The news that Lady Shen, the wife of the Duke of Ying, who had prayed in the temple for many years, had passed away spread throughout the capital like wings.
"The Dowager Lady of England? Didn't she pass away a long time ago?" someone expressed confusion.
Although the Duke of England's Mansion was deeply favored by the Emperor, and Duke of England Wei Chenglin was one of the most prominent figures among the younger generation, in recent years no one had ever heard of the 'Duke of England's Dowager Lady', so many people were shocked to hear the news of the 'Duke of England's Dowager Lady's death.
"She has lived in the temple for many years, praying for blessings. She has never seen outsiders, nor has she appeared in public. Apart from her close relatives, I don't think many people remember her. It's not surprising that you don't remember her."
"So that's how it is. I guess the reason why the Duke of Ying's Mansion has been so prosperous in recent years is probably because of this lady's dedication to worshipping Buddha!"
"This lady, although she is still alive all these years, is actually no different from being dead." These meaningful words came out slowly from the mouth of a certain noble lady.
"That's right, you guys are just too young and take things for granted!"
"Hearing this, I remember a piece of news I heard a few years ago. It was said that this lady and the Duke's wife were not on good terms? Is that why she retreated to the family temple?"
"That shouldn't be the case, right? I've met the Duchess of England before, and she's the most gentle and kind person. How could she do such an unfilial thing?" Someone immediately refuted.
"You can know a person's face but not his heart. Who knows?"
"I don't think the Duke's wife is that kind of person. It is said that appearance is determined by the heart. Look around the capital. In terms of appearance, is there anyone who can compare to this lady?"
"She became the wife of a super first-class duke at such a young age. Her husband treats her wholeheartedly. She does everything in the backyard without any worries. She also has a son and a daughter. For a woman to achieve what she has, God has really loved her very much!"
"It's true. Last time, after the palace banquet, the Duke of England waited for her in front of the palace gate. I saw with my own eyes that the Duke personally helped her into the carriage. He was so careful! He really treated her like the apple of his eye!"
"If we talk about how the Duke of England treats his wife with deep affection in the capital, then no one dares to claim to be first!"
"It can be seen that this Duke's wife must have accumulated a lot of blessings in her previous life, which is why she fell into a blessed nest in this life."
…
The focus of discussion gradually shifted to the Lady of the Duke of England, who was the envy of all the ladies in the capital. As for the Lady of the Duke of England, not many people paid attention to her. There were always new things and new people in the city, so how could they pay attention to a lady who had lived silently for several years like an invisible person?
***
Shen Xinyan's soul floated everywhere, as if being pulled by a string, and floated towards a mansion in the city.
She saw Chunliu, who had been loyal to her all his life, fall to the ground in grief, reporting the "bad news" of her death to the young man sitting on the armchair.
That was her son, the son she was proud of all her life, and the son who personally sent her to the family temple to spend the rest of her life.
She stared at the man intently, not missing any expression on his face. She saw a trace of pain appear on that extremely resolute and handsome face, and his expression gradually became dazed, until the crisp and pleasant voice of a young woman came from outside the house - "Husband..."
The pain miraculously disappeared in an instant.
"Got it." Finally, he said this indifferently to Chunliu who came to report the news, then stood up and walked towards his beloved who came in gracefully.
If I had known this would happen, what would I have expected? She curled her lips sarcastically.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew and blew her away from the Duke of England's mansion in an instant. It was as if a huge vortex sucked her in and swirled her rapidly into the depths of the white light.
She closed her eyes tightly, and the howling sound of the wind like ghosts and wolves was roaring in her ears.
I don't know how long it took, but the sound of the wind gradually died down, and was replaced by a series of unfamiliar voices -
"Damn it, why doesn't the hero quickly deal with that scumbag mom and scumbag sister!"
"This scumbag mother is so disgusting, the hero should kill her as soon as possible!"
"The male protagonist is too indecisive, and he actually let his scumbag mom and scumbag sister jump around until now!"
"He wants to marry the heroine without first dealing with his scumbag mom and scumbag sister? This hero is so useless, I'm abandoning this article!"
"1. Hate the male protagonist and hate his mother!"
"10086 Please get this scumbag off the line!"
"Cellphone number, how desperate must the heroine be to want to marry the hero, isn't this wicked mother-in-law wicked enough?"
"Identification number."
"Pi."
…
A string of inexplicable words drilled into her ears, and Shen Xinyan was stunned. Before she could react, a strong light suddenly shot into her head, and her pupils suddenly widened.
Scenes flashed through her mind quickly, and there were even various narrations and voices in her ears. She was confused at first, then shocked, then smiled bitterly, and finally calmed down.
It turns out that she is the vicious mother-in-law in the "pet" mentioned by those people.
Since she is "favored", the mother-in-law, who is the "natural enemy" of the daughter-in-law - the hero's biological mother, either dies early or treats the heroine like her own daughter.
If you don't like the heroine and the hero's mother who lives a good life and doesn't go to see her ancestors early, I'm sorry, according to the golden law of 'those who follow the protagonist will prosper, and those who go against the protagonist will perish', this "mother" will definitely not have a good ending!
Unfortunately, she is such a "mother", also the legendary "evil mother-in-law".
There was a loud "bang", and then a white light came towards her head and face. Her eyes suddenly went dark, and she fell rapidly...
*****
Shen Xinyan stared at the young face in the bronze mirror in a daze for a moment. She pinched the back of her hand in disbelief. The pain came and she suddenly woke up.
Not a dream? But why? Didn't she die in the temple?
She cursed for a year, went crazy for four years, and finally died miserably in a temple. Her only son was indifferent to her death.
Is there any mother in the world who is more unsuccessful than her?
Recalling all that had happened, she curled the corners of her mouth sarcastically, pulling out a smile that was uglier than crying.
"Madam, the eldest son is here to pay his respects to you." Chunliu lifted the curtain and walked in, reporting with a smile.
Looking at the loyal maid who was ten years younger than him, and thinking of how she had been loyal to him in her previous life, Shen Xinyan felt a tightness in her heart and a little sour in her nose.
She quickly turned her face away to cover it up, and said calmly, "Let him in!"
Chun Liu glanced at her quickly with some surprise. In the past, the Crown Prince's wife looked forward to the moment when the eldest son came to pay his respects the most. Why was she so quiet today?
After a while, a young man in gorgeous clothes came in.
The boy's fair and clean handsome face was tightly wrapped, his back was straight, he was only ten years old, but he already had an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.
This was her only son - Wei Chenglin, the eldest grandson of the Duke's Mansion, who had been brought up by his grandfather, the Duke of Ying, and personally raised since he was three years old.
Shen Xinyan once thought that her son always had an indifferent expression, but it was just his nature, so he rarely smiled even at his blood relatives like them.
Until that beautiful girl appeared...
It was also at that time that she realized that her cold and almost heartless son could also smile so gently and sometimes bend his proud back.
Shen Xinyan stared at him with complicated eyes. Seeing this son whom she loved, resented and hated again, she thought she would be very excited and couldn't help but ask him loudly, "Why did you treat her like that? Why did you let her die so lonely and miserable?"
But in reality, she was quite calm in her heart. She was so calm that she just stared at him without blinking, watching him bow to her respectfully and stand in the middle of the room in a proper manner.
She thought that no matter how much resentment, anger, and unwillingness she had, they had probably been slowly consumed during the years when she went crazy. Maybe she still had a little unwillingness before she died, so her soul floated uncontrollably to the Duke's Mansion, just to see how her only son would react to her death.
However, she still overestimated herself and her position in his heart...
It had been a long time since he heard his mother's usual earnest instructions. Wei Chenglin raised his eyes suspiciously at the woman on the armchair, and instantly looked into a pair of complex and deep eyes.
"Mother?" He frowned slightly and called out in confusion.
Shen Xinyan calmed down and lowered his head slightly. When he raised it again, there was no abnormality on his face.
"Sit down! Did you sleep well last night? But you studied until midnight? You are still young. No matter how hard you work, you can't neglect your health. A good balance between work and rest is more useful than anything else."
"I didn't stay up late last night. I fell asleep at 11:00 p.m. I have kept in mind all your teachings." Wei Chenglin sat up straight, his tone respectful but a little distant.
In her previous life, Shen Xinyan would have felt sad and resented her father-in-law for taking her son away. However, after dying once, she no longer had such thoughts. She just nodded and said gently, "Go ahead. Don't miss the class."
Wei Chenglin thought he would listen for at least a quarter of an hour as usual, but he unexpectedly heard these words.
"I'll take my leave." He didn't think much about it. He just glanced at her, bowed respectfully, turned around and walked out.
The young man's tall figure gradually disappeared from sight. Shen Xinyan pursed her lips, her eyes looking a little dazed.
Why, did God think that her previous life wasn't bad enough? Why did he let her start over again?
She didn't care about this inexplicable chance of rebirth at all. What's the point of living for a person whose heart is already dead?
Why did she want to live again? Isn't it said that death is like the extinguishing of a light? Why is she still here?
The scenes of resentment from her last life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. The piercing pain quickly engulfed her limbs and bones. She covered her heart tightly, and there seemed to be a voice echoing in her ears - why? Why? Why do I have to live again?
She didn't know how much time had passed before she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down.
Since God wanted to give her a second chance, she should live well again. At least, this time, she should live well for herself!
"Chunliu, change your clothes!" she called out loudly.
Chunliu came in immediately.
"Change it, let's change to the snow-blue one!" Shen Xinyan glanced at the dark green dress that Chunliu brought, shook her head, and pointed to another set on the shelf.