Jade of Another World

After Consort Xi's birthday banquet, Lin Wan was extremely upset. She kept thinking about the Crown Prince, recalling the moments she had spent with him, and the tenderness and favor he had shown her. This made her even more determined to solidify her relationship with the Crown Prince so that she could firmly sit on the throne of the Crown Princess.

So, Lin Wan repeatedly sent letters to the Crown Prince, inviting him to meet. The letters were earnest, expressing her longing and meticulously describing the beautiful scenes that would unfold upon their meeting, hoping only that the Crown Prince would accept her invitation. But each time, she received only the Crown Prince's reply, making excuses that he was busy and unable to keep his promise, leaving Lin Wan utterly disappointed.

What worried her even more was that soon after, rumors began to circulate that the Crown Prince had gone on a trip with Peng Yingchun, the daughter of the Right Chancellor. It was said that they went to the peach blossom grove on the outskirts of the capital. At that time, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and pink petals were falling all over the hillsides. The Crown Prince and Peng Yingchun strolled in the garden, and it was said that the scene looked extremely harmonious and beautiful, like a perfect couple.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Wan felt a strong sense of crisis. She knew that Peng Yingchun came from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion and her status was no less than hers. Moreover, Peng Yingchun was a woman of both talent and beauty, who had performed exceptionally well at the Consort Xi's birthday banquet. Now, she was so close to the Crown Prince, which made her already slim chances of becoming the Crown Princess even more precarious.

She was always frowning, often sitting in her boudoir, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window, constantly thinking about how to win back the Crown Prince's heart and how to make him focus his attention on her again.

Meanwhile, Aunt Liu was very anxious seeing her daughter's distraught appearance. She had been hoping that Lin Wan could become the Crown Princess, so that she could finally hold her head high in the Lin family and no longer have to be subservient to others. But now, the situation was clearly developing in a direction unfavorable to her family.

Aunt Liu often came to Lin Wan's boudoir. Seeing her daughter sighing, she would sigh along with her. Then she would sit down beside Lin Wan, take her hand, and gently comfort her, "Wan'er, don't worry too much. The Crown Prince is probably just temporarily infatuated with Peng Yingchun. You are so outstanding. As long as you find another opportunity to perform well in front of the Crown Prince, he will surely like you again. Let's think of another way. We can always turn this situation around."

Lin Wan shook her head slightly upon hearing her mother's words, and said with a bitter face, "Auntie, it's not that easy. Now the Crown Prince won't even keep my appointment, so what can I do? Moreover, I feel that even Father and Grandmother's favor is starting to tilt towards Lin Ning. After all, Lin Ning is treating Prince Xian's illness, and Prince Xian is sending her all sorts of good things. He says it's for treatment, but the two of them wish they could be together every day. The servants in this mansion are all becoming more and more respectful to Lin Ning, and they don't even care about me anymore. What should I do?"

It turns out that after the Consort Xi's birthday banquet, Lin Ning shone brightly with her talent and wit, winning many rewards and praises. The Prime Minister, who accompanied her, was also praised by the Emperor, making him very pleased. He not only promised that all the rewards would go to Lin Ning herself, without needing to be paid by the Emperor, but also, in his delight, bestowed upon her a considerable amount of jewelry and calligraphy. Even the Old Madam, upon hearing this, showed a significant change in her attitude towards her. Furthermore, she had taken on the task of treating Prince Xian. The Old Madam and Prime Minister naturally thought she couldn't really treat any illness; perhaps it was just a way of saying that young people spend so much time together. Previously, Prime Minister Lin always paid more attention to Lin Wan, after all, Lin Wan's mother, Consort Liu, was more favored by him. But now, Prime Minister Lin has begun to see Lin Ning's good qualities, often inquiring about her daily life and praising her for being sensible and proper. As for the Old Madam, she originally didn't have much affection for Lin Ning, her granddaughter who had been sent to the countryside at a young age, but recently she has come to see Lin Ning as promising and has gradually developed a greater fondness for her.

Lin Wan observed all these changes and grew increasingly worried. She thought that if she lost even her support in the manor, it would be even more difficult for her to continue on the path of vying for favor and the throne. She bit her lip and secretly vowed that no matter what, she would not let Lin Ning steal her limelight. She would do everything in her power to win back the Crown Prince's heart and become the Crown Princess that everyone admired.

It is said that some people are sad, while others are even sadder. In addition to Lin Wan being full of sorrow, Lin Qing, the second wife, is even more heartbroken, crying in her room every day.

Before the palace banquet, Lin Qing was depressed and unhappy. She was well aware of her situation. As the daughter of the second wife, her mother was not from a prominent family, but just an ordinary woman. Her father had taken the imperial examinations many times over the years, but had not yet been able to obtain an official position. In this world that valued family background and official rank, her status in the Lin family was naturally lowly.

Seeing her sisters of similar age in the household, all hoping to find a good marriage and marry into a wealthy and powerful family, living a glamorous and respectable life, Lin Qing also harbored such aspirations. However, she knew that given her background and current situation, such good fortune was unlikely to fall into her lap. Therefore, in the past, she could only follow behind Lin Wan, acting as her follower, thinking that even if she couldn't marry too well, at least she could rely on Lin Wan for support in the household.

Just a few days ago, Lin Qing overheard a conversation between Madam Liu and her grandmother in their room. What she heard was like a bolt from the blue, striking her heart. It turned out that Madam Liu, in order to make her daughter Lin Wan's path to becoming the Crown Princess smoother, was planning to marry Lin Qing off as a concubine to the madam's cousin, Consort Xi. This cousin was nearly fifty years old, rumored to be ugly, fat, and extremely lecherous. Lin Qing hid outside the door, listening to Madam Liu's seemingly helpless but actually calculating words: "Madam, I think Consort Xi's cousin, although a bit old, is still related to the Consort. If we could marry Lin Qing to him, it would be a way to get closer to the Consort, which would definitely benefit the Lin family in the future. Maybe it would even help the second son get an official position; he's been trying for half his life without any results, hasn't he?"

After listening, the old lady remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "That may be true, but Lin Qing is also from our household. It would be inappropriate to treat her like this and make her a concubine."

Madam Liu quickly said, "Madam, there's nothing we can do about it. You know how difficult it is for Lin Qing to find a high-ranking family to marry into. It's her good fortune that she's been able to get married into this family."

Lin Qing listened to these words outside the door, tears welling up in her eyes. Her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her heart filled with grievance and anger. She never imagined that, despite her usual loyalty to Lin Wan and obedience to her in everything, when it came to this matter concerning her lifelong happiness, Liu Shi would use her as a pawn and sacrifice her so easily.

She knew perfectly well what being a concubine meant. Her future days would not only involve serving an old man, but also living under the watchful eye of the principal wife, constantly suffering humiliation and having no dignity whatsoever. Moreover, the more Lin Qing thought about it, the more distressed she became. Yet, she knew she had no real say in the household. If she openly opposed it, she would only be branded as unfilial and ignorant, and then, let alone resist, she would likely find it difficult to even establish herself in the household.

After that, Lin Qing became much more depressed, often hiding in her room and weeping silently. She didn't know how to escape this fate, nor who to confide in about her bitterness. She only felt that the world was too unfair to her, and that she was like a piece of duckweed, tossed about by fate, powerless to resist. Then, on the occasion of Consort Xi's birthday, the palace sent her an invitation. Such an opportunity was rare; concubine's daughters like them usually had no chance to attend. It seemed that many things had changed since Lin Ning's return. Consort Xi, because of the Crown Prince, had expectations for Lin Wan, but Lin Wan was already a concubine's daughter. Therefore, she invited several other concubine's daughters from the Lin family. Lin Qing was very clear about her position, so this palace banquet was her last chance.

Lin Qing recalled everything that happened at the palace banquet, her heart filled with bitterness and helplessness. At the time, she saw Lin Wan plotting against Lin Ning and thought such methods were too ruthless, but she had never had any status in the Lin family and dared not stop Lin Wan's actions.

Seeing Lin Ning cleverly escape and be rescued by the Prince Xian, she thought to herself that her own situation was difficult. If she could take this opportunity to find a decent marriage, she might be able to change her fate.

So, following the path Lin Ning had taken to escape, Lin Qing cautiously crawled into the room. Upon entering, she saw the room was in disarray, and the Imperial Guard Commander Wang Zhi was lying beside the bed, unconscious and dazed due to the drugging. Lin Qing gritted her teeth, steeling her resolve, thinking that perhaps she could now be entangled with Wang Zhi, and have someone to rely on in the future.

But who could have imagined that after the chaos at the palace banquet, although her reputation for having lost her virginity to Wang Zhi spread, Wang Zhi never came to the Lin family to propose marriage. As the days went by, Lin Qing became increasingly anxious.

She was already looked down upon in the Lin family mansion, and now, with this incident, the servants looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and mockery, as if she were a shameless woman. The elders in the mansion also had many complaints about her, feeling that she had disgraced the Lin family, and they treated her with even less kindness. They even said that if Wang Zhi didn't come to propose marriage, they would send her to become a nun.

Lin Qing was restless in her room every day, unsure of Wang Zhi's intentions. Did Wang Zhi not want to marry her at all, which was why he hadn't come to propose? Or had something happened to him, and he had been punished by the emperor, making it impossible for him to fulfill his duty? She was uncertain, and had no one to ask, so she could only suffer in silence.

She knew all too well that in this world where female chastity was highly valued, she had now lost her virginity. If she couldn't marry Wang Zhi, she would truly have no face to live in this world. Becoming a nun might be the only way to preserve her reputation and find a place to live, but the thought of spending the rest of her life beside an ancient temple with its dim lamps and Buddhist scriptures was like a knife twisting in her heart. Her days felt like being trapped in a dark abyss. Just when she felt she was about to be overwhelmed by this endless despair, her mother, Qu Fengxi, came to her room.

Looking at her daughter's thin and haggard appearance, Qu Fengxi felt heartbroken. She sighed softly, took Lin Qing's hand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said earnestly, "Qing'er, I know you've been suffering these days, but we can't just wait like this. We have to think of a way."

Lin Qing's eyes were filled with tears as she choked out, "Mother, what can I do? With the situation like this, there's no news from over there, and everyone in the manor disdains me. I... I'm truly at my wit's end. If it weren't for my love for you and my younger siblings, I wouldn't want to live anymore..."

Qu Fengxi patted Lin Qing's hand and comforted her, "Don't think too much. I've been thinking about this for the past few days and I think we can go to Lin Ning and see if we can find a solution."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qing was slightly taken aback, her eyes filled with doubt. She said, "Looking for Lin Ning? Mother, why would she help me? I've always been with Lin Wan. Although I haven't done anything to hurt her, I haven't been that close to her either."

Qu Fengxi shook his head and said, "Qing'er, you've seen it too. Ever since Lin Ning came back from the countryside, she's been like a completely different person. Before, she was always the one who got bullied the most in this mansion. She seemed to know nothing and never fought for anything, but now it seems that she was just hiding her talents. Look at her performance at Consort Xi's birthday banquet. How clever she was! Not only did she prevent Lin Wan's schemes from succeeding, but she also won everyone's praise with her own abilities. Moreover, now she has also climbed up to Prince Xian and the Princess. With these two backing her up, she's even more different now. The Lin Ning of today is no longer the little girl who was bullied by everyone. She's a very capable person now."

Lin Qing listened to her mother's words and nodded slightly. Recalling Lin Ning's various performances at the banquet, she was indeed impressive. However, she still hesitated and said, "Even if she is powerful now, she may not be willing to help me. After all, I have never helped her before."

Qu Fengxi chuckled softly and continued, "Qing'er, don't forget, Lin Ning's mother was quite a formidable figure back then. If it weren't for that unforeseen event, Lin Ning wouldn't have been sent to the countryside for so many years and suffered so much. It's fair to say that Lin Ning has been wronged by Liu Shi quite a bit in this household. Liu Shi has used every means at her disposal for Lin Wan, so Lin Ning must hate Liu Shi. Right now, we've only just reached an agreement with Liu Shi. If we side with Lin Ning now, she might be willing to help you out for that reason. Besides, Lin Ning has always been kind-hearted. Go and beg her, tell her about our difficulties, and tell her about how you've been bullied by Liu Shi and her daughter all these years. Maybe she'll really take pity on us and give us some advice."

Hearing her mother's words, Lin Qing felt a glimmer of hope. She bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and realized that her mother's words made some sense. Although she was still a little uneasy, unsure whether Lin Ning would actually help her, she really had no other better options and could only try anything as a last resort.

So, Lin Qing wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, raised her head, and said firmly to her mother, "Mother, I'll listen to you. I'll go and try to find Lin Ning. I hope she can help me."

Seeing that his daughter had finally cheered up, Qu Fengxi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good girl, go and try. Whether you succeed or not, we've done our best."