Ning Wanwan spent her days doing nothing but eating and sleeping. She had even gained some weight recently, but it didn’t detract from her beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, her complexion grew rosier, and her shimmering eyes made her even more charming and captivating.
Perhaps because Lüqiu had tipped her off, Madam Ning sent a letter saying she wanted to see her.
The palace had not been peaceful lately. The Imperial Concubines were vying for favor, competing both openly and secretly, and there was even another newly pregnant concubine.
Madam Ning was around forty years old, but she was very well-preserved. Her skin was delicate and fair, her willow-leaf brows were curved, and her beautiful eyes were the spitting image of Ning Wanwan’s. She wore the exquisite and luxurious attire of a court-appointed lady, a brocade robe outlined with gold thread and a skirt adorned with blooming peonies. Her figure was slender and graceful, and she strongly resembled a modern-day actress—the one who played Xiao Meiniang. It was clear she had been a great beauty renowned throughout the capital in her youth. Ning Wanwan was stunned; the women of the Ning Family were truly all peerless beauties.
She had heard that Ning Luoshi’s mother was also a cool and distant great beauty. Compared to Madam Ning’s enchanting allure, Ning Luoshi’s mother was a proud, aloof beauty, untouched by the mortal world.
The moment Madam Ning saw Ning Wanwan, she was about to curtsy but was stopped by Ning Wanwan.
After dismissing the servants, Madam Ning looked at Ning Wanwan and said earnestly:
“I am already aware of your situation in the palace. Since you fell into the water and became infertile, you should be holding on to His Majesty’s heart even more tightly, not pushing him away.”
“There are so many beautiful concubines in the palace. What if His Majesty takes a fancy to someone else tomorrow? What if he gives you the cold shoulder? How will you manage then?”
“Without a child, you must at least have his favor, right?”
“…”
Madam Ning rambled on, but Ning Wanwan was thinking about what to have for lunch. Stewed pig’s trotters or roasted duck?
Maybe she should have both.
As she thought about it, she made herself hungry, and her stomach rumbled.
Madam Ning shot her a look of disappointment, her tone one of exasperation. “Are you my daughter or not? How have you become someone who only knows how to eat, eat, eat!”
She had put so much force into saying “eat, eat, eat” that her saliva sprayed onto Ning Wanwan’s face. Realizing what she’d done, she felt a pang of embarrassment and raised a handkerchief to cover her lips.
Ning Wanwan expressionlessly wiped the spit from her face and asked, “So, are you eating or not?”
“I’m eating.”
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Ning Wanwan let out an unladylike burp, earning a sharp, disdainful glare from Madam Ning.
“Pei Jinxu said he’s taking me to practice Qi She in a few days,” Ning Wanwan said.
“Oh? So what?” Madam Ning replied nonchalantly.
“I don’t know how. What if he’s deliberately taking me to practice Qi She but actually wants me to fall to my death?”
Madam Ning: “…”
For some reason, whenever Pei Jinxu was around, she didn’t feel like herself. So why was it that when Madam Ning was around, she was herself again? But then again, while Madam Ning was a noble court-appointed lady in front of outsiders, she was very relaxed with her, even learning to play along with her jokes.
“I’m seriously starting to wonder if your brain was fried. Your brother is the Northwest Grand General. You, His Majesty, and your brother grew up together. You preferred armor over dresses. And now you’re telling me you don’t know Qi She?” Madam Ning looked at her with a hint of suspicion.
“It seems Lüqiu was right. Did you swap my real daughter out in the water?”
Hearing this, Ning Wanwan’s eyes widened. “Mother, what are you talking about? How am I not your daughter? I just…”
“Just what?” Madam Ning pouted, looking at her disdainfully.
“I just have amnesia. I can’t remember anything from the past,” Ning Wanwan explained.
Madam Ning gave her a scornful look and said, “Now you’ve got amnesia. What an act.” She then picked up her teacup and took a sip.
“Amnesia, huh? Your appetite hasn’t shrunk one bit.”
Ning Wanwan: “…”
From the sound of it, her predecessor’s personality must have been similar to hers. So why did the rumors say she was arrogant, domineering, and extremely shrewish? It made her sound like one of those malicious concubines from a drama.
Looking at her conversation with Madam Ning, it was clear that the original owner not only had a powerful family background but was also a doted-on legitimate daughter at home. She even knew Qi She. If she, Pei Jinxu, and Ning Yuanzhou were childhood sweethearts, then her Qi She skills should be quite good.
“You used to love playing with swords and spears. Other families’ daughters were proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. And you? You ran around with a spear all day, causing trouble everywhere,” Madam Ning said, reminiscing about Ning Wanwan’s childhood with a mix of exasperation and affection.
“I can’t even be bothered to scold you. Ning Luoshi was always quiet and never bothered you, but you insisted on dragging her out to play. It would have been fine if you just played, but you took her down to the river to catch fish and almost got her swept away by the current.”
“She came home with a high fever, and your father hung you up and beat you until you were wailing. It was hilarious.”
“Huh?” Ning Wanwan was shocked. There was such a history between her and Ning Luoshi?
No wonder Ning Luoshi always scoffed disdainfully whenever she saw her.
“And that’s not all.”