"Lady, the wind is strong here. Your health has only just begun to recover. Shall I escort you back to rest?" Qing Yi, a maid dressed in simple green attire, spoke earnestly to the young woman gazing at the mandarin ducks swimming gracefully in the pond.
Beneath the gentle spring sunlight, the young woman was wrapped in a snow-white cloak intricately embroidered with silver, enveloping her from head to toe. Hearing footsteps approach, she turned her head, the cloak shifting slightly to reveal a crimson gown beneath, adorned with embroidered flowers in full bloom that trailed down the flowing skirt.
Gu Shengyin smiled faintly, her expression serene. She hadn't come out simply to face the breeze—she was waiting for someone. Specifically, the one who would soon arrive to "confess her sins."
At this moment, the "Lady" Qing Yi addressed was none other than Gu Shengyin, who had entered this world to complete her first mission.
In this world, the body she now inhabited belonged to Jiang Lingzhen, a noblewoman of illustrious heritage. Her father was the War God General of the Dominion, and her mother was the Emperor's only full-blooded sister. As the eldest and legitimate daughter of such esteemed lineage, Jiang Lingzhen held the title of Langhua, signifying her status as one of the highest-ranking ladies in the realm.
Jiang Lingzhen was not only revered for her noble birth but also celebrated for her beauty—ethereal and radiant, like the moon gracing the night sky. From a young age, she had been engaged to the Crown Prince, the Emperor's favored son, making her the future Empress of the kingdom.
But fate, as cruel as it was, had other plans. The Crown Prince fell in love with her illegitimate half-sister, Jiang Yunshan, the product of a scandalous affair. Jiang Yunshan's mother had been a servant, taken advantage of one drunken night by the War God General. When her pregnancy was discovered, she concealed it, giving birth in secret. Upon learning of the affair, the General, enraged, executed the servant. Out of pity, Jiang Lingzhen's mother allowed Jiang Yunshan to remain in the household but only as a lowly presence, a reminder of the family's shame.
Originally, Jiang Yunshan had lived quietly, marrying a minor official when she came of age and fading into obscurity. However, when a transmigrated soul took over her body, her ambitions grew boundless. She seduced the Crown Prince, and their clandestine affair ignited a series of catastrophic events.
When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he dismantled the Jiang family, stripping Jiang Lingzhen of her noble title under false accusations. Her father was assassinated, her entire family exiled, and her once-proud mother was confined to her residence, dying in despair. Jiang Lingzhen herself became a disgraced shadow of her former self, humiliated and powerless.
As Gu Shengyin absorbed this tragic history, she felt a spark of fury ignite within her. The parallels between Jiang Lingzhen's fate and her own former life were undeniable. Both had been betrayed by heartless men, their lives ruined by scheming women, and both had met unjust, tragic ends.
The System had explained the reasoning behind this choice: "This world was selected because of its similarity to your past. With your experience, the narrative should feel familiar, making it easier for you to navigate and succeed."
And now, Gu Shengyin was here to rewrite that story.
Three days earlier, Jiang Lingzhen had been attending a temple festival when she was "accidentally" shoved. She struck her head, lost consciousness, and awoke not as herself, but as Gu Shengyin. The incident had occurred in a crowded space, and though no one saw who had pushed her, the act had been deliberate. Jiang Lingzhen's mother had dismissed a few servants out of anger, but no real justice had been served.
That same day, Jiang Yunshan—the woman now possessed by the scheming transmigrator—had come to feign sisterly concern.
Gu Shengyin, fully aware of Jiang Yunshan's duplicity, had decided that such false kindness could not go unpunished. Today, she intended to return the favor.
Adjusting her cloak, Gu Shengyin continued to gaze at the pond, her expression serene yet laced with an unspoken sharpness. The game had begun, and she would ensure the tables were turned.
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