As time passed, the maid who had found the bracelet left the estate to marry. Having grown tired of its design, she eventually pawned it.
Trapped within the bracelet, Lin Yaoniang watched as it changed hands until one day it was purchased by a young boy as a birthday gift for his younger sister, Lingdang.
Lingdang was exceptionally intelligent and deeply fascinated by medicine. As she grew up, Lin Yaoniang remained by her side, gradually becoming familiar with countless medicinal herbs and prescriptions.
The more medical knowledge she acquired, the more she came to understand her mother’s prescription.
It had never been medicine at all.
It was slow poison.
Her mother hadn’t fallen gravely ill by chance—she had been poisoned.
And the appetite-stimulating prescription she had taken during pregnancy, along with the rich, greasy foods and nourishing soups she had been encouraged to consume, had all been carefully designed to make her baby grow too large, ensuring a fatal, difficult labor.
From beginning to end…
It had all been a meticulously planned scheme.
Su Wanrou herself knew little about medicine, but Madam Zhou, the nurse who served by her side, had been personally selected by Su Wanrou’s mother because of her exceptional medical expertise.
Everything finally made sense.
That vicious woman, Su Wanrou!
To achieve her goals, she had stopped at nothing.
She first poisoned Lin Yaoniang’s mother, forcing her into the Pei household as nothing more than a tool to bear children. Then she pretended to care by sending nourishing supplements during Lin Yaoniang’s pregnancy, when in reality she was deliberately overfeeding the unborn child so that mother would die in childbirth, leaving only the baby behind.
She had already destroyed Lin Yaoniang’s entire family.
But what had her innocent child ever done?
When Su Wanrou had been unable to conceive, she had once lovingly held Zhan’er in her arms and doted on him. Yet the moment she gave birth to her own son, she couldn’t wait to eliminate the inconvenient eldest son born of a concubine.
How could she be so utterly heartless?
Hatred grew wildly within Lin Yaoniang’s heart until it reached its peak.
Then fate played a bizarre joke on her—
She was reborn.
She was no longer Lin Yaoniang.
She had become Shen Yunshuang—the breathtakingly beautiful cousin whose very existence had once kept Su Wanrou awake night after night.
When she first awakened in this body, the experience was so unbelievable that her mind remained in a daze for days.
She retained all the memories of her previous life.
At the same time, Shen Yunshuang’s memories were still intact.
She couldn’t understand why she had been reborn as Shen Yunshuang.
According to Lin Yaoniang’s memories, this frail cousin had succumbed to illness just three months after arriving at the Pei Residence to seek refuge with her aunt. The exhausting journey, coupled with her grief over her late mother, had been too much for her fragile body.
But now…
Though her health was still delicate, she hadn’t died.
She was alive.
That alone was more than she could have hoped for.
She had a new identity, yet she was still within the Pei Residence.
And her enemy, Su Wanrou, was still alive.
Once she sorted through everything, Lin Yaoniang broke down in tears.
She vowed to dedicate this entire lifetime to revenge.
Her hatred had festered for far too long.
This life, she would never allow that venomous woman, Su Wanrou, to die peacefully.
Because of the nightmare she’d had the previous night, Shen Yunshuang looked particularly pale. Sitting before her dressing table, she instinctively raised a hand to massage her forehead.
Xuezhi carefully arranged her thick, cloud-like hair into an elegant coiffure before securing it with a jade-green hairpin decorated with delicate blossoms.
Noticing the exhaustion on Shen Yunshuang’s face and the faint shadows beneath her eyes, Lurui asked softly,
“Miss, would you like to apply some face powder today?”
Shen Yunshuang looked at her reflection.
In her previous life, she had never crossed paths with this cousin. Seeing her face now, she finally understood why Su Wanrou had regarded Shen Yunshuang as such a formidable threat.
The young woman in the mirror possessed graceful brows like distant mountains, captivating eyes filled with tenderness, a delicate nose, and cherry-red lips.
Every feature was flawless.
Most striking of all was her naturally fragile, pitiful aura. Even the slightest furrow of her brows was enough to stir pity in anyone’s heart.
Her skin was as fair as snow, her beauty entirely natural, so she rarely wore makeup. But today she truly looked haggard, so she nodded, allowing to dust a little powder beneath her eyes to conceal the dark circles.
Just then, a maid came to announce that Shiliu, the senior maid serving by Madam Wang’s side, had arrived.
Shen Yunshuang immediately abandoned her makeup and instructed them to invite her in.
Although she was Madam Wang’s own niece by blood, she had only recently arrived at the residence. As the saying went, it’s easy to meet the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with his underlings. Naturally, she couldn’t afford to slight her aunt’s trusted maid.
Escorted in by a young servant girl, Shiliu entered the room.
She was tall and graceful, dressed in a light green satin jacket over a ginger-yellow skirt. Two pearl hair ornaments adorned her neat black bun, while a coral bracelet circled her wrist. Judging from her attire alone, she looked more elegant than many noble ladies outside.
She had a gentle oval face and wore a warm smile as she bowed.
“This servant greets Young Lady Cousin. Hearing that your health has improved, Madam has been thinking of you constantly. She has specially sent me to invite you to Fuxi Hall for a chat.”
As she spoke, Shiliu discreetly observed Shen Yunshuang.
She had seen many beautiful women before, but the young lady before her truly stood at the very top. Not only was her face flawless, but her graceful figure was equally captivating.
Upon hearing that her aunt wished to see her, Shen Yunshuang readily agreed.
According to Shen Yunshuang’s memories, Madam Wang had always cherished this niece deeply. When Shen Yunshuang had first arrived, Madam Wang had embraced her and wept before arranging for her to stay in the peaceful and elegant Ningxiang Residence.
Unfortunately, the exhausting journey and grief over her mother’s death had caused the original Shen Yunshuang to fall seriously ill almost immediately after arriving.
Heartbroken, Madam Wang had summoned physicians to treat her and asked about her condition every single day.
Now that she had finally recovered, Madam Wang naturally couldn’t wait to see her.
“I’ve missed Aunt terribly as well. Please allow me a moment to tidy myself, and then I’ll accompany you.”
Since Shiliu was waiting outside, Shen Yunshuang didn’t spend much time dressing.
She changed into a dark gray gauze dress embroidered with cloud patterns, applied a light pink lip tint, and brushed a hint of rouge onto her cheeks, making her already exquisite face appear even more radiant.
Once she was properly dressed, she followed Shiliu toward Fuxi Hall.
It was the height of summer.
The flowers in the garden bloomed in dazzling profusion.
As they walked, Shen Yunshuang noticed a flourishing cluster of pink-and-white peonies. Their blossoms were enormous, with layers upon layers of petals. A gentle breeze carried their elegant fragrance, refreshing both body and mind.
Passing through the garden, they crossed a pink-and-white moon gate, beyond which lay a tranquil lake. At its center stood a square pavilion, clearly intended for escaping the summer heat while admiring lotus blossoms.
The Pei family had served as government officials for generations.
The sheer extravagance of their private garden alone testified to the family’s immense wealth and prestige.
After walking for about the time it took to burn one stick of incense, they finally arrived at Fuxi Hall.
Several elderly servants were already waiting beneath the covered corridor.
The moment they saw Shen Yunshuang, one of them approached with a warm smile.
“Young Lady Cousin, you’ve finally arrived. Madam has missed you so much she’s been unable to sleep at night.”
Shen Yunshuang recognized her as Nanny Liu, one of Madam Wang’s most trusted attendants.
Not wishing to appear arrogant, she smiled politely and inclined her head in greeting.
Nanny Liu treated Shen Yunshuang with exceptional courtesy, personally supporting her arm as she escorted her into the main hall.
Though it was midsummer and unbearably hot outside even beneath a parasol, the moment Shen Yunshuang stepped into Fuxi Hall, she felt a refreshing coolness.
The spacious hall was bright and airy, its floor covered with a crimson carpet woven with cloud patterns. Several large bronze braziers stood in the corners, each filled with blocks of ice that cooled the entire room.
Madam Wang was dressed in a dark indigo brocade jacket paired with an ivory horse-face skirt.
The instant she saw Shen Yunshuang, delight filled her face.
“Shuang’er.”
Smiling warmly, Shen Yunshuang hurried forward, curtsied gracefully, and greeted,
“Aunt.”
“No need for such formalities. Come, sit.”
As Madam Wang spoke, a maid stepped forward to help Shen Yunshuang into her seat.
Madam Wang then ordered hot tea and refreshments to be served. Holding Shen Yunshuang’s hand, she carefully examined her.
“You’ve grown thinner, though your complexion looks better. Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?”
Though Madam Wang was already in her early forties, meticulous care had kept her skin fair and smooth, making her appear no older than a beautiful woman in her thirties.
Looking into Madam Wang’s graceful face, Shen Yunshuang froze for a brief moment.
Along with the original Shen Yunshuang’s instinctive affection for her aunt, another memory surfaced—
The words Madam Wang had spoken during her previous life’s difficult labor.
‘Save the child. Forget the mother.’
It wasn’t only Su Wanrou.
Madam Wang, too, had been an accomplice in sending her to her death.