Niohuru had this precognitive dream for many years, but she didn't realize it at first.

She couldn't remember many things from her dream. She only remembered that she seemed to be very old, living a life of luxury, and that the people around her seemed to call her Empress Dowager.

Niohuru felt vague about other minor matters, but the four words "Empress Dowager" were like a revelation, etched into her mind and etched into her thoughts day and night.

Perhaps it was because she had been thinking about it all day, but the Empress Dowager's dreams became more and more frequent, and in her dreams she grew younger and younger. She went from being an Empress Dowager to a Consort, and then slowly became a Princess.

Just then, an imperial decree arrived, and she was betrothed to the Fourth Prince.

That matches up!

Niohuru was overjoyed and couldn't help but tell her father. Lingzhu was not very capable but quite cunning. Hearing this news, he was skeptical and doubtful about his daughter's dream.

But his daughter told him about something important that happened in her dream, which ignited a flame in his heart. If the Fourth Prince could ascend the throne and his grandson could become emperor, then their branch of the family could finally hold their heads high!

With the mindset of "better safe than sorry," the father and daughter joined forces, stating that their first priority was to win over the Fourth Prince's heart and have a son as soon as possible.

Lingzhu spent a lot of money to find out about the situation in the Fourth Prince's backyard.

Now that the Fujin (Prince's wife) is pregnant, she still has time to take care of the eldest prince. Of the several princesses, one has already been completely disliked, and three others are not favored. This situation is very advantageous for Niohuru. If all goes well, she will be the next favored concubine in the Fourth Prince's household.

This idea reached its peak at the welcome banquet.

Because Niohuru saw Yinzhen with her own eyes. At this time, the Fourth Prince possessed the spirit of a young man, the composure of someone who had been in power for many years, and a little bit of dejection after a series of setbacks recently.

A man with this kind of charisma, and a bit of good looks, is very attractive to naive young girls.

Niohuru vowed to become Yinzhen's confidante and smooth the wrinkles between his brows.

But she was devastated just a few days later.

Yinzhen did go to her room on the first day, but perhaps out of concern for Honghui, he did not consummate the marriage. After a routine night's stay, he either stayed in the main courtyard or the front courtyard, giving her no opportunity to get close.

Even so, Niohuru did not lose heart.

Isn't it just about vying for favor? Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Although her father was poor, he still kept several concubines and maids. She had learned a lot of those seductive tricks from what she saw and heard.

Thus, the ever-changing Niohuru clan became the center of attention in the backyard.

"What did our Princess Niohuru do today?" Yi Hua found it quite interesting to listen to, even if it was just a daily trending topic.

"Reporting to Madam, I heard she changed into a theatrical costume and is now waiting at the second gate, wanting to sing for Master," Yu Xiao said.

Yi Hua frowned upon hearing this: "As long as she doesn't go too far in the backyard, let her be. But this decadent music must not be allowed to spread outside the second gate. Let her go back to her own courtyard and sing however she wants."

It's impossible to avoid concubines vying for the emperor's favor in the inner palace. What Yi Hua needs to do is not to prevent such things, but to keep this small-scale struggle under her control.

Yu Xiao was a little worried: "Madam, this Niohuru princess is very persistent. It's been so many days, and she can still come up with new tricks. Aren't you afraid that the master will really be seduced by her?"

Yi Hua gave a wry smile and stroked her belly: "It's not a given that Master treats me well. If one day Master only treats me with respect, that's normal too. Don't forget what I told you at the beginning."

"This servant knows her mistake." Yu Xiao quickly admitted her mistake; she had been getting a little too cocky lately.

******

Yinzhen found Niohuru's efforts overwhelming. He was worried about Honghui, Yihua's health, his father's thoughts in the palace, and his brothers' actions.

Indeed, he didn't care that much about the newly acquired princess.

However, Lady Niohuru was indeed quite resourceful. Taking advantage of Yinzhen's drunkenness, she imitated Yihua's style of dress and managed to abduct the confused Yinzhen from his way to the main courtyard.

Although Su Peisheng sensed something was amiss, Niohuru was a legitimate princess, and his master seemed to be still lucid. He knew that speaking now would offend both sides, so he simply kept quiet.

After one night, Yinzhen felt a splitting headache and reached his peak when he saw the woman on the bed.

Niohuru, dressed in her pajamas, revealed half of her shoulder with slight marks, and shyly helped Yinzhen put on his clothes.

Before her hand could even touch Yinzhen, it was pushed away.

"Who are you?"

"Su Peisheng!"

Su Peisheng sensed something was wrong when he heard his master's voice inside, so he immediately ran in. When he looked up and saw a woman on the bed, he immediately lowered his head.

"What's going on? Where did this ill-mannered maid come from?!"

Su Peisheng knelt down with a thud, keeping his eyes down and his mind at ease: "Your Majesty, this is Princess Niohuru."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen paused for a moment, then looked up at the woman and realized he had seen her before. However, the difference between her natural and made-up appearance was quite significant, making her difficult to recognize without close inspection.

"Why are you kneeling? Come and help me get dressed." Yinzhen slowly recalled the events of the previous night. After dressing and washing up, he left without even having breakfast.

Before leaving, she said, "You are not allowed to wear those clothes from last night again. As a concubine, you must know the rules. You must recite the 'Precepts for Women,' 'Rules for Women,' and 'Instructions for Women' three times a day. Do not bring shame to the Niohuru clan!"

Niohuru stared at Yinzhen's back, her cheeks almost bleeding from her teeth. She never expected that this man would become a different person once he put on his clothes.

Yinzhen strode out of Niohuru's courtyard and was about to head to the main courtyard when he hesitated for a few steps. Going to have breakfast at this time would only upset his wife.

"Prepare water for a bath." Yinzhen felt that he smelled of Niohuru clan all over him, and for some reason he disliked it and subconsciously wanted to wash it off.

Su Peisheng quickly agreed.

"You, go and collect your ten strokes of the cane."

Su Peisheng reluctantly agreed. The last time Young Master Honghui got into trouble, he was beaten with thirty strokes of the cane and couldn't get out of bed for half a month. Fortunately, his master didn't mind and kept him around to serve him.

But just as my buttocks were recovering, they're about to suffer again.

When Yihua learned that Yinzhen had gone to Niohuru's place, she did not have a special reaction. It is said that there is no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against a thief, only a thousand days of being a thief. As long as you work hard, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle. Niohuru will succeed sooner or later.

"The imperial physician said that Honghui can get out of bed and walk around, but he should not run vigorously. You should keep an eye on him and not leave him alone, and he should not read for too long."

Abao suddenly ran in: "Reporting to the Madam, an imperial decree has been issued from the palace. Starting next month, all the legitimate sons of the princes' residences who have reached the required age will be allowed to study in the Imperial Study. If there are no legitimate sons, then the eldest sons of concubines will be allowed to study, and so on."

"The imperial decree states that our Prince Honghui is specially permitted to go after he has fully recovered."