It was an early April morning, the spring breeze was gentle, the flowers and trees in the Jingyang Marquis Mansion in the capital were lush, and several maids were sweeping the courtyard.
They were listless, not as cheerful as usual, and all looked worried, talking among themselves:
"Oh, the second young master is so unlucky! On the wedding day yesterday, after he finished his wedding ceremony, before he had time to enter the bridal chamber, the mansion was in chaos." The green-shirted maid sighed.
A companion asked in confusion, "Strange! Why was the Crown Prince suddenly arrested by the Ministry of Justice? Those officers are so ferocious and vicious, causing panic among the people."
"Who knows? The Marquis was so anxious that his old illness relapsed on the spot. The Second Young Master went out to get information and did not return all night." The green-shirted maid had just finished speaking when another companion came closer and said:
"Not only that, there's something even more bizarre. I heard that the new second young master's wife hanged herself yesterday at noon!"
"Ah? Dead?"
"He didn't die. He was saved by the second young master who happened to go back to his room to change clothes."
The green-shirted maid scoffed and asked, "Everyone in the mansion knows that Miss Jiang shamelessly and shamelessly slept with her future brother-in-law in order to marry into the Marquis's mansion. She clearly got what she wanted, so why did she commit suicide?"
"If you do something so shameful, your parents will lose face, and your husband's family will look down on you. You can't survive like this."
"Of course! Tsk, why would the Second Young Master be willing to marry her?"
"Lust blinds one's mind. That woman is beautiful, charming and wanton, and she is born to please men—"
At this moment, the maidservant near the door suddenly said nervously: "Little hooves, stop gossiping, the old lady is here!"
Everyone was startled and immediately fell silent and dispersed, waving their brooms to sweep up the firecracker debris from yesterday's wedding.
In a moment, Wang, the wife of Marquis Jingyang, arrived, hurriedly stepped into the moon-shaped gate, and walked towards the courtyard where her second son lived with an expressionless face.
Inside the room, the unconscious Jiang Yushu stirred, half asleep and half awake, the screech of brakes, the sound of two cars colliding, and terrified screams echoing in her mind over and over again. She was sorting documents in the back seat when the violent collision occurred. She was not wearing a seatbelt, and her head smashed heavily into the side window, killing her instantly.
However, her soul traveled through time at the moment of her death and became a young girl who hanged herself on her wedding day.
"Second Young Master Madam, you're finally awake!"
Jiang Yushu turned her head at the sound, her head spinning and her mind swirling. She first saw a round-faced maid with a bun on her head, then was immediately captivated by the dazzling red: red quilt, red pillow, red curtains, red drapery, red lacquer furniture, red "囍" characters, etc. This was the bridal chamber of the second son of the Marquis of Jingyang, a magnificent and ornate bridal chamber with carved beams and painted buildings.
"Madam, how do you feel?"
Jiang Yushu regained consciousness and opened her mouth to answer, but her throat suddenly ached, and she felt hungry and weak. She could only manage a quick "you" before a cold sweat broke out. She curled up on her side and instinctively reached up to touch her neck, only to find a circle of bruises, red and swollen, from the wounds of hanging.
"My name is Xiaotao, and I'm here to serve you on the old lady's orders." As she spoke, Xiaotao took the warm medicine from the table and returned to the bedside. "Don't worry, the doctor said your injury is not serious and you will recover in a few days of rest. It's time to take the medicine."
Jiang Yushu sat up with difficulty. Having just traveled to another world, she was at a loss and stared at the black medicine with caution.
Seeing this, Xiao Tao mistakenly thought that the other party still wanted to commit suicide, so she advised: "Young Madam, please don't do anything stupid again. If the Second Young Master hadn't happened to save you yesterday, the consequences would be disastrous." Before she finished speaking, a shout came from the door:
"She is seeking death, who can stop her? Does she have to be tied up all day long? Poor Honglei, he is so unlucky to marry such an unlucky person!" Lady Wang, the wife of Marquis Jingyang, walked around the screen and stood in front of the couch. She looked down at her new daughter-in-law with a headache.
"Madam." Xiao Tao knelt down and bowed, then stood aside with her head lowered.
Jiang Yushu's face was pale, her temples were throbbing and aching, her head felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, and she looked at the wealthy woman surrounded by pearls and emeralds in surprise.
Wang, nearing fifty, had always lived a life of luxury and prestige, possessing an overbearing air. Her brow furrowed, her eyes filled with disdain as she coldly questioned, "Other families' new brides offer tea to their parents-in-law the next morning, yet you, on your wedding day, committed suicide! Your father is currently the Minister of Works, and the Jiang family is considered a wealthy family. How could they raise a daughter like you?"
"I, cough, cough." Jiang Yushu's voice was hoarse, her throat was dry and burning, she covered the bruises with her hands and coughed hard, unable to speak.
"What? Did you strangle yourself into muteness?" Wang's face was cold, and she glanced at the maid beside her. "What did the doctor say?"
Xiao Tao stepped forward and answered, "He said the Second Young Master's wife is fine. After a few days of rest, her voice will recover."
"Hmph." The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged glances, each displeased. Wang raised her chin, her eyelids drooping as she spoke in disappointment, "At first, I had my eye on the second young lady, Yushan. Who could have known you would rig your father's birthday banquet, drugging Honglei and seducing him, resorting to any means necessary to steal your brother-in-law away? Such behavior is truly despicable."
You misunderstood! In fact, Miss Jiang was framed. She was unable to defend herself, humiliated and wronged, heartbroken and desperate, so she took her own life. Jiang Yushu endured the discomfort, took a few deep breaths, and quickly sorted out the original owner's memory in her mind. She struggled to explain: "Actually, I didn't -"
"You're still trying to deny something that happened right in front of everyone?"
"If Honglei hadn't been unable to bear watching you being beaten to death by the Jiang family, you wouldn't have succeeded. I thought, I thought you'd behave yourself after marriage, but you'd be so desperate the moment you walked in. You're a real troublemaker! Furthermore, Hongyao was arrested the moment you walked in. It's clear you're a deadly scoundrel!" Wang was furious. After a barrage of scolding, she sternly ordered, "Xiaotao, it's up to her to take the medicine. Anyway, the Marquis of Jingyang doesn't owe her anything, nor do we want to keep her as a daughter-in-law."
"Yes." Xiao Tao said respectfully.
Jiang Yushu was injured and could only endure it and think of a solution secretly.
Wang Shi made up her mind and said without hesitation: "When Hong Lei comes back, I will immediately order him to write a letter of divorce. You can take the letter and the dowry back to the Jiang Mansion. We would rather work hard to find another husband than have you, a troublemaker who ruins the family!" After she finished speaking, she turned around and left. But before she even stepped out of the door, her trusted maid ran up to her and reported in tears:
"Ma'am, something terrible has happened!"
Wang's face changed and she asked hurriedly, "What happened?"
The maid knelt on the ground with weak legs and stammered, "The Second Young Master is back, bringing back the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's—"
Wang's eyes lit up, and she asked anxiously, "Is the prince back? Where is he? Quickly ask him to come see me!"
The maid stammered, her voice as trembling as a mosquito's, and replied, "The Second Young Master has taken the Crown Prince to the South Courtyard... Please accept my condolences."
"My condolences?" Wang was stunned for a moment, her vision blacking out as she stumbled back, nearly falling. The maids and servants hurried to help her, but they were violently shoved away. Terrified, Wang stumbled towards the south courtyard.
Because of the screen and curtains, the people in the bedroom could not hear clearly.
After watching her mother-in-law leave, Jiang Yushu finally woke up completely. She calmed herself down and sat up straight.
Xiao Tao reminded him, "You are injured. You should lean back and rest."
Jiang Yushu shook her head. After being scolded by her mother-in-law, she no longer doubted the medicine. She reached out to take it, drank it slowly with her neck stiff, and said "thank you" habitually at the end.
Xiao Tao was stunned for a moment, pursed her lips and placed the empty bowl on the tray. "This is my job, and I don't deserve your thanks."
The warm and cool decoction that was applied to her throat moistened it, and Jiang Yushu felt much better. She pointed to the outer room and asked hoarsely, "What were they talking about just now?"
Xiao Tao hesitated and replied, "I didn't hear the details clearly. However, the prince must have returned home, and the old lady must be anxious to visit him."
Jiang Yushu seemed lost in thought, her stomach rumbling twice, clearly audible in the quiet room. She sighed and asked awkwardly, "Is there anything to eat? I haven't eaten in three days."
Before hanging herself, she had gone on a hunger strike at her parents' home? Was she unhappy about marrying the Second Young Master? Xiao Tao was stunned again, then replied hesitantly, "Yes, yes. Please wait a moment. I'll ask the kitchen to make some light porridge and soup." After a pause, she looked at the new young lady, who was nothing like the sultry and wanton woman the rumors said, and pleaded, "I'll be back soon. Please don't do anything stupid again, otherwise, the higher-ups will definitely not forgive me."
Having luckily come back from the dead, how could I seek death again? Jiang Yushu nodded firmly and smiled, "I will never seek death again."
Xiaotao smiled happily and left quickly with the small tray.
In a blink of an eye, Jiang Yushu was the only one left in the room.
She sighed, looked around carefully, then threw off the quilt and got off the bed. She held onto the bedpost to steady herself, walked to the dressing table, sat down on the embroidered cushion, and silently stared at the beautiful face in the bronze mirror: skin as white as jade, bright eyes and white teeth, dignified and elegant.
This appearance is 80% similar to Jiang Yushu when she was a girl.
The two had the same name and surname, and were born on the same day and month at the same time. However, the original owner was only sixteen, while Jiang Yushu, who died in a car accident, was twenty-four and had been working at the Agricultural Science Research Institute for several years.
Jiang's mother died of illness after giving birth to a daughter, and Jiang's father remarried to Xu, who bore him a daughter and two sons. All of the daughters were betrothed. Jiang's father arranged for the eldest daughter, Yushu, to be married to his first wife's nephew, a childhood sweetheart and a close relative. Xu, after much trouble, arranged for the second daughter, Yushan, to be betrothed to the second son of Marquis Jingyang.
In terms of family background, the Marquis of Jingyang's Mansion is far superior to the small scholarly families.
But Jiang Yushu understood that the original owner had never been jealous of her sister being able to marry into the Marquis's Mansion. She only had her cousin in her eyes and heart, and she sweetly looked forward to the Pei family coming to marry her next year even in her dreams.
Unexpectedly, at Jiang's father's birthday party a month ago, the original owner was framed and ended up sleeping in the same bed with her drunk future brother-in-law in disheveled clothes!
The scandal shocked her family and friends, and the rumors were unbearable. The Pei family was far away in Jiangnan, and the weak-willed original owner could not bear it. After several failed suicide attempts at her parents' home, she was forced into a sedan chair and hastily married off. Finally, after the wedding ceremony, she took advantage of the solitude of her bridal chamber to hang herself.
Jiang Yushu sat in front of the mirror for a long time, then let out a long sigh. She stood up and walked to the outer room. She tentatively pulled on the door. With a creaking sound, the door was pushed open. The two maids guarding the door poked their heads out, revealing a hint of impatience. They asked,
"What does the Second Young Master's wife want?"
"The master has ordered you to stay in the house and recuperate. You don't need to go out unless necessary."
House arrest? Jiang Yushu frowned and replied calmly, "I understand." The two maids then closed the door.
My injury hasn't healed yet, so I can't do anything right now.
Jiang Yushu was worried and full of doubts, thinking to herself: The original owner lived in seclusion in her room, was timid by nature, and rarely went out of the house. Who framed her?
She was lost in thought while waiting for Xiao Tao to bring her food. She didn't know if it was because she was weak or hungry, but she was sweating all the time, her back sticky and uncomfortable.
After a while, Jiang Yushu could no longer sit still, so she opened the boxes and picked out some clothes on her own, ready to change into a new set of clothes.
The next moment, Guo Honglei, the second son of Marquis Jingyang, strode back to his bedroom with his head held high and a sullen face, the corners of his robe fluttering.
The gatekeeper ran down the steps attentively, and Diandianer came forward to greet her, bowing respectfully and saying, "Greetings, Second Young Master."
Guo Honglei looked solemn, without stopping, he nodded slightly, pushed the door open and walked into the bedroom, then took a few big strides into the inner room.
After hearing the rustling sound, he looked carefully and was suddenly stunned!
Beside the screen, Jiang Yushu lowered her head and was tying the belt of her bellyband.
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