Yun Juan stared at the young woman reflected in the bronze mirror, unable to believe her eyes.
The girl in the mirror had delicate features, skin as white as fresh snow, and was dressed in brilliant red bridal robes. Her bright, doe-like eyes were wide with confusion and shock.
How could she…
How could she be this young again?
As the matriarch of the Marquis of Yingchuan’s household, Yun Juan had already passed thirty. She had spent half her life managing the estate, exhausting herself for the family until wrinkles lined her face and strands of white hair had appeared.
But the person in the mirror was unmistakably still a teenage girl.
Had she… been reborn?
Her trembling gaze fell to the wedding dress she was wearing.
When she was eighteen, both she and her legitimate elder sister, Yun Xiu, had been betrothed to the Marquis of Yingchuan’s two sons.
Yun Juan was originally engaged to Xiao Lanting, the marquis’s eldest son born to a concubine.
Yun Xiu was engaged to Xiao Mingyu, the legitimate second son.
But on their wedding day, the sisters’ bridal sedans entered the marquis’s estate one after the other. It wasn’t until after the wedding ceremony, when the grooms entered the bridal chambers, that everyone realized—
The two brides had married the wrong men.
Xiao Mingyu had loved Yun Xiu wholeheartedly. He was convinced that Yun Juan had deliberately engineered the bride swap to marry him instead.
No matter how desperately she tried to explain, no one in the Marquis of Yingchuan’s household believed her.
Not even her own birth mother spoke a single word in her defense.
The reason was simple.
Yun Xiu was the legitimate daughter of the Yun family, while Yun Juan had been born to a concubine.
Although Xiao Lanting himself was also born of a concubine, he was the Marquis’s favorite son. Rumors even claimed the marquis intended to pass the title to him instead of his legitimate heir.
Compared to the concubine-born Yun Juan, the Yun family naturally preferred for Yun Xiu to marry Xiao Lanting.
For twenty years, Yun Juan endured her husband’s cold disdain and her mother-in-law’s constant ridicule. Only after her mother-in-law passed away did her relationship with Xiao Mingyu finally begin to improve.
Just when she thought she could spend the rest of her life in peace…
She had gone to sleep—
And awakened like this.
After the initial shock faded, Yun Juan quickly forced herself to calm down.
She had to find out how far the wedding ceremony had progressed.
In her previous life, the switched marriage had ruined her life.
This time, she absolutely refused to marry Xiao Mingyu.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Young Madam, the Marquis and the Madam request your presence in the warm reception hall.”
Yun Juan’s eyes lit up.
In her previous life, everyone had called her Second Young Madam.
If she was now being addressed as First Young Madam, then perhaps…
Perhaps she hadn’t married Xiao Mingyu yet!
Receiving no answer, the maid pushed open the door.
“Young Madam, please come with me.”
Not knowing what had happened, Yun Juan quietly followed behind her.
As they walked through the familiar corridors, she pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
Something wasn’t right.
In her previous life, Xiao Mingyu hadn’t discovered the bride swap until he lifted her bridal veil after the ceremony.
If she had returned to that point in time…
Why had everything changed?
Lost in thought, she reached the reception hall.
Before she even entered, muffled sobs drifted through the cotton curtain.
“Third Sister… Why would she deceive me? We may not share the same mother, but I’ve never treated her unfairly. Yet she tricked me and resorted to something so despicable as swapping brides!”
It was Yun Xiu.
Yun Juan’s mind buzzed.
Then another familiar voice rang out—her former mother-in-law, Madam Qin.
“Xiu’er, don’t cry anymore. Once she arrives, I’ll make her explain herself! Does she look down on our Lanting? Or was she simply trying to marry above her station? A sparrow dreaming of becoming a phoenix!”
“Marquis, Madam—the First Young Madam has arrived.”
The maid lifted the curtain.
Keeping her head lowered, Yun Juan stepped over the threshold.
The room was filled with faces she knew all too well.
Her former “husband,” Xiao Mingyu.
Her elder sister, Yun Xiu.
The Marquis of Yingchuan.
Madam Qin.
And…
Her former brother-in-law.
Xiao Lanting.
Still dressed in his wedding robes, Xiao Lanting stood with folded arms beside the lattice window.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with a narrow waist, the crimson wedding garments perfectly outlined his powerful frame.
His face was strikingly handsome, but his beauty carried a dangerous edge.
When expressionless, his pale eyes were cold and indifferent, giving him an aloof, noble air that kept others at a distance.
The moment Yun Juan entered, he lazily lifted his gaze.
Their eyes met.
Her mind went completely blank.
Those pale, penetrating eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through her.
Feeling strangely uneasy beneath his gaze, Yun Juan lowered her eyes and prepared to bow.
Before she could, Xiao Mingyu exploded.
“Yun Juan! You vicious woman! How dare you resort to something as shameless as switching brides! If Xiu’er hadn’t accidentally dropped her veil before the ceremony, your scheme would have succeeded! Explain yourself!”
Yun Juan froze before turning to look at Yun Xiu.
Standing behind Xiao Mingyu, Yun Xiu revealed only her eyes.
They sparkled with triumph.
And relief.
In her previous life, Yun Xiu had spent years as a neglected wife while Xiao Lanting was away. Later, she had seduced Xiao Mingyu and become his secret mistress for decades.
In the end, however, Xiao Mingyu declared that he had fallen in love with Yun Juan.
He cast Yun Xiu out to a remote country estate, abandoning her to fend for herself.
She had died consumed by hatred.
When she discovered she had been reborn to the moment before the wedding ceremony, inspiration struck immediately.
She deliberately knocked off her bridal veil, preventing the ceremony from proceeding.
Now, as long as she shifted all the blame for the attempted bride swap onto Yun Juan, she would escape unscathed.
Meeting Yun Xiu’s gaze, Yun Juan immediately understood.
Her sister had been reborn too.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke calmly.
“I knew nothing about any bride swap.”
“Before we left for the wedding, Yun Xiu sent the house steward to tell me that the eldest young master’s official duties had delayed him, and that I should wait another quarter of an hour before departing.”
The room fell silent.
Xiao Lanting’s bored expression shifted into one of curiosity as he slowly looked Yun Juan up and down.
Recovering first, Xiao Mingyu shouted,
“Stop making things up!”
“If you don’t believe me,” Yun Juan replied evenly, “summon the steward and let him testify.”
“Fine!” Xiao Mingyu snapped.
He turned to Yun Xiu.
She couldn’t show fear now.
“Let’s confront him,” she said confidently. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Soon afterward, an elderly servant announced from outside,
“Marquis, Madam—the steward has arrived.”
The steward was pushed into the room.
He immediately dropped to his knees, sweat pouring from his forehead.
“It… it was Third Miss who ordered this servant to deliver the message. She said the Eldest Young Master’s official business had delayed him, while the Second Young Master’s bridal sedan had arrived first, so Second Miss should leave ahead of schedule.”
Xiao Mingyu instantly pointed at Yun Juan.
“What else do you have to say now?”
Yun Xiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked smugly at Yun Juan.
Without saying a word, Yun Juan walked over to the steward, crouched beside him, and whispered into his ear.
“Li Wang…”
“Do you know that your son, Li Xuan, has been replacing the treasures in the Yun family’s treasury with counterfeits? He sold the genuine pieces for silver to feed his gambling addiction.”
“He now owes the gambling house a fortune.”
“While being hunted by debt collectors… he even killed one of them.”
The steward’s eyes widened in horror.
The blood drained from his face.
“W-What are you talking about?”
Yun Juan continued calmly.
“He’s hiding in the third house down the alley in Changming Lane on White Tiger Street.”
“Your only son.”
“At your age, if Li Xuan dies, do you think you’ll ever have another?”
“The authorities still haven’t identified the murderer.”
“But I have evidence.”
“If Li Xuan is convicted of murder, execution will be the least of his worries.”
“And when the Yun family discovers the missing treasures, you and your wife will repay every last coin.”
“You’ll spend the rest of your lives childless, burdened by crushing debt.”
“Have you imagined living like that?”
The steward trembled uncontrollably.
“Y-You’re lying… You heard rumors… You’re bluffing…”
“Would you like to find out whether I’m bluffing?”
Yun Juan quietly held up a number with her fingers.
The steward’s vision went black.
That number…
Was exactly how much money his son had stolen from the Yun family.