Chapter 1 Substitute wedding
Shen Qingtan woke up in the bumpy ride. When he opened his eyes, he saw a bright red scene in front of him and heard the festive sound of suona in his ears.
She looked confused. She was clearly dead, tragically killed in Zhao Jue's villa.
How come she is not only wearing a wedding dress, but also sitting in a bridal sedan chair as if she is getting married?
Just as she was wondering, she heard discussions outside.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a generous gift from Marquis Cheng'en! Thousands of acres of fertile land and ten miles of red dowry. He truly loves Miss Shen deeply."
"Miss Shen is a natural beauty, unforgettable. The Marquis' Mansion treats her like a jewel and treasure, and they are reluctant to skimp on her dowry."
"Second Miss Shen is also getting married today. Her dowry is not as generous as that of the eldest Miss Shen. It is only one or two tenths of that of the eldest Miss Shen."
"They are clearly siblings from the same mother, yet they are treated differently. It's like they have different fates."
“Who told Miss Shen Er not to grow up in the Marquis’ Mansion?”
Everyone was full of envy for Miss Shen, and felt sorry for Miss Shen II.
And Shen Qingtan was the Miss Shen they were talking about. When she heard this, hatred surged in her eyes and she gave a sarcastic smile.
In her previous life, she also thought that she was the apple of the eye of the marquis's family, loved by her parents and indulged by her brother.
A marriage with a prominent family was arranged for her since she was a child, and her childhood sweetheart doted on her and almost granted her every request.
She thought she was the happiest woman in the world.
Half a year before the wedding, her fiancé Zhao Jue brought home a woman, who was none other than Shen Mingzhu, the second daughter of the Shen family.
Her parents told her that they were pregnant with twins, and during the delivery, the midwife lied to them that one of the baby girls had died. Now that she was found, the family was finally reunited.
Her parents said that Shen Mingzhu had suffered a lot outside, and as her elder sister, she should be more accommodating to Shen Mingzhu.
Her parents also said that Shen Mingzhu was not like her. She had been cultivated by the family since she was a child. No matter her talent, manners, or means, she could not be a clan wife. So they arranged for Shen Mingzhu to be married to Zhao Jue's frail and sickly cousin Zhao Yi, and the wedding date was set on the same day.
In this way, they are not only sisters, but also sisters-in-law, who can support each other.
She believed it and felt sorry for Shen Mingzhu's situation. Whenever she got something good, she would give it to Shen Mingzhu first.
Shen Mingzhu's dowry was too little, so she took the initiative to give half of her dowry to Shen Mingzhu.
Her mother advised her, "Mingzhu has never learned to manage accounts, so how can she manage the dowry? Besides, Zhao Yi is frail and sickly, and there's no guarantee he'll have children. Only when the dowry is in your hands can I feel at ease. When the time comes, please take good care of your sister."
Shen Qingtan couldn't resist her parents, so she thought that after they got married, she would manage the farm and shop, and leave the 20,000 taels of silver in the bottom of the box to Shen Mingzhu for her to rely on.
However, when the wedding sedan landed, her nightmare began.
She had fully expected that it would be Zhao Jue who would help her out of the sedan chair. However, when she saw the slender, white hand, she noticed a small mole on the index finger and realized that it was not Zhao Jue's hand.
She was so frightened that she lifted her veil, ignored etiquette, and rushed out of the sedan chair, stopping Zhao Jue from taking Shen Mingzhu into the mansion, and switched back with Shen Mingzhu on the spot.
Zhao Jue's face turned pale and he looked at her coldly. Instead of comforting her as he did in the past, he led her into the mansion to worship in a gloomy manner.
She didn't think much about it at the time, thinking that it was because of the scene she caused at the door that made people laugh at the Duke's Mansion, and that was why Zhao Jue was unhappy and looked so bad.
After all, he hadn't recognized his bride, and her actions had slapped him in the face.
Shen Mingzhu broke off the engagement and returned to the Shen family on the grounds that Zhao Jue had held her hand and had lost her innocence, and she had no face to marry Zhao Yi again, which made the Duke's Mansion even more embarrassed.
On the wedding night, Zhao Jue did not show up and stayed in the front yard on the pretext of being drunk.
The bride was neglected by her husband after marriage, and it was foreseeable how difficult her future life in the mansion would be.
Especially what happened on the wedding day, I'm afraid the elders in the Duke's Mansion will be displeased with her.
Fortunately, Zhao Jue was not too cruel and ordered someone to bring her a bowl of plain noodles, which made her feel a little better.
After finishing her noodles, all she could think about was how to apologize to her elders after serving tea.
Perhaps because she was overly worried, she fell ill at night with a high fever.
From then on, he was bedridden and no matter how much bitter medicine he took, his condition did not improve.
Half a month later, when she regained consciousness, she was imprisoned in the backyard by Zhao Jue.
Zhao Jue said, "Qingtan, you and I were childhood sweethearts. I wanted to give you a way out. But if you want to blame me, blame yourself for not wanting to make the best of a bad situation and insisting on marrying me."
Zhao Jue continued, "The wife of the Marquis of Cheng'en gave birth to twins, and one of the girls did die.
Zhu'er was lost when she was three years old, and the Marquis's Mansion never found her, so Marquis Cheng'en picked you up and raised you as Zhu'er.
When Zhu'er returns to her ancestral home, the Marquis' Mansion can clarify your identity as a fake daughter, and the marriage between you and me will be annulled.
However, the Marquis's Mansion has raised you for more than ten years, and out of consideration for this deep friendship, they have given you dignity and still retained your identity as the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion.
Otherwise, if you lose your status as the daughter of a marquis, you will not be able to marry me, let alone my sickly second brother.
You were originally an orphan, and you have enjoyed Zhu'er's blessings for more than ten years. You should be content.
From now on, you should each take your place in life, and stop dreaming about things that don't belong to you."
Zhao Jue finally said, "Shen Qingtan, put away your hatred. You should be grateful for the Shen family's upbringing."
How could Shen Qingtan not feel resentful?
When Shen Mingzhu returned to her ancestral home, if the Marquis' Mansion told her the truth, even though she would find it difficult to accept it for a while, she would give up everything that did not belong to her.
They didn't, and kept her in the dark, trying to replace her with Shen Mingzhu and marry Zhao Jue.
After their deeds were exposed, they put all the blame on her and imprisoned her in the backyard.
But what did she do wrong?
Half a year later, Zhao Jue announced her death to the public, but in fact he imprisoned her in another courtyard.
Zhao Jue mourned for her for a year, and then on the day he married Shen Mingzhu, he set fire to the villa where she lived.
In the blazing fire, she heard Zhao Jue's confidant say, "Third Master didn't want to kill you. After all, you were secretly brought back by the wife of Marquis Cheng'en.
The wife of Marquis Cheng'en thought that your family was just an ordinary wealthy family, but who knew that your father and brother had great fortune and found the capital.
If your loved ones knew how they treated you, they would never forgive them, so you have no choice but to be sacrificed.
If you want to hate, then hate the Cheng'en Marquisate."
Shen Qingtan never dreamed that she was not an orphan, but was secretly abducted by Madam Shen.
They were afraid that her father and brothers would find her and take revenge on them, so they tried to kill her.
Her pain, unwillingness, grievances and resentment were all ignited by this fire.
Unexpectedly, she would come back one day.
Shen Qingtan pinched his palm hard with his nails.
It hurts a lot.
She really is alive again.
"Miss, it's time to get out of the sedan chair."
The maidservant whispered a reminder.
Shen Qingtan came back to her senses in a daze, and then she found that the wedding sedan had stopped and a pale, slender hand was extended in front of her. The small mole between the index finger was particularly obvious.
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