Xu Zifan lingered in the void for a long time, sorting out his emotions before heading to the next world. Just as he regained consciousness, he heard a soft, pitiful cry.
"Your Highness, you must do justice for me! I only have Yunyun, my precious daughter, whom I cherish dearly. Today, she was pushed into the water by Fuling and now has a high fever. If anything happens to Yunyun, I... I..."
The woman was too heartbroken to continue, her choked sobs heartbreaking. Xu Zifan, however, pressed his temple, finding it all too noisy.
He glanced quickly around the room. It was a very luxurious room from ancient times. He was sitting in a chair, with a dignified woman sitting next to him across the tea table. A pitiful-looking woman was kneeling in front of him, and a maid was being held down on the ground behind them. Several nannies and maids were also standing around him.
Before he could speak, the woman beside him said, "Your Highness, there are many suspicious points in this matter. Where were Xi Yun's wet nurse and maid at the time? Why didn't they take care of Xi Yun? Who was the first to discover that Xi Yun had fallen into the water? Did they witness Fu Ling's evil deeds? Fu Ling is my personal maid, and she has always been dutiful and sensible. I absolutely do not believe that she would do such a vicious thing. I hope Your Highness will investigate thoroughly."
"Your Highness, if no one had seen it, would I have been so tactless as to wrong an innocent person? Forget it, Fuling is someone Your Highness values, I dare not question her. Your Highness, I take my leave, consider Yunyun's misfortune as my own." The woman said defiantly, getting up to leave.
"Wait." Xu Zifan uttered a single word, closed his eyes, and everyone else dared not utter another sound, waiting for his instructions.
[Shaohua: Host, your concubine Li Yurong orchestrated the whole thing to frame Fuling, and the evidence hasn't been completely cleared yet.]
Xu Zifan opened his eyes and said coldly, "Malicious acts of harming others are not allowed in my manor. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Guards, place the entire manor under martial law. No one is allowed to move around. Order the guards to investigate."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Hu Feng, the original owner's personal attendant, responded and immediately went to do so.
Li Yurong, the woman who had cried so pitifully, changed her expression slightly and lowered her head, sobbing uncontrollably. "Thank you, Your Highness. With Your Highness standing up for Yunyun, I am relieved. Yunyun has a high fever now, Your Highness. I want to go and stay with her. I really can't rest easy without watching over her."
"No need, sit down." Xu Zifan glanced at her coldly, having no liking for someone who would use a child to frame others.
Seeing that no one else was saying anything more, Xu Zifan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes slightly to merge with the original owner's memories. This was the Great Rong Dynasty, a dynasty he didn't know, which was in its golden age, but the emperor was old and in poor health.
The original owner was the sixth prince of the current dynasty. His mother was of low birth and died young, which caused him to be unfavored and the least prominent among the eight princes.
The eldest prince's mother was of humble birth, but he held the title of eldest son and was favored by the emperor. The second prince was born to a concubine, making him of noble birth and powerful maternal clan. The third prince was the empress's legitimate son, slightly less gifted, but supported by the empress's clan and fond of showing off. The fourth and fifth princes were both born to concubines; one was exceptionally talented in literature, and the other was brave and skilled in battle, both frequently praised by the emperor. The seventh and eighth princes were not yet ten years old, and the emperor occasionally showed them paternal affection. Thus, the original owner of this body, mediocre in every aspect, became the most easily overlooked prince.
The original owner had just turned twenty when he left the palace to establish his own household, marrying a principal wife, a secondary wife, and two concubines. The principal wife had given birth to the eldest son, who was just three years old; the secondary wife was seven months pregnant; Li Yurong had given birth to a daughter, who was just two years old; and the concubine had no children.
Originally, the original owner was low-key and patient. When his brothers were fighting each other to the death, he revealed his trump card, broke through the encirclement, became the next emperor, and then worked hard to govern the country, making the country even better and leaving a brilliant mark on history.
After the original owner ascended the throne, he naturally repaid kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. He never mistreated anyone who followed him and was extremely loyal. However, his concubines in the harem fought and killed each other. Some were banished to the cold palace, while others successfully rose to power. They all had regrets and remorse in their lives. Then the world was reset. The original owner's principal wife and concubine were reborn, Li Yurong was transmigrated by a scheming woman from modern times, and another concubine was transmigrated by a ruthless woman from the apocalypse.
These four women began a bloody struggle in the backyard, one of which was Li Yurong using her daughter to frame the princess. The original owner's beloved cousin also returned from the dead, wanting to marry into the royal palace and win the original owner's heart; the fifth prince's betrothed concubine wanted to break off the engagement and marry the original owner.
These women's scheming and infighting drove the original owner crazy, ruining all his plans. He was even poisoned by the doomsday demon's poison intended for his white moonlight, delaying his grand scheme and preventing him from seizing the throne. Seeing his downfall, these women, each with their own opportunities, began plotting their own escape routes. The original owner stood in their way and was killed by them.
Only after the original owner died did he realize how absurd this life was. No matter how smart he was, he was just an ordinary person. They surrounded him every day, scheming against him. How could he escape them? He didn't want to face them anymore, so he specially invited the interdimensional messengers, hoping that none of them would get their way.
This was the first time Xu Zifan had encountered so many transmigrators and reincarnated people. Perhaps there was something wrong with this world. But since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. They each had their own opportunities, and his were no less fortunate. This mission wasn't too difficult for him.
He opened his eyes, took a sip of tea, and beckoned a maid to him, saying, "Go and ask Xiyun how her condition is."
The maidservant obeyed and left, returning a moment later to report: "Your Highness, the young lady's fever has subsided, and she has taken her medicine and fallen asleep. It seems she was frightened; she was sleeping very restlessly."
Li Yurong choked up again, "My poor Yunyun, Your Highness, please let me..."
Go and stay with Yunyun. With her mother by her side, she might feel more at ease.
Xu Zifan glanced at her. "Xiyun knows her wet nurse better than you do, so there's no point in you going. You might as well sit here and wait for the results. Didn't you say that Fuling deliberately harmed Xiyun? If the investigation confirms it, Fuling is at your mercy."
Li Yurong, who had been fixated on Fuling, should have been pleased to hear this, but seeing Xu Zifan's indifferent expression, her heart pounded. She just wanted to hurry back and have someone clean up the mess. However, Xu Zifan wouldn't let her leave, and she didn't know if he had discovered something, which made her feel uneasy. She still had to pretend to be satisfied and say, "Thank you, Your Highness, for standing up for me and Yunyun."
The princess glanced coldly at Li Yurong and gave a wink to one of the maids standing by. The maid immediately stepped forward to help change the tea, and whispered a few words to another maid as she left, then hurried away.
[Shaohua: Host, the Princess Consort has ordered people to fabricate evidence to prove Li Yurong is lying.]
[Xu Zifan: It doesn't matter, as long as the result is right, let them do whatever they want with the process.]
The princess, being in charge of the inner quarters, had many people at her disposal, and quickly delivered the evidence to Hu Feng's men. Not long after, Hu Feng came to report: "Your Highness, we've found out. Concubine Li asked the young lady's wet nurse and maid to leave, leaving the young lady alone by the pond. The stones there were oily and slippery, and Fuling fell into the water with the young lady when she went to pick her up."
Xu Zifan looked at Li Yurong coldly. Li Yurong was extremely surprised and looked at Xu Zifan with grievance, "Your Highness, someone must be framing me. I'm not crazy, how could I deliberately send away the people serving Yunyun?"
Xu Zifan didn't need such concrete evidence. He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Are you suspecting that my men are distorting the truth?"
"This concubine dares not..." Li Yurong's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't understand why the prince, who had been so satisfied with her the night before, was suddenly not buying it and seemed quite annoyed with her.
Xu Zifan said coldly, "Li Shi is incompetent in managing her subordinates. She shall be confined to her quarters for three months to reflect on her mistakes. Xi Yun shall be taken to Qixia Courtyard. Hu Feng, you shall personally select a wet nurse and servants to serve her, and there shall be no further mistakes."
Hu Feng immediately responded, but Li Yurong was dumbfounded. "Your Highness! I am innocent! Your Highness, you can't take Xiyun away! Xiyun is my life..."
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "Take her away. Without my order, she is not allowed to leave the courtyard."
"Yes, Your Highness." No matter how much scheming Li Yurong had, it was all useless when Xu Zifan didn't take the bait. She didn't even know where she went wrong until she was locked up. She could only blame everything on the princess, believing that the princess must have done something to harm her.
In fact, the princess was also very surprised. She thought she was going to suffer a setback this time, and that even if Xu Zifan investigated, he would punish Fuling and take his anger out on her. She never expected it to turn out like this.
However, this saved her a lot of effort, which was a good thing. Thinking of her plan, she stood up and tentatively said, "Your Highness, it's time for dinner. How about I have someone prepare some light and refreshing dishes for Cheng'er to eat with us?"
Cheng'er was the original owner's legitimate son, and Xu Zifan really wanted to meet him, so he nodded in agreement.
He went with the princess to her courtyard, and all the servants breathed a sigh of relief. The spies of Consort Yang and the widowed Liu went to report to their masters. Beneath the surface of this seemingly insignificant prince's harem lay a turbulent undercurrent. Xu Zifan walked and pondered, unsure of what to think. Even a winner in life, surrounded by so many obstacles, might not have a good ending.
Upon arriving at the Princess's courtyard, everything was luxuriously and grandly furnished, displaying the dignity of the matriarch. Three-year-old Cheng'er, with his chubby face, ran over to Xu Zifan with a smile as soon as he saw him, "Father!"
Xu Zifan had just smiled when he heard the princess say gently yet authoritatively, "Cheng'er, you must not be presumptuous in front of your father."
Upon hearing this, Cheng'er immediately straightened his posture and his smile faded considerably. He walked up to Xu Zifan, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your son greets Father. Father is well."
Xu Zifan reached out to help him up, pulled him to his side, and patted his head. "Cheng'er, there's no need to be so reserved. Come, sit next to your father and have a meal with him."
Cheng'er nodded happily, then, remembering something, glanced cautiously at the princess. Only after seeing the princess nod did she smile and sit properly in the chair.
The princess smiled and asked, "Cheng'er, what did you learn today?"
Cheng'er looked at Xu Zifan and said, "Father, I learned the Three Character Classic today. Shall I recite it for you?"
"Okay." Xu Zifan smiled encouragingly at him, and Cheng'er began to recite the Three Character Classic. He looked very intelligent, but the joy in his expression had disappeared.
Xu Zifan picked up his teacup, but just as he was about to take a sip, he discovered that it had been spiked. It was a drug that could render a man infertile for life!