Jade of Another World

Under the arrangement of Consort Xi, Lin Wan's marriage was carried out in a very rushed manner.

Lin Wan was full of anticipation for a grand and glorious marriage into the Crown Prince's residence. Even if it was a last-minute decision, she hoped for a proper and impressive ceremony. However, reality dealt her a heavy blow.

She was told she could only enter the Crown Prince's residence quietly through a side gate in a sedan chair, without making a fuss, as if they were trying their best to conceal her entry. Upon hearing this, Lin Wan was furious. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with resentment and anger, but she dared not show it. She knew very well that she had caused such a commotion today that Consort Xi's patience had long been exhausted. She had only agreed to let her marry into the Crown Prince's residence because of the so-called "royal offspring." If she dared to cause any more trouble, the Consort might change her mind in a fit of anger, and all her previous efforts would be in vain.

So, Lin Wan could only suppress her grievances and get into the sedan chair. The sedan chair swayed and wobbled towards the side gate of the Crown Prince's residence. There was no lively wedding procession, no firecrackers, and no cheers from the people. Only the dull footsteps of the guards carrying the sedan chair seemed to tell of her awkward and helpless situation.

Having finally arrived at the Crown Prince's residence, Lin Wan alighted from the sedan chair and, led by a maid, entered the bedroom prepared for her. Looking at the interior of the bedroom, she felt increasingly uneasy. She had originally imagined that the Crown Prince's residence would be incredibly luxurious, and that her own quarters would be magnificent and far superior to the Prime Minister's residence.

But when she actually stepped into the bedchamber prepared for her, she froze, her face filled with disbelief. While the bedchamber was certainly exquisite, it was far from what she had imagined, even less luxurious than her residence in the Prime Minister's mansion. The furnishings looked somewhat old; the furniture, though clean, lacked grandeur, and the ornaments were all ordinary items, devoid of anything precious or rare. Of course, this wasn't the case in the Crown Prince's residence; this room had previously been a servants' quarters, and today it had been specially prepared by Consort Xi, obviously to annoy Lin Wan.

Lin Wan stood in the middle of the room, trembling with anger. She thought bitterly that this must have been Consort Xi's doing, just to give her a warning and let her know that even if she entered the Crown Prince's residence, she shouldn't be too arrogant. But what could she do now? She could only swallow her anger for the time being and slowly think of ways to change her situation.

Thinking of this, Lin Wan sat expectantly in the somewhat deserted bedchamber, still wearing the hastily prepared wedding dress. The weight of the phoenix crown made her neck ache a little, but she was completely unaware of it. She just kept her eyes fixed on the door, hoping that the Crown Prince would appear soon.

The night grew deeper, and the entire Crown Prince's residence was shrouded in silence, save for the occasional sound of the night watchman striking the gong, each beat pounding against Lin Wan's heart. She waited and waited, her initial anticipation turning into anxiety, and finally, an indescribable surge of grievance and anger welled up within her, causing her to weep bitterly.

You see, today was the day she had planned to marry into the Crown Prince's household. Although the process had been tumultuous and rushed, she thought that no matter what, the Crown Prince would eventually come to see her. After all, they had been childhood sweethearts, and she was carrying his child. Even if it was just for show, he should at least come to pay his respects.

But who could have imagined that the Crown Prince wouldn't come to her at all, but instead was having his wedding night with Peng Yingchun. After all, Peng Yingchun's looks and family background made her the best candidate to be the Crown Prince's principal wife, and she was someone the Crown Prince hadn't yet obtained. As for Lin Wan, she had long lost her novelty in the Crown Prince's heart, and coupled with the fact that she had repeatedly put him in a difficult position, the Crown Prince had even begun to feel disgusted with her.

But in Lin Wan's heart, she thought that Consort Xi was deliberately messing with her, trying to give her a hard time and let her know that even if she entered the Crown Prince's residence, she would not be as favored as she wished.

However, despite understanding, as the long night passed and dawn approached, the Crown Prince didn't even glance at her. This still chilled Lin Wan's heart like a bucket of cold water had been poured over it. She sat by the bed, having not slept all night, her eyes red and bloodshot, her once exquisite makeup now looking disheveled.

She couldn't help but doubt whether her initial decision had been wrong. To marry into the Crown Prince's household, for that elusive position of Crown Princess, she had schemed and plotted relentlessly, even resorting to such despicable means. And now, all she received was this cold indifference. In this unfamiliar and desolate bedchamber, she felt as if the entire world had forgotten her; there was no joy of newlywed life, only endless loneliness.

Lin Wan bit her lip, pondering to herself, "Am I really going to live this life of being ignored and treated coldly in the Crown Prince's residence forever?" But if she gave up now, wouldn't all her previous efforts be in vain? Besides, she had already announced that she was pregnant. If she were to slink back to the Prime Minister's residence like this, she would truly become the laughingstock of the entire capital.

The more she thought about it, the more conflicted and distressed she became. Yet, she was utterly helpless and could only hope that dawn would break and that the Crown Prince, out of consideration for their past relationship, would at least come to see her, even if it was just to exchange a few words. That would at least make her feel better and prevent her from feeling like she was trapped in a bottomless abyss, with no hope in sight.

Lin Wan waited bitterly for two nights in that cold and lonely palace, but she didn't even catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince. Her heart was filled with grievance, anger, and resentment. After much thought, she realized that she was now isolated and helpless in the Crown Prince's residence. If she wanted to change her situation and regain the Crown Prince's favor, she could only ask Lin Ning for help again.

So, early the next morning, Lin Wan sent someone to invite Lin Ning to the Crown Prince's residence to see her. After receiving the message, Lin Ning guessed Lin Wan's intentions and leisurely arrived at the Crown Prince's residence, heading straight for Lin Wan's bedchamber.

As soon as Lin Ning stepped into the bedchamber, Lin Wan rushed to greet her, her face full of anxiety and ingratiation. She took Lin Ning's hand and said, "Lin Ning, you've finally come! I'm in the Crown Prince's residence now, and His Highness hasn't come to see me even once since our wedding night. I'm afraid my pregnancy will be exposed. How am I supposed to live from now on? You've always been smart, you have to help me!"

Lin Ning subtly withdrew her hand, looking at Lin Wan's pitiful appearance with a cold smile inwardly. She knew Lin Wan's character well. Lin Ning frowned slightly and said, "Lin Wan, why should I help you? You've schemed against me time and time again, even using my mother's corpse to blackmail me into helping you marry into the Crown Prince's household. Now you want me to help you win favor. Why should I agree to that?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wan's expression changed slightly, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her anxious demeanor. She bit her lip and lowered her voice, saying, "I know I was wrong before, but I really have no other choice now. If you help me this time, I promise that as long as I regain the Crown Prince's favor, you will definitely benefit from it. Moreover... and your mother's body is still in my hands. If you don't help me, I can't guarantee anything."

Upon hearing Lin Wan use her mother's corpse to blackmail her again, Lin Ning turned pale with anger. She glared at Lin Wan, her voice trembling as she said, "Lin Wan, you dare to use my mother's corpse as leverage? You are utterly despicable! Let me tell you, I can help you, but you must first tell me the location of my mother's corpse. Otherwise, I will never do anything for you again. I will never trust someone as fickle as you."

Seeing Lin Ning's resolute attitude, Lin Wan hesitated. She had originally planned to coax Lin Ning into helping her first, and then, once she had truly regained favor, she would use her mother's corpse to continue making Lin Ning work for her. But now, Lin Ning's demands...

Lin Wan paced back and forth in the room, weighing the pros and cons in her mind, her face full of conflicted emotions. After a while, she finally stopped and looked at Lin Ning, saying, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll go back on your word and not help me, and then I'll have nothing to show for it. Promise me first that you will help me, and then I'll tell you."

Lin Ning snorted coldly and said, "Lin Wan, do you think I'll still believe you? If you don't tell me the location of my mother's body first, then we have nothing to talk about. At worst, we'll fight to the death. Even if I can't find my mother's body, I won't let you use me like this anymore."

Seeing Lin Ning's resolute expression, Lin Wan felt genuinely frightened. She knew Lin Ning was serious this time, and things would get complicated if she pushed her too far. After much thought, she gritted her teeth, as if making a huge decision, and slowly said, "Then... then I'll tell you. Your mother's body is... in a secluded mountain area in that desolate forest in the western suburbs. There's a map here; I'll give it to you. I'm not lying to you. Can you help me now?"

Hearing Lin Wan's words, Lin Ning felt a mixture of sorrow and joy. Sorrow that her mother's body was hidden in such a remote and desolate place, and joy that she finally knew its whereabouts, finally bringing an end to her years of obsession. However, she hadn't forgotten Lin Wan's purpose, and immediately said, "Lin Wan, I'll believe you this time, but I warn you, if you dare to lie to me, I will not let you off. As for helping you regain the Crown Prince's favor, I will try to think of a way, but whether it will succeed, I cannot guarantee, after all, this is not something I can completely control."

Lin Wan quickly nodded and said, "As long as you're willing to try your best, I believe you'll definitely find a way."

Lin Ning said, "Don't move until I tell you what to do."

Tomorrow is your return visit to your parents' home. Once you return to the Prime Minister's residence, I will tell you what to do.

After leaving the Crown Prince's residence, Lin Ning, fearing unnecessary trouble, also went to see Peng Yingchun. Yingchun looked very haggard, and knowing that the Crown Prince still cared for her, Lin Ning was relieved. Upon returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Lin Ning immediately found Uncle Zhong and arranged for people to find her mother's body.

Uncle Zhong returned saying that the body had been found. Fearing that Madam Liu might have other plans, he had arranged for someone to transport her mother's body back to the Ning family in Yueguo overnight. Uncle Zhong was always very loyal, and she trusted him completely. She should have handled these matters herself, but ever since Lin Wan's marriage, Madam Liu had been sending people to watch Lin Ning every day, causing her a great deal of trouble. Fortunately, her mother's body was safe, so they could no longer control her. However, she still needed Lin Wan as a pawn; otherwise, how could she reel in the big fish behind the scenes?

After all, judging from the time they've been back, Lin Wan and Liu Shi don't seem to have the ability to arrange so many things. It's likely that, whether in their past or present lives, they've had a master guiding them. If Lin Ning knows who this master is, finding them should provide answers to many questions.

On the day Lin Wan returned to her parents' home, the entire Prime Minister's residence was bustling with activity from early morning. It should have been a lively and joyous occasion, but because the Crown Prince did not accompany her, the atmosphere was subtly awkward and desolate.

Sitting in the sedan chair on her way back to her parents' home, Lin Wan was filled with grievance and resentment. She thought to herself that she had at least married into the Crown Prince's household, yet the Crown Prince was showing her no respect, not even showing up on such an important day as her return. How could she hold her head high in front of everyone in the Prime Minister's household? She tightly gripped the handkerchief in her hand, biting her lip, and secretly vowed that she would find a way to regain the Crown Prince's favor and would never be ignored like this again.

However, just as Lin Wan was filled with resentment and thinking of returning to the Lin residence to see if Lin Ning had come up with any good ideas, a commotion suddenly arose outside the Prime Minister's residence. Everyone turned to look and saw a large group of people marching towards the residence. Leading the group was none other than Grand Tutor Liu, who had returned from quelling the rebellion in Nanzhao. He was dressed in a dignified court robe. Although he was in his eighties, he still stood tall and straight, and his eyes revealed the determination and courage of someone who had experienced many battles. However, at this moment, there was also a hint of urgency in his eyes. After all, as soon as he returned to the Liu residence, he heard many things about his granddaughter Lin Wan, and he was truly worried about her.