For the past few days, Ning Wanwan had been constantly shedding tears. An irrepressible pain gripped her heart, a dense, crawling sensation as if she were being devoured by ants.
It wasn’t that she wanted to cry, but the original owner’s lingering consciousness was compelling her to. Ning Wanwan could only comfort her in a gentle, soothing voice:
“Sis, please stop crying. You’ll cry your eyes out if you keep this up.”
“Honestly, he’s not worth it at all. Emperors don’t have true feelings, so why are you doing this?”
“Even if not for yourself, you have to think of the family behind you.”
In Ning Wanwan’s mind, the bigger picture was far more important than romantic love. She had never been in a relationship and didn’t understand such things; she only knew that living well was what mattered most. A woman who lost herself for the sake of love was the greatest fool of all.
Her maids thought she had gone mad from the trauma of falling into the water and becoming barren, and had now started talking to herself. They were secretly delighted. It served her right for all the times she had abused them.
Gradually, whether because Ning Wanwan’s words had an effect or for some other reason, the tears finally stopped.
Just then, a sharp, grating eunuch’s voice rang out:
“His Majesty arrives—!”
Immediately after, a refined figure in a Mystic Robe with Python Design came into view. Ning Wanwan lifted her tear-streaked, beautiful eyes to look. The man’s face was incomparably handsome, his pair of peach blossom eyes bright and full of spirit.
“My beloved consort, are you not happy to see Us?”
Seeing Ning Wanwan staring blankly without a reaction, the man’s lips curved into a smile. He raised his long, elegant fingers and gently brushed her cheek.
The cold touch on her face jolted Ning Wanwan back to her senses. She hurriedly curtsied, mimicking the way Chan Meiren had done before.
The man couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He gently helped her up and sat beside her.
“We have been busy with state affairs these past few days, which is why We are late in visiting Guifei. Guifei is not angry with Us, are you?” The man squeezed Ning Wanwan’s hand, his eyes filled with affection.
Ning Wanwan kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look at him. So this was the reigning emperor. He was truly a peerless beauty, more bewitching than any woman. His mystic robe exuded the invisible might of an emperor, making it impossible for one to look at him directly.
No wonder the original owner had been so obsessed with love. Childhood sweethearts, coupled with the halo of a devastatingly handsome emperor—if it were her, she probably would have fallen head over heels for such a man too. She had been too shallow and had spoken too soon.
Pei Jinxu had just said he would have a meal with her when someone from Jixiang Palace arrived, reporting that the one residing there was feeling unwell.
Before he could speak, Ning Wanwan cut in, “Your Majesty should go. This consort is fine.”
This sort of green-tea-like remark was something the original owner would never have learned in her lifetime. In the original owner’s world, she and Pei Jinxu were childhood sweethearts and a young couple. Even if she didn’t end up as the Empress, Pei Jinxu still loved her. Since the Central Palace was without an Empress, her rank was the highest. They were more like husband and wife than not.
As expected, upon hearing her words, Pei Jinxu’s face immediately darkened. He spoke coldly to the person outside, “If she is unwell, summon an Imperial Physician. We are not a healer.”
Ning Wanwan was somewhat stunned. Her thick lashes trembled as she cautiously raised her eyes to steal a glance at him.
“Furthermore, Chan Meiren, relying on Our favor, has offended the Guifei. As punishment, she will reflect on her actions while facing a wall. No one is to disturb her.”
The person outside knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound, before meekly returning to deliver the message.
After the noon meal was served, the man even fed her personally. Ning Wanwan’s heart pounded like a drum, and she couldn’t tell if the emotion was her own or the original owner’s.
In the eyes of outsiders, the Son of Heaven was treating his Guifei with gentle care. This was a sign of deep affection and supreme honor, an envy-inducing sight. Even Ning Wanwan herself felt a little dazed.
Just imagine, an emperor treating her with the tenderness and affection of an ordinary husband, even going so far as to punish the pregnant Chan Meiren just because she had offended her… Who wouldn’t be bewildered by this?
Afterward, a river of rewards flowed into Ruyi Palace. To compensate her, he even raised her rank from a Guifei without a title to Imperial Noble Consort, a position second only to the Empress. For a time, her glory was unparalleled.