Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The moment I realized I had been reborn, I threw my arms around my elder sister-alive and breathing-instead of a skeletal corpse.

I was born rotten. From childhood to adulthood, I had done far too many terrible things.

Grandmother called me a wretched curse. My aunts said I should never have been born.

But Father, Mother, and my elder sister always tolerated me. They understood me every single time.

Father always said, “Sese isn’t rotten. Sese simply loves and hates too fiercely.”

In my previous life, after my elder sister died a tragic death in the Duke’s Mansion, Father went there to demand an explanation. Lord Duke’s warhorse kicked him squarely in the chest, and within a month, he died with hatred in his heart.

Mother was overcome by grief and rage, and soon followed him.

Later, I did take revenge. But in the end, I could never get my loved ones back.

Even though I lived to a ripe old age in that life, I still died in misery.

That was why I proposed that we switch marriages.

But at this moment, my elder sister shook her head. Sobbing, she said, “No… The Duke’s Mansion is a den of dragons and tigers. How can I watch you leap into that fire pit?”

I, however, grew excited. “Don’t worry, Sister. I was born rotten, remember?”

The imperial decree granting the marriages could not be changed. If we did not switch, we would most likely repeat the tragedy of my previous life.

Once again, I promised my elder sister, “Just agree to it, Sister. After you died in my previous life, I didn’t spare that family. It was just a pity… that upright husband of mine insisted on doing everything by the book. I couldn’t take revenge exactly as I pleased, and it was deeply unsatisfying! This time, I’ll do it my own way.”

“Oh, right. That husband of mine is far too honest and kind. He is the perfect match for you, Sister. All day long, he only cares about composing poems and pretending to be refined. I endured him for an entire lifetime. In this life, I have no desire to continue that old fate.”

I regarded Wen Sheng only as family. There was no love between a man and a woman.

If I entrusted my elder sister to Wen Sheng, I could rest easy.

In the end, my elder sister was persuaded by me.

Very soon, the day came for us to marry. I told her everything I knew about the Wen Family.

And in my previous life, when I avenged my elder sister, I had already learned the situation inside the Duke’s Mansion.

Once the auspicious hour arrived, my elder sister and I each climbed into our bridal sedan chairs.

Lord Duke Fu Huai had a female confidante who had fought alongside him at the border. In addition, the Old Madam had arranged a concubine for him. That concubine was the Old Madam’s adopted daughter, and she was the best at helping the tiger do evil.

Aside from those two concubines, there was also a younger sister-in-law in the household who loved to fan the flames.

However…

The greatest conflict between the Chu and Fu families lay not in the inner residence, but in the imperial harem and the court.

Fu Huai’s aunt was the current Consort De, who had given birth to the Second Prince.

My father, however, belonged to the Crown Prince’s Faction.

This marriage bestowed by the Emperor was, in truth, another act of political balancing.

I replayed everything from my previous life in my mind. Before I knew it, the bridal sedan had already arrived at the Duke’s Mansion.

Although my elder sister and I had switched marriage documents, these were still marriages granted by the Emperor. To prevent the matter from being brought before the throne, I had to first make the marriage with Fu Huai an accomplished fact.

Wen Sheng was a gentleman, and my elder sister was a reserved, restrained woman. I certainly could not count on that side to consummate things first.

So, in advance, I had applied Bliss Powder to my body.

First, it would cement the marriage.

Second, I wanted to drive a crack directly between Fu Huai and his beloved confidante.

Once a crack appeared, it would only be a matter of time before everything fell apart.