Chapter 3: New Life

Wei An suddenly woke up from her dream. The night was dark, with stars twinkling in the sky. The summer night breeze seeped through the broken door and made her feel a bit cold. She sat there in a daze, unable to understand why, even though she had held her daughter's hand, she did not meet her parents and siblings as expected, but ended up here.

The moon was bright, and the early summer night breeze was slightly cool, just right.

But she couldn't help but sigh. She thought she had seen Peng Caichen and his family die, only to realize it was just a dream. She was becoming less and less clear-headed, spending most of her time shuttling between different dreamscapes.

She had never seen her parents' or siblings' faces.

She didn't deserve it.

In her past life, Peng Caichen was the one who attacked their family with a knife, but she was the one who handed the knife to Peng Caichen. She was selfish, cold, suspicious, sensitive, and insecure, and she was never close to her parents.

Most of the so-called evidence that Peng Caichen later presented to the new emperor was obtained from her, and then deliberately exaggerated, ultimately becoming his stepping stone to climb up.

She was not a good person. According to the abbot in the temple, her parents and relatives had already been reincarnated.

She once wanted to search the ends of the earth and the depths of the underworld, just to find her parents and relatives, to tell them that she knew she was wrong, that she was blinded by jealousy and became a tool in someone else's hands.

But since then, she had never thought about it again. She was destined for the depths of hell, and in her next life, she would surely be reborn as an animal. Her relatives, on the other hand, should be reincarnated and never encounter her, this ill-fated ghost.

Her throat was dry and itchy, making her cough uncomfortably. She turned her head, waiting for someone else to appear.

In every dream, there were people coming to collect debts from her. Most of them didn't speak, just staring at her with the miserable look they had before their death, making her feel guilty and heartbroken.

She couldn't touch them or hear their calls, but in the end, she died inside, just wanting to look at them a little longer.

The door creaked open, and dust fell to the ground. Wang Mama pushed the door open, muttering to herself as she brushed off the dust on her clothes. When she saw Wei An, she immediately smiled.

Wei An also smiled, but tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She had dreamed of her parents, but she had never dreamed of Wang Mama.

Wang Mama was her first nursemaid, who had been by her side since she was a child, pouring all her love into her without reservation, but in the end, died because of Wei An's indifference.

She had always known that Wang Mama resented her, so she never appeared in her dreams.

Perhaps because she was about to die, Wang Mama finally became willing to accompany her daughter and send her off on her final journey.

Thinking this, even though she knew she couldn't hold on, she couldn't help but rush towards Wang Mama.

Wang Mama reached out and embraced her, speaking softly and wiping away her tears, "Don't cry so much, you'll hurt your eyes! If we are, we are. Who dares to wrong us..."

Wei An didn't hear a word, she let go of Wang Mama, her hands in front of her in disbelief, and then looked at Wang Mama again—she could touch her, she could actually touch her...

She finally realized that something was wrong. In her previous dreams, she only saw people in a dying state, and she couldn't touch or hear them. But now, she was holding Wang Mama firmly, and Wang Mama's eyes were bright, her face full of life, not the appearance of a hanging ghost with its tongue sticking out.

She widened her eyes, finally understanding where she was. This was the disciplinary courtyard of the Puci An, with broken windows and drafts everywhere. She was so familiar with it because she had never experienced such hardship before, but later, she always suffered such hardships, so she was particularly familiar with the Puci An's disciplinary courtyard.

Wang Mama waved her hand in front of Wei An's eyes, and while doing so, she also turned to ask the two maids who had just entered, "How is it? Is there a conclusion over there? The young lady is the daughter of the Hou Mansion, how could she commit theft? Is the Second Madam confused? How can she accuse her own family of being thieves?!"

The word "theft" was too sensitive, and Wei An felt like she had been pricked by a needle. She subconsciously straightened her back, like a hedgehog with all its spines standing up. She finally understood what was going on.

All her misfortunes and darkness had originated from the Puci An.

From being the untainted daughter of the Hou Mansion to being a crazy person with dirty hands and a troubled mind, her reputation had plummeted from the Puci An.

But she shouldn't have been associated with the word "theft" at all. Her father was the legitimate fifth son of the Dingbei Marquis, and after his achievements, he became an imperial scholar and was appointed as a magistrate. He climbed up step by step to become a prefect. Her mother was a famous beauty in the capital, the only daughter of the late Zhen Nan Prince, Princess Changning.

No matter how you looked at it, she shouldn't have been linked to the word "theft."

If her parents were here...

"It's just a pity that our parents are not here!" Madam Qin, her heart aching and her face turning red with embarrassment, wished she could find a hole to hide in. "If only... if only her parents were here, if only she would listen to others' advice..." She choked up as she spoke, looking at Lady Fang, the wife of the Left Censor, who was still smiling politely. "Tingrong, please don't say anything... If our old lady finds out, she will be furious..."

Madam Qin felt extremely unlucky. She had just taken her children to Pu Ci An to offer incense and listen to the scriptures, but before the day was over, something had happened. Lady Fang's daughter, who had been playing with Madam Qin's daughters, had lost the jade ruyi that the Empress had given her to donate to Pu Ci An.

Although they lived close by and the children often visited each other, no one would suspect the young ladies of the Marquis's residence. They all thought it was the fault of the maids or the young nuns. However, the missing jade ruyi was found on the bed of Madam Qin's niece.

This was truly a rare occurrence. Despite being on good terms, Madam Qin and Lady Fang were too embarrassed to face anyone. On top of that, Wei An insisted that she was not the one who took it and accused the Fang family of slander. Madam Qin, who was usually gentle, couldn't help but get angry and fainted. In a fit of rage, she had Wei An locked up in the disciplinary courtyard.