Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

"Mother, Wan'er thought she would never see you again."

Zhao Wan hugged Yang Shi, inhaling her familiar fragrance.

I felt incredibly gratified.

Madam Yang stroked her head, but choked up as she said, "Wan'er, Mother is sorry."

Zhao Wan quickly looked up at her and retorted, "Mother, I won't allow you to say that! You are the one who gave me life and raised me!"

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Yang's eyes, but she dared not let them fall.

She seemed to have made a great decision before saying, "Wan'er, Mother... can no longer accompany you."

Zhao Wan's heart sank. She quickly reached out and grabbed her mother's sleeve, but stubbornly shook her head: "I won't..."

Madam Yang gently stroked her daughter's face and said, "Wan'er, some things, once they've happened, there's no going back."

"I must bear the consequences of today's misfortune alone."

Zhao Wan shook her head again, "I don't understand what you're talking about! What exactly happened?"

Madam Yang sighed softly before saying, "It all started when I was pregnant with you..."

Eighteen years ago, an imperial edict was sent to the Yang family. Yang Hui, the eldest daughter of the Yang family, left the capital and married into Liangzhou City in the far north, becoming the principal wife of the Prince of Wu.

Before this, although she had never met King Wu, she had heard many stories about him.

I knew he had a distinguished military record and a renowned reputation, and I also knew he was handsome and exceptionally dashing.

I also know that he is a womanizer, frivolous and lustful…

Of course, she was also very clear about her role in this marriage.

The Yang family was declining day by day, and her marriage to the Prince of Wu was the last glory of the family. Therefore, no matter what kind of person the other party was, she had no way out.

At first, King Wu did treat her well. After all, she was a daughter of a prestigious family and had been raised from childhood to be "dignified and virtuous".

Whether in appearance, character, speech, or behavior, there is not a single flaw or fault to be found.

But it wasn't long before King Wu got tired of it.

The morning he said he wanted to take a concubine was the very morning she discovered she was pregnant.

She remained calm when she heard those words.

"Your Highness, I also have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I am pregnant."

King Wu was naturally pleased to learn this, but this also gave him more reason to take a concubine.

As his legal wife, she certainly couldn't stop him. She even had to put on a submissive act and say, "I will take care of what Your Highness just said, and I will make sure it satisfies Your Highness."

King Wu was even happier to hear her words. He took her hand and praised her, saying, "It is the greatest blessing of my life to have such a virtuous wife."

Yang Hui simply smiled respectfully and said, "It is my honor to be able to share Your Highness's burdens."

That very day, she instructed Steward Sun to select several women of good character and appearance from within Liangzhou City and send them to her husband's room.

From then on, the inner quarters gained a concubine, but this was only the beginning.

She clearly remembers sitting in her room all night, unable to sleep, until dawn, when she finally convinced herself to accept the situation.

While King Wu and his new lover were enjoying their blissful days together, the child in Yang Hui's womb was growing little by little.

And so, this child became the only ray of light in her lonely days.

She began to feel that instead of waiting for a man to come to see her, it would be better to wait for a child of her own to be born.

But as her belly grew bigger each day, misfortune was also quietly approaching...

Yang Hui started having nightmares.

In her dream, she was trapped in a bottomless, secret room, with no way out.

It was pitch black all around, and she was completely alone and helpless. When she woke up, she was covered in cold sweat.

She didn't pay much attention to it when she first dreamed about it.

But for several days, even half a month, the content of the dream never changed.

This frightened Yang Hui, and she dared not sleep. She could only tell King Wu about it, but he was very perfunctory and just called a doctor to share her worries.

The doctor couldn't find the cause and could only prescribe some medications to calm her mind and promote a healthy pregnancy.

But the terrifying dream didn't stop; on the contrary, it became increasingly real and frightening.

Several times when she woke up, she found herself not in bed, but leaning against a couch, with her shoes and socks still on and the soles of her shoes covered in black ash.

Although Yang Hui did not believe in ghosts or evil spirits, this matter troubled her and almost drove her crazy.

Left with no other choice, she asked Steward Sun to invite a sorcerer into the mansion to exorcise the evil spirits.

The sorcerer didn't have much real skill, but he deliberately performed elaborate rituals in the inner courtyard, and finally concluded that a "monster" had entered the mansion.

But it was precisely during those few days that King Wu took a new beautiful concubine.

Upon learning of this, the concubine was furious and immediately ran to King Wu, crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself.

This approach proved very effective with King Wu.

To protect the new bride, he personally went to Ning'an Courtyard and, without saying a word, reprimanded the princess.

He then ordered the sorcerer who was spreading rumors to be found, beaten, and driven out of Liangzhou City.

Yang Hui was speechless. She finally understood that her husband was unreliable.

She can only save herself.

In the past, she was a light sleeper, so no one was ever kept in her bedroom to serve her.

Now, in order to protect the child in her womb and herself, she not only ordered guards to keep watch, but also left several maids and servants in her bedroom to take turns on night watch.

Even so, the nightmare did not end.

That night, she still fell asleep.

But unlike usual, she was no longer afraid; instead, she felt angry.

In her dream, she screamed hysterically and questioned loudly.

"What kind of monster are you? What do you want?"

"I'm not afraid of you. If you dare to harm my child, I will fight you to the death."

After she shouted these words, a laugh responded to her.

Immediately afterwards, it felt as if a cool breeze was blowing gently beside her ear, and a sinister voice whispered in her ear, "Do you want your child to be born safely?"

She answered loudly, "My child will be born safely!"

The other party scoffed, "Whether she can be born safely is not up to you. Let me tell you the truth, your life and your daughter's life are being watched."

Hearing this, Yang Hui became even more terrified. "How do you know if I'm having a boy or a girl?"

The other person replied, "That's not important. What's important is whether you want her to live? Do you want her to grow up safely, never be bullied, and become the only child in this household?"

"The only one?" Yang Hui asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes, she is the only one. Only the only one can be the apple of King Wu's eye, and no one can take away her love."

Yang Hui was immediately stunned by those words.

She pondered those words carefully, and upon reflection, she realized that they perfectly reflected what she was thinking...

Then she wavered, "Really...is it okay?"

She asked into the darkness, and the next second, the bewitching voice softly replied, "If you want it, you can have it."