"I drank a bit too much tonight, so I'll sleep in the study. You should get some rest."
After saying this, Yin Wenxiao left the bridal chamber dressed in bright red wedding attire.
Qin Sheng's veil had not yet been lifted when, in her haste, she lifted it with one hand and looked up in astonishment at her husband's departing figure.
Gradually, everything in front of me began to become blurry.
Suddenly, she heard laughter and chatter. Qin Sheng saw herself sitting down and forced a smile as she accepted the tea offered to her by her concubine.
The concubine accidentally spilled the scalding tea on Qin Sheng's hand, instantly turning her fair skin bright red.
The concubine, kneeling before him, wept uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears. Her husband, his face contorted with rage, stared at her with icy eyes…
The scene changed again, and it became a raging fire.
The servants in the mansion scattered and fled, some shouting: "Lady Pingyin, a corrupt official, has committed murder and set herself on fire!"
No! She didn't!
Qin Sheng wanted to speak up in her defense, but she couldn't open her mouth.
Three days ago, her husband, Yin Wenxiao, had already left the mansion with his concubine, Ye, and two illegitimate sons. The group traveled in carts and small carts, carrying over a hundred trunks and boxes.
She finally realized that she had been abandoned.
All the corruption, bribery, murder, and other crimes were committed by Yin Wenxiao and Ye Shi, but in the end, it was Qin Sheng who bore the brunt of it all!
But it was too late for her to realize it.
The fire engulfed the entire Yin residence. Qin Sheng's clothes were quickly set ablaze, and she collapsed to the ground, letting the flames engulf her entire body...
...
“Madam…” A vague yet familiar voice reached his ears, tinged with worry.
In a daze, Qin Sheng finally saw everything clearly in front of him.
The hall was filled with guests, laughter, and lively chatter.
The scene before him was all too familiar. Qin Sheng was in a daze for a moment before he realized that he had been reborn!
She returned to the year she married Yin Wenxiao.
Less than half a year after their marriage, Yin Wenxiao said that his "cousin" had lost both her parents and was all alone and pitiful.
He said he wanted to take his 'cousin' as a concubine, so that he could give her a legitimate place to settle down and make a living.
Qin Sheng's mother-in-law also came to persuade him, saying that since men are going to take concubines anyway, it would be better to take a well-known and trusted woman than a woman from outside whose background he didn't know.
Ye Jiaoniang lived up to her name; she was delicate and beautiful, with a fresh and refined appearance.
Qin Sheng used to be easily swayed and actually believed the lies told by the mother and son.
It was only later that they discovered that the so-called lonely and helpless 'cousin' was actually Yin Wenxiao's mistress from outside the home!
In order to deceive her, the mother and son fabricated a tragic backstory for the woman.
Today happens to be the day Yin Wenxiao takes Ye Jiaoniang as his concubine. He is the Earl of Pingyin, and although it is only taking a concubine, there are quite a few guests who have come.
The one who spoke just now was Qin Sheng's maid, Emerald.
Ye Jiaoniang, dressed in a pink wedding gown, was taking a teacup from a servant and coming forward to serve tea to Qin Sheng.
A slight smile played on her lips as she respectfully kowtowed to Qin Sheng, holding her teacup. "Sister, please have some tea."
Qin Sheng lowered his eyes and sized up the woman in front of him.
Everything before my eyes was exactly the same as what had happened in my previous life.
In her past life, when Ye Jiaoniang served her tea, she deliberately let go of her hand, and the scalding tea spilled all over Qin Sheng's hand, burning a patch of the back of her hand red.
She was still crying with tears streaming down her face. When Yin Wenxiao came over to ask her what was wrong, she shook her head and said that it was her own fault and that it had nothing to do with her sister. She asked her husband not to blame her sister.
In just a few words, he shifted all the blame onto Qin Sheng, the legal wife.
The guests inside the room all changed their expressions when they looked at Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng was speechless and, moreover, she valued her status and was unwilling to argue with Ye Jiaoniang in front of so many people.
"Ah Sheng?" Old Madam Yin spoke, her face still smiling, but her tone was slightly displeased.
Ye Jiaoniang was holding a teacup and looking at her, then said again, "Sister, please have some tea."
Qin Sheng gathered all her thoughts and reached out to take the teacup.
Just like in her previous life, Ye Jiaoniang tried to let go of Qin Sheng's hand when he touched the teacup, but Qin Sheng gripped the teacup tightly along with her hand.
The tea was freshly brewed. Holding the cup by the bottom was fine, but Ye Jiaoniang was forced to hold the entire teacup in her hand, and her palm quickly became red and painful from the heat of the teacup.
"elder sister?"
Qin Sheng held Ye Jiaoniang's hand firmly, her palm burning hot, and her smile became somewhat forced.
"After you've had your tea, we'll be sisters from now on." Qin Sheng looked at her, a slow smile appearing on her lips, and released her hand to take the teacup.
Ye Jiaoniang felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders.
She didn't dare to look at her palms to see if they were burned, and continued to kneel obediently.
Qin Sheng took a sip of tea, then turned and gestured for her maid, Emerald, to come forward. Emerald quickly stepped forward with a box in her hands.
The box was opened, and inside were a pair of fine mutton fat jade bracelets.
Qin Sheng smiled and said, "This is my gift to you today as you enter the family." She paused and then added, "From now on, you must serve your husband well and produce offspring for the Yin family as soon as possible."
Her words sounded strange, but Ye Jiaoniang didn't realize it.
Yin Wenxiao and Ye assumed that she was just being considerate and valuing her reputation, so they didn't think much of it.
Ye Jiaoniang thanked her and was helped up by her maid.
After the ceremony, everyone sat down and enjoyed the meal in a lively atmosphere.
Only the old lady called Qin Sheng to the side hall to talk.
Knowing that her son had taken a concubine less than half a year after his marriage, which had upset his daughter-in-law, the old lady said, "Ah Sheng, although you and Wenxiao have been married for less than half a year, you should hurry up with having children. Now that the concubine has entered the family, if the concubine's belly shows signs of pregnancy first, it will not be good for Wenxiao's reputation."
Ha, now she knows to cherish her son's reputation?
When they used those rules and regulations to pressure her and force her to agree to Yin Wenxiao taking a concubine, why didn't they think about Yin Wenxiao's reputation?
"Mother, didn't the doctor say that sometimes it depends on fate when it comes to having a child? The more anxious you are, the less likely the child will come?"
Qin Sheng dabbed her lips with a handkerchief, her eyes icy cold.
Madam Yin was unaware that she and Yin Wenxiao had been married for over five months but had not yet consummated their marriage.
Qin Sheng didn't know why her husband wouldn't touch her; he would rather pretend to be sick than consummate their marriage.
In her past life, Qin Sheng only understood this after seeing Yin Wenxiao and Ye Jiaoniang being inseparable and loving.
He doesn't touch her because he doesn't like her; Yin Wenxiao already has someone else in his heart.
It turns out that from beginning to end, I was the one who was superfluous.
However, it was only because Ye Jiaoniang was of low status, orphaned, and from a family that had long since fallen into decline that marrying such a woman would be a disgrace to the Yin family.
As the Earl of Pingyin, Yin Wenxiao's elders and relatives would naturally not agree to him marrying an orphan girl from a declining family with no parents as his principal wife.
That's why he married her, Qin Sheng, the legitimate daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief's family.
After thinking about her daughter-in-law's words, Madam Yin realized that they made sense.
However, her daughter-in-law's family will eventually be helpful to her son's career. She can't stop her son from taking his wife as a concubine, but she still needs to appease her daughter-in-law.
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