Chapter 2

Li Qingzhu actually isn't dead?

And what about all this absurdity I've suffered—how is it to be settled?

Li Kechuan gave a cold snort: "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding!? My dear sister, if it weren't for Prince Yun, Your Highness, saving you, and you've been recuperating these past months, how could we possibly reunite with you? It's entirely her fault! If she hadn't come back so suddenly, you wouldn't have……"

All right! Shut up!

The head of the Li family, the Majestic Great General, finally put a stop to his eldest son.

He frowned and said: "Since things are already past, Zhu'er's return is a great blessing; there's no need to bring up the past. Go—send someone to fetch Luo'er and tell her her elder sister wants to see her."

The Li family intends to continue recognizing Li Qingzhu as the eldest legitimate daughter.

Since she's still alive and well, Li Qingluo's guilt is naturally much reduced.

Soon, someone came back hurriedly to report: "No, no… Second Miss, she… she's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Li Madam, still embracing her beloved, frowned slightly and asked.

"Madam, just now our people went to look; Second Miss… she… she has no breath left."

The servant maid lowered her head sharply, yet cursed in her heart: "What ill timing! Why couldn't she have died at any other time, but she had to die now!"

Li Madam stared, dazed and troubled, with no further emotional reaction yet, when Li Kechuan gave another cold smile.

"How, she's even putting on a suicide act now? Don't think she can attract our attention and pity like Zhu'er does—she's not worthy! She must have heard Zhu'er's return and is over there copying her, trying to lure us over to look!"

"Father, Mother, just leave her alone!"

"If she's pretending to be dead, then someone—go wrap her in a straw mat and toss her out to feed the dogs!"

The others immediately realized what was happening.

Li Madam drew a deep breath: "Is she really putting on an act for us to see?"

"If that's the case, that's going too far!"

Li Madam and the General's faces instantly hardened: "She's been spoiled rotten—actually pulling this kind of stunt!"

Li Qingzhu still looked ashamed: "Father, Mother, it's all because I failed as an older sister. Please don't blame me—I truly wanted to die back then…"

Li Qingzhu's hurt feelings made everyone rush over to comfort her.

"Good Zhu'er, we're not blaming you. Just don't scare us like that again!"

Facing Li Qingzhu, Li Kechuan completely changed his expression, becoming warm and amiable, finally resembling an older brother.

Just then, Zhuang Wei also arrived, overjoyed…

The entire Li household was immersed in the frenzied joy of Li Qingzhu's return, and everyone gradually cast Li Qingluo completely out of their minds.

The servant sent to tidy up Li Qingluo's remains was now kicking her stiff corpse, his face full of angry venting.

"Everyone's basking in the eldest daughter's return joy at the front courtyard, yet they sent me to collect your corpse! Damn, what bad luck!"

Once wrapped in the mat, Li Qingluo was dragged into the vast snowy wilderness.

Li Qingluo's spirit gazed upon the falling snow, heard the world's laughter and chatter, her blood‑red eyes fixed on those faces, her heart brimming with hatred and unwillingness!

Li Qingzhu is their cherished pearl, while Li Qingluo is mere weeds—does she even deserve to live?

On what grounds!?

All because of Li Qingzhu's little performance, I've endured endless suffering and hardship.

Even though I'm dead, I still can't get them to give me a fair glance!

She ought to have lived well, yet she insists on hoping for those empty illusions.

A gust of wind and snow swept up, and Li Qingluo's spirit scattered with the breeze.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself waking in a swaying carriage.

Li Qingluo stared blankly at everything until she met two gazes, then jolted awake.

Zhang Mama and Cui Er!?

Li Qingluo looked at her attire again, then secretly pinched herself hard.

A clear, real pain came through, and Li Qingluo shockingly realized: could it be that she… she has actually returned to the past!?

"Miss, what's wrong with you?"

Zhang Mama noticed a hint of abnormality in Li Qingluo's expression and asked with concern.

Li Qingluo, however, fixed her gaze on the two of them; her expression unchanged, but her heart churned like stormy waves.

She, Li Qingluo, has been reborn!

She has returned to the days before she ever set foot in the Li household!

At this point Li Qingzhu has not yet self‑immolated, the Li family hasn't yet hated her to the bone, and she herself has not yet returned to the Li household.

But in this life, she will never let herself die in such a wretched, miserable way again!

As for familial bonds and blood ties… in this life, they can all go to hell!

She no longer wants any of those useless, illusory things.

In her previous life, Li Qingluo owed nobody anything.

It is the Li family that owes her, Li Qingzhu owes her, and even Li Qingzhu's family in that mountain ravine—like evil ghosts and wolves—owes her Li Qingluo!

In this life, she will make everyone who owes her repay what they owe!

Under Zhang Mama and Cui Er's bewildered gazes, Li Qingzhu gradually stopped smiling and wiped away her tears.

She stared at them, sizing them up, her heart likewise churning.

Zhang Mama is the Li family's Old Lady, that is, the person beside Li Qingluo's paternal grandmother; Cui Er is a maid beside her mother.

Originally, it was the Old Lady who investigated Li Qingluo's background, so she sent Zhang Mama back to the manor to tell everyone the truth.

The General's manor was naturally in utter chaos.

But with the human and material evidence right before their eyes, they could not help but steel themselves to believe.

Although everyone was grief-stricken, the Old Lady's intention was that the bloodline of Jiangjun Fu must not be allowed to drift outside, so she sent Zhang Mama back to the residence to assist in handling this matter.

Li Qingluo's mother, that is, the general's lady Qu Shi, sent her own third-rank maid Cui Er together with Zhang Mama on a trip; the Li family also sent a minor steward and a coachman, and the group went to a mountain hollow and brought Li Qingluo back.

In her previous life, Zhang Mama and Cui Er were both courteous and friendly toward Li Qingluo all along the way.

However, after returning to the Li household, because of Li Qingzhu's death, Li Qingluo was quickly manipulated by everyone in the Li family, so she did not pay timely attention to where those two went afterward.

Zhang Mama probably returned to the Daoist temple.

Li Qingluo also only learned after a long time in the Li household that her paternal grandmother was now cultivating tranquility at the Daoist temple and generally did not readily return to the mansion.

As for Cui Er, I later searched for her several times in the mansion, but never found any trace of her.

Now seeing them, Li Qingluo sighed inwardly: who would have thought that, among all those related to the Li family, only these two remained kind to her?

However, now that she has been reborn, it is still time.

As long as she has not yet entered the Li family gate, she still has time and opportunity to make arrangements to deal with Li Qingzhu's self-immolation and feigned death.

"Granny, I don't know where we have arrived."

Li Qingluo lifted a gap in the carriage curtain and looked out at the heaven and earth beyond the carriage.

She took a deep breath; indeed, only such freedom and ease makes one feel truly alive.

In her previous life she lived neither as a person nor as a ghost; her later miserable death, and her own weak and bullyable nature, were naturally hateful.

Formerly, she was truly utterly foolish.

Longing for things that never existed…… in this life, she will not do so again.

Li Qingluo lowered the carriage curtain, and a deep gloom flickered in her eyes.

Zhang Mama said: "We are now only about fifty or sixty li from Jinling City, but it is already late; trying to reach the city before curfew is probably impossible."

"Just now, this servant and the steward also discussed it; we should first find an inn to rest tonight, so that you, Miss, can freshen up tomorrow morning before returning to the city and the manor—how does that sound?"

Li Qingluo raised her head and met Zhang Mama's scrutinizing gaze.

She suddenly realized that Zhang Mama was testing her!

In her previous life, she anxiously wanted to see her parents and brother, so she rejected Zhang Mama's suggestion and had the coachman's boy hurry the journey to reach the city.

But the fact turned out exactly as Zhang Mama said—they were unable to enter the city.

Therefore, they had no choice but to spend the night making do inside and outside the carriage in the wilderness outside the city gate.

Zhang Mama, being elderly, had been uncomfortable all along the bumpy ride; later, when she was sent to the Li household and seen to be so foolish and slow-witted, they naturally dismissed her at once.

Now thinking about it…… my previous self was truly blinded by a single leaf, missing even this opportunity!

Li Qingluo shook her head, but unlike in her previous life she did not reject Zhang Mama's suggestion; instead she said, "Granny, not rushed. I don't know how far the Green Pine Temple is from here."

Li Qingluo's paternal grandmother is cultivating tranquility at the Green Pine Temple!

In her previous life she missed this opportunity; in this life, the only person in the entire Li family she can rely on is probably only this paternal grandmother of hers.

Moreover, Zhang Mama has been observing and testing her all along the way, likely acting on the Old Lady's orders to see what kind of character she truly has.

Although in her previous life she had just emerged from the mountain hollow and performed terribly, at least she left an impression of being simple and honest.

So, in this life she should start—why not first approach the Old Lady by relying on that quality?

In the entire Li family, Li Qingluo is isolated and helpless.

Having no backing, she will bring a backer back!

After having this thought, Li Qingluo's face showed a genuine expression.

"Granny, I would like to visit my grandmother before returning home, if that is permissible."