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

This was unexpected for Wei Nanxun. She could still manage to gloss over Wei Mingzhao's invitation, but the Empress Dowager was a different story.

She was the most honored woman in the Great Yan Dynasty; her words were imperial edicts, and disobeying them meant losing one's head.

Wei Nanxun had no choice but to agree, but she also had Zhixia hand a purse to the little eunuch, hoping to get a few words out of him to find out what the secret was.

Not to mention that in this life she was just an insignificant concubine's daughter in the Wei family, even in her previous life, as the Crown Prince's favorite concubine, she never got to see the Empress Dowager's face.

This is truly unusual.

The young eunuch was very polite to her, accepting her purse and offering her tea. However, when asked why the Empress Dowager had summoned her to the palace, he only gave a vague answer: "Miss Wei is fortunate. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager wishes to speak with you."

"May I ask, besides me, are there any other young ladies from other families coming to the palace tomorrow?"

The young eunuch simply smiled and shook his head, refusing to say anything more.

Could it be Pei Ji?

But he clearly promised her that he wouldn't disturb her peace recently, so surely he wouldn't go back on his word.

Could it be Pei Yuyan?

It doesn't seem like it. The Empress Dowager spends most of her time either escaping the summer heat or recuperating at Mount Wutai, and hardly cares about the affairs of the inner palace. How could Pei Yuyan possibly have the Empress Dowager summon her? It's really unusual.

But no matter what, since the invitation has been sent, she has to go, and she has to go looking beautiful and happy.

Wei Nanxun has clothes made for all four seasons and eight festivals, but this time when she returned to the capital, it was during the change of seasons, and she hadn't had time to make her autumn clothes yet.

Wearing old clothes would certainly be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager.

She rummaged through the clothes and finally had to take out the new outfit that Manager He had given her in Pingzhen and put it on.

She designed this dress herself; the style is novel, the patterns are the latest, and the colors are elegant and suit her perfectly.

The only concern is that it might be too eye-catching, which would make it less beautiful.

She still wanted to live a quiet and unobtrusive life, just going through the motions and coming back, after all, the trauma of her last visit to the palace was too deep.

She sighed softly. Oh well, if there really is a conspiracy, there's no way to escape it no matter what clothes she wears. So be it.

The next day at daybreak, people came to the front yard again.

Just like last time when she entered the palace, fearing she might make a mistake, he specifically wanted to give her a few instructions.

However, there are differences. Last time, Wang mainly used warnings and suppression, but this time the old lady took matters into her own hands.

“Xun’er, Grandma knows that you’re still angry with us elders because of what happened before. No matter what you think, Grandma is doing this for your own good.”

"I was thinking, if you could marry into the palace, you'd have your elder sister to take care of you, your family to support you, and the Crown Prince to favor you. Looking across the entire capital, what marriage could be better than this?"

Doesn't this mean that Wei Nanxun is just a concubine's daughter, and if she wants to marry, she can only marry someone else's concubine's daughter, or marry down?

But they never asked for her opinion. Under the guise of doing what was best for her, they were actually selling their granddaughter. This is what is called a powerful and wealthy family.

Thinking that her father had not yet returned to the capital, the matter of dividing the family property could not yet be discovered.

She had to force a smile while suppressing her nausea.

"Granddaughter understands."

"It's good that you understand. This time you're going to the palace to see the Empress Dowager, so remember to be careful with your words and actions."

He repeated himself to himself several times, and only when he saw that it was getting late did he let her leave the mansion.

As soon as she left, Madam Wang approached her worriedly: "Mother, this Xun girl doesn't seem to understand our good intentions at all."

"If this second master returns, and father and daughter are of one mind, what will we do?"

Madam Wei snorted heavily: "What kind of knowledge could a merchant's daughter have? Even if her father were home, she would still have to listen to me, the old woman. The Crown Prince likes her, but she still dares to be picky. I could make her marry a widower as a second wife, and she would have to hold her nose and marry him."

Madam Wang immediately flattered, "Mother is the best at this."

"Just watch, she'll suffer a lot."

-

Wei Nanxun was not allowed to bring maids into the palace, so Zhixia could only escort her to the palace gate.

She straightened her clothes, told Zhixia not to worry, and then followed the eunuch who had delivered the invitation yesterday all the way to Cining Palace.

Upon entering the palace again, walking on almost the same bluestone palace path, her heart remained uneasy, unsure of what awaited her ahead.

Soon, the young eunuch led her to the Cining Palace.

A palace maid came in to announce her arrival, and after waiting for about half an hour, an acquaintance came to lead her in.

It turned out to be Lingxi, the palace maid who had helped her out of a predicament last time. Wei Nanxun exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Lingxi!"

Lingxi smiled slightly when she saw her: "Greetings, Miss Wei."

Although she already knew that it was Pei Ji who had asked Lingxi to take her back last time, Lingxi still helped her when she was at her most vulnerable.

She was very grateful to her.

At the same time, it suddenly occurred to her that Lingxi claimed to be the ***'s personal maid. Could it be the *** who let her into the palace today?

Could it really be Pei Ji?

But she wasn't ready to face him.

Her fingers intertwined, her heart pounding. She followed Lingxi into the palace, unable to suppress a soft whisper, "Sister Lingxi, I wonder why you summoned me to the palace today..."

Before he could finish speaking, a slightly shrill voice came from behind him: "It was my idea."

Wei Nanxun turned around and met Wei Mingzhao's gaze.

"My sister is really putting on airs these days. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's decree, I'm afraid I, as her older sister, wouldn't even be able to see her."

"Sister?"

Wei Nanxun considered countless possibilities, but this was not one of them.

Moreover, Wei Mingzhao had changed a lot in the few months since they last met. Her belly was already showing, and even though she was covered with thick makeup, she couldn't hide the fatigue in her eyes, whether it was because she looked unwell or because she wasn't getting enough rest.

Her voice was harsher than ever before, a far cry from the gentle and serene tone she remembered.

She really couldn't understand why Wei Mingzhao was in such a hurry to see her. Didn't she feel uncomfortable?

Just as she was thinking this, Wei Mingzhao stepped forward and affectionately took her arm, acting like a close friend.

Seeing this, Lingxi tactfully curtsied and stepped aside, allowing the sisters to catch up.

“I have done everything I promised my elder sister. Returning to the capital was not my intention. Instead of focusing your energy on me, elder sister should take better care of her husband.”

Wei Mingzhao laughed: "If I could control him, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

She chuckled for a moment, then her expression suddenly changed. She lowered her voice and said, "Ah Xun, please, I'm begging you, help me, please help me."

Seeing her like this, Wei Nanxun frowned deeply and asked, "How do you want me to help?"

"Enter the palace to serve the Crown Prince."

"You're dreaming."