Jade of Another World

Back at the Crown Prince's residence, the Crown Prince kept thinking about this matter. He pondered it over and over, worried that if Lin Wan was indeed the Chosen Saintess, then the torment he had inflicted on her before would be... So, he hurriedly instructed his servants to immediately change their attitude towards Lin Wan.

The servants dared not neglect her and quickly moved Lin Wan from the simple and cold room to an extremely luxurious one, fully furnished with all kinds of exquisite decorations. The Crown Prince even went to Lin Wan's new room in person, his face full of smiles, showing concern for her well-being. His attitude was completely different from before.

Lin Wan was truly frightened by the Crown Prince's sudden change in attitude. In the Crown Prince's residence, she had suffered cruel torture and abuse at his hands; those days were dark and miserable, causing her endless suffering.

Therefore, facing the Crown Prince's smiling face and solicitous manner, Lin Wan felt extremely uncomfortable and filled with fear. She subconsciously took a few steps back, her eyes full of vigilance and wariness, like a frightened deer, as if the Crown Prince was not there to care about her, but rather to harbor some far more terrifying conspiracy.

After all, the prolonged abuse she had endured had long since eroded Lin Wan's trust in the Crown Prince. In her heart, he was a demon who would inflict pain upon her at any moment. Now, this demon had suddenly changed his face; how could such a stark contrast not terrify her?

Several days passed in this state of fear and anxiety, with Lin Wan constantly on edge, never daring to relax for a moment. However, as time went by, she gradually began to have some guesses. She wondered if her mother had intervened? Or perhaps the Liu family had used some underhanded means to change the Crown Prince's attitude towards her.

Lin Wan pondered and pondered, but she still couldn't figure out what method had been used to bring about such a drastic change in the Crown Prince. She knew that the Liu family had always been full of schemes and had endless methods, but this matter was too strange. She had been almost tortured to the point of no return by the Crown Prince, so how could things have suddenly taken a turn for the better?

Lin Wan sat in the luxurious yet utterly unfamiliar room, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. She murmured to herself, "What exactly is going on? Mother, if you really did help me, why didn't you send me a message? Is the Crown Prince's current abnormal behavior a blessing or a curse?"

She both hoped that this was truly a turning point for the Liu family or her mother to help her escape her misery, and worried that it was just the calm before the storm, fearing that the Crown Prince would suddenly turn his back on her and plunge her back into endless suffering. But for now, she had no other choice but to continue waiting in this anxious state.

Although Lin Wan was still full of doubts in the Crown Prince's residence, she cherished this hard-won "good life" very much. After thinking it over, she decided to secretly find a reliable person to send a letter to Aunt Liu, so as to find out what was going on behind the scenes.

The person Lin Wan entrusted with the task was very clever. Taking advantage of an outing to buy supplies, they successfully delivered the letter to Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu opened the letter and carefully read through Lin Wan's account of the situation. A relieved smile immediately appeared on her face, and she was overjoyed. She thought to herself that her daughter was finally temporarily free from her suffering. Before, seeing Lin Wan suffer in the Crown Prince's residence, she, as a mother, felt extremely distressed, but she couldn't help because of the Liu family's plans and could only silently endure it.

Now that Lin Wan's life has improved, Aunt Liu naturally assumed that it was because of that person's help. She thought of that person, and was secretly pleased that he still cared about her and her daughter at such a crucial moment. She even couldn't help but start looking forward to a better life in the future.

Meanwhile, the Liu family learned that the rumors circulating in the capital that "Prime Minister Lin's daughter is the Holy Maiden of Destiny" and the Crown Prince's drastic change in attitude towards Lin Wan had made the situation extremely unfavorable to their original plans, which infuriated the Liu family.

Especially Liu Si and Grand Tutor Liu, their brows furrowed, their faces so gloomy they could drip water, went straight into the study, closed the door, and began to discuss things in hushed tones.

Liu Si paced back and forth in the study, his face full of frustration. He said angrily, "What on earth is going on? Our perfectly good plan has been completely ruined because of this inexplicable rumor. The Crown Prince is being so attentive to Lin Wan now; he must believe in this 'Heavenly Saintess' and wants to win her over. What should we do next?"

Grand Tutor Liu sat behind his desk, tapping the surface lightly with his hand, deep in thought. After a long while, he slowly said, "Don't rush. There must be something fishy about this. I don't believe this rumor came out of thin air. We need to investigate thoroughly and see who's behind this. Once we find out who's behind it, it won't be too late to find a way to turn things around."

Upon hearing this, Liu Si stopped and nodded, saying, "Father is right. We can't just sit here and wait to die. We must find out who's behind this and not let all of our Liu family's plans over the years go to waste."

After a thorough investigation, Liu Si, though unable to identify the person behind the scenes, was certain that their status was extraordinary. He suspected the rumor of the "Heavenly Phoenix Maiden" was true, as he discovered it had been confirmed by Celestial Master Ouyang. This news greatly shocked him, and without hesitation, he immediately went to discuss the matter with Grand Tutor Liu.

Liu Si rushed into the study, not even bothering to close the door, and said anxiously, "Father, I've found out. It was Master Ouyang who confirmed the existence of this 'Heavenly Phoenix Maiden.' If there really is such a Heavenly Phoenix Maiden, then it definitely isn't Lin Wan. We all know Lin Wan's background. Therefore, this Phoenix Maiden can only be Lin Ning."

Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Liu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "If it were Lin Ning, this wouldn't be too bad. Now that Nangong Jin is not in the capital, this is a good opportunity."

Liu Si asked with some confusion, "Father, what do you mean?"

Grand Tutor Liu stood up, paced slowly, and said, "Find a way to get that person closer to Lin Ning. In the future, this Phoenix Maiden will still be of use to us."

Upon hearing this, Liu Si's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Yes, Father, I will make the arrangements right away."

Grand Tutor Liu waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, but be careful in this matter. Do not rush things. If you alert the enemy, all your previous efforts will be wasted."

Liu Si responded and turned to leave to make the arrangements. Only Grand Tutor Liu remained standing in the study, his brows furrowed, continuing to ponder the various variables that might be hidden behind this series of events. He secretly vowed that no matter what, he would ensure that the Liu family would gain a favorable position in this turbulent situation, and he would not allow anyone to ruin the Liu family's important affairs.

Amidst the seemingly calm court and the undercurrents within the powerful families of the capital, Consort De, the daughter of the Liu family in the palace, had been closely monitoring the situation. One day, taking advantage of a trusted maidservant's absence from the palace on business, she secretly sent a letter to the Liu family.

Upon receiving the letter, the Liu family members hurriedly gathered to read it. The letter stated that the Crown Prince and Consort Xi had already begun to set their sights on Lin Ning. They had devised a plan: to have someone write to the Emperor, saying that the late Emperor had bestowed a marriage contract between Lin Ning and Nangong Jin, but Nangong Jin was constantly making excuses and unwilling to fulfill it. This would lead to public criticism of the royal family for breaking their promises, which would be unfair to the Lin family. Therefore, to compensate the Lin family, they implored the Emperor to bestow Lin Ning upon the Crown Prince as his consort.

After reading the letter, Grand Tutor Liu's expression changed slightly. He snorted and said, "The Crown Prince and Consort Xi have a good plan. They want to use the late Emperor's marriage agreement and the pretext of compensating the Lin family to bring Lin Ning into the Crown Prince's residence. They want to hold Lin Ning firmly in their hands. If they succeed, it will probably ruin everything."

Liu Si frowned and said with some worry, "Father, what should we do? If Lin Ning is really given to the Crown Prince, then all our previous plans will be ruined."

Grand Tutor Liu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “Don’t rush. The Emperor has not yet agreed to this matter, so we still have room to maneuver. I will go to the palace to see Consort De and see what she thinks before we discuss it further. Also, give orders to our spies in the court to closely monitor the situation and report back immediately if there is any disturbance.”

The members of the Liu family nodded and went to carry out their orders. Grand Tutor Liu hurriedly straightened his clothes, preparing to go to the palace to meet Consort De. He knew that in this struggle surrounding Lin Ning, every step had to be taken with utmost care. The slightest mistake could lead to total defeat, and the Liu family's years of planning would be ruined.

Dressed in his court robes, Grand Tutor Liu hurried into the palace, carefully avoiding being seen or noticed, and headed straight for Consort De's palace. Upon seeing Consort De, he first respectfully bowed deeply. Consort De quickly gestured for the maids and eunuchs around her to leave before allowing Grand Tutor Liu to rise. The two then huddled together, lowering their voices to discuss their next move.

Grand Tutor Liu frowned and said, “Your Majesty, the current situation is not favorable to us. The Crown Prince and Consort Xi have come up with such an idea, wanting His Majesty to bestow Lin Ning upon the Crown Prince as a consort. If this succeeds, then all our previous plans will be in vain. Therefore, the most urgent task is to find a way to stop the Crown Prince and his group from doing this.”

Consort De nodded slightly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, and said, "The Grand Tutor is absolutely right, but how should we properly stop this? The Crown Prince and Consort Xi are probably putting all their effort into pushing this matter forward, so we must come up with a well-thought-out plan."

Grand Tutor Liu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we might as well do the opposite. The Crown Prince and his allies want to get their hands on Lin Ning, so let's first thwart their plan, and then find a way to make the Crown Prince believe that Lin Wan is the true Phoenix Maiden of Destiny. Once the Crown Prince has his eye on Lin Wan, his mind will naturally no longer be on Lin Ning, and our matter will be much easier to handle. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Consort De's eyes lit up. She thought that Grand Tutor Liu's idea was feasible, so she said, "Grand Tutor's plan is excellent, but we need to carefully plan how to do it. We can't afford any mistakes, or we'll be at a disadvantage."

So the two of them started to plan in detail, one after the other.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and Consort Xi were also busy, implementing their plans in earnest. The Crown Prince was working to win over ministers in court, urging them to submit memorials to pressure the Emperor, while Consort Xi was actively working in the inner palace, trying to persuade other concubines to side with them and jointly petition the Emperor to facilitate Lin Ning's entry into the Crown Prince's residence. Both sides were extremely busy.

Lin Ning, however, was completely oblivious. She thought that by helping Lin Wan escape confinement, the future Crown Prince would treat Lin Wan better because of the rumors. She felt Lin Wan was truly pathetic; although Lin Wan had been digging her own grave and often did foolish things, the reason she helped her might be that she realized Lin Wan lacked the ability to plan so many things. Her love-struck mind couldn't possibly come up with any deep schemes. Lin Ning was deeply troubled by these thoughts, completely unaware that her well-intentioned act had unknowingly brought her immense danger. She didn't know how tempting that position was to the royal family. To those who believed in science, rumors were nothing but jokes and fleeting clouds, but to many, they were the clarion call of victory, the cornerstone of their success, and the guarantee of their power. These were things Lin Ning didn't understand. She didn't understand their obsession with the entire city. She continued as usual, studying medicine in her residence, completely oblivious to the impending storm.

On this sunny day, with a gentle breeze, the Crown Princess sent an invitation to Lin Ning to go boating on the lake. She also wanted to tell Lin Ning about Lin Wan's current situation at the manor. Lin Ning, feeling somewhat bored at home recently, readily agreed. After getting ready, she met the Crown Princess by the lake.

The two strolled slowly along the lakeside, admiring the beautiful scenery. Willows swayed gently on the banks, and the lake shimmered in the sunlight—a truly picturesque sight. As they walked, the Crown Princess stopped, turned to Lin Ning, and said softly with a hint of gratitude on her face, "Sister, I must tell you, Lin Wan is doing so well in the Crown Prince's residence now. The treatment she receives is worlds apart from before."

Lin Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled, and did not reply, but simply listened quietly as the Crown Princess continued.

The Crown Princess continued, "I'm thinking to myself, this matter was probably your idea, sister. If it weren't for your intervention, Lin Wan would probably still be imprisoned and suffering endless abuse. To be honest, I'm quite surprised that you would be so generous, considering that Lin Wan has tried to harm you time and time again. Logically speaking, you shouldn't have helped her."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ning couldn't help but laugh. She looked at the Crown Princess with a sly glint in her eyes and said, "On the surface, I did help her, but I also had my own agenda. I just wanted to see what the Liu family was planning, given how meticulously they were scheming."

The Crown Princess was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly not expecting Lin Ning to have this idea.

Lin Ning paused, then continued, "However, I'm actually not interested in the power struggles in the capital at all. I just want to live a peaceful life, and I just hope those people don't bother me. I don't want to get involved in all this messy stuff, scheming and plotting every day." Lin Ning didn't say more. After all, she was a transmigrator, and she might find a way back someday and return. Naturally, she wouldn't care about many things in this world as much as those who had already benefited from it.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's deep eyes darkened, and she nodded in agreement, saying, "It's just that being in the capital, many power struggles will drag everyone into them. Sometimes you want to stay out of it, but you can't help it."

Lin Ning sighed helplessly and said, "Yes, sister, so I can only deal with whatever they say as it comes. I just hope they don't go too far, otherwise I won't let any of them get away with it."

The two smiled at each other and continued their stroll along the West Lake, but each had their own thoughts on their own, and it seemed that even the beautiful scenery could not bring them to a smile.