she sipped tea slowly from her cup before saying, “Her pregnancy is so far along. We can’t keep calling her Lady Chang—she needs a proper status.”

As soon as her words fell, Huaixi ushered in Lady Chang Yuniang, graceful and radiant.

“If she bears a son, not only will I grant her a proper status, I would even surrender the title of Princess of Liang if need be.” Ning Junru’s smile was ambiguous as she gazed at the plump, glowing Chang Yuniang.

As if startled, Chang Yuniang forgot her unborn child and, supporting her belly, knelt abruptly before them.

“I… I greet Dowager Madam, Princess.” Despite her humble pose, her alluring eyes brimmed with tears, casting a spell that made one feel endless pity.

In her previous life, she’d been utterly deceived by those eyes! Not only had she met a gruesome end, but hundreds in both the Ning and Chang families had been executed—such tragedy!

That pitiful look pierced Ning Junru’s heart like a knife, and she nearly spat blood. Hadn’t she just promised to settle her well? Why change her tune the moment Lady Chang arrived?

Dowager Madam Xu, unable to fathom her thoughts, assumed Ning Junru was being deliberately difficult and slammed her teacup down. “If you object, just say so—there’s no need to mock the girl!”

In her past life, Ning Junru’s refusal to let Chang Yuniang enter the manor had sparked conflict with the Dowager, causing the old woman to sympathize and shield that seductive fox at every turn.

After Chang Yuniang gave birth to the ill-fated child, the Dowager directly promoted her to secondary consort; a few years later, she handed over the management of the household. Thus, Ning Junru, Princess of Liang in name only, was thoroughly disgraced and became the laughingstock of all.

To survive in the manor, she willingly emptied her dowry, yet it brought neither affection nor safety—she was plotted against and killed.

They were all ravenous wolves who devoured without mercy!

Ning Junru sat upright as a statue in her rosewood chair, her hands clenched tightly beneath her flowing sleeves. She silently vowed that this time, she would never let the tragedy repeat.

Never!

Her words were sincere: if she could protect the Ning and Chang families, herself, and those hundreds of lives, she cared little for the title of Princess of Liang.

Yet the Dowager mistook her stance as arrogance.

Ning Junru quickly rose and spoke earnestly.

“For the prince to have an heir is a tremendous blessing—how could I object? Please do not misunderstand, Mother. Every word I’ve spoken is true. Should I utter a single lie, may I…”

Her sincere gaze convinced nearly all.

Seeing her swear an oath, Dowager Madam Xu hurried to interrupt. “No need for such words. Since she’s here, let’s focus on settling her in.”

Settle her in… Ah, they still want to use her!

Ning Junru looked at the Dowager as if proposing, “Mother, what about Yunmeng Pavilion?”

“I have never been with child and don’t know how best to care for Chang Mei. I thought that since it’s close to both you and the prince, it would be convenient for her to live there; I’ll likely need your help in the future.”

Yunmeng Pavilion was said to be the finest garden in the Prince of Liang’s manor, its scenery renowned throughout the northwest.

Upon hearing this, Chang Yuniang was overjoyed. The prince had been right—now that she carried his child, even the stars in the sky would be hers if she asked.

But why was the princess so accommodating?

Dowager Madam Xu was surprised. Every concubine in the rear court schemed to live in Yunmeng Pavilion, but Ning was generous enough to give it to Chang Yuniang without hesitation.

Now she finally believed Ning was not jealous or spiteful; all her words were genuine.

Satisfied, the Dowager nodded. “Once she gives birth, the child will be entered into the jade register. Her background as a merchant’s daughter is unbecoming. The prince hopes you will acknowledge her as your cousin…”

Ha! The child wasn’t even born, yet the Dowager could say such things.

Ning Junru’s heart turned cold; she truly had been too naive in her previous life.

Chang Yuniang was elated, feeling as if she were floating among the clouds.

She never expected the Dowager, for the sake of the child, to state her demands so plainly.

The prince had told her: bear a son, and she would rule the manor.

Ning Junru’s gaze darkened. In her last life, under the mother and son’s forceful insistence, she had no choice but to acknowledge Chang Yuniang as her cousin.

Who could have guessed that this meaningless gesture would bring ruin to both the Chang and Ning families?

This time, she would sever all ties with this harbinger of disaster, no matter what.

“Prince!”

Before the Dowager could finish, the tall Prince of Liang, Zhao Shenxing, strode in briskly. He halted by Chang Yuniang, bent down, and gently helped her up, speaking tenderly, “Get up. The floor is cold; be careful with the child.”

The smile on Zhao Shenxing’s face was one of deep affection, a look Ning Junru had never received.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Overjoyed, Chang Yuniang gazed at him with eyes like honey, her voice as sweet and clear as a young oriole.

Zhao Shenxing squeezed her palm before reluctantly letting go.

So she was a seductress; no wonder his son was utterly bewitched. Dowager Madam Xu, observing with a cold eye, felt displeased.

As soon as Zhao Shenxing took his seat, the Dowager said blandly, “It’s not easy being heavily pregnant. Go rest in Yunmeng Pavilion.”

“Thank you, Dowager Madam.” Chang Yuniang curtsied and, supported by her maid, left gracefully.

“Mother, you let her stay in Yunmeng Pavilion?” Zhao Shenxing’s face was evidently pleased.

“No, the princess arranged for her to stay there,” the Dowager replied.

“The princess truly understands the importance of propriety. Yuniang will give birth in just over two months—this child cannot be born without status.”

For once, Zhao Shenxing took Ning Junru’s hand and said earnestly, “I recall your mother, Lady Ning, also bore the surname Chang. Though the Chang family is not a household of merit, it is renowned in the capital for its refinement. Yuniang has suffered much; now that she has finally entered the manor, why not acknowledge her as your cousin? When she seeks refuge with the Chang family and is entered into their genealogy, she will have a proper status.”