After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

The evening breeze swept through the hall, its sound like a low sob, a plaintive lament, but not quite audible.

It's like waking up from a long dream at midnight, and in a daze, you can't distinguish between reality and the lingering nightmare.

Yu Wanyu knew this feeling all too well. In the long years past, she was often in a daze, and even at dusk, when the afterglow of the setting sun filled her courtyard, that grand desolation would completely overwhelm her... Yu Wanyu once thought that was the most desperate moment of her life, so desperate that she wanted to climb to the top of the tallest tower in Anshi and jump to end her past.

Little did she know, fate played an even bigger joke on her.

Her daughter Rou'er has grown up, gotten married, and become a mother.

Her Rou'er died, killed by a letter from home, killed by her own people...

And she, as the mother, knew nothing about it.

They really don't know anything.

Yu Wanyu slowly leaned back in her chair, her head bowed. The decorum she used to always pay attention to was now completely forgotten. She didn't want to accept this fact, but her conscience told her that this was indeed the way the Murong family operated... Despair, shock, resentment, and a bit of guilt towards Wen Qian that arose from this, these emotions overwhelmed her like a surging tide, finally turning into panic and fear.

It's a feeling closer to the trepidation of returning home.

Her granddaughter had a face similar to the one she remembered. Looking at her, it was as if she were seeing her longed-for daughter through that face, a face that spanned over a decade… She couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal. Yes, she was guilty, the entire Murong family was guilty, and sinners were unworthy to offer sacrifices to the dead.

Yu Wanyu looked at Yuan Ge and slowly forced a smile that was almost desolate. As she smiled, she buried her face in her hands. After a long while, she sobbed, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't want to, I... I had no choice! Murong Zhen always keeps his word. I, the legal wife, am living worse than a concubine!"

Yuan Ge didn't know exactly how many times Yu Wanyu said "I'm sorry" that day. She only felt a moment of daze and sorrow as she looked at the other woman's sleeves, which had been splashed with tea and dried again, and at her hunched back. However, the lament of a wealthy woman who was extremely particular about her life and lived in luxury, saying "a concubine is worse than a wife," was not very convincing. She didn't seem like someone who had been oppressed for a long time and didn't even have the freedom to go out.

There was no moon tonight, only a few stars dotting the night sky. The guest house was remote, and the only sounds in the world were the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze, faint gasps behind me, and the maid's low-pitched words of comfort. I couldn't hear clearly, but I could guess that they were patient and gentle words.

Yuan Ge stood in the courtyard with his back to the house for a short while before Cui'er came out with her head down, holding in her arms the outer robe that Yu Wanyu had just been wearing. Under the dim light, it shimmered with a faint light. It was the shimmering brocade that had been extremely popular in Shengjing in the past two years and was loved by ladies and young women. However, since this item came from the Weaving Bureau, the vast majority of it was sent to the palace, and only a small portion circulated in the market. It was in short supply even in Shengjing, let alone Anshi, which was far away from Shengjing.

Even so, this shimmering brocade garment was destined to be destroyed simply because tea was spilled on its cuffs.

How extravagant! What wife, who is less than a concubine, could act like this?

Yuan Ge really didn't want to waste any more energy on Yu Wanyu. She lowered her head, forced a smile, and ignored Cui'er, who was clearly walking towards her, before leaving with her hands behind her back. Stepping out of the courtyard gate, she saw Song Wenyuan, who had been waiting there for who knows how long, and was slightly taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

“Grandfather has gone to rest, so I came to wait for you.” Song Wenyuan walked alongside her, glancing at her expression and smiling knowingly, “Dealing with them must have been tiring, right?”

Yuan Ge walked with his head down, his gaze fixed on a spot in front of him. After a long while, he shook his head. "It's alright. But I can't help wondering... what kind of person she really is. She seems to live a very comfortable life, even better than I imagined. She doesn't seem as cautious as she did when we first met. She sits there dignified, proper, and with a strong presence, as if she's been managing the household for many years... If that's the case, if that's the case..." His final doubts turned into a helpless sigh, dissipating into the wind.

She kept her head down, so her expression was not visible, but Song Wenyuan could guess that she was looking somewhat lost and stubborn, like a wronged little fox who was too proud to show any emotion.

He held her hand and walked slowly, carefully speaking in a gentle voice, "According to the information we received, your maternal grandmother's life in the Murong family has indeed been unpleasant over the years. In fact, many people in Anshi thought that the old lady of the Murong family had already passed away. But even so, Murong Zhen has never been stingy with her in terms of food, clothing and daily necessities, and she has basically been allowed to do whatever she wanted in the inner quarters of the Murong family... To say that it was good is really not true, but to say that it was bad... it's not really true either, it's just that it's not as good as it used to be."

"It is said that Murong Zhen was very good to her at first, almost always doing what she wanted. In those years, although the Murong family was not as wealthy as it is now, it was still a respectable and wealthy family. Yu Wanyu was once the envy of most women in Anshi. Silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry, whatever she wanted, Murong Zhen would find it for her and give it to her. The only downside... was that Murong Zhen often went out, and once he was gone, he would not be home for months at a time, and there was almost no news of him. Yu Wanyu was easily influenced and had no opinions of her own. After hearing too many rumors, she began to be suspicious. In addition, she had just lost her beloved son, and the two of them had problems before, so their relationship deteriorated rapidly."

"Actually, Murong Zhenhai wasn't really into women back then. The concubines in the Murong household were all taken in a few years later... Yu Wanyu was always self-pitying and suspicious, and had long been unable to manage the Murong household. But these things always had to be managed by someone. Since Murong Zhen was often away from home, those concubines had the power to manage the household, and Yu Wanyu's life became increasingly difficult. But what really made Murong Zhen hate Yu Wanyu so much... was that Yu Wanyu poisoned him."

Yuan Ge had heard something about the poisoning. She casually kicked at the pebbles on the road, nodding listlessly. "In the end... she wasn't as confined to her little corner as she claimed, unable to say or do anything... For over a decade, all she did was, when she thought she was on her deathbed, order Murong Yuxuan to come out and find Murong Shaorou... That's all..."