After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband-Chapter 473: Desolation

Buddhist Hall.

Xie Jinyu sat at the desk, copying household rules.

One mistake in a character, and the entire sheet was in vain.

Frustrated, she crumpled the rules into a ball and fiercely threw it to the ground.

The maid serving by her side didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.

All morning, the young lady had discarded countless sheets of wasted copies, completing only five.

At this rate, she didn’t know how long she’d be staying in the Buddhist Hall.

A little maid brought the meal over, saying, "Miss, it’s time to eat."

Looking at the food box, Xie Jinyu’s entire set of silver teeth was almost loosened.

Previously she was punished to kneel...

No!

Before that bandit woman married in, when had she ever been punished to kneel?!

When she was previously punished to reflect in the Buddhist Hall, the kitchen would still send her meat dishes, just like when she stayed in the Zilan Garden.

After Su Jin caught her once, the kitchen never dared to do so again.

The Prince wasn’t like Princess Nanzhang who would play favorites with her.

If she were found eating meat in the Buddhist Hall and Su Jin reported it to the Prince, not only would her punishment double, but even Princess Nanzhang would be reprimanded.

Yet the vegetarian dishes from the big kitchen, Xie Jinyu truly couldn’t stomach.

On top of the previous flogging, after just a few days, she had already lost a lot of weight.

The maid again urged her to eat, but Xie Jinyu coldly replied, "I won’t eat, throw it away!"

"Not eating, how can your body endure?" the maid pleaded earnestly.

"Speak another word, and I’ll have you kneel outside!" Xie Jinyu said angrily.

The maid dared not persuade again, packed the food back into the box, and went to the Peony Garden.

Xie Jinyu couldn’t eat, and neither did Princess Nanzhang have an appetite.

Mrs. Zhao couldn’t persuade her either.

What was the meaning of living?

She painstakingly married the Prince, only to lose to a dead person.

Unable to win the Prince’s heart, she at least wanted to fight for the position of the Princely Heir, but now even that was Xie Jingchen’s.

She lost completely from beginning to end.

A complete defeat.

Mrs. Zhao was heartbroken; she had said it before, the Prince even begged the late Emperor, this showed he had no affection for the Commandery Princess.

Forcing love is never sweet.

But the Commandery Princess only wanted to marry the Prince, ignoring all advice, and the Empress Dowager, wanting the Duke Mansion’s support for her and Prince Qi, vigorously facilitated the marriage.

Yet Princess Nanzhang couldn’t sway the Prince, much less the decisions of the Old Prince.

Even the Old Madam, the Old Prince wouldn’t let her interfere in court politics.

Once married, there was no turning back for her.

Mrs. Zhao knew Princess Nanzhang was truly heartbroken this time.

Persuasion was useless; only provocation might work.

If Princess Nanzhang wavered, Xie Jingchuan would be even less of a match for Xie Jingchen.

Xie Jinyu wouldn’t marry well either.

Could she really be content with that?

Since the Prince had deep feelings for Xie Jingchen’s biological mother, then find a way to destroy those feelings.

There are no deeply affectionate men, only men who haven’t met someone that could move their hearts again.

Mrs. Zhao’s words, "destroy the Prince’s deep feelings," stirred Princess Nanzhang’s heart, making her expression ferocious.

"What I can’t have, no one else should!" Princess Nanzhang’s eyes flashed with cold.

"Help me think of a way to destroy it!"

Mrs. Zhao offered the bird’s nest soup to Princess Nanzhang, saying, "As long as there’s life, there’s hope. Commandery Princess, take care of your health to protect the Second Young Master and the Young Lady."

The taste in Princess Nanzhang’s mouth was bland and tasteless.

But she ate the bowl of bird’s nest soup clean.

After she put down the bowl, a maid came in with a food box.

The maid was Xie Jinyu’s personal maid; without a word, Princess Nanzhang already knew what had happened.

Mrs. Zhao said, "I’ll have the small kitchen prepare a few dishes the young lady likes and send them to her."

"No need," Princess Nanzhang said.

"I’ll bring her out tomorrow."

After the maid withdrew, Princess Nanzhang gestured for Mrs. Zhao to lend her ear, whispering a few words.

Mrs. Zhao nodded in agreement.

The next day, it was also lunch hour.

The Prince was in the military camp, the Old Prince was having lunch.

Just after putting down his chopsticks, a servant ran in and said, "Old Prince, there’s a situation in the Buddhist Hall."

The Old Prince frowned, "What happened?"

"A maid in the Buddhist Hall was bitten by a snake, and the young lady was frightened and ran to the Peony Garden," the servant replied.

Xie Jinyu was confined by the Prince to reflect in the Buddhist Hall.

Without the Prince’s permission, if she ran out of the Buddhist Hall, her crime would increase.

But if there was a snake in the Buddhist Hall, biting a maid, staying might endanger Xie Jinyu’s life.

"How’s the maid in the Buddhist Hall?" the Old Prince asked.

"It’s not a venomous snake, but the maid was frightened into fainting," the servant said.

The Old Prince furrowed his brows tightly.

Previously, the fire in the Peony Garden was caused by a snake, and it was deliberate.

This time, he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t the same.

The Old Prince pondered but refrained from intervening, planning to wait for the Prince’s return for him to handle it.

Inside the Peony Garden.

Xie Jinyu was crying in Princess Nanzhang’s embrace.

Though she knew this was a scheme.

But Xie Jinyu, after all, was timid, and seeing the snake slithering before her, as if ready to pounce at any moment, she was so scared her back felt cold.

She swore never to set foot in the Buddhist Hall again.

Princess Nanzhang comforted her, "Don’t be afraid, mother won’t let you return to the Buddhist Hall."

To ensure everything was foolproof, Princess Nanzhang even sought the Empress Dowager’s help.

Having comforted Xie Jinyu, the Empress Dowager’s people arrived.

The Empress Dowager awoke from a dream, "dreaming" that Xie Jinyu was injured by a beam, waking up in fright, worrying that Xie Jinyu might meet an accident in the Prince Zhenbei Mansion, and summoned Xie Jinyu to the palace to accompany her.

Had Xie Jinyu still been reflecting in the Buddhist Hall, they could refuse the Empress Dowager.

But as the snake had just appeared in the Buddhist Hall, and then the Empress Dowager dreamt of Xie Jinyu in peril.

Although it was a bit too coincidental.

But the Empress Dowager had always doted on Xie Jinyu; her intuition might not be baseless.

Princess Nanzhang couldn’t wait to send Xie Jinyu to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager and personally escorted Xie Jinyu to the palace without waiting for the Prince’s return.

Having been reduced to the rank of a concubine, Princess Nanzhang had lost face, and along with her, Xie Jinyu’s rank of Commandery Princess was gone.

In these hot days, there were no banquet events in the Capital, and noblewomen seldom met; if attending a banquet, Xie Jinyu would feel the lukewarm attitude from others compared to before.

This kind of gap, Princess Nanzhang knew Xie Jinyu couldn’t accept.

Sending her to the Empress Dowager, to accompany her for ten days or half a month, would prevent others from looking down on Xie Jinyu for being merely a concubine’s daughter in the Prince Zhenbei Mansion.

When the dust settled, even if the Prince realized it was a plot when he returned from court, he couldn’t do much to Princess Nanzhang.

Besides, this time it was done flawlessly, no evidence could be caught.

Yongning Palace.

On the phoenix couch, the Empress Dowager leaned against the large pillow, looking haggard. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Princess Nanzhang sat by the bed, admitting her mistakes to the Empress Dowager.

Being made a concubine, she not only lost her own face but also the Empress Dowager’s.

The Empress Dowager originally hated how Princess Nanzhang failed to meet expectations, but seeing her like this, couldn’t bear to blame her anymore.

Although she was exalted as the Empress Dowager, had she ever truly gained the late Emperor’s affection?

Besides, even if a man’s heart was won, it was useless; power and position were the most important.

The Empress Dowager still harbored a grudge over Princess Nanzhang not being made the main wife.

Even though the Prince promised to make Princess Nanzhang the main wife in half a year, the Empress Dowager wasn’t satisfied because it was obtained through life-threatening means.

If truly made the main wife, one would still risk being ridiculed.

Princess Nanzhang grew up at the Empress Dowager’s side, like a mother and daughter, and they spoke intimately.

Knowing Princess Nanzhang planned to go all out to destroy the Prince’s deep affection, the Empress Dowager didn’t comment; this was a common tactic in the royal harem.

The Empress Dowager had used it, and had seen others use it.

Nanny Li recalled something, saying, "Princess Cheng seems to be expecting again; she’s two years older than the Commandery Princess."

Princess Nanzhang looked towards Nanny Li.

The Empress Dowager suddenly realized and said to Princess Nanzhang, "If you become pregnant again, I can compel Prince Zhenbei to elevate you to the main wife."

Princess Nanzhang had both a son and a daughter and hadn’t considered pregnancy again.

Besides, she and the Prince hadn’t shared a bed for years.

The Old Madam forced the Prince to at least stay in her room six nights a month, but it was always just going in and coming out; no one knew.

How could she become pregnant this way?

Was it going to be like before again?

Princess Nanzhang felt a wave of sadness rising within her.