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

The courtyard, filled with the fragrance of grass and trees after the rain, was filled with the scent of plants. Wei Nanxun rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly out the window.

Seeing that she was still wearing her nightgown, her hair was uncombed and she hadn't eaten breakfast, Zhixia quickly came over and said anxiously, "Miss, what are you looking at? It's getting late, you're going to the palace today."

Upon hearing the word "girl," Wei Nanxun snapped out of her daze and forced a smile.

"It's nothing, I just had a nightmare."

She dreamt of her past life again. Yes, she had been reborn, escaping the suffocating Eastern Palace and leaving behind Pei Yuyan and the endless struggle for favor.

Unfortunately, she was reborn after her first encounter with Pei Yuyan, and everything repeated itself according to her memories of her previous life. Pei Yuyan came to her elder sister Wei Mingzhao to break off the engagement, Wei Mingzhao threatened to kill herself to force her to accompany her to the Crown Prince's palace as a bride, and even Pei Yuyan's desire to see her in private was exactly the same.

The only difference was that this time she refused, did not agree to provide a dowry, and did not meet with Pei Yuyan in private. Instead, she tried to persuade Wei Mingzhao.

Wei Nanxun wouldn't dare say she fully understood Pei Yuyan, after all, this man was deep and calculating, completely different from his outwardly refined and honest appearance. But after sleeping with him for so many years, she could more or less guess some of his thoughts.

He is a dignified and upright gentleman who will become emperor in the future. How could he be a frivolous person who is easily seduced by beauty? Besides, the emperor has decreed the marriage, and he will never break off the engagement because of this.

The most likely reason is that he was too powerful and his public image was too perfect. If he had another family, the Wei family, as a marriage partner, he was afraid that the emperor would be wary of him. That's why he deliberately added the flaw of being obsessed with beautiful women to his image.

Of course, she didn't tell Wei Mingzhao any of this. She only said that the Crown Prince would definitely not break off the engagement, and that she herself was illiterate and ignorant of etiquette, so she dared not enter the palace to serve the Emperor, which frightened her so much that she had a high fever for several days. She even brought up her deceased mother, saying that she had promised her mother that she would never become a concubine.

Perhaps fearing she would scare herself to death, no one in the Wei family mentioned the matter again, and the Crown Prince really did not annul the engagement.

Wei Nanxun thought the matter was over, but before she could even walk again after a month of recuperation, Consort Xian of the palace sent an invitation to Wei Mingzhao to go flower viewing, and specifically asked her to come along.

Consort Xian was Pei Yuyan's maternal aunt. The Empress died in childbirth when she gave birth to him. It was the Empress Dowager who arranged for the Empress's younger sister to be brought into the palace and made Consort Xian.

Others might wonder why Consort Xian suddenly became interested in her, but only she knew that it must have been Pei Yuyan's doing.

His personality is such that he will not give up until he achieves his goal.

This isn't a flower-viewing banquet; it's clearly a trap, the kind she can't refuse.

Wei Nanxun sighed softly, rubbing her forehead. Zhixia had already brought out her best clothes and jewelry: "Miss, come and choose. Being able to enter the palace to see the Empress is a blessing that others can only dream of. Why are you sighing?"

"I'd rather not have this blessing."

To ensure that she wouldn't disgrace the Wei family when she entered the palace, all her clothes and jewelry were newly made at her grandmother's behest, all made of fine satin. In the past, she would never see such a new outfit even during New Year's.

But she wasn't happy at all. With little interest, she chose the most plain one, a pale yellow jacket and skirt. She simply styled her hair in a bun and adorned it with matching beaded flowers. Just then, a maid from the front courtyard came to urge her to hurry up.

Before leaving, she had to go to the front yard. She was born into the second wife's family and her mother had died early. Her father, born out of wedlock, went into business and traveled all over the country, rarely staying at home. The affairs of the household were managed by her aunt, the first wife, Madam Wang.

When she first entered the palace, Lady Wang naturally had to give her a few instructions, but her words implied that she should follow Wei Mingzhao, listen more and speak less, and not cause any trouble.

No matter what Wang said, Wei Nanxun would lower her head and obediently agree, appearing submissive and timid.

But in Wang's eyes, she became a pitiful vixen.

In particular, Wei Mingzhao had dressed up specially today, with all her fine clothes and jade being the most fashionable and best in the capital, highlighting her status as the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion.

Wei Nanxun's face, which was almost unadorned yet as beautiful and delicate as a lotus emerging from water, subtly outshone her own daughter.

She wanted to warn them a few more times, but it was getting late, and the palace carriages were already outside the gate, so she had no choice but to send them onto the carriages.

The two women boarded the carriage and sat facing each other. The sisters, who were usually the closest of friends, did not exchange a single word at this moment, as if they were strangers.

Only when the carriage slowly came to a stop did Wei Mingzhao say cryptically, "Seventh Sister, the palace is not like the manor. There are strict rules everywhere. You must stay close to me and dare not offend any nobles again."

Wei Nanxun felt a mix of emotions. In the past, she had more love and respect for this older sister, otherwise she would not have listened to her and accompanied her to the Crown Prince's palace.

But all the sisterly affection and gratitude vanished after learning that Wei Mingzhao had harmed her child and sent her poison. He had also rejected her tearful pleas the other day, and now the two were as if they had completely broken off relations.

Looking at the familiar face before her, she felt a sense of estrangement for the first time. Was it life in the Eastern Palace that changed Wei Mingzhao, or had she never truly understood her older sister from the beginning?

Wei Nanxun paused, pretending not to understand, and said timidly, "Don't worry, big sister, I will definitely stay by your side every step of the way."

Wei Mingzhao clearly didn't believe it. She was uneasy about Consort Xian summoning her younger sister to the palace. She had pleaded with the Crown Prince out of necessity, and if she could, she would never allow anyone to take away the Crown Prince's favor. Even though Wei Nanxun was certain that the Crown Prince wouldn't break off the engagement or make her a concubine, she still suspected it was a tactic of feigning weakness to seduce him.

She felt that her younger sister had been acting strangely lately, not as easily fooled as before, so she could only say coldly, "You'd better..."

The eunuchs who came to fetch them were already waiting outside the palace gates. When they saw them get off the carriage, they hurried forward, bowed respectfully, and then led the two of them into the palace.

Wei Mingzhao was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion. She had been going in and out of the palace with Lady Wang since childhood, so she was no stranger to this route.

Although Wei Nanxun had been married to Pei Yuyan for more than four years, she had only kowtowed to Consort Xian once after serving her in bed, and had only seen her once without speaking to her. She had also only been to Consort Xian's Jingren Palace once.

She didn't know anything about Consort Xian; she had only heard that although she hadn't been granted the title of Noble Consort, she held the Phoenix Seal and was the most favored concubine in the palace. As for her temperament and style of doing things, she knew nothing at all.

Therefore, what she said just now was not perfunctory, but sincere.

The palace is not like the Wei family mansion. She doesn't know what Pei Yuyan and Consort Xian are planning, but since the Crown Prince has not canceled the engagement and the marriage is proceeding as planned, Wei Mingzhao absolutely does not want her to marry into the palace.

At least on this point, their goals were aligned. As long as she stayed close to Wei Mingzhao today, the Consort Xian would be powerless to stop her.

The red walls were majestic, and the palace path seemed to have no end. I don't know how long I walked before I saw the plaque of Jingren Palace.

"Please wait a moment, ladies. This servant will go inside and inform Her Majesty." The eunuch led them to the corridor outside the main hall and then left, leaving them to wait there.

It was noon, and there was still more than an hour before lunch. The palace was in good order, and the maids and eunuchs sweeping and cleaning all curtsied to them.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Wei Mingzhao could no longer stand and craned his neck to peer into the hall.

Wei Nanxun kept her eyes down, too lazy to care about anything else. Just then, a slightly nervous voice from a palace maid rang out not far behind them: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Your Highness? He is the only person in the entire world who can be addressed as Your Highness.

Wei Nanxun trembled all over, as if frozen in place, and slowly raised her eyes to look at the person.

Not far away, under the mimosa tree, stood a tall and elegant figure. A gust of wind blew, and pink fluffy flowers fell from the branches. He had delicate features, a bright gaze, and looked at her with a smile.

Pei Yuyan.

It's really him.