Chapter 2: Rebirth and Return
At the very moment the chastity archway collapsed, a fierce white light flashed across the sky and earth, so intense that Shen Ningyuan couldn’t help but close her eyes.
When she opened them again, the scene before her had changed:
In an empty ancestral hall, there lay a polished, dark coffin.
She was lying on top of the coffin, just about to awaken.
At her feet, a small porcelain bottle had rolled away, its mouth dripping a murky liquid onto the floor, where it corroded into a patch of eerie green foam.
Shen Ningyuan looked around in confusion; the familiar surroundings felt suffocating.
Then her pupils contracted sharply as she suddenly realized:
This was…
The funeral from three years ago when Ji Yunchuan faked his death!
She… had come back?
Could it be that even Heaven could no longer stand by and had granted her a second chance?
Shen Ningyuan remembered all too clearly that at the funeral in her previous life, Ji Yunhuan, her sister-in-law, had tricked her into drinking poison.
They then publicly declared that Shen Ningyuan was so deeply attached to Ji Yunchuan that she could not bear to be apart from her late husband and had followed him in death.
Thus, under the deliberate promotion by Ji Yunhuan and her mother-in-law, Madam Chen, she became a paragon of chastity and loyalty, praised by all and celebrated throughout the capital.
The Ji family’s reputation soared overnight, gradually ascending into the ranks of high society.
Thinking of this filled Shen Ningyuan with bitter hatred.
She was a living person, a living soul!
How could the Ji family trample over her corpse, seize her dowry, destroy her natal family, and rise to power so shamelessly!
The more she thought, the deeper her hatred grew, and she struck the coffin hard with her hand, producing a loud thud.
The sound startled Shen Ningyuan fully awake.
Now was not the time to lose herself in emotion.
Soon, Madam Chen and Ji Yunhuan would arrive with the funeral attendees to witness her “faithfulness.”
When that moment came, she would expose their hypocrisy in front of all the powerful and noble families in the capital!
Just as this thought flashed through her mind, the distant wailing of Madam Chen came faintly from outside the hall.
“Wahhh… Ningyuan, why do you take it so hard? Your mother-in-law knows you loved Yunchuan deeply, but you shouldn’t have died just to accompany him!”
Hearing Madam Chen’s voice, hatred welled up inside Shen Ningyuan’s heart.
She would never forget that after her death, Madam Chen had personally ordered the servants to dump her body in the mass grave.
“Mother, please calm down. Your eldest daughter-in-law is gone. If you collapse too, what will become of us…” Ji Yunhuan’s comforting voice grew closer, soon reaching the entrance of the ancestral hall.
Shen Ningyuan hurriedly lay still, pretending to be dead from poison.
No sooner had she done so than Madam Chen and Ji Yunhuan rushed in with a crowd.
Upon entering, they saw Shen Ningyuan unmoving on the coffin.
Madam Chen’s cloudy eyes involuntarily flickered with delight.
She was dead!
Shen Ningyuan was truly dead!
But then she instantly put on a heart-wrenching expression, falling onto Shen Ningyuan’s body and crying as if beside herself.
“Ningyuan, my dear daughter-in-law, you left just like that. How am I to live without you?”
“Wahhh…”
“Mother, please stop crying!” Ji Yunhuan feigned wiping away tears, “Eldest sister-in-law cared for you the most. Her spirit in heaven would not want to see you ruin your health over her death.”
Supported by Ji Yunhuan, Madam Chen shakily stood and leaned on her shoulder sobbing, “Huan’er, you know I’ve always treated your eldest sister-in-law like my own daughter. Now that she’s gone, my heart truly aches…”
As she cried, Madam Chen drew close to Ji Yunhuan’s ear, whispering so only they could hear:
“Huan’er, are you sure that wretched Shen Ningyuan is truly dead?”
Ji Yunhuan softly replied, “Yes. The poison was ‘Crane’s Crown’—a gut-piercing toxin. I saw her drink it with my own eyes.”
“That’s good. Since she died at the funeral with so many witnesses, we can tell everyone she died for your brother. The Shen family can’t blame us, and they won’t get their hands on any of the dowry she brought…”
Listening to their conspiracy, Shen Ningyuan ground her teeth in fury, desperate to stand and tear their masks off.
But now was not the time!
At this moment, the assembled nobles and wives of officials, seeing Madam Chen and Ji Yunhuan’s mournful display over Shen Ningyuan’s death, were moved as well.
“This Shen Ningyuan married into a good family. Both her mother-in-law and sister-in-law treat her like their own. Otherwise, how could such deep affection grow in just one year?”
“Indeed. Though the Ji family has fallen on hard times, they still have some heritage. They treat daughters-in-law like their own daughters and respect eldest sisters-in-law like mothers. Very commendable!”
“Especially the young lady of the Ji family—she clearly has noble character. A well-mannered girl like her, I’d want to marry to my son. I have a good eye for people. Once the Ji family’s mourning period ends, I’ll immediately propose!”
“But speaking of which, Shen Ningyuan really didn’t think things through. One’s body and skin come from one’s parents. The Ji family treats her so well; if she’s not afraid of hurting her own parents’ hearts, how can she bear to abandon the Ji family and seek release alone?”
“Sigh, the dead are above all… In any case, she was a chaste and loyal woman. We should stop criticizing her.”
Hearing these whispered remarks, the smiles hidden in Madam Chen and Ji Yunhuan’s eyes nearly spilled over.
It seemed their plan was a complete success!
As long as they claimed Shen Ningyuan died for love, no one would suspect them!
Compared to their smugness, Shen Ningyuan’s hatred was unbearable.
Her hand clenched tightly inside her sleeve, nails biting into the flesh until blood appeared.
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