I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Just as he said this, Lin Yuwei, who had just arrived outside the door, overheard him. Her hand, which was about to knock on the door, froze in mid-air, and her feet involuntarily stopped.

She didn't understand what her father had just said. He told her to treat her like his own daughter, but she was their daughter to begin with. Why did he say that?

Curious, she moved her ear a few steps closer, and Lin's voice came through again.

“I’ve always treated her like my own daughter, but she’s not my own flesh and blood! I miss my own flesh and blood, I think about her so much that I see her image in my sleep, even though I don’t know what she looks like at all…”

"Madam, I've been so angry with Yuwei these past few days, and I've finally figured it out. If I hadn't been so stubborn about saving face and insisted on bringing back a daughter to replace our lost one, we wouldn't be in all this trouble now. Sigh!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuwei felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her heart instantly torn apart.

Is she not her father and mother's biological daughter?

How did that happen?

She turned around blankly, and the maid was about to step forward to help her, but she raised her hand to stop her.

She staggered through the courtyard, feeling an indescribable sadness.

Her father had always treated her badly, and she thought it was because she was too willful. Little did she know, it was because she wasn't his daughter at all.

And then there's my mother. Although she's very good to me, she often secretly wipes away her tears. When I asked her about it several times, she always dodged the question and refused to tell me the truth.

It turns out they were hiding such a big secret.

"hehe!"

She suddenly let out a cold laugh.

No wonder her father didn’t fight for her when the Crown Prince wanted to appoint her as Crown Princess; it turns out she wasn’t his biological daughter!

No wonder her mother never intervened when her father scolded her; it turns out she wasn't her biological daughter!

Ah!

This is such a ridiculous joke, a huge joke.

She went back to her room alone, lay down on the bed, and started to sob.

But no matter how much she cried, no one would come to see her, because she wasn't their biological daughter, and they wouldn't care whether she lived or died.

She suddenly felt so cold that she pulled the blanket over herself and buried herself in it, sobbing uncontrollably.

……

The next day, Lan Zhi brought gifts to the Longevity Palace.

The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised by her arrival, and her tone carried a hint of reproach.

"Since you're pregnant, you should stay at the Crown Prince's residence and rest properly. Why are you running around like this?"

If the Empress Dowager hadn't mentioned it, Lan Zhi would have completely forgotten that she was pregnant.

She quickly bowed and replied:

"The New Year is just a few days away, and your granddaughter-in-law thought it best to come and give you a gift in advance. When the New Year comes, the Crown Prince will not be here, and I'm afraid I won't have time to leave the Crown Prince's residence."

"No matter how busy you are, you still have to come to Qianqing Palace for New Year's Eve dinner. Remember to bring Ming'er with you then."

"Yes, then you rest first. Your granddaughter-in-law still needs to deliver some gifts to Fengyi Palace and Fangcaozhai."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly and waved her hand, saying:

"Go on! Take care of yourself. The only precious thing you have is the baby in your womb."

Although the Empress Dowager's words were unpleasant to hear, Lan Zhi was unwilling to argue with an older person like her.

She nodded politely to her and then left the Longevity Palace.

Lan Zhi's trip to the Empress was a pretense; her real purpose was to find out if the woman from the common people who had been promoted was indeed Ling Lanhua.

Although the idea was a bit absurd, she still wanted to find out the truth, because Linglan Hua's disappearance was too strange.

After leaving the Longevity Palace, she asked Ah Qi to find out the address of the newly promoted concubine and then try to go and see her.

Ah Qi is quite familiar with the palace and has acquaintances there, so it's the perfect person to ask her for information.

Lan Zhi then led Xiang Xiu and several eunuchs to the Empress's Phoenix Palace.

The Empress was somewhat surprised by her arrival, but she still expressed her gratitude symbolically. The Empress did not mention the newly promoted Imperial Concubine, nor did she feel it was appropriate for her to ask further.

She didn't stay at Fengyi Palace for long before rushing to Fangcaozhai.

If it weren't for wanting to give Ah Qi more time, she really wanted to put down her things and leave, because she waited in the main hall of Fangcaozhai for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Consort Liang finally arrived. As soon as she appeared, her face was as long as a donkey's, which disgusted Lan Zhi.

However, out of consideration for her being Wei Jianning's mother, she still forced a smile.

"The New Year is almost here, and the Crown Prince is not here. I've come on his behalf to bring you some gifts. I don't know if you'll like them."

She was unwilling to refer to herself as "your subject" or "mother" in front of her, because she felt that Consort Liang probably wouldn't like it either, and she didn't want to waste her time trying to please her.

Looking at her scarred hands, Consort Liang replied with a cold laugh:

"It's kind of you to do this, but I don't intend to accept your kindness. I have never acknowledged you as Ning'er's wife. Guards, take her out and take away everything she brought."

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Lan Zhi never expected that Consort Liang would not only be indifferent to her, but also lack basic manners.

Since she doesn't respect her, she doesn't need to give her any face.

She immediately stood up and instructed Xiangxiu:

"Take our things and head back to the manor."

Consort Liang originally thought that if she kicked her out, she would be embarrassed and run away in a sorry state. Unexpectedly, she actually took the things she brought with her.

In an attempt to save face, she angrily cursed Lan Zhi before she left:

"Don't come to my Fangcao Zhai again, it's bad luck."

Lan Zhi didn't know where Consort Liang's hostility towards her came from. She took a deep breath and nodded without any hesitation.

"Don't worry, I won't come even if you beg me. Take care!"

She turned and left, leaving Consort Liang there, gritting her teeth in hatred.

After leaving Fangcaozhai, Xiangxiu followed beside her, muttering resentfully:

"She's such an ungrateful person. How come I didn't realize she was like this back in Kangzhuang Village?"

"She knows how to hide herself, otherwise she wouldn't have had the chance to return to the harem."

"That's right. Back in the village, she always put on a pitiful act. I used to think she was really pitiful, but now it seems she was just faking it. She's just as good at acting as the actors on stage."

"Alright, stop nagging. She told me not to come again, so let's just not come anymore. It'll save us a lot of trouble."

Anyway, her purpose in coming to the palace today was not to see her. It just so happens that she was rebuffed today, so she has a reason to keep her distance from her in the future.

When they arrived at the place they had agreed to meet Ah Qi, she was already waiting there.

Seeing them approach, he hurried forward to greet them.

"master……"

"How about it?"

Ah Qi shook his head.

“There were so many people surrounding Zhenlan Garden, I couldn’t get close at all, and I didn’t even get a good look at Consort Lan.”

Xiangxiu laughed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"A concubine needs so many people to guard her? Is she dressed in gold?"

"I don't know, but I heard that she is very favored. She used to stay overnight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After the Empress Dowager found out, despite the strong opposition from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, the Emperor overruled the objections and directly granted her a courtyard and made her a concubine. Now he treats her like a treasure. I guess this woman is not simple."

Lan Zhi lowered her head in thought, a hint of worry in her heart.

If Wei Jianning is not present and the Emperor does not attend to state affairs, over time, someone will take advantage of the situation and the court will inevitably fall into turmoil. What will happen to Wei Jianning, who is fighting for the country outside?

The New Year is just a few days away. Even if we don't see this mysterious Consort Lan now, we'll definitely see her at the New Year's banquet.

……