Chapter 1: It Is Hard to Walk When People Kick You While You Are Down

On the twenty-eighth day of the second month in the fourteenth year of Tianyu, it should have been a bright and warm day. However, by noon, a sudden wind began to blow, making the rows of high-hanging crimson lanterns in the Prince Jin Mansion sway precariously.

A gust of wild wind swept across the ground, howling toward the Nishang Courtyard. Baoping, a young maidservant carrying a blue-and-white jade plate, squinted against the wind. She hurried a few steps and pushed open the door to the main room with a creak.

"The wind outside is truly fierce," Baoping said as she walked into the inner chamber.

On the four-pillar bed adorned with peony patterns, a woman dressed in a high-waisted green lotus yuqun lay leaning to one side. Her delicate face was slightly pale. She lazily lifted her head to glance at Baoping before slowly lowering it again.

Baoping sighed inwardly. Ever since the Consort of the Heir had miscarried and fainted a month ago, she had become increasingly quiet upon waking. Occasionally, she would ask strange questions, but her temperament was no longer as stubborn as before; at least she was now willing to listen to advice, and her body had mostly recovered after taking her medicine.

Baoping set down the jade plate, picked up the jade-bottomed bowl, and with a gentle smile on her face, coaxed her carefully, "Consort, please drink this bowl of porridge quickly to warm your body."

Li Yanshang’s brow twitched slightly. Her gaze fell upon the bowl—lotus seed, barley, and beef porridge—and the corner of her eye flickered almost imperceptibly.

She reached out to take the bowl, scooped a mouthful with the small spoon, and put it in her mouth. "Did you go begging for help again?"

She remembered they didn't have much money left, and this bowl of meat porridge must have been made because Baoping had begged someone for meat.

Baoping remained smiling, showing no sign of awkwardness. "No, I simply picked out what was left over and made porridge for you just now. Your body is still weak; you must recover well."

Li Yanshang knew Baoping was afraid of making her sad, so she said no more, simply finishing the bowl of meat porridge bite by bite.

Baoping was indeed very happy, taking the empty bowl with a grin. "Consort, you have been cooped up in this room for so long. In a few days, when the weather gets warmer, I will accompany you to the courtyard to soak up some sun. It will be very good for your health."

Li Yanshang nodded and smiled. "Baoping, I have made things hard for you."

Baoping’s nose tingled, and her eyes reddened slightly. She hurriedly turned away, yet continued to say, "What are you saying, Consort? I am the one meant to serve you. Seeing you recover your health is what I ought to do."

Baoping felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She had followed the Consort all the way into the Prince Jin Mansion during her marriage. She had watched the Consort and the Heir love one another, and then watched the Consort be instigated by the Princess Consort, creating a rift with the Heir, effectively pushing the Heir—who had only ever cared for the Consort—into the arms of other women.

The Consort's pregnancy should have been a great joy, but who could have known she would suffer unexplained bleeding? The imperial physicians from the Imperial Academy of Medicine had brewed medicine, but the Consort refused to drink it, insisting she would only take it once the Heir returned from his travels. No matter who tried to persuade her, it was useless, yet she could never explain why.

As a result, she suffered a miscarriage, and because she still refused to take her medicine, everyone in the mansion assumed the Consort had acted out of jealousy and spite to compete for favor, unable to endure her inner rage, thereby causing the death of the child in her womb.

Prince Jin had even placed the Consort under house arrest in the Nishang Courtyard, forbidding anyone from visiting.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes. Who in this mansion was not kicking her while she was down? With her resources being steadily cut off, the Consort was barely managing to survive this postpartum period through her own meager personal savings.

The maids and old servants in the courtyard had all been requested to transfer elsewhere; in this vast courtyard, only she and a third-class maid named Yicui were left to serve her.

Even the Princess Consort, who usually pretended to be gentle, paid no heed, no longer caring about the bad reputation of mistreating a daughter-in-law. After all, she was merely the Prince's second wife and the Heir's stepmother; there was always a layer of distance between her and the Heir.

The Heir had left after the New Year and had not yet returned. If he knew the Consort had miscarried, who knew how heartbroken he would be?

At this moment, Li Yanshang was unaware of the worries weighing on Baoping's heart, but she herself was full of thoughts. Having been here for over a month, she had gradually grasped her current situation. In this Prince Jin Mansion, wanting to survive was unexpectedly difficult.

But since Heaven had given her a chance at rebirth, no matter how hard it was, she had to endure and push through. Even if pushed to a dead end, she could not give up on seeking life.

There was one thing she still couldn't figure out. In this era where a mother's value was tied to her children, which woman did not try every possible way to bear a child? No matter how much the parents-in-law doted or how good the marital affection was, without a son, it was all in vain.

Yet, after the original owner saw blood, there were clearly signs of a miscarriage, so why did she stubbornly refuse to take the medicine? Even acting spoiled out of favor must be built on the foundation of keeping the child; she understood that logic perfectly well.

But what exactly was she doing it for?

With a *clatter*, the door suddenly swung open. Thinking it was the wind, Baoping muttered, "The wind is truly fierce today," and hurried to close the door.

After only one step, she froze in shock and hurriedly knelt to salute. "Young Master." Her heart leaped into her throat.

Yuwen Ye still wore a large cyan cloak, the hem of which was dusted with dirt, clearly having just returned from outside.

He strode to the bedside in a few quick steps, his thick dark eyebrows knitted tightly together. His dark eyes flashed with a deep, somber light, as if he wanted to suck the frail person leaning against the bed into them.

This was the first time Li Yanshang had seen Yuwen Ye. She only felt that this man carried an aura of natural authority; the gaze he cast was chilling, piercing straight into her heart and causing an inexplicable coldness to rise within her.

"Why? Why?" Yuwen Ye spoke each word through gritted teeth, the chill in his deep eyes intensifying.

Li Yanshang only stared at him blankly. Even though it was their first meeting and he was a stranger, a sense of bitterness unexpectedly welled up in her heart, mingled with a faint sense of desolation.

Seeing that she seemed entirely indifferent to his words, an uncontrollable surge of grief and indignation rose in Yuwen Ye's heart, making his words even more piercing. "You... a woman like you is actually this venomous. Since you are so heartless, why not go join that poor child? Dying would be much simpler."

Li Yanshang's body trembled, and her heart ached for no reason. She saw despair in this man's eyes, and that despair was slowly spreading until it covered his heart.

In such a stifling confrontation, Yuwen Ye could no longer stand there. His voice grew even colder as he closed his eyes in pain. "It was a mistake after all. It was wrong from the very beginning."

He turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

To think the Heir misunderstood the Consort so deeply. Baoping's eyes welled with tears of anxiety as she turned to chase after him. "Young Master, Young Master..."

"Baoping, come back," Li Yanshang said softly, suppressing the trembling in her heart.

Baoping stamped her feet in frustration, but there was nothing she could do; the Heir had already walked far away.

"Consort, the Young Master has come. If you feel wronged, why don't you tell him?" Baoping stood by the bed, her hands clenched tightly.

Li Yanshang slowly shook her head. "Since he is already in despair, speaking more is useless; it would only be self-humiliation."

Baoping felt that the Consort's temperament was far too calm. Compared to her former impulsiveness, she almost seemed like a different person. "Consort, even if you do not fight or scramble for things, you have suffered such a great injustice. Will you really not say anything?"

Li Yanshang replied indifferently, "If there were still people in this mansion willing to listen to us, would we have come to this?" She looked up and saw Baoping's sorrowful expression, which seemed even greater than her own. Knowing the girl was sincere, she comforted her, "Baoping, the most important thing right now is how to get through this crisis. We cannot just keep enduring like this."

Baoping stammered, wanting to say more to comfort the Consort, but seeing the Consort's calm expression—as if she were entirely unaffected by the Heir's words just now—she finally felt a sense of relief.

That night, the air was as cold as water. The high-hanging lanterns emitted a hazy light, casting flickering shadows of the tree branches.

Suddenly, a woman's scream drifted from afar, breaking the silence of the Prince Jin Mansion and sounding even louder in the quiet night.

Li Yanshang sat up in bed in surprise. Seeing Baoping entering from outside, she asked in a low voice, "What happened outside?"

Baoping hurried in, her brow slightly furrowed. "Don't worry, Consort. It seems to have come from the West Courtyard. Perhaps a maid is being punished for breaking the rules."

Several concubines of the Prince lived in the West Courtyard; regardless of what happened, it was not their place to ask.

Li Yanshang gave a noncommittal hum and leaned back against the bed. The screaming stopped after a moment. In a grand estate like this, such things were common; she didn't need to take it to heart.

Baoping pulled up a small stool and sat by the bedside to watch over her mistress.

The master and servant—one lying, one sitting—did not speak, remaining in a quiet silence.

Though it was the biting chill of early spring, the spring light was bright, and vitality overflowed everywhere. The Prince Jin Mansion was especially full of spring atmosphere, with brand-new crimson lanterns already hung throughout the estate.

In two days, it would be the day the Heir took a concubine. Although she was to be a side consort, this side consort came from a significant background. Not only was she the biological niece of the current Empress, but the marriage had been personally arranged by the Emperor himself. Her father was even a high-ranking Minister of Rites of the second rank.

When the Consort was married last year, though it was also an imperial arrangement, her maternal family was of modest means; her father was merely a fourth-rank official with no real power. Compared to this side consort, the difference was vast.

People said the Consort had flown up the branch to become a phoenix, but who knew she was someone who couldn't even hold onto a wall? Coming from a small family, marrying into a Prince's mansion was ultimately a bit shabby. Lacking confidence and having lost her child, it was feared the Consort's position would soon be lost as well.

For a time, the hearts of everyone in the mansion turned toward this incoming side consort, as they impatiently sought ways to curry favor and flatter her.

Li Yanshang stood under the magnolia tree in the courtyard. The white magnolia flowers bloomed across the tree, truly embodying the phrase "spring warmth brings flowers."

Baoping walked in from outside, a trace of worry on her face. She had clearly heard the rumors in the mansion but didn't dare let the Consort know. However, with the Heir taking a concubine, the Consort was, after all, the official wife and would have to make an appearance.

Seeing her hesitant expression, as if she had something to say, Li Yanshang smiled. "Baoping, what is it? Just say it. Do you think I could fail to hold on and faint again?"