From the moment Xie Lin, the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord, carried Jiang Yunshu out of the carriage, Jiang Zhaohua felt as though she had plunged into a nightmare.
She must be dreaming…
In her past life, the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord had taken her to his residence after becoming fixated on her eyes. In this life, Jiang Yunshu should have died long ago—so why was she by his side?
Why had she been imprisoned in the Xie Residence in her past life, only catching a single glimpse of the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord before her death… while in this life, Jiang Yunshu lived in the palace, spending every day and night with him?
Why had she been locked away in the Xie Residence for years, deprived of sunlight… while Jiang Yunshu could return to the marquisate and walk freely under the sun?
Pearl luster was prized for its soft, gentle glow, yet the two rare Eastern pearls adorning Jiang Yunshu’s shoes—treasures unmatched in the world—emitted a radiance so tender it seared Jiang Zhaohua’s eyes.
She wasn’t jealous of Jiang Yunshu…
But this was simply unjust!
Concubine Qiao, a lowly concubine, had dared to poison the main wife—she deserved death.
Yet nearly every imperial physician in the capital had been summoned… to save that wretched woman’s life!
What right did Jiang Yunshu have? She, too, should have died long ago.
That she still lived, that she could save the woman who poisoned her own mother—all of it was due to the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord’s favor…
Consumed by envy, Jiang Zhaohua exposed Jiang Yunshu’s identity.
"Jiang Yunshu, didn’t you commit suicide to accompany the late emperor? How are you still alive? When Father and Mother saw you today, they thought they were seeing a ghost!"
Jiang Yunshu had been about to follow Concubine Qiao’s sedan chair when Jiang Zhaohua’s shout made her freeze.
Before today, she hadn’t imagined she would ever leave Weiyang Palace.
And until this moment, she hadn’t expected her identity to be exposed.
She should have died as a sacrificial bride—her elder sister had forced her to take her place in the palace. If not for sheer luck, she would have perished!
Had her elder sister not killed her once already? Did she have to do it again?
Jiang Yunshu turned, staring at her sister in disbelief. They had never clashed in the inner chambers—she had always yielded to her elder sister with care…
Now, before so many witnesses—the entire marquisate household, a dozen imperial physicians, and the guards stationed nearby—her sister had revealed her identity. Surely, she wouldn’t be allowed to live after this?
Lichun swiftly glanced at the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord’s expression before stepping forward, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Madam, you must have mistaken this lady for someone else?"
Though young and short, forcing him to tilt his head up to speak to Jiang Zhaohua, she flinched as if struck.
In her past life, when she had been a lowly servant in the Xie Residence, she could only gaze at these young eunuchs from afar…
But she wasn’t a servant anymore! She was the marquisate’s legitimate daughter, the future wife of the prime minister!
Straightening her back, she retorted, "How could I mistake my own sister?"
"She is the marquisate’s second daughter, Jiang Yunshu, the Lady of Handsome Fairness appointed by the late emperor. She should have died with him—"
Slap!
A sharp crack echoed as Lichun rose onto his toes and struck Jiang Zhaohua with all his strength.
Her fair cheek flushed crimson, swelling rapidly. The inside of her mouth tore, blood trickling from her lips…
Though young, Lichun’s cold smirk mirrored his master’s. "Madam, you mustn’t speak carelessly."
Dazed, Jiang Zhaohua saw stars, her ears ringing.
She swayed, barely keeping her balance, and clutched her stomach—she was pregnant!
"I’m not mistaken!" She glared at Jiang Yunshu. "I’m not blind—you are Jiang Yunshu!"
"And I heard the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord call you ‘Your Ladyship’!"
"I heard the physicians call you ‘Lady Jiang’!"
Lichun’s eyes gleamed. "Madam is confused. This lady shares your surname, but her name is not Yunshu."
Jiang Zhaohua stiffened. "Then what is it?"
Slap!
The second blow landed even harder.
"Since when does the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord’s inner circle answer to you?"
Blood filled her mouth, both cheeks now swollen.
This little eunuch was lying through his teeth!
She looked to her parents. Her mother’s face was etched with worry, silently pleading for her to stop. Her father, however, wasn’t looking at her—his fearful gaze was fixed on the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord.
Jiang Zhaohua had never been struck before. Her parents and grandmother had doted on her, never laying a finger on her.
Even in her past life as a servant in the Xie Residence, no one had dared to hit her.
Yet today, a eunuch barely ten years old had slapped her twice—and her parents hadn’t uttered a word in her defense…
Xie Lin chuckled, addressing her father. "Marquess Xiping, is your second daughter named Jiang Yunshu?"
The marquess paled, nodding hastily. "Yes, yes."
Xie Lin repeated, "Is your second daughter named Jiang Yunshu?"
This time, the marquess jolted in realization—he had been a fool!
"No!" he blurted.
"My second daughter’s name is not Yunshu!"
Xie Lin gave no reaction, his expression unreadable as he strode away.
The marquess exhaled in relief. Had his answer pleased the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord?
He resolved to issue orders the moment Xie Lin left: henceforth, no one in the marquisate would dare claim the second daughter or the late emperor’s Lady of Handsome Fairness was named Jiang Yunshu.
Anyone who slipped up would pay with their life—and he wouldn’t lift a finger to save them.
Jiang Zhaohua watched Xie Lin and Jiang Yunshu walk side by side, her heart in turmoil.
She had thought Jiang Yunshu’s identity was a disgrace… that she held her sister’s greatest weakness…
Yet two slaps from a eunuch had shattered her certainty.
Her legs trembled, a sharp pain twisting in her still-flat belly…
Then what had her past life been for?
Why had she lost her name and status, left to rot in the Xie Residence until death… while Jiang Yunshu swaggered back to the marquisate, forcing everyone to pretend the second daughter had never been named Jiang Yunshu?
