She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan woke up amidst the turbulence. When she opened her eyes, all she saw was bright red, and she heard the festive sound of suona horns.

She looked bewildered; she was clearly dead, tragically murdered in Zhao Jue's villa.

Why is she now not only wearing a wedding dress, but also sitting in a bridal sedan chair, looking like she's about to get married?

Just as she was wondering, she heard voices outside.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a grand gesture Marquis Chengen has! A thousand acres of fertile land, ten miles of red bridal procession—he truly dotes on Miss Shen to the core."

"Miss Shen is a beauty of unparalleled grace and unforgettable. The Marquis's mansion treats her like a precious jewel, and they would never be stingy with her dowry."

"Miss Shen the Second is also getting married today, but her dowry is not as generous as Miss Shen the Eldest, only one or two tenths of Miss Shen's."

"They are clearly siblings from the same mother, yet they are treated differently. It is truly a case of different fates for the same people."

"Who told Miss Shen not to have grown up in the Marquis's mansion?"

Everyone was filled with envy for Miss Shen, and felt sorry for Miss Shen the Second.

Shen Qingtan was the young lady they were talking about. Hearing this, hatred surged in her eyes, and she revealed a mocking smile.

In her past life, she also thought she was the apple of the eye of the Marquis's family, doted on by her parents and spoiled by her brothers.

From a young age, she was betrothed to a man from a prestigious family, and her childhood sweetheart fiancé doted on her, granting her almost every wish.

She thought she was the happiest woman in the world.

Six months before their wedding, her fiancé Zhao Jue brought home a woman, who was none other than Shen Mingzhu, the second young lady of the Shen family.

Her parents told her that she was pregnant with twins, but the midwife lied to them during delivery, saying that one of the baby girls had died. Now that they had been found, the family was finally reunited.

Her parents said that Shen Mingzhu had suffered hardships outside, and as her older sister, she should be more accommodating to Shen Mingzhu.

Her parents also said that Shen Mingzhu was not like her. She had been cultivated by the family since childhood and was not good enough to be a matriarch, whether in terms of talent, demeanor, or methods. Therefore, they arranged for Shen Mingzhu to marry Zhao Jue's sickly cousin Zhao Yi, and the wedding date was set on the same day.

In this way, they are not only sisters, but also sisters-in-law, and can support each other.

She believed it to be true and felt sorry for Shen Mingzhu's plight, so whenever she got something good, she would send it to Shen Mingzhu first.

When Shen Mingzhu's dowry decreased, she voluntarily gave half of her own dowry to Shen Mingzhu.

Her mother advised her, "Mingzhu has never learned accounting, how can she manage a dowry? Besides, Zhao Yi is frail and sickly, and may not have any children. I will feel at ease if the dowry is in your hands. You should take good care of your sister when the time comes."

Shen Qingtan couldn't go against her parents' wishes, so she thought that after getting married, she would manage the estate and shops, and leave the 20,000 taels of silver notes at the bottom of her chest for Shen Mingzhu to rely on.

However, the moment the bridal sedan chair landed, her nightmare began.

She had assumed that Zhao Jue would be the one to help her out of the sedan chair, but when she saw that long, slender, fair hand, she noticed a small mole on the other person's index finger and realized that it was not Zhao Jue's hand.

Startled, she lifted her veil, disregarding etiquette, and rushed out of the sedan chair to stop Zhao Jue from leading Shen Mingzhu into the mansion. She immediately switched places with Shen Mingzhu.

Zhao Jue's face turned ashen, and he glanced at her coldly. Instead of comforting her as usual, he led her into the mansion to pay her respects in a somber manner.

She didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that Zhao Jue's displeasure and bad expression were because of the commotion she had caused at the gate, which made people laugh at the Duke's mansion.

After all, he didn't recognize his bride, and her actions were tantamount to slapping him in the face.

Shen Mingzhu, on the grounds that Zhao Jue had held her hand and that she had lost her chastity, and that she was ashamed to marry Zhao Yi again, broke off the engagement and returned to the Shen family, which further embarrassed the Duke's mansion.

On their wedding night, Zhao Jue did not appear, but instead stayed in the front yard under the pretext of being drunk.

The new bride is neglected by her husband after marriage, and it is foreseeable how difficult her life will be in the household from now on.

Especially considering what happened on her wedding day, the elders of the Duke's mansion would probably dislike her.

Fortunately, Zhao Jue wasn't too heartless. He ordered someone to bring her a bowl of plain noodles, which made her feel a little better.

After finishing her noodles, all she could think about was how to apologize to her elders after the tea ceremony.

She fell ill that night, probably due to excessive worry, and had a persistent high fever.

After that, he was bedridden and no amount of bitter medicine seemed to help.

Half a month later, when she regained consciousness, she was imprisoned in the backyard by Zhao Jue.

Zhao Jue said, "Qingtan, we grew up together, and I originally intended to give you a way out. Blame it on you for refusing to accept the mistake and insisting on marrying me."

Zhao Jue continued, "Lady Chengen gave birth to twins, and one of the babies, a girl, did indeed die young."

When Zhu'er was three years old, she went missing. The Marquis's mansion never found her. It was only after the Marquis of Cheng'en took you in that he raised you as Zhu'er.

When Zhu'er is recognized by her ancestors, the Marquis's mansion can clarify that you are a fake heiress, and our marriage will be annulled.

However, the Marquis's family has raised you for more than ten years, and out of consideration for this deep affection, they have given you dignity and allowed you to retain your status as a daughter of the Marquis's family.

Otherwise, once you relinquish your status as the daughter of a marquis, not only will you be unable to reach me, but even my sickly second brother will be out of your league.

You were originally an orphan, and you've enjoyed more than ten years of good fortune on behalf of Pearl. You should be content.

From now on, you should each take your place in life. Stop coveting things that don't belong to you.

Zhao Jue concluded by saying, "Shen Qingtan, put away your hatred. You should be grateful for the Shen family's kindness in raising you."

How could Shen Qingtan not feel resentful?

When Shen Mingzhu is recognized by her ancestors, if the Marquis's family reveals the truth, even if she finds it difficult to accept at first, she will give up everything that does not belong to her.

They didn't; they kept her in the dark, trying to switch her with Shen Mingzhu so she could marry Zhao Jue in her place.

After their deeds were exposed, they pinned all the blame on her and imprisoned her in the backyard.

But what did she do wrong?

Six months later, Zhao Jue spread the news of her death, but in reality, he imprisoned her in a separate courtyard.

Zhao Jue observed a year of mourning for her, and then on the day he married Shen Mingzhu, he set fire to the villa where she lived.

Amidst the raging flames, she overheard Zhao Jue's confidant say, "Third Master didn't want to kill you after all. Who told you to be the one the Lady of Chengen Marquis secretly brought back?"

Lady Cheng'en thought your family was just an ordinary wealthy merchant family, but who knew that your father and brother had made great fortunes and even found their way to the capital.

If your closest relatives knew how they treated you, they would not forgive them, so you would have no choice but to be sacrificed.

If you must hate, hate the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion.

Shen Qingtan never dreamed that she was not an orphan, but was secretly abducted by Madam Shen.

Fearing that her father and brothers would find her and take revenge, they plotted to kill her.

Her pain, resentment, grievances, and hatred were all ignited by this fire.

Unexpectedly, she actually came back one day.

Shen Qingtan's fingernails dug hard into her palm.

It hurts.

She really came back to life.

"Miss, it's time to get out of the sedan chair."

The maidservant whispered a reminder from the side.

Shen Qingtan snapped out of her daze and realized that the bridal sedan chair had stopped. A pale, slender hand was extended in front of her, with a small mole on the index finger that was particularly noticeable.