Jiang Yunniang and Qiuyue blocked the doorway, refusing to let anyone enter to help.
Inside, hurried sounds of dressing mixed with Jiang Bairou’s sobs. Qiuyue frowned tightly. “Second Young Madam, with such a scandal, shouldn’t Master and Madam come to uphold justice for you? Otherwise, if you’re bullied alone, what then?”
“No need to rush to the Jiang family.” Jiang Yunniang already had a plan.
Ever since learning she had been switched at birth, her mother had exhausted herself searching for her, ruining her health. In her past life, after Jiang Yunniang married Song Wenling, her mother’s condition worsened until she died within half a year.
This matter must indeed be revealed to the Jiangs—but not tonight. She feared her mother’s anger would consume her fragile body. As her father, he might not even stand on her side.
She had been reborn. If she still couldn’t handle Madam Zhang and the others, Heaven’s gift of a second chance would be wasted. Her thoughts broke as the door creaked open.
Jiang Bairou appeared.
“Elder Sister.” Jiang Bairou bit her lip, timidly called out, then slowly knelt.
“Bairou, what are you doing?” Song Wenling reached to lift her, but she tugged at him to kneel with her. “You want me to kneel and apologize to her? I won’t. A man’s knees are worth gold. I am a scholar—how could I kneel to a woman?”
He glared fiercely at Jiang Yunniang. All her fault—if she hadn’t barged in, he would have sent Jiang Bairou away quietly.
“Wen… no, Brother‑in‑law, don’t be like this.” Jiang Bairou wept, pitifully gazing at Jiang Yunniang. “Sister, all the blame is mine. If you must punish, punish me alone. This isn’t Brother‑in‑law’s fault. I… I couldn’t help myself, so I came to him.”
Her words—“couldn’t help myself”—softened Song Wenling further. He pulled her into his arms.
“Jiang Yunniang, it’s normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Bairou and I grew up together, our hearts long entwined. Even if you make a fuss, I will give her a rightful place.” He shielded Bairou tightly.
But Jiang Yunniang’s eyes held no emotion. With no expectations, there was no disappointment. The more Song Wenling cherished Jiang Bairou, the more it suited her plan.
Footsteps hurried closer—Madam Zhang had arrived. Jiang Yunniang hid her smirk, sighing instead.
“Yunniang, what are you doing?” Madam Zhang sighed before even reaching her. “I know you resent my arrangements, so you came to cause trouble at Wenling’s side. Wenling acted wrongly, and your father and I will give you an explanation. But you too are at fault—on your wedding night, how could you run out and break the rules?”
She pressed filial duty upon Yunniang: elders must be obeyed, no matter the grievance.
From Nanny Wang’s report, Madam Zhang knew Yunniang hadn’t gone to the patriarch. That meant she still cared for Wenling—just a jealous young bride. Understandable. Yet she hadn’t expected her son and Jiang Bairou to be so brazen, daring to consort under her roof.
Memories of her past life surged. On her deathbed, ignored by all, Yunniang had overheard Madam Zhang’s schemes and the Song family’s filth. Betrayed to death by Madam Zhang, now facing her again, Yunniang raised a hand to feign wiping tears, hiding the hatred in her eyes. “Since Mother already knows, how do you plan to handle it?”
“I…” Madam Zhang had expected an apology, not a demand for resolution. How could this be handled? Her gaze fell on Jiang Bairou’s tear‑stained face. The girl disgusted her now—bold enough to seduce her son under her nose. And tonight’s incident was surely not the first.
Since Yunniang hadn’t exposed it yet, the matter must be buried.
“Yunniang, this concerns your Jiang family’s reputation. Better to—”
“Better to hush it up, sweep it under the rug?” Yunniang cut her off. She had predicted this. Turning to Song Wenling, she said coldly, “But Second Young Master insists on giving Bairou a title.”
“You unfilial son!” Song Qingbai kicked his son hard. He didn’t mind Song Wenling’s affair, but to leave evidence, caught red‑handed by Jiang Yunniang, and then speak of titles—utter foolishness. Looking at Jiang Bairou’s sobbing form, he saw only a fox spirit.
Song Wenling fell to the floor, yet still declared, “Yes. Bairou and I have long been together. I must give her a title.”
At this, Madam Zhang and Song Qingbai’s faces darkened further. He had essentially confessed to illicit relations.
Feigning shock, Jiang Yunniang asked, “If that’s so, why did Second Young Master marry me?”
Song Wenling pressed his lips shut. He could not admit it was for the Lu family’s power. He had resisted at first, believing his talent alone would carry him upward. But when his cousin from the Second Branch rose swiftly in rank, leaving him far behind, he realized that without the Lu family’s support, his grandfather would never favor him. Bitterly, he agreed to marry Jiang Yunniang.
Seeing Song Wenling silent, Jiang Yunniang turned to Madam Zhang and her husband.
Madam Zhang shot her son a warning glare, then soothed, “Yunniang, don’t overthink. Wenling and Bairou were just confused for a moment. You wouldn’t want to make a scene and worry your mother, would you?”
“Yes, Mother‑in‑law is right. My mother’s health is poor, so it’s best we resolve this ourselves.” Jiang Yunniang dabbed her eyes, playing the pitiful daughter‑in‑law. “Before I wed, my mother said you and she were close friends, that you would treat me kindly, and that I should be filial and tolerant. But tonight’s matter is heartbreaking. If Second Young Master insists on giving Bairou a title, I will agree.”
Everyone thought she was still the timid, ignorant girl.
But then Jiang Yunniang’s tone shifted: “However, she must enter the Song family as a lowly concubine.”
Concubines were ranked—honored concubines, bed‑servants, and lowly concubines. Under the Great Ye law, a lowly concubine could never be elevated to wife. If Jiang Bairou entered as a lowly concubine, then for the rest of her life, she would remain nothing more than that.