I woke up as the Villainous Empress

The Jade Pavilion -

After Zheng Liang and Yang Ning left, only then did Zheng Xiang heave a sigh of relief. Earlier, he was shocked when his brother agreed to his wife's willful wishes and personally escorted him to the Jade Pavilion, accompanied by Yang Ning, instead of sending a servant to show him around.

He is the Crown Prince after all. He must have had so much work to do, yet he followed his wife's words and showed him around the Jade Pavilion, not caring about the time and their strained relationship.

That was quite a shock to him.

Before returning to the palace, Zheng Xiang had expected his brother not to even glance at him. Zheng Liang had never liked him since childhood because after his mother died, Yang Lingxin took the place of the Empress. Yang Lingxin, originally just a concubine, climbed the ranks by becoming the favored consort of the Emperor and eventually assumed the role of Empress after the former queen's death.

This change in hierarchy and family dynamics had strained the relationship between the two brothers.

Zheng Xiang, who was young and innocent to these family political dynamics at that time, never understood the reason for the strained relationship between the two brothers. However, as he grew up, he realized that his brother had not only lost his mother but that this change in hierarchy had caused many obstacles for him as well.

Of course, he anticipated his brother's displeasure with his return. However, he hadn't expected that Zheng Liang would not only agree to have lunch with him but also welcome him and personally escort him to his residence.

Even though it was at Yang Ning's insistence, his compliance with her commands was a revelation in itself.

With an exhausted sigh, Zheng Xiang called the servant assigned to him and ordered him to prepare bathwater. It had been a long journey, and he hadn't taken a bath for the past two days; he couldn't wait to get out of these clothes and have a refreshing bath before lying on the bed to rest.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will prepare it right away." The male servant politely bowed to him and went to the bathroom attached to the chamber to prepare the bathwater. Out of the maids and servants allotted to Zheng Xiang, he had only accepted one male servant to take care of his needs because he didn't want unnecessary people roaming around to bother him.

Although he wanted his previous servant and nanny, who had taken care of him since childhood to accompany him to the royal palace, they needed to stay back and take care of the residence in his absence. They would come to the palace after some time, once they had delegated the work of the residence to other servants and trained the new staff to take over.

Until then, Zheng Xiang could only use the servants that Yang Ning had thoughtfully selected for him.
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In that case, one male servant was more than enough for him. He didn't need a queue of servants to attend to him and monitor his every move. He disliked such a scenario.

Even in his previous residence, he only had one nanny and a male servant to cater to his needs. He didn't enjoy the company of too many people around him, especially after being sent out of the palace to live alone with strangers, leaving his family behind. He had grown accustomed to this isolated lifestyle and preferred living this way.

After preparing the bathwater, the male servant selected clothes for Zheng Xiang to wear after taking the bath from the wardrobe and carefully arranged them on the bed. Zheng Xiang's luggage had arrived at the Jade Pavilion while he was at the Main Palace to greet His Majesty, and the servants had already arranged it by the time he returned.

Observing the servant swiftly and accurately carrying out his duties without the need for explicit instructions, Zheng Xiang was impressed. The meticulous approach to his work, including selecting appropriate clothes without being directed, caught Zheng Xiang's attention.

"Your Highness, I have arranged bathwater for you and your clothes to wear afterward as well. The towel is inside the bathroom on the side table. May I assist you in removing your clothes and in the bath?" the male servant politely asked, seeking permission.

Zheng Xiang shook his head and replied, "No need. I will manage it myself. You can go outside now."

Perplexed, the servant hesitated, unsure whether to let Zheng Xiang bathe himself. According to royal customs, it was the servant's responsibility to accompany royalty during the bath and perform menial tasks such as rubbing his body to clean and assisting him in wearing clothes and getting ready.

However, noticing Zheng Xiang's reluctance, he nodded with a smile and exited, leaving Zheng Xiang alone to rest.

After the servant left, Zheng Xiang began to remove his upper robe, preparing to soak his body in the warm water while contemplating the state of affairs. "Contrary to my expectations, everything seems well-maintained and under control, even in the absence of the former Empress.

It appears that the Crown Princess is handling the palace affairs competently," he acknowledged, giving credit to Yang Ning for her competence in managing the palace affairs.

When he entered the residence, he had expected it to be covered in dust, and even if it was clean, he anticipated finding old and faulty furniture. However, to his surprise, all the furniture was new, and even the wooden floors seemed to have been replaced. The residence, once abandoned for many years, had transformed into a new and welcoming space.

Supervising people and ensuring they perform their tasks diligently is not an easy feat. However, the Crown Princess appeared to be more meticulous in her work than he had expected. Even his mother never handled such tasks with such precision, often relying more on connections and delegating responsibilities to others.

"However, I need to observe her for some time. My brother seems to have fallen under her spell. I wonder if she truly loves him or if it's just a facade to conceal her greed, much like my mo-" He paused, realizing the weight of his words.

It was difficult to accept, but his mother, once the cherished consort of his father, had committed a heinous act by attempting treason by poisoning him, the Emperor.

There was a time when she played the role of the perfect mother and devoted wife. However, the insatiable thirst for power and wealth blinded her to the point of self-destruction.

Already holding the title of Empress, what drove her to commit such heinous acts to secure his place as the next Emperor? It seemed she never truly loved or cared for him, placing her love for greed above all else, even her affection for her son and husband.

Given his mother's actions, Zheng Xiang found it challenging to fully embrace Yang Ning's seemingly perfect and amiable nature with an optimistic outlook. After all, rumors about her circulated negatively in high society, particularly before she married his brother. Can a person genuinely undergo such a drastic transformation after marriage?