Chapter 1 Chapter 1

tated, unsure whether to go in or retreat. She turned her head to glance around, relieved that no one had approached. Then, she quietly retreated to the corner.Though the voices inside weren't that lo...Once again, when the apricot blossoms were in full bloom and a light rain fell, moss had covered the stone path before the platform.

It had just rained, and the corridor was still damp. Cheng'er carefully carried a bowl of osmanthus jelly towards Madam Yuan's main chamber.

The doorway was veiled with curtains, and a little girl in a green jacket was still yawning there.

Cheng'er was just about to plead with the little girl to lift the curtain and go in, when a languid yet crisp voice from inside, belonging to Yuan Shi, reached their ears.

"Shuo'er has turned fifteen, so it's time to arrange a personal space for her. Which one do you think would be suitable"

When Chéng'er heard this, her steps suddenly stopped. She hesitated, unsure whether to go in or retreat. She turned her head to glance around, relieved that no one had approached. Then, she quietly retreated to the corner.

Though the voices inside weren't that loud, they were still clearly audible through the wall.

"I see, these few maidservants are not bad. Dongmei is steady, Xuesi is lively, and Cheng'er..."

"Cheng'er cannot!" Yuan shi abruptly interrupted the mama's words,

Cheng'er, upon hearing this, patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, that's not possible. If it were, things would be troublesome, who would want to be a concubine for your son

Cheng'er rolled her eyes at that.

Grandma smiled faintly upon hearing this.

But madam, as you know, of all the maidservants in our Second House, that girl is the most beautiful. What's more, the Fourth Master likes her.

When Yuan heard this, she was immediately enraged.

"I don't know what Shao'er likes. All I see is that he has the face of a fox! Shao'er is about to take the exam, what if he gets possessed If it wasn't for hearing that he went out drinking with someone the other day and got cheated into a brothel, I would be worried about him learning bad things outside. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to arrange someone for him."

Nǎnā knew that Yuanshi disliked Cheng'er, but she was partial to the Fourth Master who liked him dearly and wanted to marry him at all costs.

"But Madam, if you don't give it to him, I'm afraid the Fourth Master will become even more preoccupied with it and won't study properly!"

Now Yuan shi was silent.

Grandma could only advise again, “It’s just a concubine. Before the mistress enters the door, she drinks a decoction to prevent pregnancy. After a few years, when the master and the husband have given birth to an eldest son, she will leave, so why should you quarrel with Fourth Master over this”

The Yuan clan ultimately fell, "Enough is enough."

When Chenger heard this, a chill ran down her spine.

You shouldn't become someone else's mistress, and you should also avenge your father.

When Cheng'er saw that there was still no one inside, she slowly walked out from the corner. She deliberately raised her voice when speaking to the maidservant at the door, so that the people inside would know she had arrived.

As expected, the room fell completely silent.

Cheng'er bent down and entered the east room respectfully, offering the bowl of sweet bean curd jelly. As she withdrew, she discreetly wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.

Yuan shi, seeing this, carefully examined Cheng'er's face and found that the corner of her eyes was red. She couldn't help but furrow her brows,

What's wrong with you Why are you crying here so early in the morning

Ching'er pretended to be frightened and shook her head hurriedly. "My lady, please forgive me, I wasn't crying. I was just thinking about my deceased mother, as today is her death anniversary."

Yuan paused slightly, not knowing what to say.

Cheng'er was originally a palace servant, but later his family committed a crime and he was enslaved and sent to the Cui family.

Feeling sympathy for the world's suffering, a bit of the anger from before has subsided.

Are there still other people in your family

Chéng'er choked back tears and said,

"My parents have both passed away, and I am the only one left besides my elder brother, who was exiled to the border as a soldier."

Cheng'er, with an uncontrollably joyful expression, burst into tears.

"My life is so hard, my mother died soon after giving birth to me, and my father also passed away on the day I was born..."

Lala talked about how her seven aunts and eight grand-aunts at home were upset about the bad things she had done. Finally, she timidly lifted her eyes and shyly looked at Yuan Shi,

"Madam, from the bottom of my heart, I implore you. It is only here with you that I have lived a good life. I only wish to serve you faithfully for many years to come."

Hearing this, Yuan suddenly shivered and looked at Cheng'er with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Is that so Go busy yourself, I don't need you to wait on me here." Yuan shi looked at the face as beautiful as a peach blossom and felt a little intimidated.

Cheng'er's long, black eyelashes were still wet with tears, but she smiled sweetly and curtsied before retreating.

"If you need anything, just call upon your servant."

I won't dare anymore.

As soon as Dai Cheng'er left, Yuan Shi and Han Mamu exchanged glances. Their eyes spoke volumes.

Cheng'er returned to the back room and almost laughed out loud.

I'm sure Second Madam wouldn't dare to suggest making Fourth Master a concubine again.

Perhaps some of the conversation between the Second Madam and Granny Han was overheard, or perhaps someone mistakenly believed that Yuan Shi intended to choose Cheng'er as a concubine for the Fourth Master.

Those maids who still had feelings for the Fourth Master naturally didn't look favorably upon Cheng Er.

Because she was beautiful and had a good disposition, the young maid named Li'er was the envy of all the other housemaids. She was used to it.

At noon, Cheng'er asked Grandma Han for leave. She wanted to go to the temple in the afternoon to burn incense for her mother. Grandma Han agreed.

After lunch, Cheng'er changed into a plain jacket and styled her hair in a simple bun. She took off a few pieces of silver jewelry and went out.

As the slender figure stepped out, it moved like snow slowly emerging from behind a screen. Beside her walked an unassuming young attendant.

"Cheng'er has always been a problem in the Second House. Even if the Fourth Master liked her, he couldn't possibly want someone who had already been touched by another, you know what to do"

The little servant coldly bowed,

"Don't worry, elder sister. The younger one will definitely not let you down."

Xi Xue gave a cold, ethereal smile. Her icy gaze swept past Cheng'er's retreating figure. She slipped a silver coin into the hand of the young attendant and turned back to her room.

Here, Cheng'er left Cui Mansion and that small alleyway. Wearing a veiled hat, she quickly rode in a light carriage to the Xiuchin Temple in Shengye Fang.

A memorial tablet for the mother was once set up here in the family home, and every year Cheng'er would come here to kneel and recite scriptures for half a day.

As dusk fell, Cheng'er finished reciting the sutras. Her aching waist told her it was time to stop. She rose and walked out of the back courtyard through the side gate of the temple.

Little did they know, as soon as the person came out, a sack was thrown at them.

Is she a Miss How could she possibly have overpowered four men And with nightfall, people simply carried her away.

Cheng'er was not flustered, instead she began calculating their steps and direction.

From a young age, he was familiar with directions. Having once seen his father's map of the capital city's neighborhoods, he also became quite knowledgeable about it.

About a quarter of an hour later, those thugs took her to a secluded courtyard. Cheng'er was unconscious and didn't cry or make a sound, so they weren't too cautious about her.

> It was only when he was abandoned by them that his nosetip was met with a peculiar fragrance.

Cheng'er secretly thought, "Something is wrong, I'm afraid I was drugged."

A person was stuffed into a shed, and a voice came from outside, cackling with laughter.

"He's so pure and innocent, don't let others take advantage of him. I should be the one."

Upon hearing this, Cheng'er felt a wave of anger and her vision darkened.

This person might be unfamiliar, but I'm sure I've seen them before.

Needless to say, someone from the Cui family must have taken issue with their opponent.

Even your toes know who the troublemaker is.

After calming down, Cheng'er started thinking about how to

...

Among several men, some vulgar words were being spoken. Cheng'er could only pretend not to hear.

The man pushed open the door and glanced around.

"I'm going to eat something first since you're not awake yet. You guys just watch over him and call me when he wakes up."

The other two men hastily agreed, and after a while, one went to get food and the other went to the toilet. Cheng got the chance and climbed out of the window in the firewood shed, then quietly scaled the wall and escaped.

This place is not far from the Cui family's residence. Enduring the discomfort, she ran to the back gate of the Cui family. This door has always been used by servants coming and going. She gave a silver ingot to the old woman guarding the gate and was let in.

Soso went onto the back porch, purposely choosing a secluded path.

I don't know what kind of medicine that was, and I started to panic. Something felt wrong. Hearing that person's nonsense, could it be that kind of drug

Cheng'er was furious and vowed to get even.

The back house, separated from Cui's mansion by a distance of some miscellaneous courtyards, was securely locked with dedicated personnel responsible for each household section to ensure safety.

It's not curfew yet, but Cheng'er is forcing himself to go that way despite the discomfort.

Beneath the corridor lay a bamboo grove, and there was a stone path through it with a small gate. This led to the back room of the second house's main courtyard.

Cheng'er stumbled through the forest when suddenly a tall, dark figure flashed before his eyes.lably joyful expression, burst into tears."My life is so hard, my mother died soon after giving birth to me, and my father also passed away on the day I was born..."Lala talked about how her seven aun...