At first, proud of my beauty and lured by wealth and status, I abandoned my husband and child to follow that unfaithful man. I thought I had found the perfect haven, that I’d finally become the envied Madam everyone looked up to, savoring the finest delicacies and adorning myself with gold and silver. Little did I know I would be just one of the many women in the Mansion.

That man was a philanderer, having already three wives and four concubines, not to mention a pile of servant girls without official status on the side. Had it not been for my youthful beauty which intrigued him as something new and fresh, I might not even have had the qualifications to become his Concubine.

It was with great difficulty that I eventually became a recognized concubine in the Mansion, thinking I finally had some hope and even ambitiously hoping to one day replace the Mistress by bearing a son to inherit this vast family fortune. But that was nothing but a foolish pipe dream.

Even though Su Wenyue, who grew up in a farmhouse, was clever and somewhat calculating, how could she match those women who were raised in Mansions from a young age? The strict hierarchy of seniority and nobility within the Inner Courtyard was like a towering mountain, insurmountable, firmly pressing down on her. To the Mistress, we concubines were nothing but playthings, to be shaped and molded at her whim. And that man who swore he would always love and dote on her, after he grew tired of her, became colder and colder and even admonished her to keep to her place and never defy the Mistress.

Su Wenyue did regret her actions, but blinded by wealth and luxury, she had no path of return. Through repeated schemes and desperation, she grew and realized her Social Status. Not daring to covet the unobtainable anymore, she settled down.

But affairs in the Mansion’s backyard were like a deep pool; calm on the surface yet incessantly whirling below. The heart-wrenching struggles were not something she could stop merely by wishing it. Su Wenyue fully understood this after she was trapped by those women and had a miscarriage.

To survive, Su Wenyue pulled herself together, learning various skills to please a man and using all her wits. She finally regained favor and secured a relatively stable position in the backyard. Little did she expect to end up such a tragic death.

All she wanted was to safely deliver and raise the child in her stomach, to have someone to rely on in this life. But how could that callously maternal Mistress tolerate any threat to her interests, setting such a vicious trap?

With every strike of the plank, waves of intense pain washed over her, and her mind grew increasingly foggy. Su Wenyue knew she had reached the end of her life, leaving this filthy and vile place with the unborn child that was just three months old.

Her heart was not free of hatred: she hated that unfaithful man who brought her into all this, the maternal Mistress with a kind facade but cruel methods, those women who schemed against her. So much hate, yet the one she hated the most was herself—for being blinded by wealth and not wholeheartedly living a simple life with her Husband, how else could she have ended up like this?

Looking back now, what was the use of wealth and honor? Even with just simple meals, one could live comfortably and at ease. Moreover, the husband whom she once looked down upon, the silent and indifferent man who always regarded her coldly, was not an ordinary man. He had astonishing talent and grand ambitions, both literary and martial, which eventually led him to that supreme position second to none.

Su Wenyue’s eyes could no longer stay open, darkness clouding her mind repeatedly, until she completely lost consciousness. Just before losing awareness, she seemed to hear the panicked voice of a Servant girl reporting something. It seemed that the man had returned…

A low, magnetic voice echoed in her ears. Su Wenyue, already in pain and wishing to curse, suddenly felt this voice was very familiar. Wasn’t it Han Yu’s? After so many years apart, she still recognized it instantly. But how could it be Han Yu’s voice? Could it be an illusion because she had thought of Han Yu earlier?

Su Wenyue opened her eyes, looking around in a daze at the familiar scene. The simple Room was cleaned spotlessly, with festive red items placed all around. A large “Happiness” Character was posted on the wall, and a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Candles burned at the head of the bed, occasionally crackling loudly.

Wasn’t this the scene of her wedding night when she first married into the Han Family’s Wedding Chamber? It all came back to her. Perhaps Su Wenyue hadn’t been as indifferent to Han Yu as she thought. She was simply too obsessed with wealth to see anything else, ignoring her true feelings.

What’s going on here? How could this be? Could it be that Heaven pitied her and allowed her to return to the time when she first married into the Han Family, giving her another chance at happiness? Su Wenyue thought of something

...

Su Wenyue was momentarily distracted because she was too shocked, finding it incredibly unbelievable that such a thing could happen to her, which caused her to zone out. But this didn’t mean the pain wasn’t real—in fact, it was excruciating, almost like being tortured.

Han Yu’s problem was just that, sometimes he was too rough and not at all considerate of her, especially in this matter. He never took her feelings into account, his actions were rough, which made her somewhat scared, and hence she felt a sense of resistance in her heart.

It wasn’t just this matter, Han Yu often didn’t consider her feelings in many things he did, instead making decisions based solely on his own will and judgement, which caused her much grievance. That was one of the reasons why she was deceived by that man back then. That man was gentle and affectionate, took good care of her, and on top of that, there was the dazzling wealth and luxury—a normal girl like Su Wenyue taking the wrong path was to be expected.

Su Wenyue thought to herself that if Han Yu had not been so indifferent and uncaring back then, if he had been a little nicer to her, a bit more caring and attentive, perhaps she wouldn’t have fallen for someone so easily and made that mistake.

“It hurts, be gentle, you bastard, do you want to kill me with pain!” Su Wenyue said irritably, still harboring some resentment towards Han Yu that she wanted to vent. But with her hands and body restrained, she lifted her head and bit down on Han Yu’s shoulder, letting out all her frustration with the thought that if he didn’t care about her feelings, making her suffer in his arms, she wouldn’t let him get away with it either—Su Wenyue didn’t hold back at all when she bit him.

Han Yu grunted in pain, but instead of stopping the harmonious movements, he became even more vigorous. Su Wenyue was in so much pain that she cried, and coupled with physical exhaustion, she finally passed out.

When Su Wenyue woke up the next day, she still felt a surreal haze, as if she couldn’t believe it wasn’t a dream. Moving her body, the pain that felt as if she had been run over by a horse carriage brought her back to reality, yet she wanted to curse out loud.

It was still barely light outside, and though Su Wenyue was still sleepy and tired, she didn’t continue to sleep. Instead, she endured the pain and carefully got out of bed. She still felt somewhat clean, which meant that Han Yu had already cleaned her up. It was somewhat different from her previous life, maybe Han Yu knew he had gone too far and had a guilty conscience. Regardless of the reason, Su Wenyue was somewhat pleased deep down. Only after experiencing coldness and pain could someone learn to cherish and be content with what they had.

“It’s still early, why are you up so soon? Sleep a bit more,” Han Yu, who was alert by nature from his martial training, woke up the moment Su Wenyue turned over, but he had kept his eyes closed until she got up. Although he still sounded cold and detached as usual, there was a hint of concern in his voice.

Feeling somewhat ashamed, Han Yu knew he had gone overboard the night before. After all, his wife was delicate and seemed not very tolerant of rough treatment, especially since it was their first night together. He feared she wouldn’t be able to take it, which was probably why she had fainted. Now, she must be extremely fatigued.

“No, I need to go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone. You sleep a bit more. I will call you when breakfast is ready,” Su Wenyue said softly, continuing to dress despite speaking. If she was determined to have a good life with Han Yu, she definitely had to make sure to do well in her duties.

In her previous life, Su Wenyue, unwilling to marry into the impoverished Han Family, harbored resentment toward Han Yu’s roughness and lack of consideration. So on the first day after the wedding, she not only didn’t get up to cook for everyone as a new bride should, but she also didn’t join in for breakfast. She stayed in bed late into the morning, only getting up reluctantly to offer tea when Han Yu called her, which made everyone in the family dissatisfied with her. Although her father-in-law and mother-in-law didn’t overtly criticize her, they became more distant. Eventually, rumors spread in the village that she was an unworthy wife and didn’t respect her parents-in-law, leading to suspicious and disapproving looks from the villagers whenever they saw her.

When Han Yu heard what Su Wenyue said, he didn’t stop her, knowing that establishing house rules for a new bride was a custom of the Daming Dynasty. However, her actions surprised him. He remembered that when he lifted her veil the day before, her first words were, “Your Han Family must have burned high incense for several lifetimes to have me marry in. Don’t expect me to be willing to serve your whole family!” So, he didn’t expect much from Su Wenyue and didn’t hope for her to become a virtuous wife. As long as she maintained a decent facade and didn’t talk back to his parents, that was enough. But unexpectedly, after one night, Su Wenyue seemed to have become more sensible.

No one hopes for a bad daughter-in-law. Seeing Su Wenyue being sensible, Han Yu was quite pleased, “I made too much of a fuss last night. If you can’t handle it, just rest. There are sisters-in-law in the kitchen, and my father and mother are lenient. They won’t mind.”

Han Yu usually lacked expression on his face, and it was no different at that moment. Only someone familiar with him would notice the slight awkwardness when he spoke. It was his first time consummating a marriage with a wife, after all.

In truth, Han’s parents had long been prepared to dote on Su Wenyue and had no expectations of her to serve them like an ordinary daughter-in-law would. After all, it was their family that had reached above their station to marry her. Su Wenyue was a beautiful girl with a good family background. If it weren’t for the Su Family’s reputation for keeping their word, she would not have been married off to them. Naturally, they should treat her well.

Su Wenyue shook her head, “It’s okay. Even though dad and mom are lenient, as a daughter-in-law, and as a new bride who just entered this home, I can’t just lie in bed and let my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law do all the work. I’ll go back to rest after serving tea.”

Su Wenyue insisted, so Han Yu didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he got up as well. When he saw Su Wenyue almost collapse while trying to get dressed, walking shakily, he felt a surge of pity and picked her up to place her back on the bed.

“Stay here and don’t move, I’ll go boil some hot water for you to soak in,” Han Yu said with a stern face and then strode out of the room.

Sitting there, Su Wenyue was smiling crescent-moon like. Maybe Han Yu wasn’t so indifferent towards her; it was just his nature, and he wasn’t good at expressing himself. Though his intentions were good, they sounded rough and harsh. If she had been the same Su Wenyue from her previous life, who hadn’t experienced the warmth and coldness of the world, she would not have been able to detect the concern hidden in his words, and she would have been annoyed at hearing such a tone.

After soaking in the hot water, she felt much more relaxed, and her aches were significantly lessened. Seeing that time was getting on, Su Wenyue hurriedly got ready and headed to the kitchen. It was getting late to start cooking, but once there, she felt somewhat at a loss about where to begin.

The realization was shameful. During her previous stint as a daughter-in-law in the Han Family, she didn’t even know where things were kept in the kitchen. With such an attitude toward domestic life, it was no wonder that her days were so miserable. It is likely that Han Yu’s heart grew cold because of her, which explained his indifferent attitude towards her.

...

Han Yu had not practiced martial arts today; instead, he followed into the kitchen, feeling somewhat uneasy. His daughter-in-law had been pampered since childhood. Despite growing up in the village, the Su Family was a landowner, and her parents doted on their only beloved daughter, raising her with utmost care. It was said that before his daughter-in-law had joined the family, she even had servant girls to wait on her, never having to dip her fingers in spring water, let alone do any chores.

Although his daughter-in-law had been performing quite well since getting up this morning, Han Yu also wanted to believe in his daughter-in-law, but could you really expect someone who had never set foot in a kitchen to cook a meal for the entire family? What if she ended up setting the kitchen on fire? It seemed more prudent to keep an eye on things. Of course, Han Yu wouldn’t show his concerns outwardly; he simply observed Su Wenyuan’s reactions covertly.

Seeing Su Wenyue standing there in a daze, Han Yu felt a sense of ‘I knew it.’ His daughter-in-law had the intention, but fell short in ability. However, he couldn’t blame her. If it weren’t for the Su Family keeping their promise and not being the kind of household greedy for power, Su Wenyue, with her beauty and background, would surely have married into a wealthy family, becoming a lady of leisure served by maids and old women, with no need to do these things herself. Her reaction yesterday must have been due to panic, so she deliberately spoke that way. Thinking like this, Han Yu found Su Wenyue’s arrogant and disdainful behavior from yesterday somewhat endearing—a beautiful misunderstanding indeed.

Nevertheless, the unease in Han Yu’s heart lingered, and he felt additional pity and affection for his daughter-in-law. A man should achieve great things and make a name for himself. Sooner or later, he would make such a career that his daughter-in-law would also enjoy a good life and have no regrets about marrying into the Han Family.

“Daughter-in-law, what’s wrong? If you don’t know how, it’s fine. So many people at home can cook; we won’t miss one more. It’s the thought that counts,” Han Yu said, believing himself to be considerate, but he received a roll of the eyes from Su Wenyue in response.

This man looked down on her so much. It was just a table’s worth of meals, something she could easily accomplish. Back in the day, in her efforts to please that man, she had put a lot of work into her cooking skills—even the chefs in the mansion felt inferior to her own culinary prowess. Otherwise, how could she have won that man’s favor? That man had grown up eating delicacies from mountains and seas and was very particular about his food.

“Don’t underestimate me; cooking is just a simple task. It’s just that I don’t know where everything is stored at home,” she said.

To Han Yu, Su Wenyue’s words seemed like stubborn pride, but he still found it endearingly obstinate. He followed by familiarizing her with the kitchen, thinking that with his supervision, no significant errors would occur, perhaps just a slight lack in flavor.

Only when Su Wenyue efficiently prepared a fragrant breakfast did Han Yu realize how wrong he was to underestimate her. Due to the limited means of the Han Family, the ingredients Su Wenyue could use were not abundant, and she had to consider the quantity carefully. If she used ingredients for several meals just for breakfast, no matter how tasty, no one would feel good about it. It was tough being a daughter-in-law in a farming family, but even so, Su Wenyue managed to make an ordinary breakfast smell delicious.

Han Yu was reflective, wondering when his daughter-in-law had learned to cook. Could it be that the Mother-in-law had taught her specially before she married? It must be so, Han Yu speculated, not knowing that Mrs. Su had indeed intended for her daughter to learn the ways of a wife before the marriage, including teaching her cooking. However, Su Wenyue, being pampered and marrying into a family like the Han Family, didn’t need to please anyone and thought even less of it.

Just as Han Yu was about to say something, he heard some noise from outside. Looking through the kitchen door, he saw Mrs. Han Yang approaching, and he swiftly left the kitchen without her noticing.

Mrs. Han Yang hadn’t expected Su Wenyue to be like most new daughters-in-law, getting up early to cook breakfast for everyone. She came to the kitchen early in the morning only to find that Su Wenyue had already prepared breakfast. She nodded, a satisfied smile spread across her face, and the slight worry she had had about Su Wenyue marrying down into their family disappeared. She had indeed chosen the right daughter-in-law. Not only was she beautiful and charming, but she also respected the rules for new wives and was so capable. Yuer was indeed blessed.

“Mother, you’re up,” Su Wenyue called sweetly upon seeing Mrs. Han Yang enter, without any of her previous arrogance or disdain.

“Yes, I was just about to come and make breakfast. I didn’t expect that Lady Yue, you would have already prepared it. You truly are capable,” Mrs. Han Yang said with satisfaction, becoming a few degrees warmer towards Su Wenyue.

Seeing Mrs. Han Yang satisfied, Su Wenyue knew she had passed this test with her mother-in-law and was happy. She became even more modest, “This is what a daughter-in-law should do.”

“Good, good, such a sensible child. Yuer is so fortunate to have married you. You must be tired after working in the kitchen for so long by yourself; sit and rest for a while. The rest of us, with your sisters-in-law, can take care of things. Don’t tire yourself out,” Mrs. Han Yang insisted, pulling Su Wenyue aside to sit down, causing the other daughters-in-law to be envious. When they had married into the family, they hadn’t received such consideration, nor had they heard their mother-in-law praise them even once. After all, wasn’t this the case for every new daughter-in-law? It seemed to them that just because Su Wenyue came from a prominent mother’s family, the mother-in-law treasured her as if she were contemplating making Su Wenyue into a worshiped Bodhisattva.

“Yes, Fourth younger sibling, you rest. Let us sisters-in-law handle the rest. After all, our skin is thick and our flesh is tough, unlike you, who are so delicate. Making breakfast has Mother worrying about you as if it’s such a big deal,” Eldest Daughter-in-law Mrs. Liu said sarcastically.

Mrs. Han Yang’s expression soured upon hearing the Eldest Daughter-in-law’s words. That Eldest Daughter-in-law was troublesome, known for shirking duties and not keeping her pregnancies, and she loved stirring up trouble. Now, she was targeting the newly arrived Fourth Daughter-in-law. Fourth Daughter-in-law had been spoiled by her parents since childhood and wasn’t used to taking such nonsense; it wouldn’t be good if a scene were made.

Su Wenyue was not oblivious to the sarcasm in Mrs. Liu’s words but still smiled, not taking offense. Mrs. Liu had always been like this in her previous life, constantly picking on her. Back then, Su Wenyue was young and could not stand Mrs. Liu’s provocations, suffering quite a bit at her hands. This life, Su Wenyue saw Mrs. Liu as nothing more than a clown. It wasn’t that she couldn’t be bothered to argue with someone as petty as Mrs. Liu, but today was her first day in the family, and it would not be good to cause a fuss. Even if she came out on top, she would acquire a bad reputation for disrespecting her Eldest Sister-in-law. With these thoughts, Su Wenyue smiled even more softly.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, how can you say that? How could I let my sisters-in-law work while I sit idly by? Since most of the work is done, why don’t Mother and the sisters-in-law go and sit down? I’ll serve the breakfast right away.”

...