"What bad luck! What a coincidence that I ran into this tigress!"
She had heard of Fan Hongying's reputation. It was said that Fan Hongying accompanied the general on the border for many years. The two of them only returned this time when the general went back to the capital to report on his duties.
I heard that she is incredibly strong and her pistol skills are superb. She has helped the general a lot and is his right-hand woman.
"What kind of behavior is it for a woman to be brandishing guns and sticks all day long!"
Yun Yiyi grumbled, but dared not blame Fan Hongying, and could only accept her bad luck.
"You were lucky this time, but you might not be so lucky next time."
She couldn't bear to see Liu Li getting better and better; she had to cripple her hands.
Xiao Li wasn't idle either. Since Yun Yiyi had made a move against her, she couldn't be too polite.
Originally, it was thought that she, a young lady from a respectable family, would not be able to cause much trouble without the marriage to Prince Yang. Who knew that she would actually hire someone to injure people.
Xiao Li learned that the Marquis's mansion was trying to win over the third-ranked scholar, so she went to investigate and found out that the third-ranked scholar was quite capable.
The third-ranked scholar was named Wang Wenjie. He came from a poor family but was a womanizer.
At the beginning of last year, he and his classmates went to a brothel and met Yulan, a down-on-her-luck top courtesan, who had been abandoned by the madam because she had injured her throat.
Yulan wanted to leave her profession and happened to meet Wang Wenjie, a poor and uneducated scholar. The two fell in love at first sight and started a relationship.
Upon learning that Wang Wenjie had no money to take the imperial examination, Yulan took out the money she had painstakingly saved over the years to help her beloved take the exam.
The two made a promise that he would return to marry Yulan on the day he graduated from high school.
Now that Wang Wenjie has achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, he has completely forgotten about Yulan. He only has his mind on the noble lady of the Marquis's mansion and seems to have no recollection of who Yulan is.
Since Wang Wenjie is a scumbag, Xiaoli isn't in a hurry to make a move. A scumbag and a scumbag woman make a perfect match.
The marriage between Yun Yiyi and Wang Wenjie was quickly arranged. Because Wang Wenjie's family was really poor, Lord Yun also provided a two-courtyard house as part of his dowry as their wedding home.
Lord Yun felt a pang of pain as he took out this money; he had suffered heavy losses back then and hadn't recovered from them yet.
As a result, Yun Yiyi's dowry was reduced, and the Lady of the Marquis didn't have much money either, as she needed to save it for her youngest son, since he was about to get married.
Yun Yiyi was very unhappy because her dowry was not even as much as the compensation given to her by the Lady of the Marquis in her previous life.
She is, after all, the eldest daughter of a marquis's family, yet she only has eighteen loads of dowry. Aren't she afraid of being laughed at?
But she didn't dare to confront the Lady Hou, so she could only vent her anger by smashing and looting things in her boudoir.
When Lady Hou found out, she remained silent for a long time, sighing inwardly. She realized that she could no longer control whether her daughter was good or bad.
You should know that even these eighteen loads of dowry were obtained by her from Lord Yun, who was only willing to give eight loads.
She also added a lot of her own savings to make it what it is today.
However, Yun Yiyi was very inconsiderate of her, which made her feel heartbroken.
The marriage was arranged in a hurry, and Yun Yiyi was to get married at the end of the year. She fantasized about her future, with the Marquis's mansion behind her and her husband's doting love. She thought that she would be happier in this life than in her previous life.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that the Marquis's mansion was far less intimidating to a third-ranked scholar than it was to an ordinary person.
In her previous life, Yun Yiyi married an ordinary person, which was not necessarily a bad thing. At that time, her husband dared not take a concubine and could only pamper her.
Whether it's genuine pampering or feigned pampering, it's still pampering.
Nowadays, a third-ranking scholar won't be like an ordinary person, obediently enduring her bad temper and waiting to be bullied by her.
Wang Wenjie was a smooth talker. Although he couldn't offer any material things, he could keep Yun Yiyi happy every day.
The cash in her dowry had already ended up in Wang Wenjie's hands.
?
Yulan missed her lover every day. When she learned that he had become a top scholar in the imperial examination, she confronted the madam and said she would no longer entertain customers. She would wait for her lover to come and take her away.
Two weeks later, a small note appeared in Yulan's boudoir, announcing that Wang Wenjie was getting married to a noblewoman from the Marquis's mansion.
Yulan couldn't believe it; she was on the verge of a breakdown.
After thinking it over, she used the remaining silver to redeem herself and prepared to go to the capital to find her lover.
Having finally arrived in the capital, and hearing others marvel at the good fortune of the third-ranked scholar, she could no longer contain herself.
“You’re talking nonsense. Wang Lang isn’t that kind of person.”
She found out where Wang Wenjie lived, and waited there. Finally, one evening, she caught Wang Wenjie when he was alone.
Wang Wenjie was startled. When he came to his senses and realized that the person was Yulan, his expression changed.
He looked around and only breathed a sigh of relief after finding no one there.
"Magnolia, what brings you here?"
Yulan's heart shattered. "My love, if I hadn't come, would you have never come to see me?"
Wang Wenjie gave an awkward laugh, "How could that be? I had no choice."
He recounted how Lord Yun had recruited him and how he had been forced into it.
“If it weren’t for the Marquis’s powerful influence, why would I have submitted? You know how hard it was for me to study. If I offended the Marquis’s family, my career would definitely be over.”
Yulan bit her lip and remained silent. She knew in her heart that she could not compare with the noble ladies of the Marquis's mansion, which was why she did not make a scene.
"My dear Wang, now that you are married, it is time for me to leave."
Magnolia wept uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.
Seeing Yulan's heartbroken state, Wang Wenjie recalled their romantic moments together, and his heart softened.
"Magnolia, come with me."
Wang Wenjie held Yulan's hand, his heart burning with passion. His status was no longer what it used to be; he was now working in the Hanlin Academy. What did it matter if he kept a concubine?
Wang Wenjie settled Yulan in Lihua Hutong, and from then on lived a life surrounded by beautiful women.
Fan Hongying quickly sent an invitation to Xiaoli, who was also preparing to go to the capital. She went to the General's Mansion with gifts.
At the birthday banquet, Yun Yiyi saw Xiao Li being protected by Fan Hongying.
The handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled to pieces.
"Liu Li is so lucky. Now that Fan Hongying has recognized her as her sister, it will be much harder to mess with her in the future."
Thinking of Wang Wenjie's terrible experiences, Yun Yiyi almost cried. She never imagined that she would be so unlucky in this life, not only marrying a scumbag but also being swindled out of all her money.
Now that Yulan has been brought into the mansion, she is even more favored than herself. Thinking of this, Yun Yiyi's face was full of bitterness.
She thought the Marquis's mansion would support her, but the Marquis's wife advised her to be magnanimous, after all, Marquis Yun also had several concubines.
But Yun Yiyi couldn't stand it; she had never felt so stifled in her past life.
The more she made a scene, the more Wang Wenjie disliked her. In the end, she had nothing left but the position of the legal wife.
Xiao Li looked at Yun Yiyi, who was covered in dust and dirt, and said, "In this life, you should just enjoy the fun of palace intrigue."
Many noble ladies in the capital knew about the true and false daughters of the Marquis of Anping's mansion, so no one paid any attention to Yun Yiyi anymore.
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