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

Wen Yitong waited in Lin'an Prefecture for a long time, but the events in her dream never happened.

In her dream, Yongcheng ran out of food supplies, the city gates were breached by starving people, and large numbers of people infected with the plague fled in all directions, becoming refugees and fleeing towards the capital.

Because of its timely response, Lin'an Prefecture stopped the refugees outside the city. These refugees all turned north and headed north, and as a result, the capital also fell.

The entire Dali Kingdom has fallen, except for Lin'an, which remains peaceful.

It was two months later that Zhou Yuanzheng developed a prescription to treat the plague.

Two months, a plague, was enough to shake the foundations of the Great Li Kingdom.

The Northern Barbarians seized this opportunity and captured two border cities in succession.

Xie Jinghan had offended a powerful family and was assassinated, after which there was no further news of him. She thought that Xie Jinghan must be dead.

Wen Yitong stayed in Lin'an not only to avoid the plague, but also to reunite with Granny Lin, and because Lin'an was the center of Jiangnan, where news traveled the fastest.

If she wanted to get news of Xie Jinghan, staying in Lin'an would be the most convenient place for her.

"Miss." Granny Lin, carrying large and small bags, quickly entered the small courtyard.

Seeing Wen Yitong's furrowed brows, her heart skipped a beat.

At the dock, she saw Wen Yitong leaving with the Chen family. She also heard that the Chen family had sold all their property to go to Jiangnan. She was extremely disappointed in Wen Yitong.

Is someone who deserts his post and doesn't even dare to collect his mother's body really worth protecting?

But Madam Wen's words still echoed in her ears. She was loyal to Madam Wen and naturally did not want to let Madam Wen's last wish go to waste. So she returned to the capital and found that Madam Wen had not been reduced to ashes by Wen Shuyao. Instead, she was given a simple coffin so that Madam Wen could be buried with dignity. Her feelings were very complicated.

Wen Yitong was the beloved daughter of Madam Wen, whom Madam Wen cherished dearly. Madam Wen gave everything for Wen Yitong, even sacrificing her life for her.

However, Wen Yitong treated Madam Wen better than Wen Shuyao, the woman of her enemy.

After taking her revenge, Wen Shuyao actually arranged for Madam Wen to be buried.

Lin Mama was filled with mixed feelings, but thinking of Madam Wen's last wish, she still embarked on her journey to the south of the Yangtze River.

Because of this delay, she was able to reunite with Wen Yitong, who had gone through many hardships, at the dock in Lin'an Prefecture.

Now, Lin Mama is only thinking about fulfilling Madam Wen's last wish. She knows that with Madam Wen's death, the past is over and Wen Shuyao will no longer pursue Wen Yitong.

Therefore, as long as Wen Yitong behaves herself, she can live a peaceful life. She also has some spare money, enough to support the two of them.

But looking at Wen Yitong now, she could tell that she was not satisfied with this.

Thinking of this, Granny Lin's heart skipped a beat.

At this moment, Wen Yitong noticed the arrival of Granny Lin.

Her eyes were full of anticipation: "Granny, is there any news from the city today?"

Lin Mama knew that Wen Yitong wanted to ask about Prince Jing.

Her intuition told her that Wen Yitong was still up to no good.

That being the case...

Lin Mama's expression changed, and she looked at Wen Yitong and said, "Indeed, there is some earth-shattering news."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong became excited: "What is it?"

"It concerns Prince Jing." Lin Mama paused, met Wen Yitong's expectant gaze, and said, word by word, "Prince Jing is currently in Yongcheng."

"I know," Wen Yitong said urgently, "Besides that, is there no other news?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Lin sighed inwardly.

"Miss, what else do you want to hear? The past is the past, why are you still so stubborn?" Granny Lin advised. "Why don't you just live a peaceful life?"

"Have you forgotten what happened before, with those river bandits..."

"I don't want to hear it!"

Wen Yitong interrupted Lin Mama loudly, her eyes already red.

She stared intently at Granny Lin: "Granny! You know perfectly well that this is not the kind of news I want to hear."

Seeing Wen Yitong's stubbornness, Lin Mama could only close her eyes.

"Actually, the news I'm about to tell you is something you probably wouldn't want to hear."

Wen Yitong's eyes were icy: "What exactly is the news?"

"The plague in Yongcheng has been resolved," said Granny Lin calmly. "The scene you wanted to see, I'm afraid you won't be able to see it."

"What?" Wen Yitong's voice was shrill. She stood up straight and looked at Lin Mama in disbelief. "What nonsense are you talking about? That's the plague!"

Lin Mama gave a wry smile: "Now the news has spread throughout the city and beyond. If you don't believe it, you might as well go out and take a walk. You'll find that it's no different from what this old servant said."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong closed her eyes and murmured, "How could this be? It shouldn't be like this!"

She should have heard about the fall of Yongcheng, the rampant plague, and the assassination of Xie Jinghan.

But why... why did the plague not only not spread, but was instead resolved by Xie Jinghan?

Could it all be because of Wen Shuyao?

Thinking this way, Wen Yitong became even angrier.

She would rather the dream be false than admit that it was because of Wen Shuyao that it changed.

Granny Lin looked at Wen Yitong with pity; at this moment, Wen Yitong seemed to be possessed by a ghost.

Before Granny Lin could speak, Wen Yitong's expression turned ferocious as she exclaimed, "This must be fake! It must be fake!"

"Granny!" She grabbed Granny Lin's sleeve. "Let's go and investigate further. This must be fake! It must be a false message they're spreading to appease the people!"

Hearing Wen Yitong's words, Granny Lin lost the strength to speak.

She waved her hand and said, "Miss, once you leave this door, I will no longer care about you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong was stunned: "What are you saying? Mother..."

"The lady has devoted herself to you and gone to great lengths to save your life. This old servant has traveled all the way from the capital to return, also to save your life!"

Granny Lin gritted her teeth and said, "We did everything we could to save your life, not so you could squander it like this!"

“Miss! If you continue to be so stubborn, this old servant will have no choice but to leave.” Lin Mama closed her eyes. “This old servant wants to find a better place for Madam. Madam likes places with beautiful mountains and clear waters, this old servant will take her there.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong's expression changed drastically.

She knew that Lin Mama had given up on her in her heart.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wen Yitong closed her eyes: "I won't leave, I just..."

"This old servant knows that you still harbor resentment towards the eldest young lady, but that's all in the past. Even if you try to win her over now, you won't be able to. Instead, you'll lose the peaceful life that the madam sacrificed her life for."

"Please, I'm begging you!" Granny Lin whispered, "Behave yourself!"

Wen Yitong raised her head and stared blankly at Lin Mama for a few moments. Suddenly, she shook her head, ignored Lin Mama's advice, and rushed out of the courtyard.

Meanwhile, the neighbors were already discussing the matter of Yongcheng.

Wen Yitong was surrounded by praise for Wen Shuyao. They lauded her for being sensible and capable, and for performing no less well than men in Yongcheng, despite being a woman. The prominent families of Yongcheng listened to her every word.

She also heard the news that Wen Shuyao had been awarded a title.

All of this was something she had experienced as well, yet the outcome was completely different.

Wen Yitong looked up at the sky, and in that instant, pain and resentment swept over her.

She murmured, "It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this."

After she finished speaking, her vision went black and she fainted.

When she woke up again, Wen Yitong's eyes were blank. No matter what anyone asked, she only had one answer - "It shouldn't be like this."

—Wen Yitong has gone mad.