Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Rebirth Wedding Candle Night

Rumbling thunder streaked through the sky, and the wind and rain came one way or another, making the windows rustle. In the blink of an eye, a large area of ​​the corridor was wet, and even the hibiscus flowers that were collected in the corner last night were blown to the ground.

At this moment, a slight cough was heard from the east side room. The maid who was closing the window hurriedly dropped her work, lifted the curtain and peeked inside.

"Second Madam, do you need some water?"

Cheng Yian leaned on the soft couch under the rosewood flower and bird screen, staring straight at the window with his clear eyes. He didn't answer her but asked, "I vaguely heard a baby crying?"

She had been ill for some time and had not left the house since the beginning of autumn. Her sisters-in-law who usually came to visit her had disappeared, and even her husband Fan Yulin had not been seen for several days.

The maid was furious when she heard this. She walked back in with a face full of resentment.

"That's right. The concubine gave birth to a son the day before yesterday. Now the whole Fan family is treating him like a treasure."

Cheng Yian's expression suddenly turned numb. He had known about this for a long time and had slowly accepted this fact. After a moment of silence, he asked her in a low voice,

"Have you completed the task I assigned to you?"

The maid poured her a cup of tea and said firmly,

"Everything is ready."

Cheng Yian stopped talking.

The maidservant was very unwilling.

"Girl, we can't let them get away with it. The Fan family is so hateful. They are destroying the bridge after crossing the river!"

Hearing the words "demolish the bridge after crossing it", Cheng Yian's eyes became slightly dazed.

It's not just about crossing the river and destroying the bridge, it's simply ungrateful and heartless...

Talking about this marriage, it was supposed to be a match made in heaven, but in fact it was nothing but a plot of the Fan family from the beginning to the end.

Cheng Yian was born into the most prestigious family in Dajin. The Cheng family had many students and former officials all over the country and was well-known throughout the country. The Fan family's ancestral home was in Yizhou and was not well-known. When Mr. Fan passed the imperial examination and went to Beijing, he rented a house next door to the Cheng family. Cheng Yian and Fan Yulin were childhood sweethearts and had known each other since childhood.

Fan Yulin has always admired Cheng Yian. To what extent did he admire her? Even though Cheng Yian had been married and had a miscarriage, he still insisted on marrying her.

After Cheng Yian divorced her ex-husband Lu Xusheng, Fan Yulin knelt in front of the head of the Cheng family and swore that he would never take a concubine and would only stay with Cheng Yian for the rest of his life. After experiencing Lu Xusheng's indifference and facing her sincere childhood sweetheart, Cheng Yian was decided by the elders to remarry.

After marriage, her parents-in-law were kind and treated her like their own daughter. The sisters-in-law were very close and could talk about anything. Fan Yulin was even more gentle and considerate. He drew her eyebrows and inserted hairpins for her, played the piano and composed poems for her. Even though she had not been pregnant for many years, Fan Yulin never got angry with her. He always comforted her and told her not to be anxious. With a husband like this, what else could a woman ask for?

With such affection, how could Cheng Yian not make plans for her husband?

With the help of Cheng family's connections, she managed to get Fan Yulin a lucrative job as the Salt Administration Commissioner of Yizhou. The Fan family had a large population but a simple mansion, so Cheng Yian used her dowry to buy the mansion. One year, Fan Yulin contracted a seasonal illness and was on the verge of death. It was she who took the Cheng family's business card, braved the severe cold and snow, and walked to Chifenggang to ask the miracle doctor Li Shiji to diagnose and treat him.

It was in this way that the Fan family was transformed from an unknown small family in the local area into the most prominent family in Yizhou.

I thought that everyone in the Fan family should be grateful to Cheng Yian.

Who would have thought that after the Fan family had gained a firm foothold, her mother-in-law changed her previous friendly attitude and began to dislike her for being a second marriage, scolding her for not being able to give birth to a son. Her sisters-in-law secretly mocked her for being a second marriage and being unwanted, so she tried to help the Fan family.

Only Fan Yulin stood by her side, advising her to relax and saying that at worst she could just adopt a child.

Unfortunately, this was just a lie. The ungrateful man had already arranged a mistress in secret, waiting for her to get pregnant so that he could bring her in.

Cheng Yian was so angry that he didn't sleep a wink all night.

The affection he showed back then was just a cover to fool her. The real purpose of the Fan family was to form an alliance with the Cheng family and take advantage of the Cheng family's influence to rise to the top.

If you meet the wrong person, your life will not be worth it.

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the corridor. After a moment, the gauze curtain was lifted, and a tall figure stood under the curtain. He had picturesque features and an outstanding demeanor. He was holding a crimson swaddling cloth in his hands and had a smile on his face. It was Fan Yulin, the new father.

Cheng Yian slowly narrowed his eyes.

Fan Yulin brought the child in gracefully and came closer to let Cheng Yian take a look.

"Yian, look, this is our child. He will be raised by you and recognize you as his mother. How about we teach him well?"

Cheng Yian looked at her husband who was still calm and composed even though he was so close to her. Suddenly, she laughed strangely.

"Register it under my name and make it my son?"

Fan Yulin's face was full of tenderness.

"yes."

Listen, if you hadn't seen through his calculations, you would have thought he was such a considerate husband.

Cheng Yian looked at him coldly for a long while.

"Fan Yulin, do you still want to plot against me now?"

"Register him under my name, and let him occupy my house, land, and pavement legitimately. Use my influence to build a bridge with the Cheng family, and in the future he can travel around under the banner of the Cheng family's grandson...Is that right?"

The five-story mansion under your feet was purchased by Cheng Yian for the Fan family. Although the Fan family lived in multiple rooms, you can remember that it was named after Cheng Yian.

Wanting to covet her dowry,

"You're dreaming!" Cheng Yian stared at him fiercely, gritting his teeth.

Fan Yulin's face turned ugly, hatred flashed across his eyes, and he patiently advised,

"Why are you doing this? There are countless mothers who raise illegitimate children under their knees. I am doing this for your own good... so that you don't go crazy because of a child..."

Crazy? She was so devoted to bearing a child for him, seeking medical treatment and praying to Buddha, that was crazy in his eyes...

Cheng Yian didn't want to argue and interrupted him coldly.

"If you accept him, wouldn't that be a bargain for you?"

Fan Yulin looked a little embarrassed. He simply walked past her, stood up, handed the child to the nanny, and coldly ordered,

"Today

From this day on, the young master will be the Madam's eldest son and will be raised in the west room."

Seeing that Fan Yulin was going too far, the maidservant was so angry that she was about to curse him, but Cheng Yian stopped her.

She stared at Fan Yulin's back and spoke slowly.

"Fan Yulin, let's get a divorce."

When Fan Yulin heard this, he did not get angry but laughed. He turned around and said sarcastically,

"Silly An An, where can you go after you get divorced?"

"Of course, I will return to the capital..."

"You can't go back to Beijing..." Fan Yulin suddenly said,

Cheng Yian was startled and looked up at him suddenly.

"Why?"

Fan Yulin stared at her with interest, and said with his hands behind his back,

"The crown prince rebelled, the capital was in turmoil, Da Qi took advantage of the chaos and marched south with a large army to attack the Cheng family's Hongnong old house. All the male members of the Cheng family were killed or injured. From then on, your noble Cheng family collapsed..."

"impossible!"

Cheng Yian's heart was pounding. He said he didn't believe it, but in his heart he mostly believed it. No wonder there had been no news from the capital for months, and the monthly subsidies had also been interrupted for several months.

No wonder Fan Yulin dared to betray his trust so openly.

It was in vain that she worked day and night to manage his household business and serve his parents. She wrote back to Beijing several times, asking the Cheng family to pave the way for him and build his family's honor and favor into the Fan family. In the end, she was just making wedding clothes for others.

Cheng Yian's heart was filled with hatred, his eyes were bloodshot, "So, you already knew about this, and you deliberately plotted against me?"

Fan Yulin said nothing. He was not stupid. If the Cheng family had not fallen into poverty, he would not have dared to bring his concubine into the house.

Seeing Cheng Yian was about to lose his mind, Fan Yulin tried to persuade him again.

"Yian, listen to my advice. Adopting the child will only bring you happiness."

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, so the Cheng family can still make use of it.

Cheng Yian looked at Fan Yulin's eyes, which showed that he was in control, and sneered.

"Really? I'm so sorry that I can't let you have your wish."

"What do you mean?"

Cheng Yian looked at him quietly. "Ever since you took your mistress into your house, I have secretly recorded the list of bribes you received. Now that the book has been sent to the judicial office, I believe the government will come to arrest you soon."

Fan Yulin's face turned pale and he immediately jumped up and down.

"A husband and wife are bound by a hundred days of grace. Cheng Yian, you are so vicious."

As expected, the housekeeper outside was shouting that soldiers were coming. Fan Yulin didn't have time to argue with Cheng Yian and ran out in a hurry.

"Crazy, you're crazy!"

Cheng Yian knew that he would never come back. She was tired and sleepy, and just wanted to have a good sleep...

It was unknown how long it had been, but after hearing that Fan Yulin had been taken away by the government, the concubine became so angry that she didn't even bother to take care of her confinement. She barged into Cheng Yian's room, stood in front of her with her chest puffed out, and cursed at her.

"You are just a hen that doesn't lay eggs. What are you trying to do?"

"The Cheng family has collapsed, and you have no one to rely on..."

"What good will it do you to sue Fan Lang? Hey, you're not still thinking about Lu Xusheng, are you?"

She did her best to mock Cheng Yian.

"I forgot to tell you that Lu Xusheng has made great contributions at the border and has been promoted to Grand Commander. He is the youngest Duke in our Dajin. My Duke's wife, how is he? Do you regret it?"

Every word was as sharp as a knife, making the maid furious. She could no longer bear it, so she rolled up her sleeves and rushed towards the concubine.

"I'll fight you!"

They both fell back and wrestled with each other.

The concubine was still in confinement after childbirth, so she was no match for the maidservant. She soon suffered a lot, and was dishevelled and dirty. She was treated so well, but she was merciless in her words.

"Oh, look at my mouth. I called the wrong name. The Duke's wife was snatched away by someone. You don't deserve this!"

Not destined to do that?

No, this wasn't her fate.

She is the eldest daughter of the fourth branch of the Cheng family, a lady from a noble family who was carefully raised by her grandmother. She is both beautiful and talented. She should have married a man of equal status, lived in harmony, and lived a stable and worry-free life...

How did my life end up like this?

This life...is not the way to live.

.......

There was a faint sound of firecrackers, like a tight spell around Cheng Yian's head. Cheng Yian had a terrible headache. She was clearly awake, but she was like a drowning person who was unable to open her eyes until someone gently tugged at her collar and whispered,

"lady..."

lady?

Wasn’t Fan Yulin arrested? Why is he back?

Cheng Yian suddenly opened her eyes and saw a blurry face hanging in front of her. A slender arm stretched out as if to hug her. Cheng Yian raised her hand without thinking.

“Bang!”

The sudden slap hit the other person's face with a loud bang.

In the darkness, their eyes met.

Those eyes were so sharp that Cheng Yian felt a sense of familiarity and fear that she had not seen for a long time. She suddenly woke up with a start, looked around, stepped out of the bed, and let the curtains fall, completely blocking the scene outside. Only the dim red light was flickering.

Where is this?

After being beaten, the man opposite looked a little embarrassed and turned back. His red curtains were half opened, and the bright candles illuminated his face. He had sharp eyebrows, narrow eyes, handsome features, and an extremely cold look.

This is... Lu Xusheng?

Cheng Yian felt as if he had been hit on the head by a stone.

Could it be that she was stimulated by the mistress and dreamed of Lu Xusheng?

"Why are you here?" Cheng Yian asked blankly through the curtains.

When Lu Xusheng heard this, his eyebrows jumped.

On the wedding night, Cheng Yian asked him why he was there, which was really absurd.

Considering the hateful slap just now, Lu Xusheng had a strange idea.

Could it be that she was also reborn?

Lu Xusheng's heart suddenly turned cold.