I woke up as the Villainous Empress

Seeing both father and son talking like that, Yang Ning grew curious about what conversation they had yesterday that caused both of them to react so strongly. She glanced at Zheng Liang and asked in puzzlement, "Yesterday? Did you have lunch with Father yesterday? What did you talk about?"

Zheng Liang pursed his lips and glared at his father with a frown before turning to Yang Ning and smiling, "Oh, yes! I had something to discuss with him about the court session, so I stayed back to have lunch with him. We simply talked about that."

Yang Ning raised her brows, sensing from his expressions and His Majesty's reaction that he was clearly hiding something from her. "Oh, really? Then what did Father say about you bringing a new consort? From his words, it seems you were discussing bringing a new consort for yourself," she said, her tone becoming sharper by the last sentence.

'New consort? Hah! So now it's not about Hou Wei but a new consort? Wait! Is he planning to make her his new consort? Did something happen behind my back?' Yang Ning frowned about thinking about this possibility and her eyes became sharp at the thought of it.

She fixed her gaze on Zheng Liang, her tone cold and piercing, showing no concern for His Majesty's presence. "Tell me, do you intend to take a new consort? Don't you dare lie to me! Just because I'm in this condition, don't think you can keep this from me," she said, her words carrying a hint of hurt.

She had tried everything to alter the narrative, but somewhere along the way, she forgot she was even attempting to do so. Simply being by Zheng Liang's side as his wife brought her happiness.

However, the thought of him bringing another woman saddened her, as if her world was crumbling. She trusted him more than she trusted herself, but she couldn't trust the malevolent plot of the novel, which unjustly cast her as a villain while granting him his happy ending with someone else.

"Yang Ning, don't worry. I will never agree to him bringing a new consort. I will keep my promise with you. I don't support this shameless guy," Zheng Huang said, aiming to gain the trust of his daughter-in-law at the expense of his son.

After Yang Ning married Zheng Liang, only then did this old man realize the true meaning of family and the value of a daughter-in-law like her, who was more precious to him than his son.

Hearing his words, Yang Ning clenched her fists and glared at Zheng Liang with reddened, teary eyes. "Zheng Liang, is it true?" she asked coldly, gritting her teeth to control her emotions. She had come to announce the good news to His Majesty, never expecting to uncover such shocking news.

Zheng Liang's face paled at Yang Ning's reaction. He shook his head vigorously and held her hand, saying, "It's not true. I never said that." Then, he glared at his father, who seemed to be twisting things for no reason. "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you it's all nonsense and in your head? When did I say that I want a new consort?" He raised his voice in frustration.

Turning back to Yang Ning, he explained in the gentlest tone, "It's not like that. What happened was…" He explained everything to her about him joining his father for lunch and him asking if he argued with her, misunderstanding the whole situation and twisting things up like this.

After explaining, he sighed and continued, "I was only surprised that you asked him for that promise and didn't tell me anything about it. In bewilderment, I overreacted a bit and left in the middle of him speaking. Maybe that is why he assumed on his own that we fought and I am planning to bring a new consort, and that is why I overreacted about the promise."

"However, I swear that I didn't say anything about getting a new consort, nor did I have any intention to do so," he said while caressing the back of her hand, soothing her anger and mood.

"Please don't get angry over nothing. Alright? It was nothing but a misunderstanding," he said.

Yang Ning pursed her lips and glanced at the old man, who seemed to be nodding as well, indicating that it was true. Seeing that it was all a misunderstanding, she sighed in relief.

"Are you still angry? Do you not believe me?" Seeing her not saying anything, Zheng Liang asked carefully.

Yang Ning looked at Zheng Liang and let out a low chuckle before saying, "I am not angry, and yes, I do believe you. As for the promise I asked of His Majesty, I did it not because I didn't trust you. But because I love you so much that I couldn't help but ask for that promise."

"At that time, His Majesty asked me to request whatever I wanted as a reward, and I had nothing else in mind. Also, at that time, I knew that people were talking about our relationship and the former Empress was looking for suitable candidates for you."

"Even though you don't want a consort, the final decision would lie with His Majesty's command, and if he agreed to this arrangement, you wouldn't be able to fight back. That is why I asked for that promise. Other than that, nothing else came to my mind as a reward," she explained her decision at that time.

Zheng Liang pursed his lips and looked at her with gentleness in his eyes, "No matter who commands me, I will never bring a new consort, let alone replace you. You're my one and only wife in this life, and that will never change," he said with determination. Enjoy new adventures from empire

"Also, I was not upset that you asked His Majesty for the promise, but rather about why you didn't say anything to me. I felt useless at that time for not being able to gain your trust," he complained about his feelings.

Yang Ning smiled and added, "It wasn't my intention to hide it from you. You were injured at that time, and I simply forgot about this matter as I had many others to manage. I never dwelled on this promise too much, that's why it slipped my mind. Why were you overreacting over such a matter? You're just like your father." She shook her head helplessly.

Zheng Liang frowned and said, "No! I don't act like my father. I am better than him; he only knows how to twist information in his head. Don't associate me with him," feeling annoyed to be compared to his father, who almost ruined his marriage today.

Seeing the couple dissing him and throwing shade at him without even acknowledging his presence, Zheng Huang couldn't help but scoff and cough awkwardly to remind them of his presence. "Ahem! If you want to badmouth me, do that later. I am still here," he said, bringing their attention to him.

Yang Ning, who almost forgot that she was sitting in the dining room with His Majesty, felt her face burning in embarrassment. She finally turned and straightened back, picking up the chopsticks to dig into the rice bowl, avoiding eye contact and the awkwardness.

'How could I forget that His Majesty is still here?' She screamed in her head, feeling embarrassed.