In her previous life, Wang Jiao had not lived well. She died miserably in her twenties.
By that time, Wang Si had already become the Empress Mother of the nation. She controlled a network of secret guards.
Through them, she learned many hidden scandals within the capital’s noble households.
She already knew the truth behind Wang Jiao’s death.
However, by then, she and Wang Jiao had already become enemies. She would not specifically avenge her.
It was only by chance that she exposed the crimes of the princess’s household, and Wang Jiao’s vicious mother-in-law and scumbag husband were all punished by law.
“I suppose I did avenge her.”
As the saying goes, judge actions, not intentions—Wang Si was not doing it for Wang Jiao, but the result was that the truth of Wang Jiao’s death was revealed and the perpetrators were brought to justice.
“Of course… she probably never even knew. And even if she did, with her personality, she wouldn’t be grateful anyway.”
Now that she had been reborn, Wang Jiao’s first thought was not to use her “foreknowledge” to strengthen herself or protect her family—
but to steal her life.
“Steal my life? Does she really think my previous glory came just from going into exile?”
Wang Si had already guessed Wang Jiao’s obsession, and thus her rebirth timing and plan.
She only found it amusing.
“As expected—fools remain fools. Even with rebirth, they still act stupid.”
Exile?
Did she really think it was some kind of blessing?
In her previous life, even with her portable kitchen, modern knowledge, and understanding of ingredients, the journey of over a thousand miles had still been extremely difficult.
“It’s also my fault. I was too naive in my last life, thinking they were all family. I forgot that even relatives need fate.”
An overly biased grandmother, a father who was foolishly filial and patriarchal, an elder brother who fancied himself an elite scholar but was useless, a second brother slightly better but reckless…
And the women of the second and fourth branches… and Liu Shi!
At the thought of that scheming woman, a sharp glint flashed in Wang Si’s eyes.
In prison, she had already seen Liu Shi.
At that time, she was only a concubine beside Wang Yong—not yet the future legitimate wife or the dignified marquis’s madam.
“Wang Jiao… I’m afraid you not only underestimated me, but you’ll also mistake Liu Shi for a good person.”
“Heh. I’m really looking forward to what your life on the road of exile will be like. I just hope you won’t regret it again.”
A faint smile appeared in Wang Si’s peach-blossom eyes, like shimmering starlight.
After bathing and changing into clean clothes, and having her hair dried by a maid, Wang Si went to the main hall of Begonia Courtyard.
Madam Zhao was already seated, the table filled with steaming dishes.
She waved at Wang Si. “A’Si, come eat.”
In those three days in prison, Madam Zhao had suffered greatly from hunger.
Accustomed to refined food all her life, she had been forced to eat coarse, foul-smelling prison rations.
On the first day, she and the other noblewomen still maintained dignity and refused to eat.
On the second day, the burning hunger made their stomachs ache unbearably.
On the third day, they were already snatching food like beggars.
Madam Zhao, as the matriarch, had even saved her own portion to share with others.
After three days of starvation, her stomach was in so much pain it had gone numb.
Now, seeing the clean, exquisite, hot food, she nearly forgot her dignity and wanted to devour everything.
But she restrained herself, waiting for her daughter.
She first served Wang Si a bowl of lean pork porridge.
“You’ve gone hungry for days. Your stomach is weak. Don’t eat too much or anything too greasy. Start with porridge to warm it up.”
“Mm, I understand, Mother.”
Wang Si obediently took the bowl and ate in small, careful bites.
Her etiquette was still proper, though slightly faster than usual.
Madam Zhao felt both satisfaction and heartache.
Wang Si: …Actually, I didn’t suffer at all.
She had her portable kitchen and had long since taken all the food from the marquis’s household.
In prison, she had deliberately stayed in the corner just to avoid attention.
So she could secretly eat without being discovered.
After all, she had learned from her previous life not to casually “feed” others.
She was cautious—but people around her were not blind.
Some things, no matter how carefully hidden, would raise suspicion if done too often.
In her previous life, she had treated the Wang family as her own family, believing that occupying the original host’s body meant inheriting her karma.
Unfortunately, her sincerity had been wasted on heartless wolves.
“Forget it. That’s all in the past life.”
“In this life, since Wang Jiao insists on going into exile, I’ll just follow Mother and leave the Wang family behind.”
Then she would have a new family and a new life.
“…Sigh, I wonder if A’Jiao and the others have eaten.”
Madam Zhao suddenly sighed, looking at the table of delicacies while thinking of her children still in prison.
Wang Si immediately snapped back to attention.
As a former mother herself, she understood maternal compassion.
Children might be unfilial, but a mother rarely truly abandons them.
However, Madam Zhao did not know that not only Wang Jiao, but even her two sons in the previous life had been easily manipulated by Liu Shi.
After Madam Zhao remarried, they even declared they only recognized their stepmother, not their birth mother.
Wang Si did not want her to suffer that again.
Thinking of tomorrow’s exile, she knew Madam Zhao would definitely prepare supplies for the Wang family.
“That won’t do. I can’t let those ungrateful wolves benefit so easily.”
“Even if we give it, I’ll make sure they can only look—but not enjoy it. Let them swallow their bitterness with no way to complain!”