I woke up as the Villainous Empress

Seeing Hou Wei apologizing, Zheng Xiang sighed and said in a gentle voice, "You don't need to apologize. I am not a monster who punishes someone over small things. It's not like you fell on purpose." He explained himself because he didn't want her to see him as a cruel person who hates people and punishes them for minor mistakes.

While he didn't mind being misunderstood by others, he couldn't bear the thought of being misunderstood by her.

Zheng Xiang looked up at the woman, who had her head down, and asked, "What were you thinking about so deeply that you kept bumping into people and weren't focusing on the road ahead?" He wondered what was on her mind.
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"Ah!" Hou Wei rubbed her head, embarrassed at being seen walking unsteadily and bumping into others. She bit her lower lip in hesitation and replied, "I wasn't thinking much. Just about the work I have to do when I return to the medicine department," she said, hiding her meeting with Yang Ning because the Crown Prince had asked them to keep her pregnancy a secret until it was officially announced.

What she didn't know was that Zheng Xiang and His Majesty already knew about this secret.

More than that, she didn't want to reveal her honest thoughts to him. How could she possibly tell him that she had been daydreaming about a loving family? That she longed for someone who would treat her with love and care and would want to build a happy family with her.

"In any case, I apologize to His Highness for worrying you over a small matter and making you help me. I also want to thank you for saving me earlier," Hou Wei said gratefully.

She was surprised by Zheng Xiang's gentle tone and kind gesture. She couldn't help but wonder why there were such rumors about the prince.

She had heard from the other maids that Prince Zheng Xiang was a cold-hearted man who didn't want anyone around him. That's why he had so few maids or servants in his pavilion and preferred to stay alone in his huge residence. In the Jade Pavilion, other than the old nanny and a servant who had followed him to the palace, there were no other attendants.

Even the servant allotted by Yang Ning when he first arrived had been removed from his position after Zheng Xiang's old servants returned. He was truly a strange and mysterious person in the eyes of others.

Since he is the former Empress's son, he is not seen as a decent person. People think he might have returned to the palace to ruin the Empire and take revenge for his mother's exile. After all, he has the blood of the woman who almost killed His Majesty and tried to seize the throne like a greedy beast.

This part, of course, no one says directly, but the rumors and hushed gossip always spread, not only around the palace but also in the capital city.

Hou Wei hadn't had much interaction with Prince Xiang before, so she didn't know what kind of person he was and never cared much about rumors. She focused on serving the royal family and doing her work as the Imperial nurse, learning about medicine under Master Jiang. However, just now, she was surprised by Prince Xiang's kind actions and soft temperament.

He not only saved her from getting hurt but also comforted her by saying she didn't need to apologize. He didn't even show disgust after being touched by a woman of low status like her. She had seen many wealthy people, and the richer they were, the more selfish and arrogant they seemed.

However, His Highness didn't act disgusted when he held her just now and was genuinely worried about her. If he were truly cold-hearted, he wouldn't have cared about her falling or getting injured. Is he the same cold-hearted person she had heard about in the rumors? She wondered.

Seeing the woman being so formal with him, Zheng Xiang let out a helpless sigh and waved his hand, signaling her to go and do her work. "Now don't stand there and keep saying sorry or thank you to me. My ears will bleed from listening to the same tune you've been singing. Go and do your work. And... watch where you walk.

Don't fall again." His words sounded indifferent and cold, but his intentions were genuinely caring.

Hou Wei nodded politely, offering a slight smile, and then bowed to Prince Zheng Xiang before continuing on her way to the medicine department.

As he watched her retreating figure, a smile tugged at the corners of Zheng Xiang's lips. He never anticipated that a man known for his cold demeanor would find himself acting so tenderly towards a woman. Was this what they meant by love having the power to transform a person's character? Could it be that he... truly saw her in that light?

Perhaps, just perhaps!

If he had met her at the palace for the first time, he might not have noticed her, let alone been interested in her. At the palace, he didn't want to get involved in unnecessary scandals and complicate his life or others. Moreover, at the palace, he didn't even trust his parents completely; how could he trust a stranger nurse?

However, since he had seen Hou Wei outside and had witnessed another side of her, he was intrigued. Despite her innocent and pure, deer-like glistening eyes, her courage was no less than a fierce lioness's. Her will and intention to help others were commendable.

It's just that before helping others and jumping into situations, she didn't think much about herself or the consequences, leading to problems.

This was both her weak point and her strongest trait, which attracted him the most. As someone who had once lived in the cruel and heartless palace where everyone was behind everyone's neck and cared only about wealth and power, Hou Wei's will to save others with everything she had was commendable.

She had a courage that even he sometimes lacked!