After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Prince Ning was a student of Grand Tutor Xu, and Xu Youyan was someone Prince Ning had watched grow up, making her his uncle. When the Xu family fell into misfortune, Grand Tutor Xu entrusted his only and most beloved granddaughter, Xu Youyan, to Prince Ning. The great fire that destroyed the Xu family's residence was set to cover up Xu Youyan's whereabouts.

Prince Ning settled Xu Youyan in a separate residence, treating her as before. According to the maid who cared for Xu Youyan, Prince Ning had created a false identity for her and arranged a very good marriage for her, allowing her to marry as his cousin. Xu Youyan refused and insisted on staying by Prince Ning's side.

At the age of twenty-two, Xu Youyan became Prince Ning's mistress and bore him a child.

Prince Ning loved Xu Youyan dearly, and doted on their child. He was reluctant to let Xu Youyan become a concubine. Although the title of concubine carried the word "concubine," she was essentially a lowly concubine in the prince's household, subject to the princess's control in every way. To ensure Xu Youyan's smooth entry into the prince's household and her becoming the head of the household, Prince Ning tampered with the princess's soup and drinks.

Princess Ning, a lady of noble birth, had a father who was also a womanizer, with seven or eight concubines in his household alone. Her mother was her legal wife, and she had grown up by her mother's side, learning from her example and becoming well-versed in the sordid ways of the inner court. Her lack of vigilance stemmed from her misplaced trust in Prince Ning, believing him to be different from other men.

By the time she realized something was wrong, the poison had already seeped into her bones, and there was no way to save her. Unlike ordinary women who would be resentful and confront Prince Ning, Princess Ning meticulously investigated and uncovered the reason why Prince Ning had harmed her.

She found Xu Youyan and the child, and bribed the nanny in the villa to steal the child and give her to a slave trader. She had the nanny give the slave trader a sum of money and tell them to take the child as far away as possible.

The human traffickers took the money but didn't follow the rules; they kept the children in their hideout in the capital.

The child is missing. The search was conducted both inside the Prince Ning's residence and outside the city, but it turned out to be a case of the blind spot.

To dissuade Prince Ning from his despair, Princess Ning had the body of a child who had died of illness and resembled the deceased found. She then contacted the local government and instructed them to inform Prince Ning. Prince Ning did not verify the body; he only glanced at the clothes and confirmed the child's death.

Unable to withstand the blow, Xu Youyan fell ill and died in less than three months.

Seeing that Xu Youyan was gone, Princess Ning finally felt at ease and began to arrange her own funeral. She and Prince Ning had three children: their eldest daughter was married, their second son was sent away to a distant place, and their youngest son was still studying. After her death, Prince Ning would definitely remarry, and rather than marry someone else, it would be better to marry someone from his own family.

Her maternal family is currently enjoying great power and is an indispensable support for Prince Ning.

Using the excuse of being seriously ill and missing her family, she asked her mother to bring her several unmarried sisters born to her aunt. From among these sisters, she chose the one who most resembled Xu Youyan. This resemblance did not refer to appearance but to personality.

She instructed her mother to adopt her half-sister, making her a legitimate daughter of the clan and marry Prince Ning as his second wife. As for Prince Ning, she never mentioned her poisoning, nor did she speak of Xu Youyan and the child. She acted as if she knew nothing, treating Prince Ning as before. No matter how ill she became, no matter how coldly Prince Ning treated her, she continued to care for him meticulously, and when he expressed remorse, she arranged for her half-sister to enter the household.

Princess Ning had a keen eye, and the half-sister she chose was quite a remarkable person. She bore a striking resemblance to Princess Ning in her youth, though lacking her sharp and shrewd features. Her temperament was very similar to Xu Youyan's, and like Xu Youyan, she loved reciting poetry, tending to flowers and plants, and using flowers and plants to make food.

Filled with guilt towards Princess Ning and lingering affection for Xu Youyan, Prince Ning quickly accepted his half-sister. After Princess Ning passed away, he welcomed her into the palace and made her his second wife.

"This step-princess is indeed a remarkable woman," the Crown Prince said. "My mother has mentioned her to me. She is very kind to my elder sister's children. Not only did she support my elder sister's eldest daughter, but she also carefully selected a marriage for her eldest son. For the royal family, that marriage was nothing. But for Prince Ning's eldest son, it allowed him to escape everything related to the Prince Ning's mansion. Even after Prince Ning fell from power, it did not implicate him. She raised my elder sister's youngest son to adulthood, and then proposed a divorce to Prince Ning. Prince Ning refused, so she did some outrageous things to ask for a divorce. I heard that she opened a restaurant in the south. The restaurant is not big, but the business is very prosperous."

The prince gazed into the distance, looking south.

"Like A Yuan, she wasn't keen on marriage; instead, she preferred building her career and raising children. She adopted many orphans, teaching them according to their individual talents and raising them very well. When Prince Ning sought her out, she didn't avoid him but invited him to her home. They talked for two hours, after which Prince Ning boarded his carriage and left Jiangnan. Until Prince Ning's accident, she never went to Jiangnan to look for her again."

“She is indeed a remarkable person.” Lu Zhiyuan swung her legs: “I reckon she has been honest with Prince Ning about herself. She is a concubine’s daughter, and she is careful and cautious in the household. What she sees, learns, and chooses is for her mother and for herself. Her appearance is innate, and her knowledge and skills are all acquired through hard work. They cannot be faked. Only her temperament can be faked.”

“What does A-Yuan mean…” The Crown Prince frowned: “How could a concubine’s daughter know what the legitimate daughter was doing in the Prince Ning’s mansion?”

“Brother Crown Prince is so naive!” Lu Zhiyuan paused for a moment, then continued swaying: “Princess Ning’s dispatch of people must rely on her maternal family. Not all illegitimate daughters are the same. How could an illegitimate daughter who could be chosen by Princess Ning, thrive in the Prince Ning’s mansion, and even divorce the Prince Ning be an ordinary person? She must have her own influence and spies in her maternal family. What Princess Ning did could be kept from the Prince Ning, but it might not be kept from her.”

"Does she know about the affair between Princess Ning and Xu Youyan?"

“They should know.” Lu Zhiyuan looked at the moon. “As for how much they know, that’s unknown.”

"Does A-Yuan think she knows about the Duke of Rui's affairs?" The Crown Prince's eyes darkened slightly.

“She definitely knew about Princess Ning’s scheme to send the child to human traffickers, but she may not know where the child went. Princess Ning is her elder sister, and they had the same goal in this matter.”

The Crown Prince sighed: "Duke Rui is ultimately innocent!"

"She is innocent, but who can be blamed? If Grand Tutor Xu had not plotted a rebellion, Xu Youyan and Prince Ning could not have had that kind of relationship. Given Grand Tutor Xu's power in the court at that time, Xu Youyan would have married a prince of similar age, a crown prince, or a rising star in the court, like my second uncle."

Lu Zhiyuan blinked: "If Xu Youyan had followed Prince Ning's arrangement and married as his cousin, even if she couldn't become rich and powerful, she could have lived a peaceful and leisurely life as a noble lady. If Xu Youyan could recognize her own status and persuade Prince Ning not to covet the position of Princess Ning, Princess Ning might not have been able to tolerate her and her child. To put it bluntly, the Duke of Rui's fate was a series of mistakes, caused by his elders and also by his own actions."