After that, Ning Wanwan truly did train in martial arts with Ning Yuanzhou, Pei Jinxu, and the others every day. Although she couldn’t compare to Ning Yuanzhou and Pei Jinxu, who had been training daily since childhood, she at least managed to achieve some minor success.
Ning Yuanzhou was as infuriating as ever, always mocking Ning Wanwan. When he found out that she secretly had a crush on Pei Jinxu, he spread it around with great fanfare.
As a result, everyone in the training grounds, which was already full of men, knew that Ning Wanwan was only there to pursue Pei Jinxu.
Furious, Ning Wanwan got into a fight with Ning Yuanzhou. In the end, they both gave each other the silent treatment and were punished by having to kneel in the ancestral hall when they returned home.
Ning Wanwan decided to just throw caution to the wind. No longer hiding her feelings, she began to pursue Pei Jinxu openly.
At that time, Pei Jinxu was still just an unfavored prince. It was unclear whether he was captivated by Ning Wanwan’s beauty or moved by her passion, but he went directly to Your Majesty to request a marriage decree.
Thinking of how Pei Jinxu had previously been engaged to Lin Jiaoyan, the daughter of a convicted official, the old emperor took the opportunity to annul that engagement and decree a new marriage between Pei Jinxu and Ning Wanwan.
From then on, the unfavored Pei Jinxu began to have people rally to his side. The first and foremost among them was Ning Yuanchen, who was not yet the Prime Minister at the time, but a fourth-rank Hanlin Academy Academician.
Just then, news of war came from the northwest. Ning Yuanzhou, being bellicose and eager to build a name for himself, went to the northwest. He would only return to Jing City once every three or four years, each time bringing back military honors.
Your Majesty was already quite interested in Ning Yuanchen’s essays and immediately praised him for raising his son well. His official rank rose step by step, and both father and son were promoted repeatedly, providing even more advantageous support for Pei Jinxu’s future ascension to the throne.
In the year the original owner turned sixteen, a rebellion broke out in the northwest. Both Ning Yuanzhou and Pei Jinxu went to fight. Ning Wanwan also secretly followed them. On her way through Huaiyang City, she encountered the kidnapped Xiao Shixue and even flirted with her in Ning Yuanzhou’s name.
When Ning Wanwan woke up, she found herself in the imperial palace. Seeing that she was awake, Lüqiu, who was beside her, handed her a cup of water.
“Wasn’t I at the Ning Family manor? When did I come back?” Ning Wanwan asked, confused.
“Niangniang, you have the nerve to ask? It was one thing for you to go back to the Ning Family, but how could you try to sneak off to the northwest?” Lüqiu was even more confused. For the past few days, Ning Wanwan had seemed to revert to her old self—deaf to advice and ignoring all rules. If she hadn’t sent word, Ning Wanwan would have probably made it all the way to the northwest.
“What are you talking about? Why would I go to the northwest? Where in the northwest would I go?” Ning Wanwan looked at Lüqiu as if she were looking at a lunatic. She clearly remembered being knocked over by Ning Wanxin.
Oh, right! That Youlong Spear!
Why did her head go fuzzy and her body become uncontrollable the moment she touched it?
“Niangniang, you don’t remember what happened?” Lüqiu asked tentatively.
“Why don’t you tell me? What have I been doing these past few days?” Ning Wanwan pressed.
So, Lüqiu recounted everything that had happened over the last few days in detail.
It turned out that after being knocked over by Ning Wanxin, Ning Wanwan had fainted. But she woke up shortly after, picked up the Youlong Spear, and left the Prime Minister’s Manor without another word, saying she was going to find her brother, Ning Yuanzhou. No one could stop her.
“You even managed to evade the soldiers guarding Jing City and slip out of the city gates,” Lüqiu said, giving Ning Wanwan a thumbs-up.
Ning Wanwan: “?”
She had only had a long dream. No one told her she had done other things as well.
Ning Wanwan suddenly thought of those emotions that had moved her against her will and considered a terrifying possibility: perhaps the original owner wasn’t dead, but was sharing a body with her.
Ning Wanwan was shocked by her own idea, but since something like her transmigration could happen, this sort of thing also seemed quite normal.
“I understand,” Ning Wanwan said faintly. She threw back the covers to get up but was stopped by Lüqiu.
“Niangniang, you can’t go out,” Lüqiu said.
“Why not?” Ning Wanwan frowned.
“Your leaving Jing City infuriated His Majesty. He’s punished you with a year of confinement,” Lüqiu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The mistake Ning Wanwan had made was no small matter. An imperial consort leaving Jing City without permission—if word got out, it would be a huge scandal.
“But I have something to say to Pei Jinxu. What should I do?” Ning Wanwan was a little anxious.
Ning Yuanzhou was missing. The original owner had regained control of the body and immediately tried to go to the great northwest to find him. It probably wasn’t an impulsive act; she must know where Ning Yuanzhou was.
“There’s nothing to be done. His Majesty is furious with you this time,” Lüqiu sighed.
“I just went out of the city gates, didn’t I? Does he have to be like this?” Ning Wanwan scoffed inwardly. This Pei Jinxu was truly petty.
“There’s more. Do you really not remember… what you did, Niangniang?” Lüqiu stammered, as if she were a little afraid of Ning Wanwan.
“What did I do?” Surely she hadn’t hit Pei Jinxu.
“You slapped His Majesty and caused a huge scene in the Imperial Harem. You should probably lie low for a while.”
Ning Wanwan: “What the actual hell.”
Was the original owner really that bold? No wonder others could tell the difference in her after she transmigrated. The original owner’s personality was truly one-of-a-kind and fearless.