“All dead.”
“I heard Young General Wei’s body was incomplete, his head still hanging in the enemy camp. He died the most gruesome death. Those Corpse Stitchers didn’t know how to restore his body, until a young lady…”
On Hengyang Street, a carriage slowly passed through the marketplace.
As it passed a tea stall, a hand reached out from the carriage window.
It was a young woman’s hand, with skin like congealed fat, fingers like jade bamboo shoots.
Zhu Changsheng pinched the curtain and lifted a small corner, her gaze falling on the tea stall.
A group of middle-aged men gathered at the tea stall, discussing the battle at Linshui Pass half a month ago.
“A whole group of Corpse Stitchers couldn’t match one young girl. After she arrived at Linshui Pass, she directly said she didn’t want money—she could restore Young General Wei’s body. Guess how she managed to repair his hands and feet, which the enemy had thrown into the dog kennel.”
“His hands and feet were eaten by dogs until only the bones remained. Just recovering the remains was impressive enough. Could a woman really be more skilled than those experienced Corpse Stitchers?”
“Hey, it’s true. That woman, with her clever hands, restored Young General Wei…”
The carriage curtain fell back into place.
The carriage quickly sped through Hengyang Town, heading toward Shengjing City.
Zhu Mansion.
“Where is she? I told you to fetch her, and you returned alone.”
“Madam…”
In the inner courtyard, at Songyun Residence.
Madam Zhu, Xiao Cui, scolded with visible annoyance.
Nanny Min stood outside the main hall, disheveled and grimy.
Her clothes were sticky and damp, emitting a strange, foul odor. Her garments were soiled and messy, making her extremely uncomfortable.
Nanny Min said pitifully, “It’s truly not that this servant didn’t want to bring the eldest young lady back to the mansion, but that eldest young lady…”
As soon as she entered that small courtyard, she was so frightened by the skeletons scattered around that she stumbled and fell hard into a vat.
Who knows what that vat contained—the stench nearly sent her to meet her ancestors.
“The eldest young lady is not in Yuanzhang Village. This servant inquired around the village, and the villagers said she left the village a month ago.”
“Then how did you end up in such a state?” Madam Zhu took a few steps forward, then found the smell on Nanny Min too pungent. She couldn’t help but pinch her nose and retreat a few steps.
Seeing this, Nanny Min also instinctively stepped back, her expression quite unpleasant. “The eldest young lady’s small courtyard was filled with skeletons everywhere. There was a large vat in the yard, not for holding water, but for containing some sticky, greasy liquid of unknown origin. This servant entered the courtyard, accidentally tripped, and fell into the vat.”
Only after falling in did she realize the sticky medicinal liquid was filled with human skulls. Terrified out of her wits, she screamed and fled overnight.
Crash!
The sound of a teacup shattering echoed in the main hall.
Madam Zhu then remembered the person behind her and turned sharply.
“Mother, could it be that Zhu Changsheng heard some rumors and ran away in advance? Then what should I do? I don’t want to marry that dead man Wei Yuan again and be a living widow for the rest of my life.”
The young girl speaking was the legitimate second young lady of the Zhu Mansion, Zhu Yuanshu.
Since her rebirth, Zhu Yuanshu dreamed every night of her tragic previous life.
She dreamed of marrying into the Wei Mansion, being a living widow for that short-lived ghost Wei Yuan for a lifetime, and finally being starved to death by her stepson.
When she opened her eyes again, Zhu Yuanshu found she had been reborn back to the age of fifteen.
This time, she vowed to change her fate, seize Zhu Changsheng’s good fortune, and marry Zhu Changsheng’s former husband from her past life—His Highness Prince Jing.
But now, hearing that Zhu Changsheng was not in Yuanzhang Village, Zhu Yuanshu felt anxious and flustered.Could it be that in her previous life, Zhu Changsheng only encountered His Highness Prince Jing because she left Yuanzhang Village?
In her past life, the year after Zhu Yuanshu married into the Wei Mansion, Prince Jing came to the Zhu residence to propose marriage, seeking to take Zhu Changsheng as his concubine.
Although Zhu Changsheng was only a concubine of Prince Jing, the Princess Consort Jing was a sickly woman. Within three months of marrying into Prince Jing’s Mansion, Zhu Changsheng began managing the household affairs.
While in the inner quarters of the Wei Mansion, she heard from the servants that both Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing doted on her, allowing Zhu Changsheng to make all decisions.
For a woman, being cherished by her husband was already a great fortune, let alone being valued by Princess Consort Jing, who bestowed many gifts upon her and personally taught Zhu Changsheng how to manage the prince’s household.
When Zhu Yuanshu heard that Zhu Changsheng was living better than her, she was consumed with jealousy.
In her eyes, Zhu Changsheng was nothing but an ill-omened girl, born to a mother but not raised by one—a wild child kept in a remote estate. How could she possibly live better than her?
Later, Zhu Yuanshu was poisoned by her adopted son and left paralyzed in bed.
Several years later, when she heard news of Zhu Changsheng again, it was about Prince Jing ascending the throne and Zhu Changsheng being enfeoffed as a Noble Consort.
Unfortunately, Zhu Changsheng had no such fortune—she fell ill and died just three days after being enfeoffed.
After being reborn, Zhu Yuanshu schemed day and night on how to prevent Zhu Changsheng from meeting Prince Jing.
Thus, she planned to bring Zhu Changsheng back to the Zhu residence early, so that Zhu Changsheng could marry the short-lived Wei Yuan in her place.
This way, once Zhu Changsheng was married, there would be no possibility of her being with His Highness Prince Jing.
But now…
“Madam, someone from the palace has arrived,” the gatekeeper hurried into Songyun Residence.
Zhu Yuanshu shuddered several times, her lips trembling: Someone from the palace?
Counting the days, it was around this time that the Emperor would issue an edict bestowing marriage, uniting the Zhu and Wei families.
Zhu Yuanshu was utterly panicked: “Mother, it’s the marriage edict. The Emperor is going to bestow the marriage. You must send someone to find Zhu Changsheng and bring her back, so she can marry Wei Yuan in my place. I cannot marry into the Wei family again.”
Thinking of all the experiences she had endured in the Wei family in her past life, Zhu Yuanshu felt a chill run down her spine.
After the entire Wei family—men and women alike—had perished, the members of the Wei Clan brazenly came to plunder the estate left behind by the loyal and heroic Wei family. They even forced her to adopt a child from the clan and raise him as the legitimate heir. They were nothing but a pack of wolves and tigers, devouring people without leaving even the bones.
Madam Zhu, seeing her trembling violently, changed her expression and pulled Zhu Yuanshu into her arms: “Shu’er, don’t panic just yet.”
“How can I not panic, Mother? Wei Yuan is truly dead. The tragic news of the entire Wei family perishing in battle will soon reach Shengjing. I have no time left.” Her voice carried a hint of despair, her mind in turmoil, which in turn unsettled Madam Zhu.
Over a month ago, Zhu Yuanshu fell seriously ill. After waking up, she began speaking nonsense.
At first, Madam Zhu thought Zhu Yuanshu had been possessed by an evil spirit and secretly sought someone to exorcise it.
Not only was there no improvement afterward, but her condition worsened. Even in her sleep at night, she would cry out, “I won’t marry Wei Yuan!” Yet, before this, she had eagerly awaited Wei Yuan’s triumphant return to marry her and had even asked Lord Zhu to seek an imperial marriage edict.
Who would have thought that after falling seriously ill, Zhu Yuanshu would change completely, viewing Wei Yuan and the Wei family as a den of wolves and tigers?
She even insisted that the entire Wei family would die in battle at Linshui Pass and that Wei Yuan was already dead.
Although she had already sent someone to Linshui Pass to verify this, she had not yet received any news of the Wei family’s annihilation in battle.
Everything still needed to be confirmed.For now, they still had to go out and receive the imperial decree. “Shu’er, don’t panic. First, receive the imperial decree, then send someone to find Zhu Changsheng. I’ll drag her back even if I have to tie her up.”
The words about making her marry Wei Yuan in your place were swallowed back again.
In her eyes, the Wei family was an excellent match. What if this was all just a farce stirred up by Zhu Yuanshu? Wouldn’t that just be giving an undeserved advantage to that jinx, Zhu Changsheng?
Not long after, Madam Zhu led Zhu Yuanshu to the front courtyard to receive the decree.
“By the decree of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, it is hereby proclaimed: The eldest son of the Wei Mansion, Wei Yuan, and the legitimate eldest daughter of the Zhu Mansion… are a match made in heaven. They are specially granted marriage to each other, to be wed on an auspicious day chosen at a favorable time.”
The words “to be wed” were drawn out with a lingering tone.
At the same time, a carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the main gate of the Zhu Mansion.
From the carriage, a young woman dressed in white descended.
Holding a black umbrella in her hand, she walked through the main gate of the Zhu Mansion. First, she glanced at the crowd kneeling in the courtyard, then walked straight over to the eunuch and asked, “Are you the Eunuch from the palace?”
The eunuch paused in his actions and turned to look at the young woman who had suddenly appeared at the Zhu Mansion.
The girl was as beautiful as jade and peach blossoms, with an ethereal and cold demeanor. Who was she?
“You are…”
“My name is Zhu Changsheng. There is urgent news from Linshui Pass. I must trouble you, Eunuch, to return to the palace early and report to the Emperor: All the men of the Wei Family stationed at Linshui Pass have died in battle beyond the pass. The coffins of the loyal martyrs will arrive in Shengjing in ten days.”
“What!” The eunuch exclaimed in shock, his hand trembling so violently that the imperial decree quickly slipped from his grasp.
Seeing this, Zhu Changsheng swiftly reached out and caught the decree. At the same time, the faces of Madam Zhu and Zhu Yuanshu, who were kneeling on the ground, both changed dramatically…
All the men of the Wei Family were dead!!