Shuse Jinjia

The warm sunlight shone on the bamboo courtyard where Xie Zhaotang lived.

Xie Zhaotang leaned back on the soft couch, closed his eyes, basked in the sun, and sorted through the original owner's memories.

The original owner of this body is only fourteen years old this year, and will not be of marriageable age for another three months, but she has inherited her birth mother, Aunt Shen's, almond eyes, oval face, and skin as white as mutton fat jade.

Furthermore, because this girl loved sweets, she grew taller rapidly after her first period, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Her breasts developed impressively, like inflated balloons...

But being a concubine's daughter, being beautiful is a curse!

Previously, her elder sister Xie Linzhu took her to a flower banquet hosted by the family of Xu, the deputy commissioner of the Ministry of Justice and a fourth-rank official.

Xu Muyuan, the eldest son of Lord Xu, achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination and is still unmarried.

Under the guise of celebration, Madam Xu held a flower banquet and invited all the eligible women she had her eye on, with the aim of giving Xu Muyuan a chance to meet them.

Xie Linzhu had fallen in love with the handsome and dashing Xu Muyuan at first sight when Xu Muyuan was paraded through the streets after passing the imperial examination with top honors.

Upon receiving the invitation, he took the original owner of the body to attend the flower banquet.

This is something Xie Linzhu often does; she tries to highlight her own talent by taking advantage of the original owner's gluttony and lack of learning.

At the flower banquet, while many women were vying to show off, the original owner of this body was still clueless about romantic relationships and was happily munching on her food.

This unusual scene caught Xu Muyuan's attention, and he stared at her, mesmerized!

After that, Xu Muyuan went completely mad and came to Xie Zhaotang and said he wanted to take her as a concubine.

Driven by jealousy and resentment, Xie Linzhu viciously had someone smear medicine on her dress, causing the original owner of this body to be stung by a swarm of bees and die while unconscious...

Does liking her mean taking her as a concubine?

Xie Zhaotang was so angry that she laughed when she thought of what Xu Muyuan had said to the original owner of this body!

From these words, she could also see the tragedy of being a concubine's daughter in this era.

They were looked down upon by wealthy and powerful families; the master family raised them only to pave the way for the family's wealth and glory.

Having tasted the benefits of giving away their illegitimate daughters, the Xie family no longer treated them as human beings. This time, they wanted to give her to Lord Gong as a concubine because Xie Jianghuai's second legitimate son wanted to be transferred back to the capital, paving the way for him.

Xie Zhaotang was only three months away from her coming-of-age ceremony. She had just been born into this world and was still just a lowly concubine's daughter with no real power or influence!

Trying to fight against the Xie family for her marriage is like an ant trying to shake a tree!

The quickest way to change her fate as a concubine and escape the Xie family is to find herself a good marriage as soon as possible.

Ideally, her husband's family should be more powerful and influential than Xie Jianghuai's, and even be able to overpower Lord Gong, so that the Xie family will feel that there is something to gain before they will let her go!

However, for a concubine's daughter to marry into a prestigious family that surpasses the Xie family, it is almost impossible to go through the normal matchmaking process.

If Madam Xie and Xie Jianghuai knew that she had such rebellious thoughts, they would only send her away as soon as possible.

As Xie Zhaotang was pondering this, Chun'er, the maidservant beside Aunt Shen, rushed in.

"Fourth Miss, go quickly and check on your aunt! The master kicked her in the chest, and she's passed out..."

What?

Xie Zhaotang thought of Aunt Shen's frail body, immediately got up, and hurried to Aunt Shen's courtyard.

"What happened? How did the concubine anger the master?"

On the way, Xie Zhaotang asked Chun'er.

Chun'er said anxiously, "Master came to the courtyard today and asked about the bee sting you. Auntie mentioned to him that she didn't want to send you to Lord Gong as a concubine... Master promised Auntie before that he would find you a wife from a humble family when you came of age..."

"When the master disagreed, the concubine knelt and begged him, but he remained unmoved... In a fit of anger, the concubine cursed the master, saying that he was a man of his word, so why was he breaking his promise... The master got angry and kicked the concubine in the chest..."

Xie Zhaotang's face darkened. What was the difference between these words and directly calling Xie Jianghuai a hypocrite?

Xie Jianghuai's authority as the head of the family was not to be challenged, and he could not tolerate being criticized by a concubine who relied on herself for a living.

Aunt Shen is foolish. She just angered Xie Jianghuai and was punished with ten lashes. Hasn't she seen Xie Jianghuai's ruthlessness yet? She still dares to anger Xie Jianghuai!

Even if it's for your own sake, you can't be so straightforward!

By the time Xie Zhaotang and Chun'er rushed to the Begonia Courtyard, Xie Jianghuai had already left.

Aunt Shen was still lying on the ground, and a maid and Xie Tiantian were struggling to carry her into the house.

When Xie Tiantian saw Xie Zhaotang, she cried and said, "Sister, I've been calling for Auntie, but she never answers me... Is Auntie dead?"

When Xie Zhaotang saw Xie Tiantian's face covered in tears, his heart ached. She must have been terrified to have witnessed Aunt Shen being kicked unconscious by Xie Jianghuai!

"Auntie isn't dead, Tian Tian, ​​don't be afraid!"

Xie Zhaotang stepped forward and pulled Xie Tiantian away: "Tiantian, go pour water for your aunt. Sister and Chun'er, please carry your aunt into the house."

Xie Tiantian was small and weak, and seeing that she couldn't help, she obediently wiped away her tears and left.

Chun'er ran over and, together with Xie Zhaotang, carried Aunt Shen into the house.

Another maid, while carrying the body, said to Xie Zhaotang, "Fourth Miss, Aunt has been unconscious for quite some time. I've already sent Dong'er to fetch a doctor!"

The maid who spoke was Qiu'er from Aunt Shen's courtyard. There was a bruise on her forehead, covered in dust, which must have been from kowtowing while pleading for Aunt Shen.

Xie Zhaotang nodded. When she lifted Aunt Shen up, she saw that her lips and clothes were stained with blood, and there was a pool of blood on the ground.

Her face darkened at just one glance; this was the tragedy of being a concubine!

Aunt Shen at least gave birth to a son and two daughters for Xie Jianghuai, and she and Xie Jianghuai had intimate relations as husband and wife countless times.

But in Xie Jianghuai's eyes, she was just a tool for venting his desires and having children, and he would beat her without hesitation or mercy.

After they worked together to lift Aunt Shen onto the bed, Xie Zhaotang asked Chun'er to fetch water to wash Aunt Shen, and took the opportunity to take Aunt Shen's pulse.

Aunt Shen's pulse was as thin as a thread, her blood circulation was weak, and she was deficient internally...

Xie Zhaotang frowned. If this went on for two more times, Aunt Shen would die.

After Chun'er brought the water, Xie Zhaotang took a clean towel to wipe the blood from the corner of Shen's lips, and then took a clean dress for Shen to change into.

When Xie Zhaotang took off her clothes, he saw the red, swollen, and bruised marks on Aunt Shen's back and buttocks, and his heart trembled.

Despite her injuries, Aunt Shen stayed by her side day and night, her maternal love no less than her own love for Tian Tian!

When Xie Zhaotang woke up and saw Aunt Shen, she didn't have much affection for her since she wasn't the original owner of the body. However, seeing the injuries with her own eyes touched her deeply.

Aunt Shen said she was incompetent, but when the original owner got into trouble and was punished by the family, it was Aunt Shen who took the beating for her with her frail body!

Knowing that the original owner of this body loved to eat, Aunt Shen used her meager monthly allowance to buy all sorts of food for her, her younger brother, and her younger sister.

It was also to ensure that she and Xie Tiantian would have a generous dowry when they got married in the future, so that they would have confidence in their dowry. She stayed up all night embroidering and selling the embroidery to accumulate dowry funds for them!

The image of Aunt Shen embroidering under the oil lamp, combined with the wounds on her body, filled Xie Zhaotang with a bittersweet feeling.

Aunt Shen has already lost a daughter. Now that she has taken over the original body, how can she turn a blind eye to Aunt Shen's love for her daughter?

She never experienced parental love in her previous life, but now she has Aunt Shen as her mother. Isn't this a gift from heaven?

From now on, Aunt Shen will be my mother!

She will protect her just like she protected Tian Tian...