Xue Wenmian was dismissive and bluntly refused with a cold face: “What good are things from a pleasure quarter? Tang’er, from now on, you are my adopted daughter, a young lady of the Prime Minister’s residence. You must distance yourself from the items of this filthy place; you are not allowed to bring them back to the residence. Hurry up and leave, don’t let anyone see you.”
A daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence…
Hearing that term, Ling Zhenli’s eyes lit up, but remembering the cat in her room that needed care, she quickly explained:
“Prime Minister… I have a cat I’d like to bring…”
“Enough. I just said, a daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence must not have any association with this Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Do not mention it again. Hurry up and leave, before someone sees you.”
Xue Wenmian frowned, extremely dissatisfied with Ling Zhenli’s rambling behavior. Although he had already instructed his servants to cordon off the area completely, he still needed to prevent outsiders from seeing Ling Zhenli’s face.
Seeing the situation, Ling Zhenli had no choice but to give up.
Since her family was raided and she entered the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, this was Ling Zhenli’s first time stepping out of its doors. She breathed the fresh air of freedom. The market outside was bustling with people, very lively.
Xue Wenmian urged her again to quickly get into the carriage, and Ling Zhenli complied.
Two carriages were parked outside. One belonged to Xue Wenmian and Xue Haoting, and the other was prepared exclusively for Ling Zhenli, but both were very simple.
The carriage first took her to the suburbs, explaining that the current carriage was to conceal their actions, and they would switch carriages now.
Ling Zhenli obediently got out of the carriage. She then looked up and saw two luxurious carriages, gilded and dragon-carved, with jade-decorated canopies. Ling Zhenli had never ridden in such a lavish carriage.
At this point, Xue Haoting proactively suggested riding in the same carriage as Ling Zhenli.
“Sister Ling doesn’t know the situation yet. Your son would like to explain things to her on the way home.”
Xue Wenmian merely despised Ling Zhenli for being a courtesan and did not want his son to associate too much with her. However, since the words were already spoken, and he had to continue the act in front of Ling Zhenli, he could not refuse again.
During the carriage ride, Xue Haoting was restless and constantly looked for opportunities to touch Ling Zhenli.
“What are you…”
“Shhh.” Xue Haoting signaled her to be silent. “You must remember, we have no relationship whatsoever.”
Ling Zhenli raised her hand. His hand was still grasping her wrist. She glared at him: “You call this ‘no relationship’?”
“Yes. From now on, you are my sister. We can only act as if nothing ever happened between us.”
As he spoke, Xue Haoting’s face drew closer and closer, and he began to kiss her hair.
“Very well, I am your sister. What are you doing to your sister?”
“She’s not even my biological sister.”
“…You.”
While the two were passionately entwined in the carriage, oblivious to the world, the carriage stopped. They had arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence.
Forcibly interrupted halfway, Xue Haoting was not satisfied. He got out of the carriage with a long face, not caring that Ling Zhenli’s clothes were disheveled and what would happen if someone saw her.
Ling Zhenli looked at the torn clothing on her chest, raising her head in confusion. This state was certainly not suitable for being seen.
Just as she was about to give up and step out, a garment was tossed in, followed by Xue Haoting’s voice.
“Change your clothes. From now on, you are a daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence. You must act according to your status.”
Ling Zhenli picked up the clothes and leaned back to examine them carefully.
The top was a moon-shadow white silk short jacket, embroidered with rhododendrons on the chest, with pearls inlaid on the collar and cuffs. Paired with it was a cloisonné long skirt, the cloud patterns embroidered on the hem with silver thread complementing the color of the jacket. Ling Zhenli stroked the fabric, her heart a mix of feelings.
The clothes Xiao Chongheng had given her in the past were more valuable than this. Xiao Chongheng… She wondered if she would ever have a chance to see him again now that she was becoming a gentry miss.
Afraid of making the Prime Minister wait, she quickly changed her clothes and got out of the carriage.
Changing her clothes was also Xue Wenmian’s idea. He disliked the courtesan scent on Ling Zhenli and didn’t want her entering the Prime Minister’s gate in clothes she wore to attract customers in the brothel.
However, Xue Wenmian didn’t realize that it happened to align perfectly with his son’s intentions.
“Your father originally worked for me. During the previous dynasty, I had political disagreements with Princess Wuyang and clashed with her repeatedly. Later, Princess Wuyang supported the current Emperor’s ascension and used me as an example, fabricating false charges against me to have me punished… Your father was absolutely loyal to me. He proactively took the blame, exempting me from punishment, but unfortunately, he…”
Xue Wenmian spoke with streaming tears. He wiped his eyes and continued:
“Your parents were kind to me, and you are their only bloodline. I intended to find you, but Princess Wuyang had spies watching me, so I dared not act rashly. Only recently, with her second son’s wedding, did the surveillance slacken, allowing me to rush to find you… You have suffered greatly these past few days.”
Ling Zhenli listened, feeling some truth in his words. She had heard her mother mention that her father had worked under the Prime Minister.
Ling Zhenli listened with her eyes lowered, thinking of the tragic deaths of her parents and her early days in the brothel. Her eyes felt sore.
It was truly agonizing.
“Are you saying that my father was framed by Princess Wuyang and subsequently died?”
“Precisely. The killer sent to murder your entire family was Princess Wuyang’s second son, who was granted the title Duke of Yan.”
Ling Zhenli recalled the wedding she saw that day at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, which was the Duke of Yan’s wedding. Thinking about it now, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
You, the Duke of Yan, marry a noble Commandery Princess wife and live a happy life, completely forgetting that you ruined another family!
The Duke of Yan was getting married, and Xiao Chongheng abandoning her was also for marriage. Ling Zhenli couldn’t help but blend her hatred for the two men together, preparing to seek revenge on the Duke of Yan and Princess Wuyang.
Xue Wenmian saw the hatred in her eyes. Now was the perfect time to make his request.
“So, I hope that you will marry the Crown Prince under the identity of the Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter, Xue Run.”
“What?”
Although Ling Zhenli’s heart was filled with hatred, she couldn’t help but be incredulous upon hearing this.
Such a good thing as becoming the Crown Princess—why would he offer it to her instead of his own daughter?
Seeing her suspicion, Xue Wenmian slowly unfolded a scroll painting from a drawer in the side table.
The person in the painting was a young woman who bore a three-part resemblance to Ling Zhenli, especially those eyes and eyebrows that conveyed a hint of petulance; they looked as if they were carved from the same mold as hers.
“This is my daughter, Xue Run. She was originally the future Crown Princess.” Xue Wenmian’s finger lightly traced the portrait, his face full of heartache. “She suddenly passed away from an acute illness half a month ago.”
Ling Zhenli’s heart jolted. She suddenly understood. He wanted her to replace this woman and marry the Crown Prince.
Xue Wenmian watched the change in her expression with satisfaction: “You don’t need the identity of an adopted daughter. From today on, you are the legitimate daughter, Xue Run, and you can marry the Crown Prince without any reservation.”
Ling Zhenli looked at the woman in the portrait but still had concerns: “After all, she and I are two different people. Although our eyes and eyebrows are similar, our whole faces are quite different. Outsiders will know at a glance that I am not…”
Xue Wenmian approached her, a calculated look in his eyes: “Don’t worry. Yingyue was sickly since childhood and lived deep in the inner chambers. She never left the house after the age of eight. Besides her personal maid and the training governess, and us family members, no one knows her true appearance. Even if you were entirely unlike her, you wouldn’t need to worry. As long as your every action is appropriate for a young lady from a noble family, that is sufficient.”
Ling Zhenli’s pupils suddenly constricted upon hearing this. This Xue Run truly lived a tragic life; she died before she ever saw the outside world. However…
Her eyes darted around. Who was better off than whom? When she was reduced to a government courtesan and bullied by Xiao Chongheng, no one pitied her either.
Seeing her moved, Xue Wenmian’s voice softened. He walked over and pressed her shoulders: “Once you become the Crown Princess, you will gain power, and then you can take revenge on the Princess and the Duke of Yan, and avenge your father. The Prime Minister’s residence will be your backing. When you ascend to that most esteemed position in the future, you will also bring glory to my Xue family’s reputation. It will be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Is this not the best form of revenge?”
Listening to Xue Wenmian’s enticing words, Ling Zhenli felt a wave of dizziness.
Xue Wenmian’s voice continued to drill into her ears like a curse: “The Crown Prince, Pei Xuanlin, is cold and aloof. However, as long as you marry him, he will value you. Even if he is heartless, with the backing of the Xue and Cui families, he would not dare neglect you. As long as you work to gain his trust after marrying him and become his closest person, uniting with the Xue family to help him secure his high position, then dealing with the Princess’s faction will be easily achievable.”
Although Ling Zhenli knew that this task was more difficult than ascending to heaven, and the slightest mistake could lead to the demise of the entire Xue family along with her, she was driven by the need to avenge her parents and, against her better judgment, agreed to it.
To properly imitate a respectable young lady, Xue Wenmian had the Prime Minister’s wife take her to the area where the late Xue Run used to live, starting with familiarizing herself with the environment.
Ling Zhenli followed the Prime Minister’s wife, Cui Yurong, into Xue Run’s chamber, the ‘Elegant Melody Pavilion.’
A wave of fragrance, the unique sweet scent of a young lady’s boudoir, greeted her.
She couldn’t help but hold her breath. She saw a large bed situated in the inner room, draped with sheer curtains. Sunlight penetrated, making it seem like morning light rested upon the couch.
The Prime Minister’s wife, Cui Yurong, took her hand. Although quite impatient, she still guided Ling Zhenli’s hand to stroke the cloud-like, misty sheer fabric.
“You will live here and learn to be like your sister Run from now on.”
Ling Zhenli’s fingertips trembled slightly. She saw two small golden bells hanging from the corner of the curtain. When the wind blew, they made a delicate, crisp sound, like the soft meow of a kitten.
She couldn’t help but think of Baiyun, the cat left behind at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. She wondered if those madams would throw the poor thing out.
Cui Yurong did not notice her contemplation. She preoccupiedly led her past the screen to the dressing area. The dressing table reflected the girl’s delicate face.
Cui Yurong had her sit down, then opened the cosmetics box, took out a hairpin, and placed it in her hair: “This Kingfisher and Peony Hairpin was one of the coming-of-age gifts for Run’er from my maternal family.”
A wave of jade-green instantly shimmered in the bronze mirror. Ling Zhenli couldn’t help but raise her hand to touch the item. It was truly an exquisite piece.
Outside the window, a begonia tree bloomed brilliantly, its petals drifting in with the wind.
It just so happened that her name contained the character ‘li’ (梨, pear), which was often associated with flowers. It felt like a special twist of fate.
The life of this Prime Minister’s daughter, although confined to the house, was truly comfortable. It was only a pity that she had died young, and now Ling Zhenli was usurping her place.
Cui Yurong saw Ling Zhenli’s reaction and secretly scorned her for being uncouth. Her gaze swept over Ling Zhenli’s exposed neck. The more she looked, the more displeased she became. She was just a base courtesan who had been passed around. If her beloved darling Run’er hadn’t run away from the marriage, this good fortune would never have fallen to Ling Zhenli.
Cui Yurong stood up and looked down at her: “Since you are going to marry the Crown Prince in Run’er’s place, you must know about the Imperial family.”
“Crown Prince Pei Xuanlin is the nephew of the current Emperor and the sole son of the former deposed Emperor Rui…”