My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

"Bastard!"

"There were so many people by the lake, how did you happen to end up hugging your sister's fiancé?"

"Tell me! When did you two begin and end?"

Inside the Duke of Wen's mansion, Madam Wen slammed her hand on the table and coldly swept her gaze downwards.

The thought of her daughter Wen Yitong embracing a man in the lake today, soaking wet and in an ambiguous way, made Madam Wen feel dizzy and wish she could faint.

Her daughter was naturally worthy of the best man in the world, so she carefully nurtured Wen Yitong and painstakingly cultivated a relationship with the Duchess of Chu, the maternal family of Prince Jing.

Through her meticulous planning, Wen Yitong finally arranged her marriage to Prince Jing when she was seventeen.

But today... today her good daughter got involved with that good-for-nothing Chen Che, and many people saw it!

Chen Che was the husband she chose for her stepdaughter Wen Shuyao. He was useless in his studies and extremely poor. How could he be worthy of her daughter?!

But Wen Yitong's heart seemed to have flown to Chen Che, and she was determined to marry no one but Chen Che!

"I have absolutely no improper relationship with Young Master Chen! What happened today was just an accident!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong hurriedly looked up. She was only wearing a Shu brocade cloak, and her hair was wet and dripping with water droplets.

Faced with such a daughter, Madam Wen suppressed her anger.

“Since it was an accident, you should listen to my arrangements and pretend that it never happened. If you are worried about what the servants will say, I will kill them.”

Madam Wen held her cold hand and gently advised her.

"Yi Tong, you are the most intelligent, how could you not see that Prince Jing is the best husband?"

As she spoke, she touched Wen Yitong's forehead.

Wen Yitong felt that Madam Wen's actions were a great mockery of her.

—Could it be that Mother thought she was delirious from her illness... that she had lost her mind... that's why she chose Chen Che?

She's not sick! And she's not crazy!

She trembled all over, and the scene from her dream reappeared before her eyes.

In her dream, before her marriage, she was high above and incomparably noble, while Wen Shuyao was dull and utterly lowly.

Even her husband is a million times better than Wen Shuyao!

But later she was dressed in tattered clothes, with greasy hair, and only Lin Mama was by her side serving her.

She lost the good manners that her mother had cultivated over the years, and with red eyes, she roared at King Jing, saying that she could no longer endure such a life and that she wanted a divorce.

The way King Jing looked at her was as if she were an insignificant object. He stood up and simply said, "Then let's get a divorce."

In the next instant, she saw herself returning home in a disheveled state with her dowry, only to see her arrogant and haughty mother bowing and scraping before Wen Shuyao, personally serving her tea: "I heard that Lord Chen was in charge of investigating the salt tax case in Jiangnan, and saved the court millions of taels of silver. His Majesty was overjoyed, and Lord Chen was promoted three ranks. He is now a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet."

She saw that Wen Shuyao and Chen Che were deeply in love, and Chen Che was very considerate to Wen Shuyao—while she and Prince Jing disliked each other, and she was still a virgin after their marriage!

She watched as Chen Che gradually became the emperor's most trusted minister—but Prince Jing was implicated in the deposition of the crown prince, had his leg broken, and was imprisoned in the palace.

She also saw Wen Shuyao's husband rise to prominence and become a first-rank imperial consort, enjoying immense prestige—while she divorced Prince Jing and became a ridiculed abandoned woman!

Because she married the wrong person, she was trampled into the mud by Wen Shuyao, whom she had always looked down on and who had nothing but beauty!

"I won't marry him!" She broke free from Madam Wen's grasp, her eyes red as she roared at Madam Wen, "I'd rather die than marry Prince Jing!"

A wave of nausea rose in my throat.

She knelt on the ground and gagged.

Chaos erupted inside the house.

It was at this moment that Wen Shuyao arrived at Cuiwei Hall.

The maids inside were in a hurry, some serving tea, others wringing out Wen Yitong's hair. Madam Wen was anxiously giving orders, her whole attention focused on Wen Yitong, and none of them noticed Wen Shuyao's arrival.

Several ice chests were placed around the room, and in the sweltering heat of summer, there was a slight chill in the air.

A chill swept over her instantly, and Wen Shuyao shivered.

What would it feel like to wake up and find yourself back five years in the past?

Wen Shuyao had only ever seen such things in storybooks.

Today is the day she and Chen Che exchanged wedding invitations.

In her past life, everyone said she was lucky to marry Chen Che, a handsome and dashing scholar.

But only she knew that Chen Che was a complete good-for-nothing. In her previous life, she had spent countless efforts to help Chen Che go from a successful candidate in the imperial examinations to a highly praised third-place scholar.

But how did Chen Che treat her? Before the marriage, his good cousin was already pregnant, and after the marriage, he kept bringing concubines into the house, not to mention his romantic affairs outside.

She managed everything inside and outside the home, and had to put on a virtuous and gentle appearance in front of others, which caused her to develop a host of health problems at a young age.

If she hadn't lacked a powerful family to back her up and only possessed a meager reputation for virtue, she would have divorced Chen Che long ago.

Upon waking up today, she immediately thought of ruining the marriage, taking back her deceased mother's dowry, and running off to the border to seek refuge with her maternal grandfather.

But for some unknown reason, before she could even see Chen Che, she heard the news that Chen Che and Wen Yitong had fallen into the water.

Hearing that Chen Che had heroically rescued Wen Yitong and single-handedly carried her ashore, he was deeply moved.

The two were intimately close, their relationship extremely ambiguous.

This is truly a golden opportunity!

Wen Shuyao gripped the round fan in her hand, looking around at the unfamiliar yet familiar furnishings. Looking down, she saw soft, delicate hands that had never suffered. In the bronze mirror not far away, she saw a face that was unforgettable, as beautiful as a begonia.

Since God has given her a second chance at life, she is determined to seize the opportunity, get rid of Chen Che, this good-for-nothing, and never repeat the mistakes of her previous life!

"The eldest lady is here."

Someone said something, and they finally noticed Wen Shuyao's presence.

Seeing the people inside staring at her with wide eyes, Wen Shuyao gave them a kind smile.

She was beautiful, with a pair of captivating phoenix eyes that could melt anyone's bones with a single glance.

This sight reminded Wen Yitong of that dream.

Everything in the dream was too real. Wen Shuyao's happy expression after marrying Chen Che, and Wen Shuyao's smugness after being granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady, all overlapped with the stunningly beautiful face in front of her.

The hatred in Wen Yitong's eyes was so intense it almost pierced through Wen Shuyao.

This glory should have been hers!

What makes Wen Shuyao stand out? Just her face?

"What are you here for?"

Madam Wen frowned, her face darkening instantly, and she gave Lin Mama a meaningful look.

In her opinion, the marriage between Wen Yitong and Prince Jing was the best possible match, and as long as she persuaded him carefully, Wen Yitong would definitely change his mind.

As for Wen Shuyao... that's not within her consideration.

For someone as lazy and dull as Wen Shuyao to be able to marry Chen Che is already thanks to her beautiful face.

Granny Lin stepped forward, grabbing Wen Shuyao's arm as she said, "Eldest Miss, Madam and Second Miss are discussing important matters. Please excuse us..."

"Avoid what?" Wen Shuyao lowered her head, revealing only a section of her fair and delicate neck, and asked in the most timid voice, "Are you avoiding the fact that Second Sister and Chen Che fell into the water together and had physical intimacy?"