Chapter 1: The Tang Clan's Useless Fourth Young Lady

A single lamp flickered like a bean, and the hearth fire was lukewarm.

Tang Wan shifted her body on the wooden plank bed; she wasn't sure if it was due to pain or cold, but she woke up instantly regardless. She lay there in a daze for a long while before hearing voices coming from outside.

Outside the room, Qing Kui cautiously poked her head in to take a look before shrinking back. "Nanny Rong, do you think the Fourth Young Lady might die? If she really dies just like this, then... then when the Master returns..."

Upon hearing this, Nanny Rong spat at her and gave her arm a harsh, painful pinch with her coarse fingers. "If she dies, she dies. Isn't she just a useless waste? She actually dared to defy the First Madam and the Eldest Young Lady. It's already a mercy that they didn't beat her to death. The state she's in now is her own doing. Even if the Master returns, he will only tacitly approve. She's a jinx, a calamity to her parents. Hmph, with her around, the Tang Clan has lost all face. That little brat!"

Tang Wan was stunned, her mind reeling. Her eyes instinctively scanned her surroundings in a circle. The room was empty, containing almost nothing. She lowered her head and saw that she was lying on a piece of moldy wood.

This...

Where is this?

Tang Wan knitted her delicate willow-like brows and tried to sit up, but she felt a sudden surge of pain throughout her entire body. She struggled to lift her hand; her wide, patch-covered sleeve slid down toward her wrist. Her sharp eyes narrowed instantly. Her arms were already covered in bruises of various sizes, and these injuries were very fresh—not to mention, she had no idea where the pain in the rest of her body was coming from.

As she was reflecting, the conversation from outside drifted in again.

"But no matter how you look at it, she is still the Fourth Young Lady of the Tang Clan. The Madam and the Eldest Young Lady beat her like this today and won't even let her see a doctor. This is a bit..."

Qing Kui ultimately couldn't bring herself to be heartless. The Fourth Young Lady had only clashed with the First Madam because she didn't want to be married off to that official's son at the mouth of the alley who had contracted venereal disease. The weather was cold, and she had already been punished by the First Madam to kneel in the ancestral hall all night; now, having been beaten and denied a doctor, wasn't this just leaving the Fourth Young Lady to wait for death?

Nanny Rong spat disdainfully. "What Fourth Young Lady? She's nothing but a waste. She doesn't have a shred of spiritual power, and her spiritual root was broken even before she was born. When has the Tang Clan ever produced such a thing? It's already good enough that the Master and Madam have kept her alive until now, yet she actually dared to defy the Madam. So what if she got a beating? Stop playing dead there! If she dies so easily, then let her die. When the time comes, we'll just wrap her in a straw mat and toss her into the mass grave to feed the demonic beasts!"

Having finished, Nanny Rong glared fiercely at Qing Kui. "If you little girl thinks that little slut is so pitiful, then you marry out in her place, so you don't have to look at her bad luck!"

Hearing this, Qing Kui's face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly lowered her head. "Yes, Nanny is right. Qing Kui... Qing Kui won't gossip anymore..."

"Hmph! You'd better!" Nanny Rong shoved a large basin of laundry into Qing Kui's hands. "Hurry up and wash the clothes. Go to the river at the three-way junction. You aren't allowed back until they're finished!"

Nanny Rong kicked the drafty wooden door in a huff and turned to walk away aggressively.

What happened? Why am I here? Where is this place? Tang Wan wanted to get up, but even moving felt painful. It seemed that the effort of struggling to lift her arm had exhausted all her strength. She took a deep breath to suppress her chaotic emotions, her eyes darting around as if she were surveying everything in the room.

At that moment, with a creak, the wooden door was pushed open. Tang Wan froze for a moment before being gently helped up by the newcomer. She turned her body slightly and saw that the person helping her was a young girl. In her estimation, the girl looked to be about thirteen years old, with two round hair buns that matched her round little face, making her look like a tender steamed bun.

"Fourth Young Lady, come, drink some medicine. I took advantage of Nanny walking away to find Old Zhuang's wife to prepare this. Oh, there's also some ointment to rub on your wounds."

The little girl looked left and right, and only after ensuring no one was following her did she open the basket she was carrying and bring out the steaming medicinal soup.

Tang Wan frowned deeply, her expression turning extremely strange, and she instinctively asked, "Who are you?"