Deep in the night, the weight of snow was felt, occasionally accompanied by the sound of bamboo cracking.
Within the opulent Ruyi Palace, behind a screen, steam swirled like a celestial realm.
Vaguely visible through the mist was a large bathtub, where a beauty with snow-white skin and breathtaking features lay peacefully with her eyes closed.
A young woman in a goose-yellow dress anxiously poured an unidentified brown liquid into the tub.
As the steam rose, the beauty in the tub seemed to regain vitality…
When Ning Wanwan woke again, she found herself stark naked in the bathtub and screamed in terror.
The servants, startled by her sudden awakening, scrambled about in panic.
Afterward, Ning Wanwan had no choice but to accept the reality: she had transmigrated!
Ning Wanwan was vexed—transmigrating was one thing, but to become an arrogant and overbearing Guifei who meddled in others’ affairs was another.
This Guifei was quite a character; relying on her powerful family, she spent her days either bullying or mocking others, making many enemies in the palace and tormenting her subordinates relentlessly.
And now, it had finally backfired—during a Flower Viewing Banquet, she was “accidentally” kicked into the lake.
In the freezing cold, the esteemed Guifei was fished out only an hour after being pushed in.
With her delicate constitution, the plunge into the icy lake proved fatal, and she breathed her last, only to be replaced by Ning Wanwan.
Now that spring had arrived and the weather was gradually warming, Ning Wanwan’s health had slightly improved.
Rumors spread outside that Noble Consort Ning had finally settled down after falling into the lake, not leaving the Ruyi Palace for many days.
After two months of investigation failed to uncover who had kicked the Guifei, the emperor sent numerous rare treasures to console her and, by extension, the Ning Family behind her.
Why the Ning Family? Because the Guifei had been left with lasting health issues, likely rendering her infertile for life.
The imperial physician trembled as he finished taking her pulse, not even daring to look up. Enraged, the emperor kicked him away, vowing to find the culprit and have them torn limb from limb.
“Heh!” Ning Wanwan let out a self-mocking laugh, soft though it was. The maids nearby immediately dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.
“Am I that frightening?” Ning Wanwan asked.
“…”
A crowd of maids knelt silently, too terrified to speak, fearing a beating from the tyrannical Guifei.
“My, what a temper you have, sister,” a sweet voice chimed in, followed by the appearance of a pure-looking beauty in rose-red attire.
“Having heard of your recovery, I specially came to visit you, sister.”
Ning Wanwan looked at the empty-handed woman and smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Seeing how brightly you’re dressed, sister, with such a revealing neckline—one might think you came to mock me. And visiting without even a token gift? How could you show up empty-handed?”
Chan Meiren’s face turned ashen. It was said that after falling into the lake and falling gravely ill, Ning Wanwan’s personality had changed.
Though she had always been sharp-tongued, she was never this blunt and sharp-witted, making it hard to counter her.
“Sister comes from a prestigious and wealthy family—what treasures could you possibly lack? Besides, in the past, whenever I sent you gifts, you threw them out. I wouldn’t dare bring anything now, for fear of your disdain.”
Chan Meiren wasn’t wrong. Previously, Ning Wanwan had been haughty, looking down on everyone except the emperor. When others sent gifts to curry favor, she treated them like trash and “secretly discarded” them all.
“Oh~ So are you done with your visit? If so, get lost!” Ning Wanwan mercilessly told her to scram.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, sister. I still have good news to share with you.” A smug expression covered Chan Meiren’s pretty face as she stroked her belly with feigned tenderness.
“Sister probably doesn’t know yet that I’m pregnant? A few days ago, His Majesty sent so many gifts that my Jixiang Palace can hardly contain them all, hehehe.” Chan Meiren covered her mouth with a giggle, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.
“Ah, sister, don’t be sad. It doesn’t matter if you can’t bear a prince – at least you’ll be spared the pain of childbirth.”
What nonsense! Ning Wanwan couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Chan Meiren, aren’t you speaking too soon? Whether you can successfully give birth remains to be seen, and even if you do, it might not necessarily be a prince.” Ning Wanwan’s face showed mockery, though her heart ached uncontrollably.
Although Ning Wanwan had transmigrated, the original soul hadn’t left for some reason. While she couldn’t control her body, she could still influence her emotions.
Currently, Ning Wanwan felt both angry and sorrowful. Her chest felt tight, her eyes were reddened, and tears were beginning to form. Her originally beautiful face now appeared pale and weak, making her look even more pitiable.
Seeing her like this, Chan Meiren laughed triumphantly.
In the past, Ning Wanwan had bullied her relentlessly relying on her maternal family’s power, making her life extremely difficult. Now that Ning Wanwan had become a hen that couldn’t lay eggs, no matter how capable she was, she would remain stagnant. Once Chan Meiren gave birth to a prince and climbed to a higher position, she would send Ning Wanwan to hell first!
“Sister, don’t be angry either. If you can’t bear children, don’t worry – there are plenty of others who can bear them for His Majesty. May His Majesty be blessed with many sons!” Chan Meiren, emboldened by her pregnancy, acted arrogantly. Ning Wanwan could bear it no longer and immediately stood up.
“Ooh, Noble Consort sister is going to hit me, she’s going to hit me~” Chan Meiren pretended to be scared as she stepped backward, covering her mouth and laughing all the while, looking utterly pleased with herself.
Ning Wanwan truly wanted to tear that smug look off her face.
“Seeing sister like this, I’m really terrified. This is His Majesty’s first child in the rear palace – nothing can go wrong. I’ll take my leave now, hehe!”
“Get lost! You low-born wretch!”
Ning Wanwan cursed loudly while simultaneously feeling regretful. She had been influenced by the original host’s emotions again. She couldn’t imagine how arrogant and proud the former Noble Consort Ning had been, unable to tolerate the slightest grievance.