Once they reached a secluded spot, Ning Wanwan said, "Your Majesty, there is really no need to be so harsh sometimes. If you keep punishing them, they might think I am flaunting your favor, and if that gets around, it won't do my reputation any good."
Pei Jinxiu looked down at her, his eyes full of amusement. "You truly have become a different person since you fell into the water and took ill."
Ning Wanwan curled her lips at this. Surely he couldn't suspect her true identity? She was a soul-transmigrator, after all—even if the way she arrived was a bit embarrassing.
"Having stared death in the face, Your Majesty, I naturally understand the value of life. I simply don't wish to see unpleasant things happen right under my nose; it weighs on my conscience."
"Weighs on your conscience?" Pei Jinxiu gave a light scoff.
For some reason, Ning Wanwan felt she caught a flash of disdain in his eyes, though it vanished instantly, replaced once more by gentleness and doting. Perhaps it was just the hazy moonlight playing tricks on her.
"And why did you step out, Your Majesty?" she asked.
"The Imperial Noble Consort had gone missing, and I felt uneasy alone, so I came to find you." Pei Jinxiu pulled her close, and they strolled through the Imperial Garden.
"Are we not going back?" Ning Wanwan asked again.
"It is dull there. It is better for the two of us to take a walk."
In that moment, they looked like an ordinary couple, sitting in the swing chair in each other's arms to admire the moon.
She did not know why, but Pei Jinxiu seemed to possess a charm she could not resist, giving her the illusion that they were deeply familiar and in love. She had never been in love, but she knew that true love required mutual affection. She had only arrived here a short while ago; it was impossible for her to fall for Pei Jinxiu so easily. After all, this was not even her own body; the original owner’s consciousness had not fully faded, and she was merely living on someone else's behalf.
Pei Jinxiu had intended to spend the night at Ruyi Palace, but fortunately, Ning Wanwan was having her period, allowing her to dodge the bullet once again.
The next day, as was customary, the palace consorts came to Ruyi Palace to pay their respects to Ning Wanwan. Beauty Chan had just been released; the arrogance she had displayed upon their first meeting was gone, and she stood below, clutching her slightly rounded belly, her beautiful eyes fixed intensely on Ning Wanwan.
Ning Wanwan couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind. To her, Beauty Chan was nothing more than a clown hiding behind her pregnancy.
"This concubine pays her respects to the Imperial Noble Consort. May Your Ladyship be blessed with eternal peace."
The concubines curtsied in unison.
"No need for formalities."
After everyone had taken their seats, Ning Wanwan noticed an empty chair beside her. She didn't recognize who it belonged to; in truth, she didn't really understand these protocols anyway—she was just a transmigrator here to enjoy the life she’d been given.
But while she ignored it, others could not sit still.
"Consort Qing certainly doesn't hold the Imperial Noble Consort in high regard, does she? This is an Imperial Noble Consort personally appointed by His Majesty, enjoying the honor of an Empress. By what logic does she not come to pay her respects to Your Ladyship?"
"Indeed. Just because His Majesty has been visiting her these past few days, I suspect she has grown conceited and no longer takes Your Ladyship seriously."
"..."
Several of them babbled on with their snide remarks, while Beauty Chan remained uncharacteristically quiet. Ning Wanwan was just about to say that it didn't matter and dismiss them when a crisp, pleasant voice drifted in from outside the door:
"This concubine is late; I hope Your Ladyship will forgive me."
With that, a graceful figure in purple entered, slender and beautiful. It was the very subject of their gossip, Consort Qing.
"It's quite alright, it doesn't matter. Since you've paid your respects, you may all disperse," Ning Wanwan said.
The others looked at her in disbelief. Their expressions varied, but Ning Wanwan’s reaction was indeed strange—it was as if she were a different person compared to before.
Once everyone had left, each occupied with their own thoughts, Ning Wanwan stretched and prepared to go back for a nap.
Lüqiu looked puzzled. "Your Ladyship, you really seem different than before."
"Different is different. Does it really matter?" Ning Wanwan countered.
Lüqiu dared not speak further and retreated obediently.
As soon as the concubines exited the gates of Ruyi Palace, they clustered together to gossip:
"The Imperial Noble Consort has truly changed; she is much gentler now."
"In the past, His Majesty only favored her exclusively. But ever since she fell into the water, she hasn't served him once. I heard she was the one who encouraged His Majesty to share his favors with everyone—otherwise, how would we sisters have had a chance?"
"Does that mean we all have a chance now?" someone asked excitedly.
Beauty Chan and Consort Qing were the last to leave and naturally overheard these words.
Once outside, Consort Qing shed her submissive demeanor, her face turning arrogant. She arched her phoenix eyes and looked with disdain at Beauty Chan’s rounded belly.
Beauty Chan’s heart sank as she felt an unprecedented wave of tension, her palms clutching her sleeves tightly.
Consort Qing was Zhong Qing, the daughter of the Minister of War and one of the Four Consorts. Her family status was second only to Ning Wanwan’s in the entire palace. Compared to the arrogant, hot-headed, and mindless Ning Wanwan, she was a woman of far more cunning means.