In the seventh year of Chenghua, in the capital region.
Li Man'er’s eyes snapped open without warning, and she shot up into a sitting position.
Hiss~
So painful!
She reached up to touch the back of her head and felt an egg-sized lump. She wondered which scoundrel had dared to risk their life to launch a sneak attack on her!
Something is wrong!
Li Man'er froze for a moment before she snapped back to reality. Hadn't she perished together with Shangguan Wanwan, that green tea bitch? Why could she still feel pain and touch a lump on her head?
Could it be that she hadn't died and had been rescued?
That was impossible. The plane had exploded into a ball of fire. Even if she hadn't burned to death, falling from a height of over three thousand meters, there wouldn't have been enough complete flesh left to form a body. How could she possibly be alive!
Unless she had transmigrated!
At that moment, Li Man'er felt a sudden dizzy spell. Her head felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and countless electric currents coursed through it. A flood of memories, not her own, began to play out in her mind like a carousel.
She had indeed transmigrated. From being the eldest daughter of a renowned medical family, Li Man'er, she had become the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Iron Gallantry’s household in the Zun Kingdom.
Her mother died in infancy, her father was uncaring, and her stepmother only doted on herself, tarnishing her reputation! The entire family was plotting against her. Her full sister and cousin both wanted to snatch her marriage, and even the original owner's grandmother, Madam Cui, wished she would die sooner so she could seize the impressive dowry left by her mother, Madam Ning!
What a terrible hand she had been dealt! So bad that anyone dared to scheme against her.
Right! The space!
Li Man'er quickly used her mental power to communicate with her spatial dimension. Seeing that the fruits of her half-life's labor were all safe and sound within the space, Li Man'er breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate she was.
Fortunately, the spatial dimension had transmigrated with her, giving her a greater chance of defying fate in the perilous Zun Kingdom.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the room. Someone called out loudly, “It’s that side chamber. This servant personally saw the Eldest Miss enter this room to change, and then the Third Young Master Geng also went in.”
That voice sounded so familiar.
The Eldest Miss must be referring to her! But who was the Third Young Master Geng?
It was only then that Li Man'er discovered a man lying on the bed. This person was clearly unconscious. It seemed he must be the Third Young Master Geng!
Li Man'er sneered. The people who schemed against her had truly clumsy methods, playing a trick that even an idiot could see through! She reached out and touched the man, drawing him into her spatial dimension.
“How dare you! In broad daylight, what is Li Man'er trying to do!”
“Break down the door!” This voice was filled with fury, as if deeply insulted.
Two burly women forcefully broke open the door. A wave of fragrant wind rushed in, filling the small side chamber with over a dozen noblewomen and beauties exuding floral scents. The maids and servants crowded the doorway, as if afraid someone would escape.
Gasps of exclamation erupted one after another. The noblewomen and beauties all transformed into skilled performers, beginning their act.
“Heavens! It's truly scandalous.”
“Li Man'er is too much, completely disregarding the boundaries between men and women.”
“Eldest Miss, you are betrothed to Young Master Rong, how could you… Huh?”
“Where is she?”
The room was empty except for Li Man'er; the Third Young Master Geng was nowhere to be seen. Those who barged in were not deterred and searched everywhere, but found nothing.
The side chamber was deathly silent.
The Grand Princess knitted her brows, her expression grim. She glanced at Li Zhaoer, as if asking, "Didn't you say it was foolproof?"
Li Zhaoer’s legs turned to jelly. She had arranged this whole affair. She had previously assured the Grand Princess that she would ruin Li Man'er's reputation and make her the laughingstock of the entire capital. As long as the noblewomen witnessed Li Man'er with another man in the same room, the Grand Princess could openly annul Li Man'er's engagement to the Tong family…
At that time, Li Man'er would have no choice but to commit suicide to atone!
But now, Li Man'er was sitting there perfectly fine, and where was Third Young Master Geng!?
“Why have you all come here? What spectacle are you here to witness?” Li Man'er, still unaccustomed to inhabiting this body, spoke softly, as if feeling unwell.
Ziyan, tears of joy streaming down her face, rushed to Li Man'er’s side, exclaiming, “Miss, it’s wonderful that you are unharmed!”
“What could possibly happen to me!?”
“You don’t know, Second Miss’s maid, Chunzhi, insisted that you were in the same room with an outsider. The matter caused a great stir, so Second Miss informed the Grand Princess and brought all the ladies here.”
“Presumptuous! Where does a mere servant girl like you have the right to speak,” Madam Xiang, the Grand Princess’s trusted confidante, stepped forward immediately, glaring fiercely at Ziyan.
Ziyan was just a small maid. How could she dare to argue with the Grand Princess’s most capable aide? But what she said was the truth!
Li Man'er gently squeezed Ziyan's hand, signaling her to calm down, and said, “Zhaoer is truly my good sister, always thinking of me with such care!”
No one was foolish enough to not hear the sarcasm in her words. If their own sister were in trouble, they would help cover it up, not lead people to watch the show. Li Zhaoer's actions were clearly intended to bring Li Man'er to ruin.
“I merely had some stomach pain earlier, and Granny Xu accompanied me out to change. We got separated. Fortunately, a little maid pointed me in the direction of this side chamber to rest. How did it become a clandestine meeting with an outsider?”
Li Zhaoer slapped Chunzhi to the ground and cursed, “Wicked wench, is your vision smeared with dung? To falsely accuse Eldest Sister with such baseless words!”
Chunzhi covered her face and remained silent, willing to take the blame for her mistress.
Li Man'er smiled, her eyes carrying a meaningful gaze. “Granny Xu, I heard you mention from afar something about ‘I am betrothed to Young Master Rong.’ Why are you bringing this up? Don’t you know that besides the Empress Dowager, no one else acknowledges this engagement!”
Granny Xu broke out in a cold sweat. How could the Eldest Miss be so bold? How dare she say such a thing in front of the Grand Princess!
“Eldest Miss might have misheard, this old servant…”
Li Man'er, however, strode forward and, in front of the Grand Princess and the assembled ladies, abruptly lifted her foot and delivered a fierce kick to Granny Xu. While the force of the kick was not heavy, it was certainly not light. She sent Granny Xu tumbling to the ground, landing on her back.
“Ah!”
Granny Xu received a solid kick. She cried out in pain, feeling a sharp ache in her lower abdomen, breaking out in a cold sweat, unable to speak.
“Ah!” Ziyan was also startled and quickly covered her mouth.
The crowd exclaimed, “Eldest Miss, this is most improper!”
“Protect the Grand Princess.”
The scene descended into chaos.
“Presumptuous!” The Grand Princess’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Li Man'er wasn't just reprimanding a servant; she was clearly slapping her face!
Li Man'er said with a smile, “The Grand Princess is absolutely right. This old crone, relying on her having come from my mother’s courtyard, acts superior and doesn't put me, this eldest daughter who lost her mother at a young age, in her eyes. She is indeed presumptuous.”
The Grand Princess’s expression changed again, her lips trembling with anger. She had not expected Li Man'er to be so audacious.
Granny Xu struggled to get up from the ground and knelt before Li Man'er, saying, “Eldest Miss, this old servant is wronged! If you wish to vent your anger, please wait until we return to the manor. Whether you kill me or dismember me, this old servant will not say a word more. I only beg Eldest Miss to remember that you are from the Marquis of Iron Gallantry’s household and not to tarnish the Marquis’s reputation or the prestige of the Marquis of Iron Gallantry’s mansion!”
Li Man'er sneered, “You mentioning it reminds me. I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s household. My mother was the only daughter of Madam Ning. My maternal grandfather devoted his entire fortune to serving the royal family back then, hence the engagement bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Not everyone can be bullied! Grand Princess, wouldn't you agree?”