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

Strangely enough, it was the Empress Dowager who summoned Wei Nanxun to the palace. The maid who announced her went in, but came out again quickly without saying anything else, only telling her to wait.

But this wait lasted for more than half an hour.

It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining brightly in late autumn, casting dappled shadows from the trees. She wasn't tired from standing, but the sun was a bit too strong.

Wei Nanxun lowered her eyelashes slightly, not looking around, but quietly moved to the side a little so that the sun would not shine on her so directly.

Time passed by, and during this time she was not idle, constantly pondering in her mind who wanted to see her and what their purpose was.

After much thought, Wei Mingzhao seemed to be the most likely candidate. However, she had already refused his request last time, so she couldn't very well try to persuade him to become Pei Yuyan's concubine again.

What could he possibly want from her?

Wei Nanxun's feet started to ache slightly from standing for so long. She knew that even if the Empress Dowager didn't like her that much, she wasn't a petty person.

Deliberately leaving her hanging is something the Empress Dowager would never do.

Who could be so disgusted with her that they would resort to such clumsy methods?

Just as she was thinking this, a palace maid finally came out of the hall and said that the Empress Dowager was still chanting scriptures and asked her to rest in the side hall first.

Wei Nanxun nodded slightly and followed them to the side hall.

I had barely sat down and hadn't even had a sip of tea when I heard footsteps. I looked up and saw Jiang Qiongzhi walking slowly towards me, wearing a half-collared jacket and skirt.

"Miss Wei, we meet again."

How could she have forgotten about this person!

In fact, Jiang Qiongzhi had no connection with her in her previous life, and they only met once in this life, so she didn't have much of a memory of her.

Only then did she vaguely remember that Jiang Qiongzhi had stayed behind to serve the Empress Dowager.

Could it be her?

But they didn't really have any grudges against each other. If there was any, it should be that she cared more. Jiang Qiongzhi watched her being wronged and humiliated, but she just stood by and watched.

Even when she later came forward to clarify things for her, it was because of Pei Ji.

Could it be because of Pei Ji...?

Wei Nanxun's mind was in turmoil, but she showed no sign of pride. She stood up and gave a slight curtsy: "Greetings, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Qiongzhi quickly came over, took her hand, and gently helped her up: "Miss Wei, what are you doing? We are of the same generation. It would be too much for me to bow to you."

The two were very close, and Wei Nanxun could faintly smell a cool, refreshing fragrance.

She knew exactly whose scent it was, and was momentarily dazed.

But she immediately came to her senses, because she noticed that there seemed to be reddish-purple bruises under Jiang Qiongzhi's half-high collar.

Although it was late autumn, the temperature had been quite high recently. She had only been standing there for a short while when her undergarments became damp. It was definitely not the day she was supposed to wear a half-collar garment.

What is Jiang Qiongzhi hiding? What is she planning to do?

Wei Nanxun straightened up following the force of her hand, smiled at her with her eyes crinkled: "I have long heard of Miss Jiang's great name, and I know that Miss Jiang is exceptionally talented and is the most talented woman in the capital. Even though she is my peer, she is someone I admire and should naturally be respected."

"What talented woman or not, those are all empty titles, they're laughable. I only heard from your elder sister that you have a sister who is as beautiful as a fairy. When I saw her that day, she was indeed stunningly beautiful. I only regret that I could not get to know you better."

Wei Nanxun looked surprised and shy: "Really, really? Sister, you really praised me like that? I, I can't accept that praise."

In reality, he was rolling his eyes to the heavens.

Wei Mingzhao actually praised her? He'd be lucky if he didn't belittle her to elevate himself. And this Jiang Qiongzhi, saying she wanted to befriend her—is that the kind of friendship she'd have if she just stood by and watched her being wronged?

That's just something you can fool a fool with.

"How could I not be able to accept this? I think there's no girl in the whole capital who's more beautiful than you. I find you the most pleasing to the eye. Forget about being a girl or not. If you're willing, just call me 'elder sister.'"

Although Wei Nanxun disliked listening to her fake and laughable words, in order to find out her true purpose, she had no choice but to play along and pretend to be an old friend.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she asked with a hint of joy, "May I?"

"Naturally."

She tentatively called out, "Elder sister of the Jiang family..."

"Good sister, come, sit down quickly. Have you been waiting for a long time? The Empress Dowager didn't sleep well last night, so she got up a little late this morning. Her habit is to recite scriptures in the morning, which is why she forgot the time you entered the palace. Please don't blame her."

Wei Nanxun was so anxious that he tried to stand up again, but she pressed his hand down so he wouldn't get up. He said, "How could that be? Being able to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager is a blessing I've accumulated over eight lifetimes. I'm not in a hurry, so I can wait as long as it takes."

"Seventh Sister is indeed very understanding."

For some reason, Wei Nanxun felt a chill run down her spine when she heard her say the words "understanding and considerate".

The woman in front of them was much more difficult to deal with than Wei Mingzhao. The two of them probed each other back and forth, but they couldn't get any useful information out of her.

After sitting for another half hour, someone finally came from the main hall, saying that the Empress Dowager wanted to speak with Miss Wei.

When she saw the Empress Dowager, her complexion was indeed not good, and there was a faint bluish-gray in her eyes. When she saw them coming, she just waved casually.

"I wanted to call you in to chat and relieve my boredom, but unfortunately, I had a headache yesterday, which made you wait so long."

It seems that Jiang Qiongzhi was not lying, and Wei Nanxun naturally advised the Empress Dowager to rest more.

Was she overthinking it? Or did the Empress Dowager suddenly become interested and want to call her over to speak?

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was frequently covering her forehead and frowning, she tactfully got up to take her leave.

But someone spoke up before her: "Grandmother, why don't we let the imperial physician take a look and give you a massage? That might make you feel better."

"As for this seventh sister, since she's already here, it wouldn't be right to let her go back now. I've heard that the flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom these days, and I haven't had a chance to go and see them yet."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "I think it's because you, you little rascal, wanted to go see it but were too lonely, so you persuaded me to call someone to accompany you."

Wei Nanxun keenly realized that it was indeed Jiang Qiongzhi who persuaded the Empress Dowager to summon her to the palace.

And this is to prevent her from leaving.

Her guard rose even higher, especially since it was a trip to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers. The more she listened, the more it matched her memories from her past life.

Wei Mingzhao got pregnant early. Could it be that it's another stillbirth, and they're going to use the same method to frame her?

Her heart was in turmoil, but she maintained a faint smile as she watched the Jiang family grandfather and grandson amusing themselves.

"Alright, you children go and play. My head is throbbing badly, so I'll leave Miss Wei in your care. You mustn't neglect our guest."

For some reason, Wei Nanxun seemed to understand the deeper meaning in the Empress Dowager's words. Was this a veiled reference?

Did Jiang Qiongzhi understand?

Both of them bowed and left the palace, chatting and laughing all the way to the Imperial Garden.

As soon as she entered the garden, before she could even make an excuse to slip away, Jiang Qiongzhi said, "I just remembered that my great-aunt's medicinal meal hasn't been arranged yet. Good sister, you can wander around here for a while, I'll be right back. There are too many people and too many eyes in the palace, so don't wander around."

Wei Nanxun obediently nodded and agreed. As soon as her figure disappeared from sight, he immediately used the excuse of needing to relieve himself to send away the palace maid beside him.

Only a fool wouldn't wander around; she wasn't going to just stand there and wait for them to frame her.

Although I don't know what they were thinking, I won't take any of their place.

Unexpectedly, just as she had avoided everyone, she bumped into a woman who was walking in a hurry. She didn't even realize what was happening at first glance.

Until I saw the same sleeves as hers, I subconsciously let out a "Huh?"

"who are you?"

The other person looked up at her, stared at her face for a long time, and suddenly exclaimed, "So that's how it is! I understand now, I finally understand!"