Furthermore, Ni Chengli's initial intention was to break off his engagement with Yin Yuyao and welcome Ning Ci as his principal wife.
Faced with such absurd remarks, even if the Empress agreed, the Emperor would not. Therefore, Ni Chengli took a step back, wanting to set a precedent for the Crown Prince having a secondary wife, making Ning Ci and Yin Yuyao both principal wives.
The Empress didn't understand why he hadn't expressed his feelings for Ning Ci when she asked him before, and even said that he was not good enough for Ning Ci, but now he insisted on marrying Ning Ci.
In fact, Ni Chengli had been dealing with rumors circulating among the people for several years, but he still couldn't get rid of them completely. There were still people making unfounded speculations about Ning Ci in secret, saying that even though Ning Ci had a noble status, she was still not living a good life. She had only been married for a year when she lost both her child and her husband.
Ni Chengli disliked these remarks and was worried that Ning Ci would be affected, so he came up with this method.
However, he knew very well that his engagement with Yin Yuyao could not be canceled, and he also understood that the Emperor and Empress would probably not betroth Ning Ci to him, let alone make her their principal wife or secondary wife. So he deliberately said this to let the Emperor and Empress know how much he cared about Ning Ci, and also to lay the groundwork for the future.
After he got married, he made Yin Yuyao unable to conceive. After three years, he asked the Empress again to marry Ning Ci.
This time, Ni Chengli did not insist on making Ning Ci the principal wife or a secondary wife, but instead suggested that Ning Ci be made a concubine instead.
When the Empress learned that Yin Yuyao was infertile, she did not immediately reject him, but instead discussed it with the Emperor. They knew Ni Chengli's personality well; it was rare for someone to earn his such attention, especially someone related to him by blood. Perhaps a marriage between relatives could improve Ni Chengli's situation.
This was the Emperor and Empress's first thought, but they also made sure to ask Ning Ci's opinion.
Ning Ci had known about the marriage proposal for several years. Ni Chengli first sought Ning Ci's opinion, and only after Ning Ci agreed did he mention the matter to the Emperor and Empress. As expected, they did not agree in the end.
But this time, when the Emperor and Empress asked for her opinion, and considering their mention of Yin Yuyao's inability to conceive, she understood the Emperor and Empress's thoughts. They probably agreed in their hearts, but on the surface, they still needed to ask for her opinion.
Ning Ci had met Yin Yuyao once before and felt that the woman was very pleasing to the eye. Since she would be helping manage the household affairs anyway, she agreed.
Yes, Ni Chengli didn't want to get Ning Ci. He regarded Ning Ci as a special person, so he racked his brains to protect her from rumors.
However, the emperor suggested that Ni Chengli choose another woman as a concubine, because Yin Yuyao was unable to conceive, and Ning Ci had great difficulty getting pregnant. For the sake of having offspring, it would be best to choose another woman.
Ni Chengli did not refuse and quickly chose a candidate, Yuwen Li.
Yuwen Li and Ning Ci entered the Crown Prince's residence together as concubines. That night, on their wedding night, Ni Chengli first went to Yuwen Li's room and sat for a while before staying in Ning Ci's room.
Of course, he did nothing; he even slept on the floor that night.
After that, life in the manor remained uneventful. Ni Chengli never consummated his marriage with Yin Yuyao, nor did he touch Ning Ci. As for Yuwen Li, he never even set foot in her courtyard.
However, the three women in the inner quarters had a very good relationship. They often gathered together to chat and go on outings, and none of them paid any attention to the Crown Prince's life.
Once Ning Ci entered the manor, Prince Pingyang finally discovered why Ni Chengli had targeted him and even drugged Yin Yuyao, causing her infertility. It turned out that it was simply because Ni Chengli had once promoted General Longxiang... In addition, he discovered something else: Ni Chengli's hatred for him went far beyond that. The several assassination attempts he had suffered were all orchestrated by Ni Chengli.
This time, he didn't tell the Emperor and Empress, because he thought it would be useless. He didn't know what method Ni Chengli had used, but the Emperor and Empress became increasingly tolerant of Ni Chengli, perhaps it was still because of kinship. But he had no tolerance for Ni Chengli, even though Ni Chengli was the future emperor.
He only told his family and Yin Yuyao about it. Of course, Yin Yuyao couldn't contact them, and Ning Ci delivered the letters on her behalf, so Ning Ci also knew about it.
Ning Ci's feelings were complicated, but Yin Yuyao didn't take it to heart, because it was Ni Chengli's problem, not Ning Ci's. Just as they were discussing how to control Ni Chengli, they discovered that Ni Chengli seemed to be paying a lot of attention to Yin Yujie. Yin Yujie offered to help, but her whole family objected.
Yin Yujie and Yin Yuyao were already very close sisters. Knowing how Ni Chengli treated her sister and her father, she was already dissatisfied. Although she didn't know why Ni Chengli paid special attention to her, she felt that this was a breakthrough. Despite her family's opposition, she did not give up.
Therefore, that accident was intentional on Yin Yujie's part.
She just didn't expect that her 14-year-old body was too tender, and Ni Chengli was completely inexperienced. Not only did she bleed, but she also became her brother-in-law's first woman.
"...No wonder Ni Chengli's attitude towards Yin Yujie is so different. It turns out he's caught up in that kind of complex. At first, it might have been due to his inherent nature, being captivated by ten-year-old Yin Yujie. In the following years, he might have been secretly paying attention to her and caring a little. But after this incident, Ni Chengli probably has mixed feelings about Yin Yujie!" Chen Xiao muttered to Xi Xi.
Xi Xi added sharply, "That's right, it's still a very melodramatic version. No wonder the fight outside was so heated, but the two sisters, Yin Yujie and Yin Yuyao, were so quiet inside. Yin Yujie later deliberately said those things to Yin Yuyao in front of Yuwen Li, probably partly out of genuine affection for her sister, and partly because she was plotting against Yuwen Li."
While Yi Yitong was secretly complaining enthusiastically, Yin Yuyao was completely unaware. She simply said, "I have no idea what Yin Yujie and the original owner said. Besides, the book says it was the beginning of the twenty-fifth year of Pingquan before I transmigrated, but I transmigrated at the end of the twenty-fifth year of Pingquan. I just missed the things about Ni Chengli taking a concubine and the countermeasures they discussed. You should know more or less what happened after that, so I don't need to mention it again."
Chen Xiao nodded. She and Xi Xi had a pretty good understanding of what happened during the Pingquan era. There were too many things that happened during the Xinrong era, and Yin Yuyao was later deposed, so she probably didn't know much either.
On the contrary, Yin Yuyao not only lived a comfortable life during her confinement, but also remained aware of major events in the outside world.
Although Yin Yujie harbored resentment towards her mysterious origins, she gradually came to understand her and began to treat her as a second older sister. Every unusual event that followed, including her being deposed, confined to her quarters, and having no children, was part of their plan.
Yin Yujie understood that neither the former Yin Yuyao nor the current Yin Yuyao liked being in a high position. Moreover, Yin Yuyao had always been somewhat melancholy, and the current Yin Yuyao was the same. She just didn't know if it was due to her sister's health or if she was just like that.
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