Thunder rumbled outside.
Inside the warm side chamber, wisps of pale white incense drifted lazily from the bronze burner atop a red sandalwood table.
In the master bedroom of Jing Garden at the Ding’an Marquis Manor, Lady Mo Xiang, the Marchioness, sat upright in her chair, looking down coldly at the young woman kneeling before her.
The woman appeared to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Her features were graceful and refined.
Her bright eyes were as deep and clear as autumn waters. Crescent-shaped brows arched gently above them, lending her an air of quiet gentleness and tenderness.
She had a high, elegant nose and naturally rosy lips. Her dark hair was gathered into an elaborate bun adorned with delicate jade ornaments that swayed softly with every movement, producing crisp, melodious chimes.
A few loose strands framed her face, adding a touch of effortless charm.
“Madam, Qingqing has grown up by your side since childhood. I’ve served you as faithfully as a sister. For your sake, my hands have been stained with blood. I ask for neither wealth nor honor. I only beg you to let me safely give birth to the child in my womb.”
“Qingqing,” Mo Xiang replied coolly, “the Marquis dotes on you more and more each day. He no longer even wishes to step into my rooms. And now you keep bearing child after child. If this continues, where will there be any place left for me in this household?”
“Madam, I’ve never once tried to compete for the Marquis’s affection. Young Master Yuan and Young Master Cheng are both registered under your name. What is there left for you to worry about?” Qingqing cried as she clutched the hem of Mo Xiang’s dress.
Qing Concubine.
That was the title she had been given after entering the Marquis’s household.
“Qing Concubine, you’re truly remarkable,” Mo Xiang sneered. “Two sons weren’t enough for you—you had to become pregnant again. Look at me. I am the rightful Marchioness of Ding’an Marquis Manor, yet after ten years of marriage, I still have no children. Aren’t you deliberately humiliating me?”
“Madam, please… for the years I’ve served you, spare my life. I swear that once this child is born, I’ll leave. I’ll go far away and never appear before you again. Please…”
“Qingqing…” Mo Xiang sighed softly before her expression turned icy. “It’s too late. If you must blame someone, blame yourself. For the sake of all the years we’ve shared as mistress and servant, I’ll at least leave your body intact. I’ll raise those two boys as though they were my own sons. You may go in peace.”
“Miss! Miss, please! Spare the child in my womb! Let me give birth first—even if you kill me afterward, I’ll accept it! Miss—”
“Nanny Chen, bring the poisoned wine.”
Mo Xiang rubbed her forehead, her voice devoid of warmth.
“Miss… Qingqing begs you… please spare my child…”
“Zixi, are you still standing there? Stuff her mouth. Her wailing is giving me a headache.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Two maids pinned Qing Concubine to the ground while Nanny Chen pried open her mouth and poured the poisoned wine down her throat.
Only after Qingqing had completely stopped struggling and could no longer make a sound did Nanny Chen wipe the moisture from her hands. She then bent respectfully toward the Marchioness, who remained seated upon the couch.
“Reporting to Madam, Qing Concubine has stopped breathing. This old servant will have someone throw the wretch into the mass grave outside the city. As for the Marquis…”
“I’ll deal with the Marquis myself. Just dispose of her.”
“Yes, Madam. This old servant will leave the estate immediately.”
“Go. Tell Zixi to send word the moment the Marquis returns.”
“Understood, Madam. Dingxiang, attend to Madam and help her rest.”
With that, everyone returned to their duties.
The room was quickly cleaned until no trace of what had happened remained, as though the murder had never taken place.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning split the heavens, startling the birds from the trees into frantic flight.
“Ah!”
The figure on the bed suddenly jolted upright, clutching her head as a sharp pain tore through it.
W-Where am I?
Wasn’t I just forced to drink poisoned wine by Madam?
Could this be the underworld?
But… this room doesn’t look anything like it.
“Qingqing! Qingqing! You lazy girl, are you still not up? Have you finished the errand Miss gave you? How dare you laze around!”
Qingqing…
Miss…
What’s going on?
She hurried to open the door.
Standing outside was Nanny Chen—Miss’s wet nurse.
Frightened, Qingqing instinctively stumbled backward. Her heel caught the leg of a chair, and she fell heavily onto the floor.
“Nanny… Nanny, please spare my life!”
She scrambled back to her feet, threw herself at the older woman’s legs, and burst into tears.
“You silly girl, what’s gotten into you today?” Nanny Chen frowned as she crouched down and touched Qingqing’s forehead. “Did getting caught in the rain wash your brains away?”
“Rain?” Qingqing stared at her blankly. “What are you talking about, Nanny?”
Something felt terribly strange.
Nanny Chen looked… much younger than she remembered.
What was happening?
“You’re not running a fever…” Nanny Chen muttered. “Has your head really gone muddled? Hurry and get dressed. Wash your face, then go see Miss. She has something for you to do.”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.
What’s going on?
Miss?
Not… Madam?
Still dazed, Qingqing wandered to the dressing table.
The moment she saw the reflection in the bronze mirror, she froze.
What…
How could this be?
The young woman reflected there had exquisitely delicate features. Willow-leaf brows framed clear, limpid eyes like autumn waters. Her nose was straight, and her lips were soft and rosy.
That was…
Her younger self.
Could it be…
Had she really been reborn after death?
How was that possible?
Determined to uncover the truth, Qingqing stepped outside.
The courtyard looked achingly familiar.
It was the very courtyard where Miss had lived before her marriage.
Mo Xiang was the second daughter born to a concubine of the Mo family in the capital. Unfavored since childhood, she had been banished by the Master and Madam of the Mo family to this remote little courtyard. Only her wet nurse, Nanny Chen, and her personal maid, Qingqing, remained by her side.
Following the familiar stone path, Qingqing arrived outside her mistress’s room.
When she saw the woman seated beside the table, she stopped in her tracks.
It was Madam.
No…
It was Mo Xiang as she had been in her youth.
“You silly girl, what are you standing there daydreaming for?” Mo Xiang scolded with a smile. “Did you buy the medicine I told you to get yesterday?”
“M-Madam… no… Miss…” Qingqing stammered awkwardly. “What medicine did you ask me to buy?”
“You’ve actually forgotten?” Mo Xiang snapped, irritation flashing across her face. “I reminded you over and over yesterday to buy that medicine from the pharmacy. Tomorrow is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I miss it, it’ll be even harder to meet the Heir of the Ding’an Marquis Manor again.”
Tomorrow…
She had returned to the day before Miss seduced the heir.
Could it really be true?
Had Heaven truly granted her another chance at life?
“Miss, I brought what you wanted.”
Just as in her previous life, Qingqing reached into her robes, took out the packet of medicine she had purchased from the pharmacy in the city, and handed it to Mo Xiang.
“At least you’re reliable,” Mo Xiang said with satisfaction. “If everything goes smoothly tomorrow and I succeed in meeting the Heir, I’ll reward you generously.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
Go smoothly?
How could it not?
In her previous life, it was this very packet of medicine that had allowed Mo Xiang to successfully seduce the heir. Their relationship had been consummated, and she had married into Ding’an Marquis Manor as its future Marchioness.
As for Qingqing…
She had ultimately met a miserable end, abandoned without even a proper burial.
But Heaven had given her a second chance.
This time, she would never again foolishly devote her entire life to Mo Xiang alone.
She would never again become a disposable pawn, only to be cast aside in the end…
…and die with both herself and her unborn child.