Chapter 1: A Cataclysmic Start
Song Zhimian stared blankly at the sky-blue bed curtains with insect and bird patterns above her head. She had been lying there for two whole days.
Two days ago, Song Zhimin, who had just finished working overtime and returned home, discovered that the elevator in her apartment building was suddenly broken.
Unable to wait to go home, Song Zhimian could only take the emergency staircase home.
Fortunately, she lived on a low floor, the sixth floor, so climbing it wasn't too tiring.
But just as Song Zhimin climbed to the fourth floor in her high heels, her foot slipped... and when she opened her eyes, she found herself here.
"Elder sister, Father has chosen a good husband for you. Although he is over forty and has tormented four wives to death, he is the prince's confidant. Look how much Father loves you! Get ready to get married!"
This was the first thing Song Zhimian heard after opening her eyes.
After watching her half-sister, Song Zhiqing, strut out of her room with her maids, Song Zhimin's head throbbed even more.
Her mind was a jumbled mess, with a lot of information mixed together. It took Song Zhimian a while to sort it out before she could barely make out the situation in front of her.
First of all, she did indeed time travel.
The body she transmigrated into was also named Song Zhimian.
While the original owner of this body wasn't quite at the level of a woman who could bring ruin to a country, she was still undeniably stunningly beautiful, a true beauty of her time...
As for the dynasty she transmigrated to... well, it definitely didn't exist in the history books Song Zhimian had studied.
The Great Yu Dynasty, a dynasty completely unfamiliar to Song Zhimin.
This dynasty was indeed a feudal dynasty, but it seemed to be slightly different from other feudal dynasties.
Here, women are not confined to their homes; they can engage in commerce, work as doctors in clinics, teach in schools, and even serve in the imperial court.
It's just that the quantity isn't very large...
Secondly, the original Song Zhimian was a truly pitiful little thing.
Despite being the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong in the Dayu Dynasty, she lived a life worse than even a respectable maid.
Her biological mother died early, and then her biological father, the Marquis of Zhongyong, quickly made one of her former concubines his official wife.
From then on, Song Zhimian became the most favored concubine in the Marquis's mansion.
Third, Song Zhimian's life wasn't too difficult at the beginning. The third wife of the Marquis's mansion was her aunt, and she and Song Zhimian's biological mother were cousins.
Three years ago, the Third Madam went to the North with her husband, and Song Zhimian lost her last support.
In short, Song Zhimian is now facing an ungrateful father, a sweet-talking but bitter stepmother, a vicious and domineering younger sister, and a brother who looks down on her and only cares about his own interests while serving in the military...
Oh, and there's also the widower she's about to marry, who's supposedly very tyrannical and around the same age as her own father...
Song Zhimian is in despair right now; this is simply a disastrous start!
Seeing that Song Zhimian remained silent and only stared at the bed curtains, the little maid who had been huddled in a corner panicked and quickly knelt down.
"Young Miss, you can't do this! Madam and Third Madam have always wanted you to live a good life!"
Even if life gets tough, you must…
"How are we supposed to live like this? Tell me, how are we supposed to live like this!" Song Zhimian finally spoke up.
The maid who heard Song Zhimin speak was both surprised and delighted.
What pleased them was that their young mistress was no longer just sitting there like a block of wood, shedding tears and staring blankly.
What surprised her was that she didn't actually know how her mistress was supposed to live her life.
“Miss, I don’t know how to get through this, but… as long as we’re still alive, there’s always a chance, isn’t there?”
"You don't want Madam and Third Madam either..." The little maid wanted to persuade her further.
Song Zhimian waved her hand, signaling the maid to be quiet and leave first, as she wanted some peace and quiet.
Song Zhimin knew that this girl named Cuiguo had a good heart, but she was too thin and small. When Song Zhijing came to cause trouble for her just now, she wanted to stand in front of her to protect her young mistress.
She was too weak; the moment she stretched out her arm, Song Zhiqing's two maids forced her to kneel in a corner...
Cuiguo carefully tucked Song Zhimin's blanket in, glanced at Song Zhimin again, and seeing that she was no longer silently shedding tears, she lowered her head and carefully retreated.
Song Zhimian continued to close her eyes and think about the things in her mind.
However, the more she knew, the heavier Song Zhimian's heart became.
Actually, the original owner of this body was literally angered to death. Song Zhimian received quite a lot of information, and she needed to sort it out properly.
The family of the third wife of the Song family, that is, the family of Song Kaiyuan, the third brother of Song Kaishan, Song Zhimian's biological father.
The cause of their family's death was not so simple. News from the north said that Song Kaiyuan and his son were ambushed by enemy troops while escorting grain supplies. In order to protect the grain supplies, Song Kaiyuan and his son fought the enemy to the death.
Meanwhile, Song Kaiyuan's family, who lived in a border town in the north, were all wiped out by the enemy's retaliation.
Since Song Kaiyuan's entire family had died, the imperial family's bestowal of honors was only to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.
Because of the death of his third brother's family in battle, Song Kaishan was promoted from Second-Class Marquis to First-Class Marquis and awarded a reward of a thousand taels of gold. His second wife also became the wife of a First-Class Marquis.
To outsiders, it seemed that the imperial family's act of kindness was not wrong. Since Song Kaiyuan's family had died, it was indeed Song Kaishan, the eldest brother, who should receive the favor.
There seems to be no objection to Song Kaishan receiving the honors and rewards.
But in reality...
The original Song Zhimian overheard a conversation between her father, Song Kaishan, and a general who had returned from the north.
Song Kaiyuan was not actually killed in an enemy ambush...
The real killers of Song Kaiyuan and his son were that young general and the people behind him.
"It's good that Song Kaiyuan is dead, then we won't have any worries! He knew too much, even you, his own brother, couldn't win him over."
There was no other way but to kill him.
However, it was Song Kaiyuan who brought this upon himself. He couldn't see the situation clearly, and his death would be pointless.
Your younger brother, Song Kaiyuan... went against the prince, and should have been ruined.
I could have easily burned all that grain and fodder.
This way, the blame for the lost supplies can be shifted onto him.
With a major battle imminent and food supplies in short supply, even three heads wouldn't be enough to kill Song Kaiyuan.
However, the situation in the north was urgent, and the prince was unwilling to take the risk.
Also, the fact that Song Kaiyuan's family has been convicted will definitely affect you as well.
The prince values you highly, and since you command the patrol battalion, he doesn't want you to be implicated again.
That's why they recommended Song Kaiyuan for merit, posthumously granting him the title of Marquis of Pingbei even after his death, which was considered a good deal for him.
That's fine too. Now that their whole family has been killed, His Majesty will surely bestow rewards, and those rewards will only fall on your branch of the family.
We've not only eliminated a thorn in our side, but we've also taken credit for what should have been done to you, which has indirectly increased our strength. Song Kaishan, don't forget the great favor the Prince has done for you!
It's a bit of a pity, though. The taste of Madam Song and those two young ladies... tsk tsk tsk!
"Oh, how could I have let my guard down for a moment and let them slit their throats..." the young general said, shaking his head and chuckling.
It was from that time that the original owner learned that her aunt's family had been murdered by her biological father's side...
Just because of differing political views and stances, his entire family was murdered by his own brother's people.
Instead of avenging his younger brother, Song Kaishan, the older brother, recognized the enemy as his father and used his brother's family as stepping stones.
That's not all. In order to cling to the man behind him, the original owner's biological father did not hesitate to give his own daughter to a widower in the north as his second wife.
This was all because the niece of the deputy general, who was about the same age as Song Kaiyuan, was a favored concubine of a certain prince.
Song Kaiyuan completely disregarded the fact that the man had lost four wives and was extremely tyrannical...
The original owner heard that once the widower returned from the north, he would send someone to the Song residence to exchange the betrothal gifts...
All these things piled up, and the original owner was so angry that he died.
Then Song Zhimian came over.
When Song Zhimian arrived, she could still feel a faint pain in her chest.
When Song Zhimian thought about the tragic deaths of her aunt's family, she could still feel dizzy, lightheaded, and short of breath.
Song Zhimian tried to calm herself down.
She is in a dangerous situation.
With no one to rely on, if things continue like this, she will have no choice but to be married off to that old widower, and it's hard to say how long she can survive there.
And my aunt's family died tragically...
When Song Zhimin thought of that aunt, her heart ached again...
That aunt... was very good to me.
When she went to the north with Song Kaiyuan, she also gave Song Zhimian a lot of instructions...
"Mian'er, don't be afraid, your aunt is here for you!"
Your aunt will protect you!
Once your aunt returns from the north, she will bring you to live with her so you won't have to suffer that woman's temper.
If my aunt can't come back for the time being...
Keep this safe!
This is the dowry list your mother left you. It's currently kept by your father, but your mother gave me a copy.
When the time comes... Auntie will definitely check each item on the dowry list one by one.
If you miss one item, your aunt will make your father and that woman lose face.
Don't worry! The laws of Da Yu stipulate that the husband's family cannot privately possess the dowry of a married woman.
Furthermore, there was also a dowry at the yamen gate.
"Just wait patiently in the capital. Your aunt will definitely find you a good family and give you a grand wedding. Wait for your aunt to come back. Be sure to take good care of yourself. If anything happens, write to your aunt..." In Song Zhimian's mind, a beautiful woman appeared, pulling her and saying many things.
Before she knew it, Song Zhimian's face was suddenly covered in tears, and her heart felt numb with pain.
Now is not the time to cry; crying will not solve anything.
Wiping away her tears, Song Zhimian sat up.
She had to save herself, she had to avenge the original owner of this body, she had to avenge her aunt's family who had loved her so much...
And there was the dowry her mother left her...
She'd rather it be ruined than let that ungrateful father and his entire family get even a single penny...
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