Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

"I don't know much about the specifics of the lady's family background. I entered the household late, when the lady was already seriously ill, and I never heard her mention it. I only overheard her mention once that her family was in Nanzhou. I don't know anything else about them."

The original owner's family background is also a mystery. Could it be that Lin Youqing's family was not ordinary? Otherwise, why would her scumbag father and concubine wait until she died before bringing their daughters and sons back to the mansion?

But if that's the case, it doesn't make sense. Never mind, these things aren't important for now.

"Alright, go on,"

Gu Nanzhi recalled Bai Su's past complaints and summaries of novel tropes, noting that nine out of ten novels featured a blind mother, a scumbag father, and so on.

She even wondered if she had entered a novel's world?

This is fantastical, so incredibly fantastical!!!

"Not long after I entered the manor, the madam passed away, and the household was controlled by Concubine Zhao. The master favored Concubine Zhao and her children, making life increasingly difficult for Miss. When Miss was seven years old, she went to a temple outside the city with Concubine Zhao to offer incense and got lost."

It took a whole day to find her, and some bad rumors started circulating. So, the master sent the young lady to the estate…

After a moment's thought, Gu Nanzhi concluded that the original owner's disappearance was likely a scheme orchestrated by that Aunt Zhao, whose intention was probably to prevent the original owner from ever returning.

Unfortunately, the original owner returned, only to be tricked again and sent to the manor. The people there were all bribed by her, so naturally they wouldn't let the original owner off easily.

Thinking about it this way, it's very likely that the poison on the original owner's body was caused by this concubine, Aunt Zhao.

After hearing about the original owner's tragic and short life, Gu Nanzhi felt sorry for her. It was even more miserable than her own life, which was without parents. At least she had a kind master who raised her.

The original owner had nothing, all alone, oh, not alone, but two people, including this loyal little maid;

Once the original owner's background was understood, it laid the foundation for Gu Nanzhi's attitude and behavior towards the people in the Ministry of Rites.

"Do you know anything about Prince Yan? Also, what's the situation in the capital, the distribution of power, and so on? Tell me everything you know or have heard about related rumors,"

Gu Nanzhi's question stumped Xia He. She had only returned to the capital with her young mistress five days ago, and in those five days, she had only left the mansion twice. Once was three days ago when she was taken out by the second young mistress's nanny, obviously to be summoned.

This was the first time; after leaving the Minister's residence, we ended up in the Prince Yan's residence.

However, she was unaware of the power dynamics and situation the young lady mentioned, but she had heard quite a few rumors about Prince Yan.

"Miss, Prince Yan is the ninth son of the current emperor. He joined the army at a young age and later became the God of War Prince of the Great Zhou. Two years ago, he was summoned back to the capital... Rumor has it that Prince Yan is ruthless, kills without hesitation, and is arrogant towards everyone..."

Over the next three minutes, Gu Nanzhi heard all sorts of negative adjectives from Xia He. In short, the whole thing conveyed the same message: the rumored King Yan was an extremely dangerous person, and to survive, one had to stay far away.

"So, Miss, let's find a way to leave the Yan Prince's mansion. Staying here is too dangerous. The previous two princesses were both killed by the Yan Prince, and both were betrothed by the Emperor, yet he showed them no respect and killed them outright..."

Xia He grew increasingly terrified. All that was left for them was to wait for death; their days were numbered once the prince returned from the palace.

However, it was precisely Xia He's series of outputs that aroused Gu Nanzhi's curiosity. In her previous life, she had used various identities and had encountered all sorts of people. Good heavens, this was the first time she had met someone who could use so many adjectives.

These figures alone sound like they surpass even those of Nasser, the top tycoon in the M continent.

Gu Nanzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. Hmm... I'd like to see what this person, with a rebellious streak, is like.

How powerful could he be? If he really wants to take your life, then fight him. If you win, it proves that this supposedly powerful person isn't all that great, and it's all just false rumors.

Losing...that won't do. If I lose, I'll poison him, but not kill him. I promised my master I wouldn't poison people, but the circumstances are different now, so the rules naturally need to be changed.

Otherwise, she would really have given him her life. Bullshit! She finally got a second chance at life, and before she could even start, she would be gone again. Wouldn't that be a huge loss? So she had no choice but to resort to underhanded tactics.

Gu Nanzhi was filled with curiosity, while Xia He continued to spread various rumors about the King of Yan.

"Also, I heard that King Yan is ill, and not only is he disfigured and lame, but he also doesn't have long to live; he's about to die..."

Hearing this, Gu Nanzhi was astonished. A limp? Not long for death? With such an appearance, how could there be so many fearsome rumors? Is this really the same person?

And even in this situation, the emperor still bestowed a marriage upon the original owner of this body, and her scumbag father's family just accepted it without question? Very well, none of them had good intentions.

Just you wait, she'll have to find a chance to vent her anger eventually.

"Xia He, where did you hear all this from? Have you ever met the King Yan?"

This feels somewhat contradictory. Gu Nanzhi is a rational person; if it's all just rumors, she can't believe it all.

Xia He quickly shook her head vigorously, "No, I haven't seen it. I just heard it from others in the manor. Everyone there said so, and the Second Miss even deliberately came to tell you before, Miss."

They could only see the King of Yan, but ultimately she and her mistress were powerless to resist him.

"Alright, if we haven't met, we haven't met. We'll have a chance to meet again someday. Since it's just a rumor, it might not all be true. We've got the general idea of ​​the situation."

Xia He, I plan to stay and wait for the Prince to return. Given the situation, he must have been forced into it. When we discuss divorce with him, he will surely agree.

Furthermore, now that I've been betrothed and entered the manor, even if we escaped, without proper identification or travel permits, where could we go? We might even be captured and brought back by the prince's men.”

"But, Miss..."

After hearing what Miss said, Xia He also remembered. Yes, their young lady was a woman, and had already been betrothed. Where could she go if she escaped? She couldn't go anywhere, so how could she establish herself?

But if I don't escape, I might lose my life...

"No buts, I've made up my mind. Although I have amnesia, based on what you've said, I understand that it's quite difficult for women to establish themselves in this society; there are many restrictions."

Moreover, since the Minister's mansion was able to force me into the bridal sedan chair, there's definitely no way I can go back. Staying here for now is the most suitable option. Once we've discussed it with the Prince, it will be easier to leave and establish myself afterward."

"But Xiahe, if you're scared, you should leave the palace first. By the way, since you're my maid, you should have some kind of indenture, right? Do you know where your indenture is?"