Chapter One: Fate

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  "Miss," QiQi hastily ran into the house, the door not yet closed, and already panting, "It's bad, Miss, the madam is coming this way..." QiQi looked at RongHua's hand, "Miss, quickly hide the thing, it'll be too late if you don't."

  Ronghua smiled, it's no wonder that QiQi was flustered. Now she was holding a man's cloak in her hands. If the mistress saw it, it would be disastrous. Holding a man's belongings in the boudoir, even if she was favored by her father, she couldn't escape severe punishment. Moreover, she was just an illegitimate young lady, committing such a mistake, the mistress wouldn't show mercy to her.

  But today was different, Father held her hand and promised her that as long as she told him who the person in her heart was, he would take responsibility for her, and this cloak would be handed over to him by Father himself.

  She shouldn't have told Father about this, a young lady born out of wedlock. To put it nicely, she's just a chess piece with a humble status, and her future fate is to be manipulated by others. But she was different from the other young ladies in the household who were also born out of wedlock. Because she looked extremely like her birth mother, Father doted on her exceptionally, and this favoritism allowed her to overstep the boundaries of a proper young lady, bluntly revealing the secret hidden in her heart.

  Rong Hua smiled slightly, and a few sweet expressions appeared on her lovely face. She hadn't expected to meet him either. If it weren't for her father bringing her to the library to copy book titles, they wouldn't have had this chance encounter that led to their marriage.

  Every time they met, they made careful arrangements, but unexpectedly, they were still discovered by Dad.

  She had thought she would rather die than admit it, but unexpectedly Father looked at her with such a loving gaze.

  "Dad said, 'Ronghua, you really look like your mother. I owe it to your mother, and I always hope to make up for it through you. Don't worry, you will get the happiness you want. Wait a bit later, I'll let your aunt come over to help you prepare.'"

  Those were the scenes in those romance novels that she had always envied and never dared to hope for, yet they were about to become a reality.

  "It's so late, how can the mistress..." QiQi still had a few points of panic.

  It must be that Father has already told Eldest Aunt about this matter. Since Father has made the decision, even if Eldest Aunt is extremely unwilling, she wouldn't dare to oppose it.

  Rong Hua put down the cloak in his hand and stood up. Qi Qi had already opened the door.

  The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and Rong Hua went forward to greet him.

  Rong Hua originally thought that only the madam was coming, but unexpectedly, in addition to the madam and her usual confidant, there were also two mothers she had never seen before following behind.

  The big wife's sharp eyes in the past looked at her with a cold gaze, slightly fierce.

  Everyone came in, closed the door, and without allowing Rong Hua to explain, the two mothers had already pinned her to the cold ground on her knees. Qi Qi beside her was also gagged and dragged into a side room.

  The madam picked up the cloak she had placed beside her bed, raised an eyebrow, and her expression was gloomy and uncertain. "Ronghua, you actually dare to have a private affair with a man."

  "She immediately shook her head and denied it, 'No.'"

  "What? How can there be a man's belongings?"

  Ronghua barely lifted her head, "Mother, how dare Ronghua have an affair with a man, this is something Father knows about, you just need to ask Father..."

  "If the old master knew, why would I come to ask you? You don't even look at your own status, relying on the old master's favoritism, and you can do such a thing. Ronghua, I thought you were quite well-behaved, but I didn't expect you to be so muddled." The old lady walked up to her side, "Ronghua, I thought you were a maid who understood the rules, if you had always been proper, I would have also found a good husband's family for you to marry into, but you just had to..."

  The lady seemed to be smiling but not quite smiling.

  Ronghua was pressed down by the two mothers, unable to breathe. She used all her strength to try and break free from the four hands holding her down. She faintly heard Ce Shi Qi let out a miserable cry, and suddenly opened her eyes wide with terror.

  She actually believes that Father's indulgent love can overcome everything.

  Believe it then, everything is out in the open.

  Now it's not just her, but also QiQi who got hurt.

  She really regrets it now.

  How many years of careful planning, the last step went wrong, all because she was not as ruthless and heartless as they were.

  The old lady pulled out a golden hairpin from her sleeve, with the colorful phoenix on it shaking slightly. She flung her hand and threw the hairpin next to Rong Hua, "How could our Tao family raise such a shameless maid? The noblewoman in the front yard has been searching everywhere for this thing, and unexpectedly, you took it... Do you know what kind of crime this is? Even if I want to protect you, I have no way to explain it to that noblewoman."

  What does Madam mean by this? Rong Hua thought of QiQi in the side room...

  This is no ordinary punishment, otherwise QiQi in the side room would have cried out once and then been silent.

  If the madam wants to move house, there's no need to choose this time and come quietly.

  In the evening, Chen's mother came and borrowed all the people in her courtyard one by one, leaving only her and QiQi. At this time, she should have noticed that she was always a careful person, but unexpectedly didn't think of it.

  The room was dimly lit with only one lamp flickering on and off.

  Ronghua struggled to lift her head, but couldn't see the expression of the old lady hidden in the shadows. Ronghua shook her shoulders and resisted with all her might, "I'm still a young lady, I won't die without reason, even if I stole something, it's not a capital offense."

  "Suddenly two people died, someone will always suspect, until someone investigates, you can't cover up the sky with one hand..."

  The lady's voice was somewhat evasive, "No one will ask."

  "You still don't understand, the power of life and death in this mansion is not in your hands."

  The lady sighed, "I told you earlier that one should know when to advance and retreat. Now it's come to this... don't blame the wrong person."

  Rong Hua's eyes widened in shock, she couldn't believe it.

  Impossible, how could it be so easily decided her life and death, even if the big madam was arrogant, there was no such precedent...

  Although she was born out of wedlock, she is still her father's own flesh and blood. At most, he would marry her off casually, but he would never want her to die.

  Look again at the colorful phoenix beside her, could it be, could it be her...

  Ronghua tried hard to clear his mind, but unfortunately, there was no longer much time.

  "I'm just using family rules, if you can't hold on to your body, then don't blame anyone." The big wife adjusted her sleeves and hid her hands behind them, and two mothers came over with a bowl of water.

  Although Ronghua had her mouth tightly closed, the bitter medicine still flowed into her mouth. Her mother pinched her nose shut, and she involuntarily opened her mouth as a large amount of medicine poured down her throat.

  "As for that good marriage of yours, our elder sister is more suitable than you."

  Ronghua felt as if her internal organs were burning with pain, and the mothers let go of her, allowing her to curl up on the ground.

  Never thought life would end like this, in this house, where she was born, also where she left.

  Her life was so short-lived, it's not just sorrow, but more anger.

  Ronghua looked at the madam, a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, "He won't marry your daughter, he said so himself, this life is not for me to marry. All you've done is... in vain."

  The lady's smile faded, her eyes slightly dimmed, and she seemed to be in a state of meditation. She didn't speak until Rong Hua was left with only a faint breath, then she said, "It's a pity you won't see it, otherwise I would let you know that men are the most untrustworthy."

  "Rong Hua, whatever status you have is your fate, don't resist it, otherwise no one can save you."

  In the thirteenth year of Yongsheng, the Tao Mansion in the capital city was bustling with excitement. The eldest daughter of the Tao family had originally married Zhao Xuanhuan, a mediocre and declining nobleman, but soon after, the emperor remembered his ancestors' numerous military achievements and restored their family's title. Zhao Xuanhuan's father, Zhao Xincheng, succeeded to the title of Yicheng Hou.

  Half a year later, Tao Zheng'an was promoted to the fifth rank of the Ministry of Revenue in Zhejiang Province, and the Tao Mansion was filled with joy.

  Very few people know that this year, a concubine-born daughter of the Tao family also died and was carried out from the back door, casually buried on a desolate hill.

  In the sixteenth year of Yongsheng, a horse-drawn carriage passed through a desolate hill with no one in sight. The simple carriage stopped for a while, and a woman inside sighed softly, "All phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows... Indeed, the Buddha's words are not false."

  She died in that mansion before, and now she's actually going back to that place again.

  It will never be that ending again.

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