Chapter 2

 Miss Xu arrived half an hour later. She had been playing cards with her sister-in-law, Mrs. Ming, when she heard Mrs. Tao's summons and hurried over.

Mrs. Tao casually briefed her on the matter of Bao Ning's marriage substitution: "...When the time comes, I will say that Jia Ying is ill and unable to marry in the short term, fearing it would delay the Fourth Prince's age of marriage. So, it will be up to Bao Ning to take her place. In a few days, I will officially adopt Bao Ning, making her my legitimate daughter. With my brother's intervention, the Emperor will surely approve. It's a win-win for you both, elevating your status and securing a position as the prince's consort. Quite satisfying, isn't it?"

Miss Xu was breathless, almost fainting. "You talk so easily! Why not marry your daughter to someone else, rather than ruin Bao Ning's life like this!"

"Aunt, please calm down." Bao Ning was afraid her aunt would say something reckless in her agitation, so she quickly intervened, pulling her out into the courtyard.

Once inside, Miss Xu couldn't hold back her tears any longer, collapsing onto the bed and sobbing, "My child, it's my fault for being useless, letting you suffer like this. How could I let you marry into such a place..."

Miss Xu was usually gentle and refined, and this was the first time Bao Ning had seen her lose control like this.

Seeing her aunt like this made Bao Ning feel a pang of sadness. She approached and sat beside Miss Xu, comforting her, "Aunt, please don't be too upset. I think this might not be a bad thing."

"How can this not be a bad thing?" Miss Xu sat up in shock. "My child, don't you know what kind of person Pei Yuan is?"

Bao Ning recalled bits and pieces of gossip she had heard from the servants in the mansion: "Cunning and deceitful, indulgent and licentious, cruel and infamous."

Miss Xu nodded. "It's not just that. He's also committed treason, a serious crime. How could the Emperor forgive him? He was only spared the death penalty out of consideration for his deceased mother. But living like that, what's the difference from being dead? Bedridden, neither human nor ghost, and now he's developed a wicked heart..."

Thinking of this, Miss Xu burst into tears again. "My poor Bao Ning!"

Bao Ning sighed, embracing Miss Xu's shoulders, whispering, "Aunt, but I still think it's not so bad."

Miss Xu choked back her tears. "What's not so bad about it?"

Bao Ning replied, "At least the Fourth Prince can't marry or take concubines anymore. In his mansion, there will only be me, no other troublesome people. It's cleaner this way. And now that he's like this, he poses no threat to the throne, so no one would want to harm him. It's even cleaner. Isn't that good?"

Miss Xu could only sigh in response, unable to refute her.

Bao Ning continued, "Besides, with the mistress's temperament, even if we refuse, she won't stop. Father can't help us either."

Understanding the logic in her words, Miss Xu sighed again.

After a long silence, Miss Xu suddenly furrowed her brows. "Jia Yun doesn't know about this yet. When he finds out, it will surely cause a huge uproar."

...

Jia Yun returned in the evening, just as Miss Xu had predicted. True to expectations, he flew into a rage and wanted to confront Mrs. Tao directly, but Bao Ning held him back.

Feeling aggrieved and with nowhere else to vent, Jia Yun squatted on the ground, his eyes turning red. "It's all because of my uselessness. Mrs. Tao's brother is a second-rank general, giving her the confidence to act so arrogantly. If I become a general in the future, my sister won't be bullied like this."

Bao Ning couldn't help but smile. "You're only twelve years old, while her brother is nearly forty. There's no comparison."

At twelve years old and being the only son of the Duke's household, Jia Yun was pampered and had never cried before. Seeing him like this for the first time, Bao Ning felt uncomfortable.

Trying to comfort him, she said, "Alright, when you become successful in the future, I'll divorce the Fourth Prince and marry you off to my sister. How about that?"

Jia Yun looked up, his eyes teary. "Really?"

Bao Ning nodded.

Jia Yun was genuinely comforted, gripping Bao Ning's hand firmly, saying, "Sister, don't worry. I'll study and train harder from now on, and I'll take you away from that place as soon as possible!"

Bao Ning smiled and tousled his hair.

...

Three days later, the Ministry of Revenue sent the betrothal gifts.

Pei Yuan's mistake was treason, colluding with the Crown Prince Pei Che to attempt regicide. Fortunately, it was discovered in time by the Third Prince Pei Xiao, and a major disaster was avoided.

The Emperor was furious and immediately imprisoned the two of them, stripped the Crown Prince of his title and demoted him, and issued a decree of death by autumn for him. But later, Pei Che suddenly fell seriously ill in prison. After being released for recuperation, he disappeared after a few days. Pei Yuan was also injured and became a disabled person. With both sons experiencing such events, the Emperor, aging and angry, fell seriously ill. After recovering, perhaps he had thought of many things and didn't pursue Pei Yuan's sins further, letting him go.

To put it nicely, Pei Yuan was a fallen Fourth Prince. To put it bluntly, he was a son abandoned by the Emperor, waiting for his own destruction.

Bao Ning had prepared modest betrothal gifts in advance, but when she actually saw them, she was still surprised.

A rusty and peeling large box, hastily wrapped with a few red silk ribbons. When opened, there were only three bags of rice and five taels of silver wrapped in tattered cloth inside.

Ji Jiaying laughed on the spot, "I thought the Fourth Prince was down on his luck, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. Even a farmer with only a few acres of land wouldn't be so shabby when marrying off a daughter, would they?"

The eunuch from the Ministry of Revenue who came to deliver the gifts hadn't left yet. Hearing his daughter's words, Duke Rongguo's face couldn't hold back, and he scolded, "Jiaying, shut up."

The young eunuch didn't mind, smiling and saying, "The Fourth Miss is right. His Majesty said that although the Fourth Prince is not officially removed from the imperial records, his treatment is no different from a commoner. Your Grace, please don't find our betrothal gifts shabby. It's just following orders. This servant has no choice."

Duke Rongguo cautiously glanced at Bao Ning's expression, seeing that she still had a smiling face, he felt much relieved.

He felt somewhat guilty towards this daughter, but he was powerless. Tao was dominant, and he indeed needed to rely on Tao Maobing. He didn't dare to go against his wife's wishes.

But since Bao Ning didn't mind, he felt much better.

Tao Maobing rewarded the young eunuch with some silver, exchanged a few polite words, and then sent the eunuch from the Ministry of Revenue away.

After thanking them, Bao Ning took the large box back to Mrs. Xu's courtyard.

Behind her, Ji Jiaying's voice came, "Hmph, still able to smile. I don't know if she's truly foolish or just pretending."

...

Back in the room, Mrs. Xu naturally felt indignant for a while, but afraid of hurting her daughter's feelings, she didn't dare to show it and quietly sighed outside.

After sighing, she continued to help Bao Ning embroider the bridal gown in the room.

The wedding date was set too hastily, just ten days later. It was said to be an auspicious day, and if they missed it, they would have to wait another six months. The Fourth Prince probably couldn't wait.

Couldn't wait for what? Everyone knew it well.

Although Bao Ning hadn't been engaged before, she had been preparing her dowry all along. Both she and Mrs. Xu had skilled hands, and they rushed to finish everything in these ten days.

The day of the wedding arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Ministry of Revenue sent a drafty carriage, truly implementing His Majesty's decree to treat Pei Yuan as a commoner.

Ji Yun went to take a look and came back with a painful feeling in his chest, sitting on the steps and sulking.

Bao Ning smiled and persuaded him a few times, not taking it to heart, and continued to decorate herself with flower hairpins in front of the mirror.

She dressed up very seriously, following the usual procedure for a newlywed bride, opening her face, styling her hair, and putting on the phoenix coronet. Bao Ning was open-minded; she had to live her own life, and others' opinions couldn't hinder her. Even if she was down on her luck, she still had to be clean and beautiful, living comfortably.

Moreover, she wasn't down on her luck at all, was she?

Bao Ning was naturally beautiful. Even without makeup, she was the most outstanding among the six young ladies in the mansion. Now, wearing a bright red wedding dress and applying some lipstick, she was even more captivating.

She turned around and smiled at Mrs. Xu, "Mother, am I beautiful?"

Mrs. Xu wiped her tears, "Our Bao Ning is the most beautiful. The Fourth Prince will surely like you very much."

Bao Ning smiled even more happily, her eyes shining like crescent moons.

After waiting for a while, when the auspicious time arrived, Ji Yun carried Bao Ning out of the mansion gate and sent her into the carriage.

The young man's back was still somewhat slender, but already very steady. Step by step, he walked, his voice trembling slightly, "Sister, I'll often come to see you in the future. You must take care of yourself."

Bao Ning whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, when has your sister ever treated herself badly?"

Ji Yun laughed, "Sister, rest assured! If your future husband dares to bully you, I'll beat him up for you."

...

At the gate of Duke Rongguo's mansion, all the expected people had arrived.

Tao Maobing showed an indifferent expression, Ji Jiaying hugged her chest, watching the show, and Mrs. Ye led her sixth daughter, timidly shrinking at the back. She revealed her big black eyes, looking at Bao Ning, half mocking and half afraid, afraid that she would end up like this in the future.

Only Aunt Ming and Aunt Xu looked at her with worried eyes, tears in their eyes. Aunt Ming was the birth mother of the Second Miss, shrewd and sharp, and a good friend of Mrs. Xu.

Bao Ning sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, waved to them, and before she could say anything, the coachman shouted, "Drive," and the carriage slowly moved away.

...

On the way, Bao Ning kept reminiscing about Pei Yuan's appearance.

Bao Ning had some impression of him. Three years ago, during the Lantern Festival, she followed Aunt and Tao Maobing out of the mansion to play. When standing by the street window of a restaurant, she saw a young man in fresh clothes and furious horses galloping over, followed by a group of black-clad attendants, startling pedestrians who hurriedly avoided.

The young man was extremely handsome, exuding an arrogant aura. The handle of the whip was silver, shining in the dark night.

The shopkeeper said that he was the Fourth Prince, Pei Yuan, ignorant and arrogant, with a dissolute temperament, and had even killed someone. But he was a prince, so no one dared to provoke him, they could only avoid him.

At that time, no one had thought that Pei Yuan would become like this now, and Bao Ning had not expected that they would have such a conflict.

But no matter what he used to be like, he was her husband now. She couldn't just leave Pei Yuan alone.

Bao Ning thought that she would treat Pei Yuan with all her heart, with a clear conscience, and live a good life with him. As for what happens next, she would take it as it comes, one step at a time.

The carriage didn't know how long it had been traveling, swaying like it had reached some desolate wilderness.

Bao Ning hadn't eaten since morning and was starving. When she was about to collapse from hunger, the carriage finally stopped.

The coachman opened the curtain and said to her, "Fourth Prince's consort, we've arrived."

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