Have You Regretted It?

At this moment, Zhao Ruyu was lying on the bed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and crying silently.

From the moment she met Fu Yunlang in her past life, she was cherished by him. Later, after marrying into the Fu Yunlang Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, even though the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, Lady He, loved to torment her daughter-in-law, Fu Yunlang was devoted to her. As the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, and all the servants in the house listened to her. Lady He had to make a living under the control of her son and daughter-in-law, and apart from saying a few unpleasant words, she couldn't come up with anything else.

In her past life, she was always pampered and spoiled, and others always fawned over her.

After her rebirth, although she went from being the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Marquis's family to an adopted daughter, and then separated from the family to become an adopted daughter of an ordinary family, because of the protection of Zhao Yuanliang and Zhao Jing'an, and because she was a student of the Capital Women's Academy, no servant in the mansion dared to disrespect her. Only Zhao Rurui made a few veiled insults at her, but they were insignificant. Moreover, she had her own plans and did not take this temporary Xiaoru to heart.

But now that she's living like this in the Prince Jingping's Estate, she really can't stand it anymore.

She would tolerate a few sarcastic remarks for now, silently keeping them in mind. But once she became the mistress of this palace, she would make those two rude maids suffer a fate worse than death; and the current esteemed Consort of Prince of Jingping would have to live at her beck and call.

But the meals, which were either undercooked or excessively salty, were simply unbearable for her.

When she first learned that she was going to become a concubine in the Prince Jingping's Estate, Zhao Yuanliang and his two sons would have definitely opposed it. They would have kept her locked up at home and hastily arranged a marriage for her.

So she left the Zhao Family quietly, taking only her own savings, jewelry, and clothes.

In order to look beautiful and persuade Xiao Sijie to take the plunge and bring her into the manor, she spent almost all the money she earned at the academy and had no savings. After entering the manor, Consort of Prince of Jingping did not allow anyone to give her a monthly allowance.

So she wanted to use money to bribe the servants, but she didn't even have enough to buy some snacks for herself and Fushu from outside. Life was really difficult.

If it weren't for Zhao Ruxi's news, perhaps she could have held on.

She came in as a concubine with the sole aim of becoming the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation.

In his previous life, the heir of the Prince Jingping's Estate's Mansion would soon die of illness, and Xiao Sijie would become the heir. The following year, the Prince of Jingping fell off his horse and died. When Xiao Sijie inherited the title, he was demoted one rank and became the General Who Protects the Nation.

His first wife was already frail, and she died after Xiao Sijie inherited the title. Zhao Ruyu was willing to humble herself and become a concubine in the mansion because she believed that with her beauty, Xiao Sijie would surely make her his official wife.

In the Great Jin Dynasty, concubines were divided into two types. One type consisted of maids, courtesans, and others who had contracts of indenture. These were considered lowly concubines, who were allowed to be bought and sold and were not permitted to be promoted to the rank of principal wife. The other type consisted of virtuous concubines who came from respectable families, had no contracts of indenture, and were not allowed to be bought and sold. If the principal wife died, her husband could promote her to the rank of principal wife as long as she was of good character.

Zhao Ruyu felt that if she could get Xiao Sijie to stay despite his mother's and wife's objections, she was confident that she could get Xiao Sijie to make her his official wife.

Once she becomes the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation, all those in the capital who laughed at her, mocked her, and looked down on her will be proven wrong.

Especially Zhao Ruxi, so what if he's smart? So what if he's well-read? So what if he's a master of painting and calligraphy? In the end, won't he still have to bow respectfully to her in front of others?

She wanted to prove that no matter how hard a woman tries, it's not as important as marrying well. Her position as the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation was a height that Zhao Ruxi could never reach even if she tried her whole life.

So what if Xiao Sijie is a womanizer? As long as she gives birth to a son, firmly secures her position as the wife of the General of the Nation, and maintains her beauty, it won't matter if this man occasionally has other thoughts.

Even Fu Yunlang, who was loyal to her in her past life and doted on her for a lifetime, changed his heart. How could she expect a fickle man to be devoted to her? As long as she had a high social status and honor, everything else was irrelevant.

But what did she hear now? Zhao Ruxi was going to marry Prince of Qi and become Prince of Qi principal wife?

Zhao Ruyu's mind flashed before her eyes to Xiao Lingyan's exceptionally handsome face and tall, upright figure, and her heart was filled with jealousy and despair.

Why? Why is this happening?

Zhao Ruxi spends her days surrounded by men; her reputation is already ruined. Has the Emperor lost his mind? How could he let his son marry such a woman? And is Xiao Lingyan blind? He ignored her beauty before, so why did he agree to marry Zhao Ruxi?

Now that Zhao Ruxi has become the Consort of the Prince of Qi, even if I painstakingly climb to the position of the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation, I'll still have to perform the grand ceremony before her, right?

So what's the point of her life now, being despised and looked down upon, enduring constant insults from her maids and going hungry?

Zhao Ruyu lay on the bed in a daze, staring blankly at the top of the tent, her heart filled with despair.

When Fushu saw Old Maidservant Shi off and returned to the house, she saw Zhao Ruyu looking like this.

The two maids outside were unusually quiet and did not say anything sarcastic to the young lady.

Fushu sat down on the edge of the bed, pondered for a long time, and then spoke, "Miss, why don't you write a letter to Fifth Miss and congratulate her? Fourth Miss will definitely write a letter and send gifts. Once Fifth Miss replies with a letter and gifts, who knows how much trouble she'll cause. She doesn't care what Fifth Miss thinks of her; as long as she gets benefits and her situation in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence's mansion improves, she will definitely do it. At that time, she might even send someone to show off in front of you."

Fushu is a stubborn and upright girl; she would never have said such things before. But Zhao Ruyu's actions recently and her life in the Prince Jingping's Estate have made her grow up quickly.

She now knows how to advise her daughter.

Zhao Ruyu to bow down to Zhao Ruxi, she will absolutely refuse unless she's in dire straits. But if we use the Fourth Sister to provoke her, we might be able to achieve our goal.

Zhao Ruyu kept her eyes open, staring at the top of the tent, her expression unchanged.

Fushu grew anxious and called out softly, "Miss."

"Don't worry." Zhao Ruyu's voice was slightly hoarse from crying. "They won't make things difficult for us anymore. Didn't you see there's been no noise outside?"

Fushu subconsciously listened to the sounds outside. Coming back to her senses, she glanced at Zhao Ruyu: "But even if it's not difficult, it won't be much better."

Zhao Ruyu did not speak again.

Fushu sat on the bed for a while, then slowly got up and went out.

Hearing Fushu's light footsteps as she left the house, Zhao Ruyu got up and sat down in front of the dressing table.

She reached out and touched her beautiful face in the mirror, her fighting spirit gradually rising within her.

Since the situation cannot be changed, let's just keep going like this.

Even if Zhao Ruxi marries the Prince of Qi and becomes his principal wife, so what? If she is not favored and has no children, while I am both favored and have children, won't I still be the victor? Let's wait and see!