“Madam, wake up, quickly!”
At her maid’s tearful cries, Shen Qingyue slowly came to.
“Madam, you’re finally awake! Quick, let me help you up. The Old Madam is raging in the back courtyard, and the Marquis has returned as well. Lühe says he’s heading to our courtyard—he’s coming to hold you accountable!”
The one speaking was Danfeng, Shen Qingyue’s head maid.
Hold her accountable?
Shen Qingyue remembered clearly that she was already dead.
Her younger daughter, Wen Ling, had been taken to the lakeside of the back garden and drowned in an accident. Her husband, Wen Shengrong, had blamed it all on her, claiming her negligent care of the child had led to the drowning.
Because of this, he took away their nine-year-old elder daughter, Wen Yao, saying she was no longer fit to look after the child and that he would find someone suitable to raise her.
Then, half a year later, her adopted sister Meng Hanyu sent word that her Yao’er had gone missing.
Only then did she learn that Wen Shengrong had handed Yao’er over to Meng Hanyu to raise—and that Meng Hanyu was in fact the mistress Wen Shengrong had secretly kept outside for years.
Shen Qingyue searched for Yao’er like a madwoman. A month later, she discovered that Yao’er had become the plaything of that perverted Old Huang in the city. When she found her daughter, the girl’s body was torn and festering beyond recognition, her mind broken—she could no longer recognize her own mother.
She died two days after being brought home.
With both daughters gone one after another, Shen Qingyue could not bear the blow. Bedridden, on the verge of death, Meng Hanyu came to see her with a smile blooming on her face.
“Sister, I’m grateful to your parents for raising me. Though I’m not your blood sister, out of our past affection, I truly cannot bear to let you go to your grave without knowing the truth.”
She gleefully recounted everything she had done.
It turned out that even before Shen Qingyue’s marriage, Meng Hanyu was already entangled with Wen Shengrong.
It turned out that the evidence of her parents’ murder had been delivered by Meng Hanyu.
It turned out that her dowry, apart from what went to the Marquis Mansion’s household expenses, had all been given to Meng Hanyu.
It turned out…
Both of her daughters had been destroyed by Meng Hanyu.
And he—not only knew it all, but let her do these things.
He even put on an act before her, using the matter of their daughters to crush her.
Shen Qingyue closed her eyes. Her parents had died brutally, her daughters had been destroyed, her younger brother had vanished, and her vast family fortune had been swallowed up by him and Meng Hanyu.
And she—relying on her position as the Marquis Mansion’s eldest daughter-in-law—had toiled like an ox and horse within its walls.
She had been as foolish as a pig, her heart full of love for Wen Shengrong.
Little did she know, he had already pushed her into an abyss of blood and suffering, and her misery had become an aphrodisiac for him and Meng Hanyu.
Something suddenly struck her, and she grabbed Danfeng’s hand. “You said the Young Master is coming to hold me accountable—accountable for what?”
Seeing the Young Madam ask this, Danfeng’s eyes reddened.
“Young Madam, have you forgotten? It’s about Fourth Miss. The matter concerning Fourth Miss has already been dealt with in the mansion. According to Lühe, the Young Master lost his temper and said he’s going to take Second Miss away, not letting her stay by your side, for fear that…”
A dull ache seized Shen Qingyue’s chest.
Her Ling’er was already gone.
Her parents had already died wronged.
Heaven was blind—why hadn’t it let her be reborn before her marriage?
Then she could have avoided the Wen family entirely, and had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
All the misfortunes of her and her natal family had begun the moment she met Wen Shengrong.
But then again, on reflection, if not for Meng Hanyu, she would never have met Wen Shengrong at all.
Better to blame herself than blame others—who told her to be so brainless!
If Heaven had sent her back to live again, was it giving her a chance for revenge?
In her previous life, she had died full of hatred, her heart brimming with unwillingness.
Since she had come back, she would take things slowly. She would definitely avenge her parents, and avenge Ling’er and Yao’er.
Not one of the people who had harmed her in her previous life would be spared.
With these thoughts, Shen Qingyue grabbed Danfeng’s hand. “Danfeng, quickly have Hongtao and Lühe hide the Second Young Miss. Don’t let anyone find her.”
Danfeng didn’t understand why the Young Madam would do this, but seeing her anxious expression, she suddenly seemed to realize something and hurried out. “Young Madam, this servant will see to it at once.”
With that, she went to the side room to find Hongtao and Lühe.
As soon as Danfeng left, Shen Qingyue looked around, and finally spotted a sewing basket on the nearby table. She lunged for it, pulled out the scissors, then returned to lie down, gripping the scissors tightly in her hand.
Footsteps soon sounded in the courtyard.
“You, guard the courtyard gate for me!”
“You, come in with me!”
With the man’s rough voice, the footsteps arrived outside the door.
The door was kicked open violently, and the Marquis strode in, his face full of fury. He crossed into the inner chamber in a few steps, radiating cold menace.
He was handsome and tall—in the capital he had once been known as the Jade-Faced General—but now, brimming with murderous aura, he looked more like the Jade-Faced King of Hell.
“Shen Qingyue, Ling’er died under mysterious circumstances, yet you sleep here like a log! The Wuding Marquis Mansion didn’t marry you in so you could be a useless good-for-nothing!”
Shen Qingyue lifted her head slightly.
This was the man. In her previous life, she had been deceived by his looks and his sweet words, as if she’d been drugged, slaving away devotedly in the mansion, emptying out her dowry, managing the Marquis Mansion, serving her mother-in-law, and attending to his daily needs.
Only before her death did she learn how vicious he truly was—not only had he destroyed her parents, but he had even schemed against their own daughters.
She struggled to control herself, to keep from leaping off the bed and stabbing him to death.
Her parents and child had died in agony after endless torment. Even as revenge, she couldn’t let them die so easily.
Besides, Wen Shengrong had martial arts training. She was no match for him now.
Seeing that Shen Qingyue said nothing and only stared at him with cold, icy eyes, Wen Shengrong’s anger flared. He stepped forward and yanked her off the bed.
Shen Qingyue tumbled to the floor, her wide sleeves concealing the scissors clutched in her hand.
Her black hair cascaded loose, her beautiful face cold and still, her eyes fixed on him with hatred.
The most important thing now was to protect Yao’er.
“Marquis, you say Ling’er died under mysterious circumstances. Then this humble wife has a question. Does the Marquis know which maidservant took Ling’er to the back garden?”
Seeing his brow furrow slightly, Shen Qingyue continued, “This humble wife may as well tell the Marquis—her name is Cuier.”
His eyes flickered, faintly shocked.
Cuier? No, it couldn’t be?
Shen Qingyue hadn’t missed the look in his eyes.
“Shen Qingyue, let me tell you—there’s something wrong with your mind. From now on, just devote yourself to running the Marquis Mansion. Ling’er lost her life because of you, and I will never allow Yao’er to be ruined by you as well. You are no longer fit to have a child at your side. I’m taking Yao’er away immediately. You had best watch yourself!”
The moment his voice fell, an old maidservant entered from outside.
“Marquis, the Second Young Miss couldn’t be found.”
Shen Qingyue’s clenched fist loosened slightly.
It seemed Hongtao and Lühe had already hidden Yao’er.
“You’ve searched everywhere?”
“This old servant sent people to search everywhere, inside and out—she’s nowhere to be found!”
Burning with rage, he turned and glared at Shen Qingyue.
“You’re behind this, aren’t you?”
Shen Qingyue looked up at him. “Marquis, we can discuss Yao’er’s matter in a moment. But I wish to ask you—Cuier belongs to Meng Hanyu. Did you know, or did you not?”
Wen Shengrong staggered back two steps, waving off the attendants and servants, staring at Shen Qingyue in shock.
“You… you’re spouting utter nonsense!”
“Am I? Did you think that by hiding Meng Hanyu outside these walls, I wouldn’t find out? Did you think you could hide the children you’ve had with her from me forever?”
He looked at her as if she were a ghost, his face beyond mere shock.
Shen Qingyue’s face was full of bitter grief. Watching his reaction, her eyes brimmed with despair.
“Marquis, I’ve lost my parents, we’ve lost our Ling’er, and my own dearest sister was the one who harmed our Ling’er—yet you knew all along and pretended not to! And now you want to take Yao’er from me too. The gods watch from three feet above our heads—are you not afraid of retribution, Marquis?”
Shen Qingyue suddenly drew out a pair of scissors, raising them with a trembling body.