Demoted from wife to concubine? Reborn, the mistress of a noble family plots another high-status mar

Chapter 5

Yun Xiyue was dressed in a light purple gown, her clothes fluttering, as if she had walked out of a fairyland.

Her dress was embroidered with exquisite peony patterns, and her hair, as beautiful as clouds, was gently tied up, with a purple tassel hairpin inserted diagonally in her hair, making her look noble and elegant.

Her face was lightly made up, and her lips were naturally red, like blooming flower petals, delicate and beautiful.

His every move exudes an innate nobility.

"Is this Lady Yun?" Everyone was surprised, not expecting that the rumored Lady Anjun was actually a stunningly beautiful woman with fair skin.

Looking at the Southern Qiang princess, isn't she wearing too much powder on her face? Her hands are clearly black.

I initially thought the Southern Qiang princess was quite pretty, with deep and delicate features, but now that she's standing next to Yun Shi, she suddenly looks like a beautiful woman and a country bumpkin.

"Let's serve tea!" Yun Xiyue said calmly from the main seat.

"Although she is my equal wife, the Marquis should sit next to me, otherwise it would be against the rules."

Shen Yue clenched his fists, feeling secretly angry but having no choice but to sit down with her and accept the tea offered by Lin Bao'er.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, how could Lin Bao'er, a princess, be willing to serve tea to a mere merchant's daughter? She immediately rubbed her temples and pretended to faint.

“Bao’er…” Shen Yue hurriedly got up and picked up the woman, “We’ll serve tea another day.”

The wedding was ruined just like that, and Lin Bao'er felt a tightness in her chest. "My lord, is my sister angry? Why don't I take the child and go back to the border? Although life is tough there, I can't go back to Nanqiang, but I don't want my sister to be unhappy."

"Don't talk nonsense. Yun is just that kind of petty woman. Do you expect her to be magnanimous, considering she's just the daughter of a merchant?"

"Don't worry about her. From now on, you just stay in the Marquis's mansion and teach the three children well. Only in the Marquis's mansion in the capital can the children have a future."

"Yi'er and Xuan'er both need to start their education. The border region isn't as prosperous as the capital, where renowned teachers and scholars are all located. Don't let the Yun family ruin your children's future." The Shen family placed great importance on their children's education.

Lin Bao'er's eyes reddened with grievance. "Yes, I'll listen to the Marquis."

Shen Yue felt heartbroken and was furious. "You rest first, I'll be right back."

"Hmm." Lin Bao'er's lips curled into a cold smile.

Shen Yue arrived at the Purple Bamboo Garden.

"Yun Xiyue! You did this on purpose today, didn't you? Didn't I tell you not to come out?"

The man came in and immediately launched into a tirade of angry rebukes.

"These are the rules, ancestral customs cannot be disregarded. If I don't go out to accept her tea, then she won't be considered a formal member of the family. Does Your Excellency intend for the Southern Qiang princess to become your concubine?"

"Oh, so according to the rules, even a concubine has to pay her respects to the principal wife before she can be considered to have officially entered the household." Yun Xiyue had just taken a bath and was wearing a close-fitting, thin dress that accentuated her shapely figure.

Shen Yue stared at her, his brows furrowing as he thought of what everyone had said at the wedding today. He admitted that Yun was a beauty, even more beautiful than Bao'er.

But what's the use of being beautiful? It's just a shell.

Is she deliberately dressed like this to seduce him?

A hint of disgust flashed in Shen Yue's eyes. "No matter what you do, I won't touch you. Don't waste your time."

Yun Xiyue looked up at the man, speechless. She never expected him to be so shameless. Where did he get his confidence?

"If there's nothing else, then please return! Tonight is your wedding night, so don't keep Princess Nanqiang waiting too long."

Shen Yue was stunned. What did her cold attitude mean? Did she not want to consummate their marriage?

"Hmph, I'm here to warn you that starting tomorrow, Bao'er will be your housekeeper. She's a second wife, and her status is equal to yours. She doesn't need to serve you tea."

"She's not familiar with it at first, so you need to teach her properly."

Yun Xiyue scoffed, "Isn't she a princess? If she can go to the battlefield, surely she can manage a household?"

"She is not yet familiar with the affairs of the Marquis's mansion."

“When I first entered the Marquis’s residence, I was unfamiliar with it and no one taught me. But I gradually became familiar with it. I believe that what I can do, the Marquis’s precious child can also do.”

Shen Yue was furious, glaring fiercely, "Sharp-tongued, but incorrigible!"

With that, he turned and left.

Yun Xiyue turned around, intending to go to sleep.

Just then, a gust of wind blew and the candle went out.

A dark figure appeared silently behind me.

Yun Xiyue broke out in a cold sweat, instinctively pulled out her hairpin, turned around, and stabbed at him. "Who?"

"Madam Shen, is this your way of treating guests?" The man's voice was clear and crisp, like a wisp of smoke drifting by.

In the darkness, his face was obscured, but his tall figure exuded an imposing presence.

Yun Xiyue hurriedly put away her hairpins. "Your Majesty... what brings you here?"

"If Lord An can come, why can't I?" the man chuckled.

Yun Xiyue felt a chill run down her spine. She lit another small oil lamp. "Your Majesty, you're going to get me drowned. I don't want to die. Please, have mercy and spare my life!"

"Drowning you in the pond? Who dares to drown you?" Murong Yu reached out and picked her up, and in the blink of an eye, the two were on the bed.

Her clothes, which she had been wearing properly, unknowingly came loose, revealing her alluring shoulders.

Yun Xiyue was terrified. "If you do this, you'll be an adulterer. If you get caught, Lord Anjun will definitely not let it go."

"You dare to accuse me of being an adulterer? Madam Shen, you have quite the nerve!"

Her chin was pinched, and Yun Xiyue felt pain. "Didn't Your Majesty say you wouldn't help me? Last time it was an accident, so I just accepted it. But if Your Majesty... I... I'll call for help."

"Is this how Madam Shen repays the kindness of her savior—by turning on her?" Murong Yu chuckled and lowered his head to bite her lip.

"Um......"

There was a faint taste of blood in my mouth.

Yun Xiyue let out a soft moan, "Your Majesty..."

"The condition for sending you out of the palace and covering for you is that you must be available whenever I call."

Yun Xiyue was out of breath, her head spinning. "Your Majesty... this is the Marquis of Anjun's residence. If they find out... I'm afraid..."

He was the emperor, and no one dared to arrest him and have him drowned in a pig cage.

She's in trouble!

"What are you afraid of? Shen Yue is in his bridal chamber with his darling. Does Madam Shen expect to remain chaste for him at this time?" Murong Yu held her waist and leaned against her, chuckling softly.

Yun Xiyue never intended to remain chaste for that kind of man; she just felt she would be at a disadvantage if she stayed with him!

"When I need the Emperor's help, will he help me?"

"Hmm, it depends on your performance." The man's smile was inexplicably bright. "If Madam Shen wants me to help you, then behave yourself."

"..."

In her previous life, she had never met Murong Yu, but had only heard that he was a ruthless tyrant who was indifferent to women.

Who exactly said he was indifferent to women?

After one night, Yun Xiyue felt as if she had died again.

Haunted by nightmares, she eked out a living in that dark, foul-smelling room...

"don't want......"

I suddenly opened my eyes to the blindingly bright sunlight. The room around me was empty, as if last night had just been a dream.

But the aches and pains in her body told her that it wasn't a dream.

Murong Yu really did come last night...

"lady."

Qingmei came in carrying a copper basin. Yun Xiyue's expression changed slightly. She looked down to check that she was dressed properly, but there were a few obvious marks on her neck.

"Madam, what happened to your neck?"

Yun Xiyue felt a little embarrassed. It seemed the girl had been knocked unconscious last night and didn't know anything. "Yeah, I got bitten by mosquitoes..."

"Madam Lin is serving tea at Chunhui Garden. The Dowager Madam requests your presence."