Rebirth: Find a General as Your Backer

Upon seeing the pile of large and small packages, the Xie family members beamed with joy.

"Oh, my sister's finally back." The one who spoke was Xie Jinshu's concubine, Su Liandan's husband. Su Liandan had always disliked this woman, yet her husband doted on her. This woman came from a brothel and was skilled in many ways, often bewitching Xie Jinshu.

At first, Su Liandan was determined to live a good life and tried to persuade people with all her heart, but all she got in return was beatings and scoldings. Over time, she gave up completely.

Therefore, Su Liandan ignored the concubine's sarcastic tone. However, she had no choice but to greet her in-laws and husband.

Perhaps because she had brought back so many things, no one made things difficult for her today. Although the concubine was unhappy, she was sensible enough not to say anything more.

Su Liandan then took her leave and returned to her room. It was truly laughable; she no longer had even a personal servant by her side.

Those who accompanied her to the marriage were all people her stepmother disliked, and she felt guilty about this.

However, upon learning of her return, Granny Xiao still made time to come to her side, intending to serve her. Looking at Granny Xiao's weathered face, Su Lian Dan felt a pang of heartache.

Granny Xiao was the nanny who had been by her side since she was a child. She treated her with all her heart, but now that she was old, she not only couldn't enjoy her retirement, but was also suffering here with her.

When she married into the Xie family, the Xie family secretly took away the indentures of her servants. So the Xie family shamelessly turned the people around her into servants of the entire Xie household, ordering them around without any hesitation.

"Granny, you don't need to serve me. I can do these things myself," Su Liandan said with heartache as Granny Xiao brought her water. She knew that a servant's indenture was entirely at the mercy of their master, and beatings and scoldings were all at the master's discretion.

"It's alright, this old servant can still move." Granny Xiao knew her mistress felt sorry for her, but she felt the same way. Seeing her mistress's difficult days in the manor, she was filled with pity. Perhaps because she disliked the Xie family, she never addressed Su Lian Dan as Madam Xie.

Although her young mistress, being born out of wedlock, did not have an easy life in the Su family, at least she was not abused.

As a servant, she was powerless to help her mistress change her situation, so she could only do as much as possible to make things easier for her mistress. However, she was old and her health was not as good as before, so there was really only so much she could do to help her mistress.

Fortunately, the situation has improved. Miss Lianxue has become a princess, and perhaps she can help her young mistress out of her predicament. Back in the Su family, the two young ladies had a deep and close friendship.

Judging from the way her young mistress looked after each visit to the princess, she could tell that even though Miss Lianxue was now a princess, her affection for her young mistress had not diminished in the slightest.

Previously, Granny Xiao was worried that the princess would forget her affection for her young mistress after experiencing the upheaval and losing her memory. But now it seems that some sincere feelings, even after the twists and turns of amnesia, still exist and are hard to erase.

.......

As autumn deepens, the weather in Beijing seems to be subtly manipulated by an invisible hand, with a slight chill beginning to permeate the air.

The azure sky grew ever higher, with a few white clouds drifting by like cotton wool carelessly scattered by the autumn wind. The leaves of the trees lining the streets gradually turned golden, swaying gently in the breeze as if telling the story of the changing seasons.

Li Siqian was idly sitting in the elegantly decorated boudoir of Zhong Shang's mansion.

Inside, soft rays of light streamed through the carved window lattices, illuminating the neatly arranged tables, chairs, and embroidered couch. She turned to look at Zhong Siya, who also appeared somewhat weary, and asked softly with concern in her eyes, "Siya, did you receive the invitation from the Xue family?"

These days, Li Siqian keenly noticed that Zhong Siya was always absent-minded and often stared blankly at some place.

She knew in her heart that Zhong Siya must have something on her mind, but every time she asked her with concern, Zhong Siya would hesitate and eventually swallow her words.

Li Siqian was at her wit's end when she received an invitation from the Xue family. She used this opportunity to break the somewhat dull atmosphere.

"Of course I received it," Zhong Siya replied listlessly, her tone revealing a clear lack of interest. She leaned back lazily in her chair, casually fiddling with the hem of her clothes, her eyes wandering, seemingly uninterested in the topic.

Seeing this, Li Siqian frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she said, "Then let's go out and buy some new clothes. You see, the weather is getting colder and colder. If we're going to attend a gathering at the Xue residence, we can't go without some decent new clothes. Wearing beautiful new clothes will make us feel happier too."

However, Zhong Siya really couldn't muster any enthusiasm. She had never been particularly interested in these kinds of social gatherings, and right now her mind was preoccupied with all sorts of worries. She had no interest in thinking about the gathering, let alone carefully selecting clothes and accessories.

She sighed softly and said, "I really don't want to move, Qianqian. You know I've never been interested in these kinds of gatherings. All that formalities and the small talk with everyone—just thinking about it makes me tired."

Li Siqian understood Zhong Siya's thoughts, but she was more worried that her friend's mood would become increasingly depressed if she stayed cooped up in the mansion.

She knew that dwelling on her own thoughts all the time could easily lead to a dead end, and over time, it might even make her sick. So, she patiently persuaded her, "Siya, let's go out for a walk. Staying cooped up in the mansion all day is making you feel suffocated. Besides, going for a walk might cheer you up. And what's more, buying some new clothes and changing your mood might just make all your troubles disappear."

Just as Li Siqian was earnestly trying to persuade her, a thought suddenly flashed through Zhong Siya's mind.

After that day, Zhong Siya learned that he was one of Prince Rui's men. Prince Rui was now in charge of the city defense battalion, so that man must also be working in the city defense battalion.

If she went out shopping, and if she was lucky, she might run into him... Thinking of this, a glimmer of light flashed in Zhong Siya's originally dim eyes.

In that instant, she suddenly had a strong urge to go out. As if all her previous fatigue and annoyance had vanished, she sat up straight, looked at Li Siqian with a determined gaze, and nodded gently.

Seeing that Zhong Siya had finally agreed, Li Siqian's face lit up with a bright smile, and she said excitedly, "Then let's go to that newly opened clothing store in Beijing! The clothes there are all the most fashionable styles in the capital right now, with novel and unique designs that you can't find anywhere else. Although it has only been open for a short time, its reputation has already spread among the wealthy ladies of Beijing."