The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

The eldest prince was lost in thought in his study. He had just received news that Shen Qingyun had met her brother at the hot spring resort, and that her mental state seemed to be much better than when she was at the manor.

He suddenly remembered the wonderful times he had spent with Shen Qingyun. She had been away at the estate for quite some time now, and he wondered how she was doing.

Should I go and take a look at the estate?

As he was pondering these matters, he suddenly heard a maid report. He frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Tell the concubine that I have something to attend to, but I will visit her when I have time."

The maidservant hurriedly and cautiously said, "Your Highness, actually, the young prince misses you. These days he hasn't been eating well, nor has he been sleeping well. He keeps asking the concubine if his father doesn't want him anymore."

The eldest prince paused for a moment. He hadn't seen Yi'er for several days. Yi'er was only three years old and needed his father at that time.

He sighed, got up, and followed the maid to Consort Zheng's courtyard.

When Consort Zheng saw him enter, she quickly rose and bowed, saying softly, "Your Highness has arrived."

Zheng Jie also stood up and bowed, saying, "Brother-in-law."

The eldest prince hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping around the room. "Where's Yi'er?"

Consort Zheng quickly replied apologetically, "Yi'er was fussy for a while, but we finally managed to get him to sleep. When he wakes up later, I'll have someone bring him over for Your Highness to see."

The eldest prince, not wanting to leave immediately, sat down in a chair, glanced at the veil on her face, frowned, and finally asked, "How are you feeling?"

Consort Zheng knew he wanted to ask about her face. She looked at the eldest prince, her voice tinged with a hint of coquetry: "Your Highness, if it weren't for mentioning Yi'er, would you not have come to see me? Do you find me unworthy?"

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, at the eldest prince, trying to find a trace of heartache on his face.

Hearing her coquettish tone, the eldest prince glanced at Zheng Jie beside him, felt somewhat uncomfortable, and coughed lightly: "You're overthinking it."

He simply stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Now that my second sister is here, you sisters should have a good chat. I have something to attend to."

Zheng Jie quickly stood up and said anxiously, "Your Highness, actually, I have something I'd like to ask for your help with!"

With that, she knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please help me! Princess Chang wants to marry me off to the Prince of Zhennan, whose son is even older than me. I don't want to marry him! Can you please plead for me?"

The eldest prince frowned, stopped, and looked down at her: "Prince Zhennan? I heard he's already gone to his residence to formally propose marriage? You've already exchanged betrothal gifts with him, what's the point of saying all this now?"

He paused, glanced at Consort Zheng, and said, "I can't help you with this. You should go back and prepare properly."

After saying that, he walked past Zheng Jie and strode out.

Zheng Jie knelt on the ground, watching the eldest prince's figure disappear through the doorway, tears streaming silently down her face.

Consort Zheng sat in her chair, looking at her sister's state, and felt bad too, but what could she do?

She can't even manage her own affairs, how can she manage others?

"Sister..." Zheng Jie turned her head, her eyes brimming with tears, "His Highness won't help me, what should I do?"

Consort Zheng sighed, stood up to help her up, and wiped away her tears: "You should go back first. This matter can't be rushed. Let me think of another way."

Zheng Jie shook her head, choking back tears, and said, "Sister, I don't want to go back. Sister, please let me stay here for one night. I want to have some peace and quiet here with you."

Consort Zheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. You can stay here for now and leave tomorrow."

She had her maid prepare a side room, offered a few words of comfort, and then told Zheng Jie to go and rest.

As night deepened, the First Prince's residence gradually quieted down.

The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the night breeze, their orange light casting a soft, intermittent glow on the blue brick floor.

Zheng Jie lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She lay there with her eyes open, staring at the bed curtains above her, feeling as if a fire was burning inside her.

She cannot marry the Prince of Zhennan, absolutely not.

But Prince Yu wouldn't help her, the eldest prince wouldn't help her, her father wouldn't help her, and her mother couldn't help her either.

She can only rely on herself.

She sat up, gritted her teeth, and a thought popped into her mind: what if she became the Crown Prince's woman...

Will the Prince of Zhennan still want her? If things are already fading away, what can the Princess do to her? What can she do to the First Prince?

She took a deep breath and pulled out a packet of sleeping pills. She had also prepared an aphrodisiac, which she intended to use on Prince Yu, but she never expected it to come in handy today.

She dressed quickly and tiptoed out the door. She followed the corridor, avoiding the patrolling old women, and made her way to the First Prince's courtyard.

She reached the doorway, gently pushed it open, and slipped inside.

By the moonlight, she saw the eldest prince lying on the bed, breathing evenly, fast asleep.

Zheng Jie walked to the bedside, her hands trembling, lit the sleeping incense, covered her mouth and nose, and waited for a while.

She nudged the eldest prince, but when he didn't react, she put out the sleeping potion. After a while, when the incense had dissipated, she reached out and began to undress herself.

She had just taken off her coat when she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck. Something hit her neck, and before she could react, everything went black, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

A dark figure silently landed in the room; it was the bodyguard that Prince Yu had arranged to keep an eye on Zheng Jie.

He glanced down at Zheng Jie lying on the ground, then at the sleeping Crown Prince on the bed, frowned, picked up the Crown Prince, and quietly left the room. He went into the empty room next door, placed him on the couch, covered him with a blanket, turned around and left, gently closing the door behind him.

He returned to the Crown Prince's bedroom, glanced at Zheng Jie who was still lying on the ground, but did not move her. Instead, he turned and went to Consort Zheng's courtyard.

Consort Zheng was half asleep when she suddenly heard someone gently knocking on the window. She opened her eyes abruptly and heard a woman's voice outside: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Highness has fainted! You must go and see him quickly!"

Consort Zheng sat up, stunned for a moment, unsure if it was true or not, but dared not gamble.

She put on her clothes and walked out, not forgetting to tell her maid to carry a lantern. She almost ran all the way to the First Prince's courtyard.

The servants in the courtyard were all resting, and it was very quiet. She didn't have time to call out; she rushed forward, pushed open the door, and called out, "Your Highness, Your Highness!"

He didn't forget to instruct the maidservant who followed him, "Quickly, light the lamps!"

She rushed to the bedside in a hurry, but tripped over something and almost fell.

The maid had already lit the lamp, and the room was illuminated. Consort Zheng immediately saw that the person lying on the ground was actually Consort Zheng.

She suddenly turned her head to look at the bed, and seeing that no one was there, she felt a little relieved.

But Zheng Jie's disheveled appearance was just not right. It was so late, and she was here in such a disheveled state. What else could be unclear?

Her head was spinning with anger. She told the maid, "Go and see where His Highness is, but don't alert anyone."