The night is deep, and the snow falls heavy; from time to time, one can hear the sound of bamboo snapping.
Inside the opulent and magnificent Ruyi Palace, steam curled behind a folding screen like a scene from a celestial realm. Amidst the mist, a massive wooden bathtub was vaguely visible. In the tub, a beautiful woman with skin as white as snow and a face of peerless beauty lay with her eyes closed, looking perfectly serene.
A young girl in a goose-yellow dress kept pouring a murky, brownish liquid into the tub, her expression one of extreme anxiety. As the steam rose, the beauty in the pool seemed to regain signs of life.
When Ning Wanwan opened her eyes again, she found herself soaking in the tub without a stitch of clothing on, and she let out a piercing scream in terror. The servants, seeing her suddenly wake up, were just as startled and began scurrying about in a panic.
In the aftermath, Ning Wanwan had to accept the truth: she had transmigrated!
Ning Wanwan felt a sense of distress. Transmigrating was one thing, but she had landed in the body of a haughty and overbearing Noble Consort who delighted in overstepping her bounds. This Noble Consort was quite a character; relying on her family’s immense influence, she spent her days bullying this person or mocking that one, making countless enemies in the palace. Even the servants under her command were tormented to the point of collapse.
Well, it finally caught up with her: someone had "accidentally" kicked her into the lake during a flower-viewing banquet. In this freezing, snow-covered weather, the dignified Noble Consort had been left in the icy water for a full hour before being fished out. With a body as precious as hers, being thrown into an icy lake was a catastrophe. She had breathed her last right there and then, which was when Ning Wanwan moved into the body.
Now that spring had arrived and the weather was gradually warming, Ning Wanwan’s body was finally beginning to recover. Rumors outside said that since falling into the lake, Noble Consort Ning had finally settled down, as she hadn't stepped foot out of Ruyi Palace for days.
For two months, they had failed to investigate who had kicked the Noble Consort. The Emperor had sent over many rare treasures to comfort the Noble Consort and the Ning Family behind her. Why the Ning Family, too? Because the Consort had been left with a permanent ailment, and it was feared she would never be able to conceive again. When the trembling imperial physician finished taking her pulse and dared not even look up, the Emperor, in a fit of rage, had kicked him away, swearing to find the true culprit and have them carved into a thousand pieces.
"Hah!" Ning Wanwan let out a self-deprecating laugh. It wasn't loud, but the maid nearby was so frightened that she hurriedly knelt and begged for mercy.
"Am I really that terrifying?" Ning Wanwan asked.
"..."
A sea of maids knelt before her, all trembling like cicadas in winter, fearing the wrath of this overbearing Noble Consort.
"Oh my, what a temper, Sister," a sweet voice rang out. Following that, a beauty dressed in a crimson dress with a look of pure innocence came into view. "I heard that you have recently recovered from your grave illness, so I came specifically to pay you a visit."
Ning Wanwan looked at the empty-handed woman and smiled with her eyes. "Seeing you dressed so flamboyantly, with your chest and breasts half-exposed—anyone who didn't know better might think you were here to mock me. And to come empty-handed when paying a visit? How could you be so bold?"
Beauty Chan’s face turned a shade of bruised purple. It was rumored that after falling into the lake and suffering a great illness, Ning Wanwan’s personality had changed completely. Though she used to love berating people, she had never been this blunt or sharp-tongued, leaving others unable to handle her.
"Sister, you come from a prestigious and wealthy family with riches that could rival a kingdom; what fine things do you lack? Besides, in the past, when I sent you gifts, you would have them thrown out. I dared not send anything else, lest I invite your disdain."
Beauty Chan was right. In the past, Ning Wanwan’s eyes were set higher than the heavens; she looked down on everyone but the Emperor. Whenever others brought gifts to curry favor, she would treat them like trash and have them "thrown away in secret."
"Oh—so are you finished with your visit? If so, get lost!" Ning Wanwan told her to leave without a shred of mercy.
"Don't be so impatient, Sister. I have one more piece of good news to share with you." A look of triumph spread across Beauty Chan’s pretty face. She caressed her stomach and feigned a motherly expression. "I am pregnant, Sister. You didn't know, did you? A few days ago, the Emperor sent so many things to my Jixiang Palace that there’s no room left for them, hee hee hee." Beauty Chan covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes full of malice and schadenfreude. "Oh, don't be sad, Sister. It’s alright even if you can’t bear an heir; it just spares you the pain of childbirth."
*Are you insane?* Ning Wanwan couldn't help but roll her eyes at her.
"Beauty Chan, isn't that a bit premature? Whether you’ll actually carry it to term remains to be seen, and even if you do, it might not be a boy." Ning Wanwan spoke with a mocking tone, though her heart was gripped by an uncontrollable ache.
Although Ning Wanwan had transmigrated, the original owner’s soul, for some reason, hadn't departed. Though it couldn't control the body, it could still influence her emotions. At this moment, Ning Wanwan felt both furious and miserable. Her chest felt stifled, her eyes turned red, and tears welled up. Her already stunning face now looked pale and frail, making her appear all the more pitiful.
Seeing her like this, Beauty Chan laughed even more triumphantly. In the past, relying on her family's power, Ning Wanwan had bullied her incessantly, making her life miserable. Now that Ning Wanwan had become a hen that couldn't lay eggs, even with all her abilities, she had reached the end of the line. Once she gave birth to a prince and climbed to a higher position, she would be the first to send her to hell!
"Don't be angry, Sister. Don't worry about not being able to conceive; there are plenty of others to bear children for the Emperor. May he be blessed with many sons!" Beauty Chan relied on her pregnancy to act like a bully. Ning Wanwan could no longer tolerate it and immediately tried to stand up.
"Hey, hey, hey! The Noble Consort is going to hit someone! Help!" Beauty Chan feigned fear and retreated, covering her mouth and laughing as she backed away, looking incredibly smug.
Ning Wanwan really wanted to rip that look off her face.
"Looking at you like this, Sister, I'm truly terrified. This is the Emperor's first child in the harem; nothing can go wrong. I shall take my leave now, hee hee!"
"Get out! You cheap wench!"
Ning Wanwan cursed at the top of her lungs, while simultaneously feeling a deep sense of regret. She had been influenced by the original owner’s emotions again. She could hardly imagine just how arrogant, overbearing, and haughty the former Noble Consort must have been, never allowing herself to suffer the slightest grievance.