Inside Qiyun Hall, as soon as Qiao Wanyan entered the room, a nanny carefully took off her cloak. Jin's eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter, a warm smile spreading across her face, as if a thousand stars had aligned just to bring her into view. She gazed upon Qiao Wanyan as if she were the most perfect work of her life—satisfied, fond, and immensely proud.
Jin was in poor health, and many renowned doctors she consulted said she would never be able to have children again. Over the years, she only had this one daughter, making Qiao Wanyan the center of her world.
However, she never forced herself to love her daughter simply because she was destined to be childless; instead, she felt genuine joy at Qiao Wanyan's birth.
A hint of worry flickered across Jin's face.
"Yan Yan," she began, "your maternal grandfather sent over a batch of Shu brocade. Pick out some colors you like before you head back."
Qiao Wanyan blinked her beautiful peach blossom eyes and settled into a chair by the charcoal fire. "Mother, what's wrong? You seem troubled."
Jin sighed, knowing she couldn't hide it from her perceptive daughter. "Well," she hesitated, "your father heard something after court this morning. Prince Jing will be returning to the capital soon."
Jin keenly watched her face, hoping to discern some reaction, but Qiao Wanyan's expression remained indifferent, as if she wasn't surprised at all.
"Yan Yan, Prince Jing nearly lost his life because of love back then. Now that he's back in the capital…" Jin's voice trembled slightly, "I'm afraid he'll seek revenge on you, my dear."
She knew the story all too well, each detail etched in her mind. It was one thing for Prince Jing to stay secluded in Beiming City, nursing his wounds, but his sudden return to the capital, knowing his vengeful heart, filled her with dread. "I fear he'll make you a target, Yan Yan."
Love turned to hate, a bitter poison. Over the years, she had heard whispers that Prince Jing kept no women in his court in Beiming City. Many had tried to win his favor by sending beauties, but none could thaw the ice around his heart.
He had once declared, with chilling finality, that he hated all women.
Especially in the capital city, where lived the woman he hated most—her daughter.
Qiao Wanyan reached for her mother's hand, her touch gentle and comforting, her voice soft as a whisper, "Mother, I was once the moonlight in his heart. Time may have passed, but surely it has softened the sharp edges of his anger."
What made Yanyan so confident was this: in both timelines of the novel, He Yanlin never laid a hand on the original Wanyan. His weapons were cruel words and icy indifference. Besides, in the second timeline, she and he were destined to be together in the end.
In the first timeline, everyone favored the gentle, weak, and understanding Qiao Yihuan over a woman like Wanyan, who couldn't swallow her pride. It wasn't that the original Wanyan was incapable of feigning innocence or cleverness; it was just that she'd been spoiled rotten by her father. She suffered from a kind of princess syndrome, believing everyone should revolve around her and that everyone else needed to change, not her. She couldn't see her own faults. She wanted everyone to adore her, for those who had blocked her path to success to suddenly roll out the red carpet, and to be admired by all, basking in glory! She believed that if women couldn't wield the power of the world directly, they should control those who did.
So ambitious and villainous indeed, shethought.
"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing," Jin replied, still slightly concerned.
"By the way, Mother, pick out a piece of that Shu brocade and send it to Qiao Yihuan later."
Jin frowned, puzzled. "Such fine material is extremely rare, even in the capital. Why send it to her?"
Qiao Wanyan smiled enigmatically. "I have my reasons."
It wasn't that Wanyan's parents were entirely awful, outright abusing Qiao Yihuan. Her mother never deprived Yihuan of food or clothing, providing what was rightfully hers. Of course, the pocket money Yihuan received, along with her allowance for food and clothes, came from their father's salary as a minister. The truly wealthy one was Wanyan's mother, the only child of the wealthiest imperial merchant. That's why Wanyan enjoyed all the finer things—her grandfather constantly showered her with gifts and money, in addition to her allowances from both her mother and father. Wanyan and Yihuan received the same allowance from their father, but there was a stark difference in their lifestyles, thanks to their mother's background. Wanyan's mother came from immense wealth, was the legitimate wife, and the beloved woman of her father. Yihuan's mother, on the other hand, was just a maid who'd used unscrupulous means to get into their father's bed, a woman he resented for it.
After sitting for only a short while, Qiao Wanyan got up and left.