After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

Winter had arrived, and the weather was exceptionally cold; the lake was already covered with a thick layer of ice. As evening approached, two or three maids walked together along the corridor adorned with festive lanterns, constantly complaining about the chilly weather.

A cold wind howled across the ice, lifting a corner of the garment of the woman kneeling in the front courtyard.

The woman was only in her early twenties. Her face, which should have been smooth and fair, was now covered with cracks like an old woman's and had turned white from the cold. It seemed that she had been there for quite some time.

"Why is she here again?"

"Exactly, don't they even know what day it is today?"

The passing maids covered their mouths and whispered among themselves, their eyes occasionally flashing with disdain.

The kneeling woman turned her head to look at him upon hearing this.

Seeing this, the maids immediately began to laugh at them, saying, "Look, she's glaring at us. Does she really think she's someone special?"

"Exactly. He's been divorced, yet he still refuses to leave the Marquis's mansion. If it were me, I'd just hang myself from a tree."

"Hahaha……"

She lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes trembling.

Once, she was also the mistress of this Marquis's mansion. It was Jiang Shaorong who, with the proper betrothal gifts and a grand wedding procession, married her in a magnificent ceremony.

But now, he cruelly handed her a letter of divorce, resolutely abandoning her, and then turned around to marry a new woman.

Was she angry? She had once schemed every step of the way in this noble household, every plan and every thought devoted solely to him. His career had been like a boat sailing smoothly downstream, rising steadily until he reached his current high position.

However, when her father fell from grace and lost his former power, he showed no gratitude for her past kindness and ruthlessly gave her a letter of divorce.

But what can she do? Her father is currently under house arrest in the General's Mansion. For her, knowing that her father is safe and sound is enough.

Suddenly, her eyes hardened as she looked at the front yard and called out the words she had repeated countless times.

"Please, my lord, allow me to see General Xiao!"

In an instant, only her low, hoarse voice echoed in the vast front courtyard.

Unfortunately, no one answered from the front yard for a long time.

The passing maids seemed used to it and ignored it, taking three steps at a time to walk to the front gate, lifting the curtain and entering.

Once the curtain was lifted, the atmosphere inside was completely different from the outside. The room was warm and filled with guests, with the sounds of clinking glasses lingering in the air. If you were inside, the woman's voice outside would be nothing compared to what you heard.

If anyone actually noticed the woman's voice, it would be a laughing stock in the Marquis's mansion.

The maidservant walked to the matchmaker and handed her the wedding wine. The matchmaker immediately shouted, "The auspicious hour has arrived! Summon the bride and groom to come inside."

……

She had heard all the words spoken during the wedding ceremony before, but the last sentence still stung her heart.

"Husband and wife bow to each other – the ceremony is complete."

As soon as the matchmaker finished speaking, the guests in the hall raised their glasses in even louder cheers, accompanied by a chorus of congratulations.

The back door was slammed shut by a guest who exclaimed that it was cold, completely cutting off the lively sounds inside, and the front courtyard returned to its quiet and deserted state.

The woman kneeling on the ground slowly closed her eyes, and two clear tears fell.

Xiao Ran gave a wry smile.

Yes, she used to be his wife, but now she doesn't even have the right to enjoy a sliver of warmth.

At the age of eighteen, she married Jiang Shaorong, the son of the Marquis of Bangchang, who is now the groom being married in the hall.

Xiao Ran served as his devoted wife diligently for two years. Rumors circulated that they were a perfect match, deeply in love, but in reality, she knew the truth better than anyone else.

Although Jiang Shaorong's father, Marquis Bangchang, was a third-rank marquis, he was a useless person with a title but no real power. There was already talk in the court that perhaps the next generation would not even have this title.

He, on the other hand, was completely different. Without the support of his father's family, he climbed to the position of Dali Zheng step by step on his own. He was not satisfied with this, so he kept trying to win over people. Even she, the daughter of a general, Xiao Ran, was his pawn.

In fact, she should have realized long ago that in two years, he had never slept with her. All the affectionate gestures were just for show. Their relationship was, to put it nicely, a respectful one, but to put it bluntly, they were strangers under the same roof.

Xiao Ran actually felt that spending every day together would surely lead to feelings developing.

Xiao Ran recalled the red figure she had just seen in the hall, the handsome smile, and the clear and melodious words of etiquette she had heard.

She hadn't seen him smile in a long time.

But so what? Xiao Ran wiped her face and rubbed her eyes.

No one is more important than her father's safety right now.

If only he could show even a sliver of compassion.

-

She didn't know how much time had passed, nor how long she had been kneeling.

Finally, just as she was on the verge of collapse, a splash of red caught her eye.

It was him...?

She crawled over there tremblingly, as if she had seen a lifeline.

"Shao Rong? You've finally agreed to see me..."

“My father—” she said, looking up at him.

But the slender red figure was clearly not a man's.

"Xiao Ran".

The woman's voice was as clear and melodious as a bird's.

"Chen Ruonan...? Why are you here?" Xiao Ran tried to clear her throat, but her voice was still as hoarse as before.

But in the blink of an eye, she noticed that the person who came was wearing a bright red wedding dress.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You married Shao Rong?"

The man did not answer, but slowly lifted the bridal veil, looking down at her with disdain as if he were in a high position.

The strength that had been supporting her seemed to vanish in an instant, and Xiao Ran collapsed to the ground as if she couldn't hold on any longer, muttering, "Why you?"

She accepted being divorced by Jiang Shaorong with a letter of divorce.

But Chen Ruonan's father, Chen Zhan, was her father's subordinate.

I can marry anyone, but not her.

Chen Ruonan slowly squatted down, patted the dress that she had just grabbed, and couldn't hide the disgust in her eyes.

"Xiao Ran, you're really different now."

Chen Ruonan lifted her chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.

There was no warmth in his eyes, just as cold as today.

“Now the general’s daughter is me, not you. You are of no value to Shao Rong, or rather, to the Marquis’s mansion.”

Although she was mentally prepared, hearing it from Chen Ruonan's mouth still surprised her.

She broke free from Chen Ruonan's grasp, grabbed his hand, and asked in a dry, hoarse voice, "What happened to my father?"

Jingyang Kingdom only has one general, and that is her father, Xiao Mu. But Chen Ruonan says she is the general's daughter, which can only mean that her father has already met with misfortune...

It's hateful that she kept information from the Marquis's mansion, and her own maid, who was an inside agent, was killed by a villain.

Chen Ruonan disgustedly shook her off and stood up. "Xiao Ran, I thought you were pretending to be stupid, but I didn't expect you to be really stupid."

"Have you forgotten?" Chen Ruonan asked condescendingly.

"Ever since your good sister He Wan exposed the General's Mansion... oh right, it can no longer be called the General's Mansion."

What followed was a piercing blow to Xiao Ran's heart.

"After the Xiao family and the Yan Prince's family plotted a rebellion, the entire Yan Prince's family was executed, and Xiao Mu was placed under house arrest in his residence,"

"No, day, execution, death."

“Even the Crown Prince Nangong…” Chen Ruonan paused when she mentioned the Crown Prince, her eyes showing a hint of reluctance.

But then, as if remembering something, he looked at the woman on the ground who had collapsed from exhaustion.

He scoffed, "So what if your father helped the emperor conquer the country? Neither you nor I can fathom the heart of an emperor."

"Now I am the general's daughter, and you are merely a concubine—"

"A useless person despised by everyone."

After leaving those words, the glaring bright red color finally slowly disappeared from her sight.

It was really cold today. The cold wind lashed at Xiao Ran's face like a knife, and those words were like knives cutting into her heart.

Yes, it's something everyone despises.

She was born without a father and lived with her mother in the village, relying on each other for survival.

After her mother died, she lived as an orphan for several years, drifting aimlessly. During that time, she endured the ridicule and beatings from her peers, swallowing her tears in silence.

At the age of thirteen, she was taken into the General's Mansion. Seeing the harmonious scene there, she thought that her suffering had finally come to an end, but He Wan's arrival ruined everything.

He Wan was the daughter of a distant relative of her father's concubine. She came to the general's mansion at the age of fifteen, and her father and He Shi adopted her as their daughter.

She was gentle and lovely, with round almond-shaped eyes that seemed to hold flowing water, making her endearing. She had countless clever and quirky ideas in her head, which everyone praised, even her father.

But Xiao Ran disliked her because her arrival stole everyone's love for Xiao Ran. For a moment, they seemed to have forgotten that Xiao Ran was the general's only biological daughter.

Xiao Ran gave a self-deprecating laugh, struggled to her feet against the corridor wall, and slowly stepped into the front courtyard.

They probably never imagined that a seemingly beautiful girl would become their executioner.

But what did Xiao Ran do wrong? All she wanted was their love, yet she ended up like this.

The snow has fallen; this is the first snow of the winter.

It was very cold, and the snowflakes landed on Xiao Ran's clothes.

She stumbled through the snow, letting it fall on her. Her yard was not far from the front yard, but it felt like an eternity to her.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, landing on her and eventually melting into water that soaked her white clothes. Her gaze was so cold it sent chills down one's spine. In this vast courtyard, the snow seemed to fall only for her.

Xiao Ran returned to the dilapidated courtyard in a daze, where a person stood with his back to her, holding an umbrella.

Her head was throbbing, and after rubbing her eyes a few times, she thought she must be seeing things. How could she be seeing He Wan like that...?

But the truth is, the cold wind carrying that person made her head clearer.

The person's voice came, as sweet and clear as the one she had heard in the General's Mansion in the past.

"elder sister."