My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

In the quiet, dimly lit room, only a single candle burned. In the dim candlelight, a slender, petite figure knelt on the cold floor tiles, appearing exceptionally lonely and desolate.

As the evening light faded completely, the door opened from the outside, and steady footsteps approached from afar.

Wei Nanxun had been kneeling for a whole day, and her whole body was stiff, especially her legs, which had long since lost all feeling. Even her sense of her surroundings had become dulled. She paused for a moment before realizing that someone had arrived.

She recognized the sound of his footsteps; she had longed for his arrival every day and night.

Each step felt like stepping on her heart.

Wei Nanxun slowly raised her neck and stared at the person intently.

The newcomer had a handsome face with a scholarly air, but his eyes revealed a sharp edge. He was particularly tall and stood in front of her, blocking out all the light, like a god descending from the sky.

He was dressed in a loose court robe, and his movements were as unrestrained as a dragon in flight. Had he just finished his work in the Imperial Study and come directly to see her?

The thought of this possibility made Wei Nanxun's heart, which had been dead for a long time, suddenly start to beat again.

Having not had a drop of water all day, her voice was a little hoarse, but her tone was as melodious and lingering as a Jiangnan folk song: "Your Highness."

The person who came ignored her completely, remaining motionless and not even sparing her a glance.

Is he angry?

She was angry that her older sister had upset her and caused her to have a miscarriage, but she was innocent.

Wei Nanxun had never seen him with such a sullen face before, and a sudden pang of heartache shot through her. She didn't want to see him angry.

She gritted her teeth, thinking of the scenes of the two of them making love in the room, and boldly reached out to grab the dark sleeve of his clothes. Her soft, cool fingers slowly explored upwards along the man's strong and powerful arm.

Kneeling made it somewhat inconvenient for her, so she had to straighten up slightly. However, she had been forced to kneel for so long that her movements were stiff, and she had never done anything so bold and shameful before, which caused her fingers to tremble incessantly.

"Your Highness..."

Finally, he lifted his eyelids and looked down at the woman on the ground. From this angle, he could clearly see her trembling eyelashes, her fair cheeks with a faint blush, and her slender, white neck.

Her complexion was as smooth as cream and her skin as beautiful as jade; she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Pei Yuyan's gaze darkened. His long, slender fingers traced across her jade-like cheek before finally gathering her thick, beautiful hair. With a slight lift of his other hand, he forced her to stand up unsteadily.

Her legs were numb and she couldn't stand up straight, but he didn't care. In that position, he kissed her on the head.

He kissed her until her face was flushed and her eyes were filled with tears. She looked like she was about to run out of breath before he let go of her. Then, before she could react, he swept her up in his long arms, picked her up, and carried her to a nearby daychair, where he pressed her down.

Wei Nanxun still retained a sliver of reason, and tugged at his clothes, whispering, "Your Highness, I... I'm still in the forbidden chamber..."

"so what."

She desperately wanted to say that this wasn't right; she was still being punished, and shouldn't they go back to her chambers to continue? At the same time, she also had a lot of grievances she wanted to tell him. She had been wrongly imprisoned, starved, and frozen, and had even been slapped on the hand…

But her voice gradually became fragmented, and he, like a raging storm, drowned her in wave after wave of waves.

After an unknown amount of time, Pei Yuyan finally relented.

Wei Nanxun was already in a daze, only knowing that a pair of large hands were holding her tightly, making her feel no cold.

When she woke up again, she was back in her bedroom, and a palace maid was feeding her medicine.

She didn't know what kind of medicine it was; the soup was somewhat cloudy and had a very unpleasant smell. She didn't like taking medicine, so she subconsciously looked away.

Just then, Pei Yuyan walked out of the washroom behind the screen. He had just taken a bath and was only wearing an outer robe. The steaming water droplets rolled down his body as he walked.

Wei Nanxun's eyes lit up instantly: "Your Highness, you didn't leave."

Pei Yuyan gave a faint hum and habitually sat down beside her. She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a palace maid: "Greetings, Your Highness. The Crown Princess was worried that Consort Wei might catch a chill after kneeling all day, so she specially instructed me to prepare some medicinal soup and send it over."

“But Lady Wei seems unwilling to take the medicine.”

Pei Yuyan glanced at the porcelain bowl, then at the person on the couch. She was already frail, and after kneeling, her pale face was even more bloodless. She swallowed back the words that were about to come out and said, "Go and get a plate of sweet cakes."

"Eat a piece of candy, and the bitterness will be gone."

Wei Nanxun's eyes suddenly reddened. Just because of those words, she would drink even the bitterest medicine.

Perhaps she was too tired. First, she had been kneeling all day, and then she had an exhausting lovemaking session. After taking the medicine, she felt sleepy again, but she still remembered that she had to explain yesterday's events to the Crown Prince.

She forced her eyes open and spoke to him: "Your Highness, I did not harm anyone. My sister was frightened and fell, it was not my doing..."

Pei Yuyan seemed to be thinking of something, and simply patted the back of her hand reassuringly: "We'll talk about these things when you're better. I won't punish you."

What do you mean by "wait until she's better"? What do you mean by "we won't punish her"?

Does he believe that his sister was the one who pushed her?

Wei Nanxun wanted to say something, but then she felt a sharp, churning pain in her lower abdomen, and her back was instantly soaked with sweat. It hurt, it hurt so much—was it that bowl of medicine from earlier?

"The imperial physician just sent someone to say that the Crown Princess's pregnancy is not going well. You should rest first, and I will go to see her."

"Your Highness, please, don't go..."

Pei Yuyan didn't notice anything wrong with her. He simply tucked the blanket around her, said "good girl," and then turned and strode out.

Wei Nanxun was in so much pain that she couldn't speak. All she could see was his resolute back. She couldn't help but recall how he had coaxed her to drink the medicine earlier. Did he know what kind of medicine it was? Did he think she was wrong and wanted to stand up for his sister?

How absurd! She has never harmed anyone. On the contrary, she only found out yesterday that her miscarriage last year was not an accident, but the work of her elder sister.

That was her most trusted older sister. She knew she couldn't accept the truth, which was why she went to her sister to ask for clarification. Her tone was somewhat agitated, but before she even touched her sister's clothes, she fell down in front of everyone.

No one believed her, not even Pei Yuyan. What was the point of her living?

Her vision blurred, and she remembered the year she first met Pei Yuyan; she had just turned fifteen.

It was a summer afternoon when she was picking lotus pods in the back garden. She twisted her ankle and almost fell into the water. There were no servants with her, but he happened to pass by and saved her, and even treated her wound.

This was the first time she had seen a man other than her father and brothers. At that time, she did not know that this was the current crown prince, who was also her elder sister's fiancé.

The next time she saw him, it was to bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement. She had never seen her sister cry so sadly before.

Although she was a daughter of the Wei family, her father was born out of wedlock in the second wife's household and had always been looked down upon.

Furthermore, her grandmother disliked that she looked too much like her mother, possessing a captivating beauty even before she had fully blossomed, and appearing restless at first glance. It was one thing to be born into a humble family, but how could she resemble a daughter of a duke's mansion? Therefore, from childhood to adulthood, few of her brothers or sisters were willing to play with her.

Only her elder sister, as the eldest daughter of the Wei family, was well-educated, gentle, and generous, and never looked down on her. Not only did she take her along in everything, but she would also stand up for her. She had always liked her elder sister the most.

Her older sister came crying to find her, and when she lifted her sleeve, she revealed her wrist, which was covered in scars.

"Ah Xun, I have never asked anyone for help in my life. This time, I'm begging you, please help me."

Only then did she realize that Pei Yuyan had only said he wanted to marry the daughter of the Wei family when the emperor arranged his marriage, but now he actually wanted to break off the engagement and marry her.

He was the first man outside of Wei Nanxun's life, and he even saved her life, so she naturally felt a stirring of romantic feelings for him. However, after learning that he was her elder sister's fiancé, she immediately gave up the idea.

She was surprised to learn that he wanted to marry her. She knew she was beautiful, but he was the Crown Prince, who had seen all kinds of beauties. How could he fall in love at first sight with a woman who was out of favor and had little education? She simply couldn't believe it.

Does he really like her?

What can she do to help her older sister?

Seeing her in a daze, her elder sister had already grasped her hand tightly: "Ah Xun, His Majesty and the court officials will not agree to let the Crown Prince marry you as a concubine, but Father has already asked the Crown Prince's opinion, and you and I can marry into the Eastern Palace together."

Wei Nanxun thought her elder sister was crazy; how could anyone tolerate sisters sharing a husband?

"Ah Xun, if the Crown Prince breaks off the engagement, I will become the biggest laughing stock in the entire capital, and I won't be able to live. You and I have been the closest sisters since childhood, and now only you can help me."

"The Crown Prince loves you, and I will not compete with you for his favor. All the rewards and betrothal gifts are yours. Rather than an arranged marriage, it is better to marry into the Eastern Palace. We sisters can still support each other. Isn't that better?"

Wei Nanxun couldn't refuse her elder sister's threat of suicide.

The following day, her grandmother and other elders also came looking for her. This was the first time in her life that she had received so much attention from her family. They used every means at their disposal, coercing and bribing her with her father and younger brother.

Just when she was on the verge of collapse and didn't know what to do, the Crown Prince appeared. He was still gentle and held her hand, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you."

It was this simple phrase, "Don't be afraid," that made Wei Nanxun nod and believe him.

But now?

She trusted him, but he sided with her sister and wanted her dead.

From marrying Pei Yuyan to serving him in bed, becoming pregnant, and being falsely accused, her entire life boiled down to loving the wrong person. Her desperate yearning for that unattainable love led her to live such a humble life, becoming increasingly unlike herself.

She was tired, utterly exhausted, and didn't want to love him anymore.

A metallic taste of blood welled up in her throat, and a hot tear silently slid down her cheek.

She closed her eyes tightly and surprisingly felt that death was not so scary.

At this moment, she felt relaxed and at ease, with nothing binding her anymore.

She thought that if she could live again, she would definitely stay away from Pei Yuyan and go back to being Wei Nanxun.