In her previous life, when she was brought back to the Su Family, she had also stayed in this inn and heard the same disparaging remarks from the maids.
Fourteen years ago, a plague swept through the capital. Noblewomen from prominent families fled to the Great Compassion Temple to avoid the epidemic, among them Madam Su Hou, who was ten months pregnant and about to give birth.
At the Great Compassion Temple, Madam Su Hou gave birth to her legitimate daughter, Su Leyun. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Su Leyun should have lived a life of luxury and ease. Unfortunately, due to a twist of fate, she was swapped with the biological daughter of a lowly servant woman and ended up in the countryside.
Endless menial labor and constant beatings and scoldings—Su Leyun suffered bitterly for fourteen years until the Su Family found her, and she learned that she was actually the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Manor.
Returning to the Su Family and reuniting with her flesh and blood, she thought her good days were about to begin, only to find herself falling into another abyss.
Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Su Family, having grown up in the wilderness since childhood, she lacked proper clothing and food, struggling even to make ends meet, let alone anything else.
Her speech, manners, clothing, and appearance were all inferior to those of Su Wan’er, the adopted daughter who had grown up in the Marquis Manor since childhood. In the vast Marquis Manor, only her mother and brother truly cared for her.
Marquis Su cared only for fame and power, paying no attention to his own biological daughter. As for Old Madam Su, her own grandmother, she was completely biased toward Su Wan’er, who had been raised under her care since childhood, suppressing Su Leyun at every turn. She even once uttered the heart-wrenching words that Su Leyun was too vulgar and lowly to be a member of the Su Family!
Su Leyun believed that she was inferior to Su Wan’er in every way, which was why she was disliked by everyone in the Su Family. So she diligently studied etiquette, rules, poetry, literature, music, tea ceremonies, flower arranging…
Enduring the pain, she slowly refined and polished herself, not only to gain the approval of the Su Family but also to be worthy of him—Li Rui, the eldest son of Academician Li’s family.
Li Rui had been engaged to the legitimate daughter of the Su Family since childhood. Su Leyun fell hopelessly in love with him at first sight, but in his eyes, the only legitimate daughter of the Su Family was Su Wan’er.
To marry Li Rui, she cast aside the dignity and reserve expected of a young lady, trying to please him in every small way. Her mother, to fulfill her wish, knelt outside Old Madam Su’s door for three days and nights, pleading bitterly, even resorting to asking her maternal grandfather, General Sun, to exert pressure.
Finally, she got her wish and married into the Li Family. She thought she could live harmoniously and spend her life with the one she loved, but things did not go as planned.
In the end, she met a tragic fate, with her loved ones dying miserably and herself meeting an untimely end…
Fortunately, heaven took pity on her and gave her a chance to start over.
Su Wan’er, I’m back. The grudges from my past life—we’ll settle them slowly…
The cold bathwater made Su Leyun sneeze. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and called for the two gossiping maids outside to bring in towels and clothes to attend to her.
As expected, the two maids pretended not to hear, just as they had in her previous life.
In her past life, she had been timid and hesitant, not daring to raise her voice. It wasn’t until Nanny Zhang came in with the tonic she had personally brewed that she finally stepped out of the cold bathtub.
A cold glint flashed in Su Leyun’s eyes as she swept all the bottles and jars from the small table beside the bathtub onto the floor.
The sound of shattering porcelain echoed loudly. The two maids hurriedly rushed in from the outer room, followed by Nanny Zhang, who was startled by the sight of the shattered fragments all over the floor.
She hastily grabbed a towel to wrap around Su Leyun and began gently drying her.
Nanny Zhang was an old servant who had served by Su Leyun’s mother’s side. In her previous life, during the most difficult days in the Li Family, it was Nanny Zhang who stayed by Su Leyun’s side. The only regret was that, in the end, Su Leyun couldn’t even afford a coffin for her.
“Miss, are you hurt? What happened?”
Su Leyun rolled up the sleeves of her slightly too-long silk sleeping gown, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the two maids standing at the door, her voice icy. “If not for this, how could I have gotten them to come in?”
As her words fell, Nanny Zhang walked up to the two girls with a stern expression and gave each of them a hard slap across the face.
The two maids covered their faces and knelt on the floor.
The maid in the pink dress stiffened her neck and defended herself, “Nanny, it’s not our fault. The young lady’s voice was too soft—we truly didn’t hear her.”
The one speaking was Xue Huan, sent by Su Wan’er specifically to put her in her place.
It was she who had just stopped the other maid from entering. In her previous life, Su Leyun had caught a chill because of this, falling ill for the entire journey. Just before reaching the capital, she had fallen into the City Moat and nearly lost her life.
Su Leyun gave a cold snort and walked up to the speaking maid, lifting her chin with one hand.
“I advise you to put away those petty, unworthy schemes of yours. The master behind you may be beyond my reach for now, but dealing with a lowly, insignificant maid like you is more than enough for me.”
Meeting those cold, star-like eyes, Xue Huan involuntarily shrank back, lowering her gaze and not daring to speak.
Inwardly, her heart pounded. How had this timid, rustic girl seemed to change completely after just a bath? That commanding presence was as if she truly were a noble young lady from a distinguished family.
Su Leyun took in their astonishment, secretly clenching the fingers hidden in her sleeve.
Given a second chance at life, she would not only protect those around her but also show those who had once looked down on her, used her, and humiliated her what it meant for the legitimate daughter to reign supreme!