Chapter 1 A Tragic Death on the Bed of the Powerful
"It hurts so much... Please... find me a doctor..."
Moonlight streamed through the window of the woodshed, illuminating Shen Shu. She was only wrapped in a tattered mat to cover herself, and her exposed arms were covered with whip marks and bloodstains. It was not hard to imagine the miserable state of her body beneath the tattered mat.
"You've had your fill of comfort in Prince Cheng's bed, and now you're pretending to be dead? You worthless bastard with ruined health, and you still want to call a doctor!"
Liu's mother kicked Shen Shu, and the pain made her tremble uncontrollably.
"As expected of a wild girl raised in the countryside, she's really resilient. She survived being tormented for most of the night without dying."
“She’s had a hard life, Liu Mama, please don’t make things difficult for her. She is, after all, the second young lady of the Bo Gong’s mansion,” an old woman couldn’t help but say on Shen Shu’s behalf.
"What kind of second young lady is she? Although she and our eldest young lady are twins, she was born with heterochromia, which is considered an omen of bad luck, so she was sent to the countryside."
"She's called the second young lady, but she's really just a country girl. What's wrong with me messing with her? She's going to die anyway."
"If it weren't for the fact that the eldest son's entry into the city defense camp depended on Prince Cheng's recommendation,
Prince Cheng then made an outrageous demand, asking our young lady to spend the night with him in exchange. How could the Earl's Mansion possibly have thought of bringing her back from the countryside?
"It's only because she has the exact same face as the young lady that we're willing to accept this."
They actually treated her like a mistress, sending her as a substitute to Prince Cheng's residence.
"That's true, but look at her now..."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone knows that His Highness Prince Cheng is a veteran in the world of romance, and his skills are quite formidable. Who knows if she was having a great time in bed? She has enjoyed herself, so she hasn't lost out."
"Have you forgotten what Madam instructed? She said to carry the Second Miss to the woodshed and let her die as soon as she returned from the Cheng Prince's mansion! What kind of good person are you pretending to be?"
The old woman who had spoken up for Shen Shu fell silent after hearing this.
"Why...why did you do this to me..." Shen Shu asked hoarsely, using the last bit of strength she had left.
Mother Liu looked at Shen Shu with amusement, "Sacrificing an unlucky daughter for the sake of the eldest young master's future, isn't that an extremely worthwhile deal?"
"Also, do you know that the rules you learned when you returned to the manor were all learned from the young lady's speech and behavior, just to make you more like the young lady, so that you can serve Prince Cheng?"
"You are shameless... utterly shameless!" Shen Shu cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Shameless?" Liu's mother looked at Shen Shu triumphantly.
"Say whatever you want. You're going to die anyway. When you get to the underworld, don't forget to thank the old mansion. Otherwise, you'd just be a country bumpkin for the rest of your life. You've already earned enough by being a rich young lady for a few months."
Liu Mama and her servants slammed the door of the woodshed shut.
Shen Shu tried to struggle to get up, but she had been given a muscle-relaxing drug, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.
She just wanted to live a good life, but why...?
She and her sister are both their parents' children, and they are even twin sisters.
My older sister was born into a life of luxury and privilege, surrounded by admirers.
However, because of her lighter-colored eyes than most people, she was considered an omen of bad luck and was sent to the countryside from birth.
Now she has to be a stepping stone for her brother's future, sent to the bed of a licentious and immoral man like Prince Cheng, just to secure him a good job.
Looking back on her life... it was all so worthless...
She had hoped that she could go back.
They even asked the village head to send a message to the patriarch's mansion, but all they got in return was, "Even if this girl dies, there's no need to report it to the patriarch's mansion."
Ben had given up hope.
But when she turned eighteen, someone from her uncle's mansion came and said that her parents missed her terribly and wanted to take her back.
She thought her father and mother had finally remembered her.
Village head: "You were born into a noble family, good child, go back now, you've finally overcome your hardships."
With tears in her eyes, Shen Shu boarded the carriage back to the city, believing that a bright and sunny life awaited her from now on.
But when she arrived at the Uncle's mansion, she found that things were not as she had imagined.
Sister Shen Xiao: "Mother, this wild girl doesn't resemble me at all except for her face. Will this work?"
The elder brother, Chen Lian, said, "Such vulgar behavior is no different from that of a village woman. Will His Highness Prince Cheng not blame us...?"
"Shut up!" his father snapped at him.
Mother Wen Lanting sighed: "I have found a nanny to teach etiquette. There will be a big banquet in three months, and you need to attend. You should follow the nanny and learn the etiquette well. Don't embarrass the Bo Gong family."
Shen Shu bit her lip, thinking that she was being disliked because she wasn't good enough.
Therefore, when the instructing nanny came to teach her manners, she humbly accepted all the strict instruction.
Even if she didn't like these things, she was willing to put herself into the shell of a "well-bred lady" in order to win the favor of her father and mother.
They were slapped until their hands bled, forced to kneel until they fainted, and made to stand under the eaves to obey rules every day before dawn.
She thought her father and mother were doing it for her own good, so she silently endured it.
Three months passed in this way. When the "grand banquet" her mother had mentioned arrived, Shen Shu had already learned to dress up quite well. After changing into her dress, her appearance and figure were no different from Shen Xiao's.
The family of the old mansion rarely showed a relieved smile, and they even made arrangements to hold a family banquet that evening.
That night was the first time Shen Shu felt the warmth of home.
Even Shen Shu's brother and sister, who had always disliked her, raised their glasses to her.
"My sister has undergone a complete transformation. The future of our brothers and sisters may depend on your help. If you live a life of luxury in the future, don't forget about the old mansion."
"Once my sister marries into the royal family, we'll need her help even more. I'll drink this cup to the last drop!"
Shen Shu blushed. The warm atmosphere had lulled her into a false sense of security, and she failed to notice the unspoken meaning in their words, taking it as just a joke between family members.
Seeing how kind her older siblings were to her, she thought they had finally accepted her sincerely, so she picked up her glass and drank it all in one gulp.
What she didn't expect was that the wine glass had already been laced with muscle relaxant.
As soon as she collapsed to the ground, her family members at the table immediately changed their attitude.
Shen Xiao was full of excitement, "Quickly change her into the clothes of the girls from Qianchun Pavilion. His Highness Prince Cheng said that he likes the look of a noble lady who has fallen into prostitution. We must make sure His Highness has a good time."
Chen Lian looked down at him condescendingly and said, "My brother's future depends entirely on you, so you must serve His Highness well."
The mother seemed somewhat reluctant, but thinking of Chen Lian's future, she hardened her heart and said, "Send her there quickly, and give her some more medicine, just in case anything goes wrong."
Shen Shu tried to struggle, but she could no longer move and could only let the servants take her to Prince Cheng's mansion.
Before half a night had passed, Shen Shu was already on the verge of death from the torment.
Shen Shu stared intently at the door of the woodshed. She had to remember these unruly servants, her parents and siblings in the Earl's Mansion, and that damned Prince Cheng. She would haunt them even as a ghost!
She was so foolish to believe that her parents, who had abandoned her since birth, would truly care for her and give her the affection and warmth she longed for.
That's how she fell into their trap, letting them play with her like a toy for months, and ended up like this!
If she could do it all over again, she would make them taste the torment she had suffered!
...
"Sister Shu, stop washing your clothes! Come back with me! The old man's family has sent someone to take you home!" Jinbao, the village head's grandson, rushed over.
Shen Shu looked down at the clothes in her left hand, then at the club in her right hand, and then looked up at Jinbao who was running over.
What is she doing?
"Sister Shu, what are you standing there for!" Jinbao couldn't help but touch Shen Shu's forehead. Strange! She's not sick!
How can you not react to such news?
The warm touch traveled from her forehead to her entire body, and only then did she realize that she was... back?
She returned to the day when her uncle's mansion sent Liu Mama to the countryside to fetch her.
She hasn't gone back yet, nor has she been violated by Prince Cheng; none of this has happened yet.
Suppressing her shock, she gathered her clothes and the club. "Jinbao, where are they?"
Perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to see her suffer any longer, which is why they gave her a second chance at life.
Then she must seize the opportunity; she must make everyone in the Bo Gong Mansion who harmed her pay the price for her tragic death in her previous life!
Jinbao pouted and pulled Shen Shu's hand, pointing to a spot not far away. "They were in the ancestral hall at the village entrance, putting on quite a show of power."
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