“Miss, Miss! Something is wrong!”
Jiang Wanning was shaken awake with great force. “Shaoyao, have we reached the Naihe Bridge?”
In life, the girl Shaoyao had always said she was most afraid of reaching the Naihe Bridge to drink Lady Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness, for fear she would forget her mistress.
“Miss, what are you talking about? What Naihe Bridge?” Shaoyao helped Jiang Wanning sit up.
Haitang walked in, lifting the curtain while carrying a bowl. “Shaoyao, stop shaking Miss so much.”
She walked to the bedside and handed the bowl to Jiang Wanning. “Miss, I noticed you kept talking in your sleep during your nap. You must have had a nightmare; drink this bowl of calming tea to soothe your nerves.”
“Don’t drink the tea yet! Miss, something terrible has happened!”
Shaoyao grabbed Jiang Wanning’s hand. “Just now, the Second Young Lady accidentally fell into the water while trying to pick a lotus flower for you. The Heir happened to be nearby and jumped in to save her.”
“The moment she was pulled out, a group of noble ladies and young misses—who are usually on good terms with the mansion—arrived to congratulate you and the Heir on your betrothal. As luck would have them, they saw the whole thing. Now the Second Young Lady is crying and threatening to take her own life. You must go and see!”
Haitang was also shocked upon hearing this.
Jiang Wanning finally realized what was happening. She scanned the room’s furnishings and fiercely pinched the back of her hand.
“Hiss—”
“Miss, what are you doing?” Haitang quickly set down the bowl, took Jiang Wanning’s hand in hers, and blew on it gently.
Jiang Wanning suddenly began to laugh. As she laughed, she started to cry. She pulled Haitang and Shaoyao into a tight embrace. “I knew it… I knew it. The Heavens aren’t as blind and heartless as I was.”
“Haitang, did you do something to Miss?” Shaoyao looked suspiciously at the tea on the table.
Haitang shot her a glare.
Jiang Wanning held them both, crying and laughing for a long time, only letting go when Shaoyao gasped that she couldn’t breathe.
“Good Shaoyao, quickly help me dress and apply makeup. I want that crimson-red gown.”
“Miss, didn’t you say you disliked vibrant colors?” Despite her words, Shaoyao obediently pulled the only red gown from the wardrobe.
It had been commissioned by the Madam at a great expense, but the Young Lady had never worn it once. She wore white every day because the Heir said he preferred it.
“A festive day should naturally be celebrated with festive clothes.” Being reborn was surely the greatest of joys.
She never expected that when she opened her eyes, she would be back on the day of her betrothal to Pei Anqing.
In her previous life, Jiang Wanru had intentionally fallen into the lake under the guise of picking a lotus for her. Afterward, she claimed she didn’t want to come between Jiang Wanning and Pei Anqing, nor was she willing to be a concubine, and kept threatening to kill herself.
Normally, Wanru was incredibly attentive and caring, even helping Wanning pass secret letters to Pei Anqing and constantly telling her how much he loved her.
It turned out they had been involved long ago; the letter-passing was merely a cover for them to meet more easily. Wanning had been so foolishly convinced of her sister’s sincerity that she couldn’t bear to see her suffer humiliation or fail to find a good husband for the rest of her life.
Thus, Wanning had proposed that they marry the Heir together, with Wanru holding the position of “Equal Wife,” so that when Pei Anqing inherited the Princedom, she would become a Side Consort. After much refusal, Wanru had “reluctantly” agreed. After the wedding, she proactively kept her distance from Pei Anqing, treating him only as a brother-in-law. Her only contact with him was taking his carriage back to the Marquis Mansion to “show filial piety” on Wanning’s behalf.
Reborn now, many things had become clear.
Jiang Wanning looked at herself in the bronze mirror: red lips, dark eyebrows, hair like ink, and skin like snow.
“If you ask me, Miss should always dress like this. In all of Eastern Ling, I doubt anyone could match your beauty,” Shaoyao chirped.
Haitang chimed in, “Naturally. Not only is the Marquis handsome, but our Madam was once the most celebrated beauty in the capital. Her talent and looks were peerless. Miss looks like the Madam but possesses the heroic spirit of the Marquis’s military background. With softness and strength combined, she is truly beautiful.”
“Both of you have sweet tongues,” Jiang Wanning said, lightly pinching their noses. She then whispered a few instructions to Haitang.
“Miss, you mean…?” Haitang’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Jiang Wanning.
“It is only a suspicion. Go look for it first. Shaoyao and I will wait for you in the front hall.”
Haitang nodded, lifted her skirts, and hurried out.
As soon as Jiang Wanning reached the entrance of the front hall, she heard the sobbing voices of Jiang Wanru and Concubine Liu.
“Master, Madam, Ru’er’s heart is sincere toward her sister, but as her mother, I simply cannot bear this. Under the gaze of the public—even if the Heir was only trying to save her—the two of them have had physical intimacy. Ru’er wants to die, and I cannot let her go, but if she lives, she will have to spend the rest of her life as a lonely nun!”
Concubine Liu pulled Jiang Wanru into her arms and wailed, “My poor Ru’er…”
“Mother, this is my fate. Please let me go and let me die,” Jiang Wanru sobbed. “I was willing to pick that lotus for Sister, so I am willing to die for Sister’s happiness.”
The mother and daughter held each other and wept bitterly.
Marquis Jiang Zheng and Lady Zhou (the Madam) had their brows furrowed in deep concern. Seated in the primary seat, the Prince of Langya, Pei Yanchuan, had a face of iron, saying nothing.
“Father, Uncle,” Pei Anqing spoke up. “Wanning has always been very close to her sister. If she knew her sister could never marry because of her, she would surely be consumed by grief.”
“And how does the Heir suggest we handle this?” Marquis Jiang Zheng looked at Pei Anqing.
The best solution would be for Ru’er to marry into the family as well, but that would hurt both Wanning and Ru’er. Jiang Zheng’s daughter could marry a commoner, but she would never be a concubine.
Pei Anqing glanced at Pei Yanchuan and said softly, “Perhaps we should wait for Wanning to arrive before we decide.”
Jiang Wanning sneered inwardly. In her last life, by the time she reached the hall, the mother-daughter duo and Pei Anqing had played their parts so well that she had ended up begging Jiang Wanru to marry as an Equal Wife.
“No, having Wanning come here now will only add to her sorrow,” Lady Zhou refused flatly.
Suddenly, a flash of vibrant red charged into the room. She yanked Jiang Wanru out of Concubine Liu’s arms.
Slap! Slap!
Before anyone could react, both of Jiang Wanru’s cheeks had been slapped red and swollen.
“Wanning?” Lady Zhou called out.
“Eldest Young Lady! Ru’er did it all to pick a flower for you! She didn’t mean to have physical intimacy with the Heir! How could you?” Concubine Liu emphasized the words “physical intimacy” heavily as she wept over Jiang Wanru.
Jiang Wanru looked at Jiang Wanning in disbelief. She knew Wanning too well; like her mother, Wanning had etiquette and upbringing carved into her bones. She would never cause a public scene.
What happened today?
“Sister, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll accept any hitting or scolding you give,” Jiang Wanru wept pitifully, clutching her face.
“Wanning, you cannot blame Ru’er for this,” Pei Anqing said, his voice laced with a hint of anger.
The guests who had come to congratulate them looked at each other. Due to the status of the Prince and the Marquis, they didn’t dare speak, but their sympathy for Jiang Wanru deepened. Conversely, their impression of Jiang Wanning plummeted.
Jiang Wanning ignored them all. With a forceful shove, she pushed Concubine Liu aside.
“Eldest Young Lady, what are you doing? I am still a concubine of this household! I was only crying a few tears for my poor daughter…”