In this lifetime, it wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of telling Consort De about the events of her previous life, to persuade Consort De to abandon her intentions. However, considering how miserably she had lived in the later part of her previous life, she had long lost trust in Consort De and lost her filial affection as a daughter.

Throughout this year and more since her rebirth, the knot in her heart had never been untied. She couldn’t bring herself to speak openly with Consort De.

Seeing Princess Fuping’s stunned expression tinged with coldness, Consort De’s anger flared even more. “Truly, when daughters grow up, they become impossible to keep. The longer you try to keep them, the more they become enemies. It seems I need to arrange a marriage for you!”

Princess Fuping felt as if struck by lightning. Was she going to repeat the fate of her previous life again?

She instinctively asked, “Mother Consort, to whom do you want to betroth me?”

“Grand Secretary Chen’s legitimate grandson would be excellent!”

Princess Fuping swayed unsteadily.

In this lifetime, could she still not escape the fate of marrying Chen Zhiyan? Then what was the meaning of her rebirth?

“Mother Consort, Chen Zhiyan is dark and cunning by nature, dissolute beyond measure. Mother Consort, you cannot…”

Before Princess Fuping could finish speaking, Consort De shouted, “Nonsense! How many times have you met him to slander his reputation like this? Grand Secretary Chen is righteous and shrewd, the Chen family has an upright family tradition. How could his legitimate grandson be the kind of person you describe?”

Tears streamed down Princess Fuping’s face as she could no longer hide the grief in her heart.

Chen Zhiyan was exactly that kind of person!

In her previous life, after she married Chen Zhiyan, they lived in the Princess Manor. The Princess Manor was not far from the Chen residence, and Chen Zhiyan would often return to the Chen family home.

After half a year, Chen Zhiyan told her that he had taken liberties with a maid in the Chen residence, and that maid was pregnant.

Although Princess Fuping still harbored feelings for her beloved, since he had already married and she had wed Chen Zhiyan, Princess Fuping had resigned herself to her fate. Therefore, during those six months, she had tried hard to forget the past and endeavored to be a good wife.

However, she was after all a princess raised with tender care, and she was already three months pregnant herself. How could she contain her anger and fury upon hearing this news?

She immediately quarreled with Chen Zhiyan, who both apologized profusely and repeatedly promised never to transgress again.

With things having come to this point, Princess Fuping had no choice. Melancholy and dejected, she entered the palace to complain to Consort De.

Consort De said that Chen Zhiyan was a man, and having three wives and four concubines was perfectly normal. Now that Zhou Li needed Grand Secretary Chen’s assistance, she told Princess Fuping to be patient. After all, it was just a maid and child – she was the legitimate wife, noble as a princess. Who could possibly shake her position?

Since even her own mother spoke this way, Princess Fuping, though unhappy, could only accept it.

However, a few months later, Chen Zhiyan said he had slept with another maid in the Chen residence, and that maid was also pregnant.

Princess Fuping, being pregnant herself, was especially quick to anger and made several scenes.

Chen Zhiyan appeared very reasonable on the surface, but actually spread word of Princess Fuping’s arrogant and tyrannical reputation without anyone noticing.

Subsequently, Chen Zhiyan seemed so intimidated by his wife’s arrogance and tyranny that he dared not return to their bedroom, making the study his daily resting place.

Until one day, Princess Fuping discovered Chen Zhiyan fooling around with a woman in the study. Princess Fuping immediately flew into a rage, and her child was born prematurely.

After her daughter was born, Princess Fuping’s attention was drawn to her daughter, and for a period she didn’t pay much attention to Chen Zhiyan’s whereabouts. Chen Zhiyan showed little concern for the daughter Princess Fuping had borne him and rarely came to see the child.

Princess Fuping lost her temper several times over this, but her reputation for arrogance and tyranny had already made her words carry little credibility. When she entered the palace to see Consort De, Consort De scolded her for not knowing how to unite with the Chen family, instead pushing the Chen family members further and further away – how foolish.

Princess Fuping at that time was young and hot-tempered, not giving much thought to many matters, so she returned to the Princess Manor with a sullen face, having no intention of actively reconciling with Chen Zhiyan.

As for Consort De’s demand that she actively go to the Chen residence to make amends, Princess Fuping found it even more impossible to do. For this, Consort De summoned her to the palace to scold her several times. Princess Fuping, having grown up pampered, was also dissatisfied with Consort De’s words, and the mother and daughter became quite estranged.

Later, when Consort De and Zhou Li’s affair was exposed, Zhou Li was confined, Consort De was demoted to commoner status, and subsequently, Emperor Delong died and the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

Although Princess Fuping still lived in the Princess Manor, her status plummeted dramatically, and she even suffered cold looks and insults from many people. Chen Zhiyan’s mother even came to the Princess Manor to mercilessly berate her as a harbinger of misfortune, saying that if not for marrying her, Chen Zhiyan’s future career prospects wouldn’t be so difficult.

Though she still lived in the Princess Manor, the Chen family had imprisoned her, providing only leftover food for her three daily meals, not allowing her to go out or see anyone.

Chen Zhiyan often stayed at the Chen residence, having taken two concubines and three bed servants who bore him three or four children.

These concubines and bed servants would from time to time come to the Princess Manor to observe Her Highness the Princess’s miserable circumstances. Chen Zhiyan, embracing women left and right, was extremely arrogant, and those humiliating words flowed endlessly from their mouths. Princess Fuping could hardly believe Chen Zhiyan could be so despicable.

Even when her daughter fell seriously ill, they wouldn’t allow a physician to see her, and she eventually became mentally impaired from the illness.

At that time, Princess Fuping’s cries to heaven went unanswered, her pleas to earth fell on deaf ears. She wanted to dash her head against a wall and die, but if she died, wouldn’t her daughter be tormented by them until she was worse than a beast?

Overnight, Princess Fuping matured, understanding human nature and the warmth and coldness of human relationships, but it was all too late.

In the third year after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he suddenly remembered this sister and issued an edict summoning her to the palace.

The Chen family assumed the Crown Prince was merely putting on an act. After all, Princess Fuping was Consort De’s daughter and Zhou Li’s sister – could the Crown Prince possibly harbor no resentment and instead treat Princess Fuping well?

Impossible.

So the Chen family, thinking themselves clever, not only failed to bring Princess Fuping to the palace but actually filed a complaint against Princess Fuping before the new emperor.

Unexpectedly, the new emperor flew into a rage, reprimanded Grand Secretary Chen, and immediately went personally to the Princess Manor.

When the new emperor saw Princess Fuping’s pitiful state at the Princess Manor, he was immediately stunned. He at once had people carry Princess Fuping out of the dilapidated room that was like a pigsty and had the imperial physicians examine her daughter.

Soon after, the Chen family fell from power and the entire household was exiled.

However, her daughter had become completely mentally impaired. Princess Fuping’s tears had run dry, and from then on her heart was dead as ash.

She lived quietly in the Princess Manor with her daughter, and this continued for decades.

The new emperor treated her quite well – she had everything she should have, and he didn’t allow anyone to humiliate her.

She witnessed with her own eyes how the new emperor governed the Great Zhou Dynasty to prosperity and strength. After the new emperor died, his son succeeded to the throne and continued to follow many of the new emperor’s practices, keeping the Great Zhou Dynasty prosperous and strong.

Her daughter lived to sixty years old and finally died choking on phlegm.

As soon as her daughter died, Princess Fuping immediately committed suicide.

At that time, she was nearly eighty years old, having lived through three emperors – the new emperor, the new emperor’s son, and the new emperor’s grandson. Each emperor treated her well, and when she died, she was still the noble Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty.