Zhulan guessed correctly; Wang Ru, already resentful to death for being slapped due to Lady Sun's premature birth, became livid with jealousy every time she heard her stepfather's laughter upon the birth of a son. She wished she could burn down the entire courtyard in her fury, and if it hadn't been for her greater understanding of the ancient world after a trip outside, she would have seriously considered assuming a new identity.
Unfortunately, that was not feasible. She couldn't kill the members of the Wang family or the people of Zhou village; her background wouldn't remain clean. Besides, she didn't trust Shi Qing. If he really did help her obtain a new identity, she didn't know anyone in the government to verify if the household registration was genuine or fake. The more Shi Qing needed her, the more she feared losing her household registration, which would put her life and death directly into his hands.
