My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Ms. Wen was feeling sleepy; she had been exhausted these past few days. First, she was forced to accept a huge blow, then she watched helplessly as her home was ransacked, and she had to run around trying to please everyone.

She hardly slept at all, and she wanted to cry like her sister-in-law to vent her emotions.

But she also has a daughter. If all she can do is cry, then Yuan'er will be even more afraid.

Now it's all good. At least there's a place to shelter from the wind and rain. I don't have to sleep on the streets anymore, and I can finally close my eyes and get a good night's sleep.

Unexpectedly, I suddenly heard such terrifying words, and I instantly became fully awake.

“Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? How could your mother sell you? You are my precious daughter. Even if I starve to death, I will never sell you to anyone else.”

Wei Siyuan sobbed softly and buried her face in her mother's arms.

“I heard it from my fifth sister. She said that my third aunt wanted to arrange a marriage for her, and the other party was from an official family.”

Wen immediately thought of the shifty-eyed man she had seen earlier that day. No wonder he said that once this opportunity was gone, it would be gone forever; he was after their child.

“The prominent families in the capital, knowing that our family is in trouble, are all trying to avoid us. How could anyone possibly dare to propose marriage to your fifth sister?”

Even the engagement of the fourth daughter was called off; the other party directly sent a servant to deliver a letter of annulment and a bag of silver.

Third Sister-in-law refused to accept the money and even kicked the person out, saying she would never accept a single penny from them.

Why would they suddenly change their minds and want to arrange a marriage for Fifth Sister?

"Fifth Sister said that she would give him... give him an old man to be a concubine. The man said that although she was a concubine, she would still be able to enjoy fine clothes and delicacies, and that she could live the life she used to have in the Duke's mansion. Third Aunt was tempted."

If that's the case, Wen Shi could understand a little. Although she had married into a bad family, at least she didn't have to suffer from hunger and cold like them, and she had maids to take care of her.

Fifth Sister is the prettiest among the sisters besides Wei Nanxun, no wonder they chose her first.

Ms. Wen was also relieved that her children were not particularly good-looking, because in times of hardship, good looks can actually become the beginning of trouble.

She hugged her daughter tighter: "Yuan'er, don't worry, your mother will never marry you off to such a family. Your father is an upright man who has never done anything wrong in his life. Sooner or later, he will be pardoned by the Emperor. We will wait for them to come back at home."

“My needlework is passable. If I embroider more handkerchief patterns, my daughter and I won’t go hungry.”

Wei Siyuan was still sobbing softly: "Will Fifth Sister be sold?"

“Your third aunt doesn’t really want to sell your fifth sister. She’s just worried that we’ll have trouble with food and clothing, and that your fifth sister will suffer if she stays with us. Even though the other party is older, their life won’t be bad. Your third aunt is just confused for a moment. She’ll regret it when she realizes what’s wrong.”

If Wu Yatou were really married off to a dying old man, leaving her helpless and alone in the inner quarters, her life would truly be ruined.

“Mother, can we go see Ninth Brother? Ninth Brother said that the maids from the family who came out with him have all found jobs and can even help out at the shop to learn how to do business. I don’t want to get married; I want to do business like Second Uncle.”

Ms. Wen was surprised that her daughter would say such a thing.

At the same time, they were surprised by Wei Rongde's kindness to his subordinates and began to carefully consider the feasibility of this idea.

If you can really learn to do business and earn money with your own hands, you can at least be financially secure, if not live a life like before.

The social hierarchy was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants holding the lowest status. Once they started doing business, it was impossible for them to regain their former social standing.

"We'll talk about this later. Let your mother think about it some more."

The mother and daughter hugged each other, and didn't feel how cold the early winter night was.

-

Meanwhile, at the Wei family home, Wei Nanxun had just taken a bath and was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window, slowly wringing out her hair with a clean cotton cloth.

Zhixia is now the second daughter of the family, and she is no longer allowed to serve. As for Lüfu, she was brought home under the pretext of being rescued on the way out of the palace. Wei Rongde did not suspect anything, and Lüfu is now serving in his room.

She's just arrived in a new place and isn't familiar with many things. It's been a long time since she went to make a bowl of ginger tea.

She was preoccupied with worries and absentmindedly twisted her hair.

One moment he was thinking about how to deal with the old lady in the main house, and the next he was thinking that if those people clung to them shamelessly, he couldn't really kick them out.

Finally, I thought of Pei Ji again; he said he wanted to come and propose marriage...

Just as she thought of him, she felt something hit the kang table in front of her. Looking down, she saw a round hawthorn.

She subconsciously looked into the courtyard and saw what appeared to be a figure sitting on the tall acacia tree.

Her eyes lit up slightly, but afraid of being overheard, she lowered her voice and said, "Why are you here?"

The tall figure nimbly leaped down from the tree, landing right in front of her, their eyes meeting through the window.

Wei Nanxun felt that this scene was familiar, and the other party said with a smile, "Is this how Madam Wei treats her guests?"

He reminded her that this was actually the first time he had ever been to her house.

But this is her boudoir, not the main room. What kind of man would come to a young lady's boudoir in the middle of the night? And what kind of hospitality is that? She's being polite by not calling for someone to throw him out.

Just then, Lv Fu returned with the ginger tea she had prepared. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Wei Nanxun disregarded any propriety and quickly pulled him inside.

If his father found out that the two had met in secret before they were even engaged, forget about marriage; he would fight Pei Ji to the death.

"Come in quickly."

Pei Ji was probably unhappy with her attitude, so he just stood there calmly, looking at her without changing his expression.

"Please, hurry up."

Her voice was soft and gentle; she wasn't being coquettish, but to the man's ears, it sounded like she was.

Hearing this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and just before his footsteps reached the door, he jumped through the window and entered the house.

Green Lotus heard a muffled sound, glanced at the courtyard in surprise, thinking she had misheard, and without thinking much of it, carried the soup bowl into the house.

"My lady, the ginger tea is ready. Please drink it while it's hot. Let me help you with your hair."

Wei Nanxun watched as she was about to step onto the hem of her dress, and instantly sat up on the kang: "No, no need. I just remembered that the medicine that Doctor You instructed me to prepare hasn't been decocted yet. You secretly go to the kitchen and get a small stove, and decoct it in the side room. Don't let anyone find out."

She naturally had to keep her injury a secret from her family. Green Lotus was startled by her suddenly raised voice and withdrew her foot that was about to land.

"It's not too late for me to wring it dry for you before you go."

"No, this medicine needs to be decocted for a while, and I need to rest now that it's late."

Green Lotus thought it made sense. After watching her drink the ginger tea, she packed her things and went back to the kitchen.

After everyone had gone, Wei Nanxun quickly closed the door and windows. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she felt someone hug her waist.

Taking advantage of her closing the window, he pressed her against the wall beside the kang (a heated brick bed).

She only reached his chest, and when she looked up, she looked straight into his deep-set eyes.

"you……"

The word had barely left his lips when his lips covered hers.

Perhaps it was because she was in her own room that she felt even more thrilled to do something naughty. Her palms were already sweating, and her tongue felt like it was connected to a meridian. With each suck and bite, her soul seemed to fly away.

Just as they were about to deepen the kiss, Wei Rongde's voice came from outside the house, which was separated by a wall.

“Xun’er, it’s your father. Open the door. I want to talk to you again about your grandmother.”