"Cao Xiangwan, daughter of the Cao family, has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, plotting a rebellion. Her crimes are unforgivable. She is sentenced to immediate execution, to be carried out in three days!"
“Cao Xiangwan, do you see this? This is the husband you've devoted yourself to serving. He's mine, and everything you've schemed for is mine. Regret it? Hahaha, it's too late for regrets! In your next life, don't go against me again, or I'll make you taste the bitterness of humiliation, ahahahahaha…”
"Wan'er, I'm sorry. All the evidence points to you, and I'm helpless. Now, being able to protect your family is the best outcome. Please forgive me..."
"My Wan'er, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let you be born into such a family. They are all devils! My poor daughter, you must wait for me. If I can't protect you for this lifetime, I will definitely go with you to the underworld!"
"My Cao family, a century-old family of scholars, how could we have raised such a treacherous daughter! From this day forward, Cao Xiangwan is to be removed from the family genealogy. Our father-daughter relationship is severed from this day forward!"
"The time has come, carry out the execution!"
...
"Wan'er, don't scare me... I'm all sweaty, what am I going to do? Waaah..."
"Madam, the master has arrived."
“Let him stay out of here. Our daughter has been so frightened, and he's off to see that vixen. If anything happens to my Wan'er, I'll make him pay with his life.”
"This... Madam, the master has gone to great lengths to come here, are you really going to send him away?"
"Tch, whose side are you on? Instead of speaking up for me, you're pleading for him, you..."
“Sister, I heard that Miss is unwell, so I brought some tonics to visit her. I hope you won’t blame Master, it’s just that it was the time when I entered the house… I will apologize to you now.”
"Who's your sister? Don't try to claim kinship with me. I don't have a sister as clueless as you."
"Enough! Haven't you made enough of a scene? A mistress of the house should have the demeanor of one. Xiqing came to see Wan'er out of kindness. It's one thing for you not to appreciate it, but you're here to ridicule her. I think it's better if Xiqing doesn't come anymore."
"Master, it's all Xiqing's fault, please don't blame my sister..."
"What are you pretending to be, all phony? You're not welcome here, lest you offend my eyes."
"You...you're completely unreasonable! Xiqing, let's go!"
"master……"
"Cough, cough, water... cough cough..."
The noise bothered Xiang Wan, her brows furrowed, and she burst into a heart-wrenching cough.
"Wan'er? Wan'er, you're finally awake! You scared your mother to death... Wang Ma, quickly bring some water."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
She lay nestled in a warm embrace, a bowl of water quenching her thirst. When she opened her eyes in the evening, she saw a pair of anxious, wet eyes, with tear tracks on her cheeks.
This was a woman; the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were particularly noticeable because she had just cried. Her long, black hair was meticulously combed back and secured with a plum blossom hairpin. Her hands were smooth, white, and well-maintained, and she had a faint fragrance of plum blossoms about her.
In her dream, she was clearly twenty years older than she was now, with a full head of white hair, calloused hands, and wearing a coarse linen garment that had been starched until it was faded, with a few barely noticeable patches.
"Mother..." Xiang Wan's tears flowed before she could speak, her throat already choked with sobs, unable to utter a word.
Ji Meiniang, the legitimate daughter of the Ji family, is the woman before us and the mother of the original owner of this body, Cao Xiangwan. She tried her best to protect her daughter, but ultimately she was powerless. In the end, she gave her life to accompany Cao Xiangwan on her final journey.
Even though Xiang Wan wasn't her biological daughter, she was still moved by her.
"Silly child," Ji Meiniang wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Mother knows you want to stop that woman from coming in this way. But have you ever thought about how Mother would live if you were gone? Even if that woman comes in, Mother has plenty of ways to make her unhappy. Promise me you won't do anything foolish again."
"Yes, I won't."
Xiang Wan nodded obediently, and Ji Meiniang immediately felt relieved. She had thought that her daughter would make a fuss for a few more days until Cao Xinqian came to coax her.
Thinking of Cao Xinqian's attitude towards his daughter today, Ji Meiniang's heart sank to the bottom.
As soon as that woman entered the manor, Cao Xinqian began to neglect her and her daughter. Who knows what trouble might arise in the future? We must take precautions as soon as possible.
After so many years of marriage, from the initial blissful intimacy to the current cold indifference, how could Ji Meiniang not know Cao Zhiqian's true feelings? He'd grown tired of the domestic flower and sooner or later pick a wild one to taste. In the past, when she was unhappy, Cao Zhiqian would try to comfort her, but in recent years, he had become increasingly indifferent to her. As long as his mistress wasn't brought into the house, Ji Meiniang would pretend not to know, turning a blind eye, only hoping her daughter could marry smoothly after reaching marriageable age; then she would have no regrets in this life. Who knew that Cao Zhiqian, after listening to some whispered advice from that woman, would brazenly enter her home. He didn't even care when her daughter fell into the water, insisting on bringing that woman back to the mansion, along with her daughter, Cao Ruwan.
Cao Ruwan was only half a year younger than Wan'er, so what was there for Ji Meiniang not to understand? All the sweet words from before had become a joke, and Cao Xinqian's actions had chilled Ji Meiniang's heart to the bone.
Now that the woman and Cao Ruwan have entered the mansion, if she says anything more, it will only make outsiders criticize her for not being magnanimous and for not being tolerant.
At this critical juncture, portraying Wan'er's fall into the water as a result of fright will best protect her reputation. As for that woman and Cao Ruwan, there's plenty of time to wait and see.
Ji Meiniang was overthinking things. Xiang Wan tugged at her sleeve and pleaded, "Mother, I'm a little hungry. I'd like some porridge."
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