He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Jiang Yuerong, living in the villa, was completely unaware of this conspiracy.

After seeing off the Lin family mother and son, she paced back and forth in the room, overcome with emotion.

She wanted to show everyone that she, Jiang Yuerong, was a hundred times, a thousand times better than Jiang Bingning!

She couldn't wait to walk to the desk and spread out a fine sheet of letter paper.

She wanted to tell her father the good news right away!

"Respectfully submitted by my father:"

"...My daughter is doing well at the Lin family home. She is highly regarded by the Lin family and treated like their own daughter. Recently, she has received even more imperial favor, as His Majesty intends to bestow a marriage upon her. The Lin family is currently selecting a suitable match for her from a prominent family."

"My daughter will soon marry into a prominent family in the Northern Di, bringing honor to our family."

"My father should be proud of me."

The ink on the letter was still wet, and Jiang Yuerong's face was filled with boundless anticipation for the future.

She was completely unaware that the letter, which carried her vanity, was copied exactly the moment it was sent out of the villa.

Meanwhile, at Tingxuexuan, Jiang Bingning, who had just seen Ji Ling off and was still caught up in the transaction, welcomed a new visitor.

With a "bang".

The door to Tingxuexuan was violently pushed open from the outside.

A girl dressed in a pale yellow dress and with her hair styled in double buns stormed in.

She was none other than Ji Shaohuan, the legitimate daughter of the Prince Xin's mansion.

Chun Tao's expression changed, and she immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"Miss Shaohuan, what brings you here? Miss is resting..."

Ji Shaohuan shoved Chun Tao away.

Her almond-shaped eyes practically spit fire as she stared intently at Jiang Bingning, who was walking out of the inner room.

"You're Jiang Bingning?"

Her voice was shrill.

Jiang Bingning stood still, her expression calm and composed.

"Miss Shao Huan."

She gave a slight bow, neither humble nor arrogant.

Ji Shaohuan, however, seemed to be angered by her calm demeanor.

She looked around the elegant and exquisite room, her eyes almost overflowing with jealousy and hatred.

"What gives you the right to live here?"

She pointed to the furnishings inside the room.

"These tables, chairs, and furnishings are for distinguished guests, not for you, a bastard of unknown origin!"

Jiang Bingning's eyes turned cold for a moment.

She knew that Ji Zhaowu and Ji Shaohuan's hostility towards her stemmed from the death of their mother.

The tragedy of the past life began with this initial hatred.

She didn't want to argue, but her silence was seen by Ji Shaohuan as blatant contempt.

Ji Shaohuan's gaze fell on the display cabinet by the window.

On the top shelf sits a smooth, warm-looking white jade bottle.

Those were tributes from the previous dynasty, priceless.

Ji Shaohuan's eyes instantly turned red.

"This bottle...this bottle belongs to my mother!"

She rushed over, as if she had gone mad.

"You've taken over all of this place, and now you want to take my mother's things too!"

Jiang Bingning frowned slightly.

"Miss Shaohuan, that was a gift from the Imperial Concubine."

"I don't care!"

Ji Shaohuan screamed and pointed at Jiang Bingning.

"You vixen, just like your sickly mother, all you do is seduce men!"

As she spoke, she suddenly rammed into the multi-treasure pavilion.

"Clang—"

A crisp yet ear-piercing loud bang.

The white jade bottle rolled off the shelf and shattered into pieces on the smooth, mirror-like floor tiles.

Ji Shaohuan then collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

"ah--"

"Why did Sister Jiang push me!"

As if receiving an order, the maid behind her immediately ran outside.

"Help! Something terrible has happened!"

"Miss Jiang pushed our young lady down!"

Tingxuexuan was instantly thrown into chaos.

Jiang Bingning stood still, motionless.

She watched Ji Shaohuan crying her heart out on the ground silently, as if she were watching a farce.

Soon, hurried footsteps approached from afar.

The Dowager Empress and Ji Yunhan arrived hastily with grim faces.

"What's going on!"

As soon as Ji Yunhan entered the room, he saw his daughter sitting on the floor crying, and a pile of valuable white jade fragments.

Upon seeing them, Ji Shaohuan cried even more heartbrokenly.

She scrambled to Ji Yunhan's feet and hugged his leg.

"Father! Grandmother!"

"You must stand up for Shao Huan!"

She raised her tear-streaked face, pointed at Jiang Bingning, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I...I just heard that Sister Jiang has moved in, and I wanted to come and pay a visit..."

"But she...she's jealous that I'm the legitimate daughter of the royal family, saying that everything that belonged to my mother should belong to her..."

"When I didn't argue with her, she pushed me! And she even broke my mother's most beloved bottle!"

The Dowager Empress's face darkened, her gaze shifting back and forth between Jiang Bingning and Ji Shaohuan.

Ji Yunhan, however, had a furrowed brow.

He bent down, wanting to help his daughter up.

"Shao Huan, stand up and speak."

"Your sister Jiang isn't that kind of person!"

This sentence was like lighting a powder keg.

Ji Shaohuan abruptly shook off his father's hand, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Father!"

"You're siding with outsiders!"

"I am your biological daughter!"

She cried out in anguish.

"My mother died young, and now even my father doesn't want me anymore!"

"What's the point of me living? I'd rather die now and join my mother in the afterlife!"

As she spoke, she actually tried to crash into a pillar to the side.

Ji Yunhan's expression changed drastically, and he quickly grabbed her.

"Nonsense!"

He was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Just as things were about to escalate out of control, Jiang Bingning, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

"Reporting to the Dowager Consort, reporting to the Prince."

Her voice was cold and aloof.

"The bottle is indeed broken."

"But I have never touched Miss Shao Huan's finger."

Ji Shaohuan was still crying and screaming: "You're lying! You're the one who pushed me!"

Just then, Chun Tao, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly kowtowed heavily.

"This servant can testify!"

She said loudly.

"This servant saw with her own eyes that Miss Shaohuan herself knocked over the Treasure Pavilion!"

"Just now, I saw Miss Shaohuan secretly pinch her arm with her fingernails before she cried out!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Ji Shaohuan's crying stopped abruptly, and she looked at Chun Tao with a deathly pale face.

"You wretched servant! You're talking nonsense!"

The Dowager Empress's eyes instantly sharpened.

She gave a wink to Zhang Mama beside her.

"Go, take a look at the young lady's arm."

Zhang Mama obeyed the order and stepped forward, rolling up Ji Shaohuan's sleeve.

Several bright red finger marks were clearly visible on her smooth, jade-like forearm.

Ji Shaohuan's face instantly drained of all color.

The shame and embarrassment of having her lie exposed in public made her wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Wow--"

She pushed everyone away abruptly and ran out crying.

The Dowager Empress watched her flee in a disheveled state, her face turning ashen with anger.

"Such a young age, yet so thoughtful!"

Ji Yunhan's face turned pale and then flushed.

He turned around and bowed deeply to Jiang Bingning.

"Bing Ning, it is my fault for failing to raise my daughter properly."

"I'm sorry you had to suffer."

"I'll have her come over later to apologize to you."

Jiang Bingning stepped aside to avoid his grand gesture.

"Your Highness is too kind."

Her expression remained calm.

"Miss Shao Huan is still young; she's just a child at heart."

"There's no need for an apology."

She didn't want to get entangled with Ji Shaohuan over such a trivial matter, but if Ji Shaohuan provoked her again, she wouldn't mind teaching her a lesson!