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

The younger sister was not skilled in music, so the madam wanted her to work as a prostitute. In order to protect her sister's innocence, she obeyed the madam's every word, tried her best to show her value, and planned to save enough money to redeem herself and her sister.

Until she met Shen Shaoheng, who wanted to take her as his mistress. Her only request was to redeem her sister from prostitution, which he agreed to.

But what awaited her was a sedan chair from the Chengen Marquis's residence, which carried her into the Marquis's backyard.

She thought this was for the best; with the protection of the Marquis's mansion, she could rescue her sister more quickly.

Until she was schemed against by Madam Shen and lost her innocence.

At that moment, she felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked, as if fate was playing tricks on her again and again.

Every time she saw a glimmer of hope, fate would push her into an even deeper abyss.

She didn't want to accept her fate, nor could she.

The only thing they could do was to capture Shen Shaoheng and seize any opportunity to survive.

Only in this way could she have a chance to rescue her sister.

As she left the brothel, her younger sister grabbed her hand and said, "Sister, I'll wait for you to come and get me."

Fortunately, Shen Shaoheng still had some genuine feelings for her. He redeemed his sister from her servitude, made proper arrangements for her, and even allowed the sisters to meet once.

She felt she could finally relax and had no more worries.

but……

Aunt Mei slowly lowered her head, gazing at the bright sunlight reflected at her feet outside the window.

She was greedy.

She desperately wanted to live.

Having lived a life of constant wandering, all she wanted was to live a peaceful life with her sister.

It's too difficult, too difficult.

Aunt Mei clenched her sweaty hands, waiting for the old lady's question.

The old lady withdrew her gaze and did not ask Aunt Mei any questions.

"If this whole mess isn't handled properly, and you all harbor resentment, you can forget about having a peaceful life in the manor from now on." The old lady spoke up, lifting her eyelids to look at Madam Shen: "Shen Jizong listened to some unfounded rumors and then slandered Concubine Mei and Heng'er for having an affair. The Marquis sent someone to examine Concubine Mei and confirmed her innocence. Why do you insist on not believing it?"

Madam Shen was in turmoil, unsure of the old lady's intentions, and pondered how to answer.

The old lady continued, "Do you have other witnesses or evidence?"

Madam Shen was apprehensive; how could she dare to have a witness?

If she has witnesses, wouldn't that clearly show that she colluded with Shen Jizong to deliberately expose the scandalous affairs of the Marquis of Chengen's harem?

If Marquis Chengen knew that she was the one who arranged it all, and that she knew about Shen Shaoheng's affair with Aunt Mei all along, but kept him in the dark and slapped him in the face in public, the couple would inevitably become estranged.

"Don't you understand the principle of catching adulterers in the act?" The old lady sneered. "You are too wicked. If one day, others testify that you are not innocent, how will you feel?"

Madam Shen was speechless and dared not suggest that the old lady's people conduct another physical examination.

"As a woman myself, you should understand the hardships women face even better." Old Madam Shen pressed on, "Are you clinging to this baseless accusation to force her to die, to prove her innocence through death, before you'll be satisfied?"

“Mother, I didn’t.” Madam Shen defended herself: “I… I just thought there must be a reason behind the rumors, so I wanted to investigate thoroughly.”

The old lady asked coldly, "Is your method of persecution simply to change people one by one for physical examinations, until someone says that Aunt Mei is not a virgin?"

"I do not have……"

"So you believed what the old nanny said earlier and agree that Aunt Mei is innocent?"

Madam Shen remained silent.

Aunt Mei, standing to the side, had reddened her eyes, but she forced herself to suppress her humiliation and did not shed a tear.

She wore a simple, lace-trimmed dress, her delicate figure resembling a fragile white flower battered by wind and rain, making her all the more pitiful.

This only served to highlight Madam Shen's aggressive and domineering demeanor, making it seem as if she was deliberately trying to embarrass people.

When Marquis Chengen saw that Madam Shen could not produce any evidence but was still relentless, he frowned and became impatient.

Madam Shen sensed that the situation was unfavorable to her, clenched her teeth, and squeezed out a few words: "I believe she is innocent."

The old lady then looked at the Marquis of Chengen beside her: "What is your opinion, Your Excellency?"

Marquis Chengen said in a deep voice, "Mother's handling of matters is prudent, and I have no other opinion."

The old lady hummed in agreement, glanced at everyone, and said slowly, "Since you all believe that Aunt Mei and Heng'er are innocent, this matter need not be mentioned again."

Madam Shen felt frustrated, but she quickly rallied. Shen Shaoheng wouldn't easily sever ties with Aunt Mei. Next time... she would catch them in the act!

“Grandmother, although I am a reckless person, I have morals and ethics in my heart. How could I lay a finger on my second uncle’s woman? If it weren’t for you clearing my and Aunt Mei’s names, we would have had no choice but to die. Those who spread rumors are simply malicious and cannot be tolerated by heaven.”

Madam Shen calmed down, but Shen Shaoheng started making a scene: "I can no longer stay in the Marquis's mansion. If I live under the same roof as Aunt Mei, I don't know what kind of gossip will be caused."

“Grandmother, Aunt Mei and my eldest brother have spread such nasty rumors. Even if you were to uphold justice for them, it would still leave a thorn in their hearts.”

Shen Qingtan stepped forward and said softly, "Mother brought Concubine Mei into the mansion to find Father a kindred spirit. In the future, when he sees Concubine Mei, he will naturally think of what happened today, and how can he feel happy?"

She glanced at the dark-faced Marquis Chengen and said, "Aunt Mei suffered an undeserved calamity, which is a great disgrace to her. She is probably too ashamed to serve Father anymore. And since my elder brother is about to be granted the title of Heir Apparent, he should cherish his reputation even more."

She paused, observing the reactions of the crowd, before continuing, "If my elder brother and Aunt Mei live under the same roof, we family members may know it's just a rumor, but we can't stop the gossip from spreading. Why not let Aunt Mei leave the mansion? In time, everyone will naturally forget about it."

Everyone was shocked and turned to look at Shen Qingtan, never expecting that she would let Aunt Mei go.

Aunt Mei was particularly shocked, her face filled with astonishment, and tears welled up in her eyes, almost bursting forth.

"I disagree!" Mrs. Shen was the first to object.

The old lady's face darkened: "You disagree with letting Concubine Mei leave the mansion, are you trying to drive Heng'er away?"

"Mother, I..."

"Alright, Aunt Mei's purpose was to bring good fortune to the Marquis. Now that the Marquis is healthy, there's no need for her anymore." The old lady made the decision and instructed Madam Shen, "Give her the indenture."

Madam Shen had no choice but to comply, swallowing her anger and coldly glancing at Shen Qingtan.

The old lady handed her hand to Shen Shaoheng, gesturing for him to help her leave.

She had only taken a few steps when she stopped in front of Madam Shen: "Shao Huai is keeping a woman outside, and this matter has caused quite a stir. You don't need to pick a day; just bring her into the mansion tomorrow and let her become Shao Huai's concubine."

Madam Shen was shocked: "Mother, this is a rumor. Huai'er and Zhu Yu are innocent."

The old lady said calmly, "There must be a reason behind every rumor. Let's settle this matter as it is."

Madam Shen was so shocked that her vision went black and she fell backward.

"lady!"

The maid cried out in alarm and hurriedly helped Madam Shen away.

Marquis Chengen noticed many suspicious points in the matter and urgently needed to find out the truth, so he turned and left.

Only Shen Qingtan and Aunt Mei remained in the room.

Aunt Mei watched the departing crowd and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for that person, she wouldn't have been able to get through this ordeal.