Yun Zi’rao had never expected that the original owner of this body had been treated so horribly in the Laundry Bureau.
The Crown Prince had promised.
He had personally said that it was only meant to be a minor punishment—a lesson, not real suffering.
He had promised that no one would truly mistreat Zi’rao.
So why hadn’t he kept that promise?
Why had he allowed the cruel servants of the Laundry Bureau to torment her into such a state?
“My Rao’er… my poor Rao’er…”
Madam Yun lowered her head and looked at the rough, cracked palms of her daughter’s hands.
Hot tears fell one drop at a time.
“I’ll never let you suffer again. Even if you’re not my biological daughter, how can fourteen years of mother-daughter affection simply be erased…”
“Madam.”
Mrs. Zhou returned and bowed.
“The physician has examined Second Miss. He said she merely caught a chill from falling into the water. He instructed the servants to prepare a bowl of ginger soup, keep her warm, let her sleep well, and sweat it out.”
Madam Yun looked surprised.
Then she wiped away her tears.
“Did the physician say anything else?”
Mrs. Zhou stepped closer.
“After he left, I privately asked about Second Miss’s health. I wanted to know whether the hardships she supposedly endured in the past had left any lasting damage.”
“And?”
“The physician said Second Miss is extremely healthy. Her body doesn’t resemble someone who has suffered hardship.”
Madam Yun frowned.
“Could it be that she recovered after three years of careful treatment?”
Mrs. Zhou slowly shook her head.
“The physician said a body that has suffered long-term hardship is different from one that has been pampered and well cared for. Even with careful recuperation, traces would remain. Yet Second Miss is in excellent health. From childhood until now, she doesn’t appear to have endured much suffering at all.”
From childhood until now?
Madam Yun was stunned.
“How is that possible?”
“Those were the physician’s exact words.”
Mrs. Zhou lowered her gaze.
“He also said there was no reason for him to deceive me. Good health is good health. A physician cannot lie or speak against his conscience.”
A thoughtful look appeared in Madam Yun’s eyes.
“In that case, perhaps I, as her mother, have been overly cautious and mistakenly treated Jun’er like some fragile treasure.”
Mrs. Zhou remained silent.
“For the past three years, all of Jun’er’s medicines have been prescribed by imperial physicians. They claimed they were nourishing tonics, and the ingredients are incredibly rare and expensive.”
Madam Yun’s tone became indifferent.
“If her body doesn’t actually need them, discontinue those prescriptions for now.”
She paused.
“Bring me the recuperation prescription the physician left for Zi’rao. Some of those nourishing herbs should be transferred to her instead. Make sure her health is restored properly.”
Mrs. Zhou hesitated.
“If the Prime Minister finds out…”
“The tonics for Jun’er have always been paid for from my dowry.”
Madam Yun’s voice turned cold.
“I decide who uses them. He has no right to interfere.”
“Besides, medicine should go to those who actually need it. It shouldn’t be wasted.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“And one more thing.”
Madam Yun glanced toward the bed.
“Zi’rao will stay with me for the next few days. Her courtyard is too isolated and too close to the lake. The damp air is bad for her health.”
Mrs. Zhou immediately understood.
“Where does Madam intend for Eldest Miss to live in the future?”
Madam Yun considered it.
“Since Tingyu Pavilion has already been given to Jun’er, it wouldn’t be appropriate to take it back. Let Zi’rao move into Shangxue Residence instead.”
She continued:
“Tell the steward to withdraw funds from the accounts and renovate Shangxue Residence completely. Redecorate everything inside and out. Whatever Tingyu Pavilion has, Shangxue Residence must have as well.”
“Understood.”
Lying on the bed with her eyes closed, Yun Zi’rao had never actually fainted.
She had heard everything clearly.
Madam Yun’s guilt and self-reproach.
The conversation between Madam Yun and Mrs. Zhou.
The physician’s diagnosis.
Even the foolish Yun Zexuan barging in to argue with Madam Yun at such a critical moment.
That had been stupidity beyond measure.
Pretending to be weak.
Pretending to faint.
Yun Zijun wasn’t the only one skilled at such tricks.
Yun Zi’rao was quite good at them herself.
And the results had exceeded expectations.
A few carefully chosen ambiguous remarks.
Just enough doubt planted in Madam Yun’s heart.
Then the wounds covering her body and the physician’s testimony did the rest, revealing exactly what kind of life “Yun Zi’rao” had endured in the Laundry Bureau.
Human emotions were complicated.
Fourteen years of mother-daughter affection.
People became attached even to cats and dogs after raising them for years.
How could a mere blood relationship completely erase that bond?
See?
A tiny bit of suffering and vulnerability was enough.
Madam Yun was already drowning in guilt.
The truth was that Madam Yun had never truly been cold toward the original Yun Zi’rao.
The problem was that the original owner had been too gentle.
Too weak.
Unable to cope with the sudden upheaval in her life.
She had been trapped by Yun Zijun’s masterful acting and repeatedly framed without any ability to prove her innocence.
Then there was Yun Zexuan’s blind protection of Yun Zijun.
And Prime Minister Yun’s excessive favoritism toward Yun Zijun, his illegitimate daughter.
Together, they had misled Madam Yun into believing that her daughter truly had been targeting Yun Zijun.
That was why she had grown disappointed time and again.
Perhaps it wasn’t as simple as assigning blame.
The original Yun Zi’rao simply lacked the power to change any of it.
That was the character setting the author had deliberately created.
The heroine was meant to suffer repeatedly, drawing readers deeper into the story.
Readers would ache for her, grow frustrated on her behalf, and desperately wait for her to fight back.
Yet in the end…
The only thing they got was news of the heroine’s death.
What?
Was the heroine’s death supposed to be the ultimate punishment for the scumbag male lead, her worthless father, and her useless brother?
What nonsense.
Why should the heroine have to die before they felt regret?
Yun Zi’rao sneered inwardly.
She was a wandering soul from another world.
A born villainess.
She intended to take revenge while alive.
She would strip them of everything they valued.
She would make them experience the agony of falling from the clouds into the depths of hell.
Madam Yun was the first chess piece she intended to use.
Powerful.
Wealthy.
In control of the entire inner household.
At the right moment, Madam Yun could help uncover Yun Zijun’s true identity.
And when that happened, the illegitimate daughter would receive exactly the punishment she deserved.
As for mother-daughter affection?
That could be set aside.
The moment Yun Zi’rao entered this body, all family ties had already ended.
The original owner was gone.
The Yun family owed her a life.
The Crown Prince, Mo Jinglin, owed her a life.
And Yun Zijun—the true culprit—should pay the highest price of all.
Yun Zi’rao had no interest in playing the role of a loving daughter.
She intended to tear this rotten script apart.
To give Yun Zi’rao a brand-new life.
A life lived openly and proudly.
A life of freedom and self-determination.
A dazzling, brilliant life.
Not the miserable existence of a tragic heroine who endured humiliation only to be framed again and again.
Thinking that the time was right, Yun Zi’rao slowly opened her eyes.
“Rao’er!”
Madam Yun had been watching her the entire time.
The moment she woke up, Madam Yun hurriedly wiped away her tears.
“You’re awake? How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
Yun Zi’rao blinked.
Her dry lips parted weakly.
“Mother… where… where am I?”
“You’re in my room.”
Madam Yun’s eyes reddened again.
“I had Mrs. Zhou prepare ginseng soup for you. Drink a little later and nourish your body.”
At those words, Yun Zi’rao’s eyes instantly turned red.
As if she had suffered an unbearable grievance, tears poured from her eyes.
“N-No…”
She broke into sobs.
“No need, Mother… really no need…”
“Save the ginseng soup for Younger Sister. I… I don’t need it…”
Seeing her so frightened and uneasy, Madam Yun’s heart felt as though it were being torn apart.
“Silly child. Your body is too weak. You need nourishment—”
“Really, I don’t.”
Yun Zi’rao shook her head anxiously and struggled to sit up.
“Mother… as long as I have rice and vegetables to eat. No… even two meals a day would be enough. I’m not greedy.”
Her voice trembled.
“Mother, I’m not your biological daughter. I don’t deserve everything the Yun family has.”
She lowered her head as tears streamed down her face.
“Those fourteen years…”
“I stole Younger Sister’s wealth and good fortune.”
“I should return them to her.”
“I should have returned them long ago…”