Chapter 5 "From this day forward, you are the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's household..."

Ling Zhenli hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, Prime Minister... I still have some things I haven't brought with me."

Xue Wenmian dismissed the matter, coldly refusing, "What's so good about the things in brothels? Tang'er, from now on you are my adopted daughter, a noble lady of the Prime Minister's mansion. You should stay away from things from such filthy places. You are not allowed to bring them back to the mansion. Get out of here now."

The Prime Minister's daughter...

Upon hearing this word, Ling Zhenli's eyes lit up, but remembering that there was a cat in the room to feed, she quickly explained:

"Your Excellency... my daughter has a cat she'd like to bring along..."

"Alright, I already said that the Prime Minister's daughter must not have any connection with this Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Don't mention it again. Hurry up and leave, so no one sees you."

Xue Wenmian frowned, very dissatisfied with Ling Zhenli's rambling behavior. Although he had already had the servants surround the place completely, he still wanted to prevent outsiders from seeing Ling Zhenli's appearance.

Seeing this, Ling Zhenli had no choice but to give up.

Since her home was raided and she was confined to Zuixianlou, this was the first time Ling Zhenli had stepped outside the restaurant. She breathed in the fresh air of freedom, and the streets outside were bustling with people.

Xue Wenmian urged her to get in the car quickly, and Ling Zhenli had no choice but to comply.

Two carriages were parked outside the gate. One belonged to Xue Wenmian and Xue Haoting, and the other was prepared separately for Ling Zhenli, but both were very simple.

The carriage first took her to the outskirts, saying that the current carriage was to avoid attracting attention, and they would change carriages now.

Ling Zhenli obediently got off the carriage, and when she looked up, she saw two luxurious carriages with gold-lacquered dragons and jade-decorated canopies. Ling Zhenli had never ridden in such a luxurious carriage before.

At this moment, Xue Haoting took the initiative to suggest that he ride in the same carriage as Ling Zhenli.

“Ling’s sister is still unaware of the situation, and my son wants to explain it to her on the way home.”

Xue Wenmian simply disliked Ling Zhenli for being a prostitute and didn't want his son to have much contact with her. However, since he had already said that, and he still had to continue the act in front of Ling Zhenli, he couldn't refuse any longer.

During the journey, Xue Haoting became restless and kept looking for opportunities to touch Ling Zhenli.

"What are you doing...?"

"Shh." Xue Haoting gestured for her to be quiet. "Remember, we have no relationship whatsoever."

Ling Zhenli raised her hand, his hand still gripping her wrist. She glared at him: "What kind of relationship is this?"

"Yes, from now on you are my sister, and we can only pretend that we have never had any relationship."

As they talked, Xue Haoting moved his face closer and closer and began to kiss her hair.

"Fine, I'm your sister. What are you doing to your sister?"

"She's not my biological sister."

"……you."

The two were lost in their passionate lovemaking inside the carriage, oblivious to the world around them, when the carriage stopped—they had arrived at the Prime Minister's residence.

Forced to a halt midway, Xue Haoting, still not satisfied, got off the carriage with a gloomy face, not caring what would happen if Ling Zhenli's clothes were disheveled and someone saw her.

Ling Zhenli stared at her torn clothes, looking up helplessly. She knew she couldn't go out like this and let anyone see her.

Just as she was about to give up and leave, a piece of clothing was thrown at her, followed by Xue Haoting's words.

"Change your clothes. From now on, you are the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. You must live up to your status."

Ling Zhenli picked up the garment and leaned against it, examining it closely.

The top was a short silk blouse in moonlight white, embroidered with azaleas on the chest, and adorned with pearls at the collar and cuffs. It was paired with a long cloisonné skirt, the silver-threaded cloud pattern on the hem matching the color of the top. Ling Zhenli stroked it, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The clothes Xiao Chongheng gave her in the past were far more valuable than this. Xiao Chongheng... I wonder if she will ever have the chance to see Xiao Chongheng again after she becomes a daughter of an official.

Fearing that the Prime Minister would be kept waiting, she quickly changed her clothes and got off the carriage.

Changing clothes was also Xue Wenmian's idea. He disliked Ling Zhenli's shabby appearance and didn't want her to enter the Prime Minister's mansion wearing clothes meant for soliciting customers in a brothel.

However, Xue Wenmian did not expect that this was exactly what his son wanted.

***

"Your father used to serve under me. During the previous dynasty, I disagreed with Princess Wuyang and we clashed many times. Later, Princess Wuyang supported the current emperor's ascension to the throne and used me as a scapegoat, fabricating some baseless charges against me to punish me... Your father was loyal to me and took the blame himself, thus absolving me of my guilt. It's just a pity that he..."

Xue Wenmian spoke with tears streaming down his face. He wiped them away and continued:

“Your parents have been kind to me, and you are their only bloodline. I originally wanted to find you, but Princess Wuyang was watching me closely, so I dared not make any rash moves. Recently, her second son got married, so she relaxed her vigilance and hurriedly found you… These days, you have really suffered.”

Ling Zhenli listened as if it were true, as she had heard her mother mention before that her father had served under the prime minister.

Ling Zhenli listened respectfully with her eyes lowered. Thinking of the tragic deaths of her father and mother, and the days when she first entered the brothel, her eyes stung with tears.

It's too bitter.

"So you're saying my father was framed and killed by Princess Wuyang?"

"That's right. The murderer who was ordered to kill your whole family is the second son of Princess Wuyang. He was granted the title of Duke of Yan."

Ling Zhenli recalled the grand wedding she had witnessed at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion that day—it was the Duke of Yan's wedding. Thinking about it now, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger.

You, Duke of Yan, have married a noble princess and are living a happy life, completely forgetting that you caused the destruction of other people's families.

When the Duke of Yan got married, Xiao Chongheng abandoned her for the same reason. Ling Zhenli couldn't help but mix the hatred between the two men together and prepared to take revenge on the Duke of Yan and Princess Wuyang.

Xue Wenmian saw the hatred in her eyes, and now was the perfect time to make his demands.

"Therefore, I hope that you will marry the Crown Prince as Xue Run, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family."

"What?"

Although Ling Zhenli was filled with hatred, she found it hard to believe when she heard this.

Why not leave such a good opportunity as becoming the Crown Princess to her instead of her own daughter?

Seeing her suspicion, Xue Wenmian slowly took out a scroll of portraits from the drawer of the desk and slowly unfolded it.

The person in the painting is a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Ling Zhenli, especially her slightly spoiled eyes and brows, which are practically identical to Ling Zhenli's.

"This is my daughter, Xue Run, who was originally the future Crown Princess." Xue Wenmian gently stroked the portrait with his fingers, his face full of heartache. "She passed away suddenly from an illness half a month ago."

Ling Zhenli was startled and suddenly understood that he wanted her to marry the Crown Prince in place of this woman.

Xue Wenmian watched with satisfaction as her expression changed: "You don't need to use the identity of an adopted daughter. From today onwards, you are the legitimate daughter Xue Run, and you can marry the Crown Prince without any scruples."

Ling Zhenli looked at the woman in the portrait, still with some reservations: "After all, she and I are two different people. Although our eyes and brows are similar, our faces are quite different. Outsiders would know at a glance that I am not her..."

Xue Wenmian approached her, his eyes gleaming with ulterior motives, and said, “Don’t worry. Yingyue has been frail and sickly since childhood and has lived in seclusion for a long time. She hasn’t left the house since she was eight years old. Apart from her personal maid, her tutor, and us family members, no one knows what she really looks like. Even if you have nothing in common with her, there’s no need to worry. As long as your every move is in accordance with the manners of a well-bred young lady, that’s fine.”

Ling Zhenli's pupils constricted upon hearing this. This Xue Run truly lived a tragic life; he died without ever seeing the outside world. However…

With a quick glance, she realized that no one was any better than anyone else. When she was reduced to a courtesan and bullied by Xiao Chongheng, no one pitied her either.

Seeing that she was moved, Xue Wenmian softened his voice and went over to press her shoulder: "After you become the Crown Princess, once you gain power, you can take revenge on the Eldest Princess and the Duke of Yan, and avenge your father. The Prime Minister's Mansion will be your support. When you ascend to that most prestigious position in the future, you will also bring glory to my Xue family. It's a perfect match. Isn't this the best revenge?"

Ling Zhenli felt dizzy as she listened to Xue Wenmian's seductive words.

Xue Wenmian's voice continued to pierce your ears like a spell: "Crown Prince Pei Xuanlin is cold and aloof, but as long as you marry him, he will value you. Even if he is heartless, with the Xue and Cui families involved, he will not dare to neglect you. As long as you work hard to gain his trust after you marry him, become his closest person, and unite with the Xue family to help him secure his high position, then dealing with the Princess's faction will be a piece of cake."

Although Ling Zhenli knew that this task was extremely difficult, and that the slightest mistake could cost the entire Xue family their lives, she agreed to it almost against her will in order to avenge her parents.

***

In order to properly imitate a proper young lady from a respectable family, Xue Wenmian asked the Prime Minister's wife to take her to the place where Xue Run used to live, so that she could first familiarize herself with the environment.

Ling Zhenli followed the Prime Minister's wife into Xue Run's boudoir, Ya Yun Xuan.

A fragrance wafted towards me, a sweet scent unique to young women in their boudoirs.

She held her breath and saw a large bed in the inner room, with light gauze curtains hanging down, and sunlight shining through, as if the morning glow were resting on the bed.

The Prime Minister's wife, Cui Yuerong, took her hand, and although she was quite impatient, she still guided her to stroke the cloud-like gauze.

"From now on, you will live here and learn from your older sister Run."

Ling Zhenli's fingertips trembled slightly as she noticed two small golden bells hanging from the corner of the curtain, making a soft, tinkling sound in the wind, like the gentle meows of a kitten.

She couldn't help but think of the white cloud left at Zuixianlou, wondering if the poor cat would be thrown out by its mothers.

Cui Yuerong did not notice her deep thoughts and led her around the screen to the dressing table, where the girl's beautiful face was reflected.

Cui Yuerong asked her to sit down, then opened her dressing case, took out a hairpin, and put it on her head: "This kingfisher feather phoenix and peony hairpin is one of the coming-of-age gifts that my brother from my maternal family gave to Run'er."

A pool of emerald green immediately rippled in the bronze mirror. Ling Zhenli couldn't help but raise her hand to touch the object; it was truly a fine piece.

A crabapple tree outside the window is in full bloom, its petals drifting in on the breeze.

It just so happens that her name contains the character "棠" (tang), which can be considered a special kind of fate.

Although the young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion could not go out, she lived a very good life. It's just a pity that she passed away, and now she has been replaced by Ling Zhenli, who has taken over the position of the magpie.

Seeing Ling Zhenli's appearance, Cui Yuerong secretly despised her for being unsophisticated. Her gaze swept over Ling Zhenli's bare neck, and she became more and more disgusted with her. She was nothing more than a lowly prostitute who had been slept with by thousands and ridden by thousands. If it weren't for her precious Run'er running away from her arranged marriage, Ling Zhenli would never have had such a good opportunity.

Cui Yuerong stood up and looked down at her: "Since you are going to marry the Crown Prince in place of Run'er, you can't be ignorant about matters concerning the royal family."

"Crown Prince Pei Xuanlin is the current emperor's nephew and also the only son of the deposed Emperor Rui..."