After the Spring Festival banquet, her younger sister begged their mother to swap the two families’ marriage proposal cards.
Lu Lingyun knew then that she had been reborn as well. In her previous life, she and Lu Hanyi were both favored by prestigious families at the Spring Festival banquet.
One was the Ningyang Houfu, a family with illustrious achievements and generations of inheritance, and the other was the Li family, whose head was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites.
Their Lu family held the position of fifth-rank Hanlin scholar, a high-ranking position, but it was a family of integrity, lacking power and influence. If their daughters could marry into a sixth-rank official in the capital, it would be considered a perfect match.
The Ningyang Houfu, a family of merit and nobility, was a family that the Lus dared not even dream of. Of course, there was a reason why the Ningyang Houfu set its sights on the lesser Lu family. Their young master had a beloved concubine whom he doted on greatly.
This concubine was from a brothel, and the young master had once smashed a restaurant in anger for her sake, throwing away thousands of gold coins in a bidding war. He even spent ten thousand taels of silver to redeem her and bring her into the family.
He once boasted that he would spend his entire life with her, causing the Ningyang Houfu’s wife to fall ill several times in anger. Such behavior had already caused families of similar status to the Ningyang Houfu to shake their heads in disapproval.
Who would dare to marry their precious daughter into such a chaotic household? Unable to find a suitable match, the Ningyang Houfu’s wife lowered her standards, hoping only to find a virtuous daughter-in-law who could manage the household, be intelligent and capable, and be someone she could control.
At the Spring Festival banquet, she set her eyes on the Lu family. Even with such conditions set by the Ningyang Houfu, this marriage was still an excellent match for the Lus. Unfortunately, it was not meant for Lu Lingyun.
She was the eldest daughter of the Lu family, but her biological mother had passed away long ago.
The current head of the family was her stepmother, and such an excellent marriage naturally went to her stepsister, Lu Hanyi. In her previous life, Lu Lingyun was arranged by her family to marry into the family of a secretary, while Lu Hanyi married into the Ningyang Houfu.
Due to the young master’s excessive pampering of his concubine, the Houfu’s parents-in-law were particularly kind to Lu Hanyi. Not only did they give her control of the household early on, but they also supported her in everything. Even when she had conflicts with the young master, they took her side without question. For a time, Lu Hanyi enjoyed limitless glory and lived a very comfortable life.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. Relying on the favor of her in-laws, she became increasingly intolerant of the concubine, provoking her every chance she got, determined to defeat her.
However, her constant harassment only made the young master and the concubine’s love stronger. After a huge fight, the young master, in a fit of anger, ran away with his concubine.
After that, Lu Hanyi became a sinner in the Houfu. Her in-laws were deeply disappointed in her, took away her management rights, and confined her to a courtyard to live out her days as a widow.
Lu Lingyun, however, married the second son of Secretary Li and her life gradually improved. A year later, Li Wenshun became the top scholar in the imperial examination, earning the emperor’s favor and being sent to serve as a county magistrate in the south.
This transfer to serve as a county magistrate was not a sign of neglect, but rather a highly promising opportunity to advance. Especially being sent to the south. Li Wenshun lived up to expectations and achieved many political accomplishments, steadily climbing the ranks from county magistrate to prefect, then to the governor of Jiangnan, and finally being transferred back to the capital.
As soon as he returned to the capital, he was appointed as a fourth-rank imperial censor, highly valued by the emperor. He continued to flourish, eventually becoming a powerful prime minister, a position no less important than that of the Houfu. Lu Lingyun rose along with Li Wenshun. Li Wenshun had requested a decree for her, granting her official status and making her truly honored and unrivaled.
As for Lu Hanyi, she was still confined in the Houfu’s courtyard. Day after day, she lived as a widow, constantly listening to stories about her elder sister’s deep love and grand wealth, often laughing maniacally. Soon, she died a sudden death.
Lu Lingyun didn’t have time to feel sad because she soon caught a cold, her weak body unable to withstand it, and she passed away. When she opened her eyes again, Lu Lingyun was back in her sixteenth year, the time she was being arranged for marriage.
Just as she was bewildered at being back in her youth, she heard her personal maid, Zhiyan, reporting. “Miss, Second Miss just went to Madam crying, saying she would rather die than marry into the Ningyang Houfu, she insists on marrying the second Li master.”
Lu Lingyun was taken aback, then smiled. It seemed this rare occurrence of rebirth wasn’t unique to her. Her stepsister had also been reborn.
“Miss, why are you still laughing? Second Miss has always loved to compete with you since she was young. She would always try to get whatever she set her eyes on, from rouge and jewelry to pearls and ornaments, now even marriage proposals.”
“Madam Li specifically chose you, though the Li family’s status is not as good as the Ningyang Houfu’s, but the second Li master is both talented and virtuous. Father has praised him greatly.
He will surely become a great man in the future. Moreover, he doesn’t have those messy family affairs. Everyone knows he is far better than that young master.
She must have seen all this and that’s why she’s competing with you for him,” Zhiyan became more and more aggrieved. Lu Lingyun looked at her, rising from her seat with a faint smile. “Let her take it if she wants it.”
“But… this is a lifetime matter!”
Zhiyan felt terribly sorry for her miss. “You said a lifetime, a lifetime is very long.” Looking up at the clouds floating and changing in the sky, Lu Lingyun smiled calmly.
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