"Where did this stinking beggar come from? Go away, don't block the way for the general's wedding!"

The sounds of disgust and the festive suona horn clamored incessantly in her ears, as if she were having a nightmare of sleep paralysis. Qu Jingyun's chest pounded violently, blending with the festive music.

She suddenly opened her eyes!

The general's mansion was covered in red silk, creating a festive atmosphere. The two large stone lions in front of the gate were polished to a shine, and a servant dressed in drab gray stood before him.

What happened? She had just survived a flash flood, risked her life to protect the children before falling off a cliff, and finally managed to find her way back to the General's Mansion, only to be met with a servant's disrespect!

Qu Jingyun was both shocked and angry, but when she lifted her eyelids, she was somewhat taken aback.

Isn't this her dowry servant, Xiao Liu?

“You’ve gotten so old!” she blurted out.

Xiao Liu frowned and said, "What nonsense are you spouting, you stinking beggar!"

He still looks the same as I remember, but why has his temper gotten so much worse?

As the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Qu Jingyun was pampered and spoiled since childhood. When had she ever suffered the rudeness of a servant?

Her face immediately darkened, and she snapped, "You foul-mouthed beggar! Don't you even recognize me?"

lady?

Xiao Liu pouted and was about to speak when Qu Jingyun interrupted him.

"Tell me, when you were seven years old, weren't you a beggar on the street? I took you in and made sure you had enough to eat and wear in the Minister's mansion. Back then, you had a skin disease, and I was the one who called a doctor to treat you. After you recovered, you swore to be loyal to me for life. How come you've forgotten the oath you made?"

As Xiao Liu listened further, his mouth gaped open like an egg. He stared at her in shock, scrutinizing her from head to toe, only to realize that she looked very familiar!

"You, you are the old lady!"

"You were once a beggar, yet now you look down on beggars like this..."

Qu Jingyun was still criticizing him with a stern face when, unexpectedly, a cry suddenly rang out, and Xiao Liu knelt down in front of her with a thud.

"Awoo!"

"Madam, you're finally back! Five years ago, you went to the temple to pray for blessings, but you fell off a cliff and never came back. We all thought you were dead!"

Qu Jingyun was stunned. Five years? Hadn't she just climbed back down the cliff? How could five years have passed?

While Xiao Liu was still crying in her ear, Qu Jingyun slowly sorted out the current situation.

Her childhood sweetheart husband was sent to guard the frontier because his merits overshadowed the emperor's.

Her mother-in-law thought she was a jinx, and through her influence with her distant cousin, she had raised her children terribly and even looked down on her.

In reality, it was only because her husband was too powerful and threatened the emperor that she went to offer incense and pray for blessings. Unexpectedly, her horse was startled on the way and she fell off a cliff.

When I open my eyes again, it's now.

But just a quarter of an hour ago she climbed up from the bottom of the cliff, and now it's already five years later? All of this happened too fast, Qu Jingyun found it hard to accept, her chest heaving violently. Suddenly remembering, she hurriedly asked, "What kind of happy occasion is the General's Mansion holding now?"

Xiao Liu stammered, "This...this is the eldest young master welcoming his wife into the family."

"A concubine?!"

Qu Jingyun was so shocked that her jaw dropped, and she quickly strode towards the wedding hall.

Her husband had promised that she would be his only wife and that he would never take a concubine. Their son, influenced by what he saw and heard, should also follow this example.

Moreover, back when her eldest son was born, she had already arranged for him to marry Yin Xue, the daughter of her best friend and the daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue. The two were childhood sweethearts and had even received an imperial decree for their marriage. They had always been a loving and happy couple. How could a concubine suddenly appear?!

She rushed to the wedding hall, where a harmonious and beautiful atmosphere filled the air. Sitting on the high seat was her distant cousin, Qi Yun'er, who was smiling brightly. The other guests were also all smiles.

Only one beautiful woman paled, her eyes clouded with heartache, yet she clutched her handkerchief tightly and forced a smile.

Guests around were whispering among themselves.

"Alas, poor Lady Yin. She never broke off the engagement when the General's Mansion was in its most difficult time. I heard that she even secretly used her dowry to help the General's Mansion. Now she has to suffer this humiliation."

"Who says otherwise? Shen Song is blind too. Years ago, he was having an affair with that woman. It wouldn't have been a big deal if she had been a concubine, but he insisted on making her a secondary wife..."

Looking at her daughter-in-law's pained expression, Qu Jingyun grew even angrier.

"The newlyweds bow to each other."

The happy voice of the matchmaker rang out from inside the wedding hall.

Qu Jingyun's face darkened, and she immediately shouted, "Wait!"

A deep rage was brewing within her, and her face was unusually grim.

The eldest son, Shen Song, frowned, straightened up, and said, "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble in my General's Mansion!"

Qu Jingyun looked at her eldest son, and was even more shocked, unsure whether she was more surprised or angry.

Her husband was a renowned general in the entire Xiao Kingdom. His cold face dominated the capital, and his aura was like that of a bloodthirsty demon, making every woman in the capital both love and hate him. Whenever he stood there, he would definitely be the focus of the entire place.

But the person in front of me is definitely my eldest son.

Five years ago, she was all smiles. Now, at twenty-one, her face still resembles her husband's, but her whole demeanor and every gesture are like that of a nouveau riche. She has none of the air of a general's son!

"And you, didn't you see it was my wedding day? You dared to let any beggar in? Don't you want to live?!"

Qu Jingyun, whose mind was in turmoil, was startled back to her senses by this rebuke.

Xiao Liu knelt on the ground, his face pale.

Qu Jingyun immediately stepped forward, stood in front of Xiao Liu, and shouted, "What? You married a concubine from who-knows-where, and you don't even recognize your own mother anymore?"

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