Chapter 1: Flower Chongjin Official City

In the Qingming season, the spring rain in Jinguancheng is continuous.

The fallen petals from the southern mansion cover the blue stone path, dampening the slight chill.

By the west window, Nan Baoyi leaned on the bamboo couch, absentmindedly gazing at her own tender and fair little hands.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the curtain:

"Jiaojiao, there are guests in the mansion, sitting in the grandmother's courtyard. Why are you still sleeping? Come on, let's join the fun!"

A delicate beauty ran in, pinching Nan Baoyi's little cheek with a smile, "Why have you lost weight these days? Did the maids not take care of you properly?"

Nan Baoyi pouted and brushed away her hand.

She looked into the mirror, seeing a girl of only twelve years old, delicate and doll-like.

She sighed inwardly, thinking how good it was to be reborn before her marriage, but why did she have to be reborn at the age of twelve? It was too young.

...

Dragged by her cousin all the way to the flower hall, she hid behind the sandalwood embroidered screen, quietly observing the hall.

The grandmother sat upright, placing the white jade teacup heavily on the flower table, "Lao San, your wife has only been gone for less than two years, and you want to bring in a concubine. Have you ever thought about what Jiaojiao will do?!"

The middle-aged man sitting at the lower end, elegant and graceful, replied, "Mother, Liushi is not a harsh person. She will treat Jiaojiao as her own and raise her well. Look, Yan'er has been raised very well, hasn't she?"

The girl behind him immediately walked to the hall and respectfully knelt in front of the old lady, "Yan'er pays her respects to grandmother, wishing you good health and everything goes well!"

At the age of thirteen, the girl had almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, her voice as sweet as honey.

Behind the screen, Nan Baoyi's lips turned pale.

In her previous life, at this time, under her father's persuasion, Liushi brought a son and a daughter into the mansion and became his concubine.

Liushi did indeed dote on her, but gradually indulged her to the point where she became unruly, making her a despised and spoiled troublemaker.

Nan Yan was Liushi's own daughter, but she was raised as a proper young lady, not only making Nan Baoyi look foolish and unruly, but also ultimately taking away her marriage.

Her marriage was with Cheng Deyu, the second son of the governor of Shu.

The Nan family was a prominent merchant in Shu, and for a merchant's daughter to marry the legitimate son of an official was a significant match.

In her previous life, she happily married into the family, only to find that it was the beginning of a nightmare.

It turned out that Cheng Deyu and Nan Yan had long harbored feelings for each other, and they staged a series of tragic love stories after her marriage, making everyone believe that Nan Baoyi was the villain in their love story, the malicious supporting character.

She struggled to please Cheng Deyu, even going so far as to actively seek his marriage to his beloved, allowing Nan Yan to enter the mansion as a concubine.

But the consequence of repaying kindness with resentment was that Nan Yan deliberately scalded her face with boiling water...

Nan Baoyi reached out with a trembling hand and touched her flawless face.

"Jiaojiao, what's wrong with you?" her cousin, Nan Baozhu, asked with concern.

Nan Baoyi shook her head, her eyes filled with determination.

Since she had the chance to live again, the first thing she had to do was to prevent Liushi and Nan Yan from entering the mansion again!

Timidly, she stepped out from behind the screen, "Grandmother, who is this sister?"

The old lady hugged her lovingly, "You fell from the rockery a few days ago and hurt your head. You should have stayed in your room to rest. Why did you come out?"

Nan Baoyi blushed, "Grandmother, my head is not hurt. I'm fine."

She turned to Nan Yan and coquettishly said, "Grandmother, this sister is so beautiful, like a performer on the stage."

The maids' faces changed.

A performer's status was lowly, wasn't she insulting Nan Yan in every possible way?

They discreetly compared Nan Baoyi and Nan Yan. Their fifth miss was delicate and refined, exuding an air of scholarly elegance, much more dignified than this concubine-born girl.

Nan Yan knelt on the ground and looked at Nan Baoyi.

She had neatly combed double buns, wore a tender yellow Shu brocade embroidered with golden hibiscus, and had two excellent jade bracelets on her wrist, as well as a golden bell hanging from her waist, and her embroidered shoes were adorned with pearls, exuding a subtle air of nobility.

Looking down at herself, she wore a pink satin dress, with two red gold bracelets on her wrist, which was her most precious attire.

Clearly, both were her father's daughters, but because she was born of a concubine, she couldn't show her face, she could only be the one hidden from sight.

An indescribable sense of inferiority pervaded her heart. She bit her lip, feeling a strong resentment and unwillingness.

Nan Baoyi approached her gently, smiling as she helped her up.

She said, "The ground is cold, sister, don't catch a cold. Father, is this sister a performer you bought to sing for grandmother?"

Nan Guang was embarrassed, "Jiaojiao, she, she is your Aunt Li's daughter, your sister..."

Nan Baoyi widened her phoenix eyes in "surprise."

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she weakly took a few steps back, suddenly bursting into tears.

She turned and threw herself into the old lady's arms, "Grandmother, father doesn't want me anymore!"

The old lady cherished her and hurriedly patted her back to comfort her, glaring fiercely at Nan Guang.

Nan Guang felt rare guilt, but still insisted, "Jiaojiao, Yan'er is your real sister. Bringing her into the mansion will mean one more person to love and care for you. Isn't that good? Moreover, when your sister reaches the age of marriage, living in the mansion will make it easier to arrange a good marriage for her. Jiaojiao, you are grown up, you have to be sensible, you have to help your sister!"

"Shut up, can't you see that Jiaojiao is crying?" the old lady scolded sternly, "Running here early in the morning, causing a headache for everyone!"

"Son, you're wrong..." Nanguang accompanied with a smiling face, then ordered the maidservant, "Serve breakfast first."

The Nang Mansion was wealthy and the breakfast was not only exquisite, but the dining etiquette was also very strict.

The maidservants came in like flowing water, respectfully placing delicious dishes on the table.

Nan Bao Yi accompanied the old lady to her seat, and discreetly glanced at Nan Yan, deliberately saying, "Grandmother, should your granddaughter serve you during the meal?"

Nanguang quickly said, "Your sister rarely comes to the mansion, let your sister serve!"

This was a perfect opportunity to please the old lady!

Nan Bao Yi didn't say anything, just smiled and stepped aside.

Nan Yan, with great insight, stepped forward and took a delicately shaped golden cup from the maidservant.

The cup was filled with some soup that smelled very sweet.

Perhaps it was a hot soup to warm the stomach!

Nan Yan confidently smiled and, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, placed the golden cup on the table, scooped a small bowl of soup with a spoon, and respectfully brought it to the old lady's lips, "Grandmother, please have the soup."

"Pfft!"

Nan Bao Zhu, who had sneaked out to eat something, burst into laughter.

The maidservants serving in the hall also laughed, and their eyes barely concealed their mockery and disdain.

Nan Bao Yi, understanding the situation, said, "That's scented soup for hand washing."

Nan Yan stood foolishly in place.

She looked at Nan Bao Yi, who leisurely rolled up the delicate pink gauze sleeve, revealing a small, soft, and fair hand with slender fingertips that were slightly translucent with a hint of pale pink.

She dipped her hands into the scented soup, and the maidservant scattered a few bright red rose petals. The hot mist diffused, presenting the delicate beauty of a noble lady.

And she was holding hand-washing water to serve someone...

Her face flushed, her blood rushed to her head, and she wished she could find a hole to hide in!

Legitimate or illegitimate, the gap in knowledge and vision was like night and day.

Feeling inferior, she bit her lip and couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle her sobs.

Everyone felt extremely awkward.

After all, she was the daughter of a concubine, and although no one had bullied her, she had run into the courtyard of the old ancestors to cry early in the morning. Wasn't this bad luck?

This lack of etiquette showed that the concubine who gave birth to her daughter was also not worthy of being the third lady of the Nang Mansion.

Nanguang, however, felt very distressed, "Mother, look, this is the harm of raising children outside. Liu Shi has given birth to a son and a daughter for my son, and it's reasonable and proper to bring her into the mansion. Moreover, Yan'er is also of marriageable age, and entering the mansion would give her a good status, making it easier for her to marry. You are the grandmother, you should be magnanimous and help Yan'er! In any case, my son will marry Liu Shi next month!"

After speaking, he took Nan Yan away.

Everyone looked at each other.

The old lady was so angry that she smashed the teacup, "Nonsense!"

Noticing that Nan Bao Yi was still there, she hugged her with red eyes, "Poor my precious child, what should we do when the stepmother enters the house..."

Nan Bao Yi's nose tingled.

Grandmother really loved her, but in her previous life, she was instigated by Liu Shi and thought that her grandmother despised her, so she gradually became unwilling to be close to her.

Later, she was locked in the woodshed of the Cheng Mansion. When she saw Nan Yan wearing a white flower, she learned that her grandmother had passed away.

At that time, Nan Yan stood arrogantly in front of her and sneered, "The old lady called your name until her last breath, I told her you didn't want to go back, but she still widened her eyes and tried to find you in the crowd... Nan Bao Yi, you are really unfilial!"

Nan Bao Yi suddenly burst into tears in the old lady's arms.

Yes, in her previous life, she was really unfilial!