Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Villainess’ Downfall
"That vicious woman deserved it! How many people has she ruined?!"
"She must have been so desperate. All this while, she had been relying on her family and acting arrogantly! Now, after her family is ruined, she wants to drag her cousin with her!"
"Fortunately His Highness the Second Prince predicted this beforehand and protected his Princess Consort!"
Inside the cold prison cell of the Second Prince Mansion, the disheveled figure of a woman sat on the dirty prison floor.
Shen Wuqing had a wooden expression, as if she hadn’t heard the guards outside discussing about her. Their words were full of curses, and they occasionally would stop and make fun of her.
"I have been sick of you for a long time." A guard stood by her prison cell, staring at her maliciously. "Who do you think you are? Compared to Miss Shen Jinzhi, you are not even good enough to carry her shoes!"
They all had heard about Shen Wuqing’s deeds, while most of them had experienced it firsthand.
She was unladylike, always resorting to force when someone provoked her, using her family’s influence to act tyrannically. When she found someone disagreeable, she often scolded and beat them up.
In contrast to such a brute woman who would abuse the servants around her, Shen Jinzhi was gentle and talented. When the latter married into the Second Prince’s mansion, Shen Wuqing was crazy with jealousy.
She was the legitimate daughter from the first branch of the Shen family—a family who had raised several outstanding generals. However, she was madly in love with the Second Prince.
The moment Shen Jinzhi, her cousin from the second branch Shen family married into the Second Prince mansion, she disregarded her status and schemed to do the same.
And thus, the Second Prince, Qin Ruichen was drugged.
People found them with disheveled clothes in the same room.
Helpless with Shen Wuqing’s recklessness, the Shen family turned a blind eye and let her marry into the Second Prince mansion as a Secondary Consort. Even if a legitimate daughter of the Shen family like her could have married another prince.
Shen Wuqing didn’t just stop there. After she entered the Second Prince mansion, it was easy to imagine she would cause a lot of chaos.
She tried to take Shen Jinzhi’s place, always scheming to get rid of the latter. Destroying her clothes, accusing her of stealing her accessories, and lastly, poisoning Shen Jinzhi.
The poisoning incident was the last straw for Qin Ruichen.
He and Shen Jinzhi were mutually in love. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have disregarded the latter’s lack of family background and begged his Father Emperor to grant them marriage.
Compared to Shen Wuqing whose father had a Grand General status, Shen Jinzhi’s father was only an official with an average status under the Ministry of Rites.
Fortunately, as if the heavens supported the beautiful love story between Qin Ruichen and Shen Jinzhi, the court declared the main branch of the Shen family guilty of embezzling military funds before that.
Hence, they could finally deal with Shen Wuqing easily without needing to consider the force behind her anymore.
"You will be executed, do you hear me?" The guard spat. He made a slashing motion at his own neck, full of mockery.
Other guards laughed uproariously.
"When you hit and beat me, did you ever dream you would have such a day, Shen Wuqing?"
There were also servants who had come to see Shen Wuqing, not out of pity, but with the intent for revenge.
They all had sneaked in, forming a cahoot with the guards who had suffered the same ruthless treatment.
"Everyone grab one!" The female servant urged them, staring at Shen Wuqing with a malicious gaze.
The servants and guards began to throw all kinds of rotten eggs and vegetables inside the prison cell, creating an indescribable smell.
"Take that, you wretched woman!" They all cursed her again excitedly, forgetting that they had sneaked in and should keep their voices down.
All of a sudden, a voice filled with anger rang into their ears, making the servants and guard freeze in fright.
"What are you all doing?" It was Shen Jinzhi.
She entered the prison with her two personal maids in tow.
The guards and servants shook, and they all immediately kneeled down, greeting her with a voice full of tremor. "We greet Your Highness Princess Consort."
"Get up and get out." Shen Jinzhi ordered, her voice gentle yet stern.
Upon hearing her words, the guards and servants immediately scrambled to get out of the room. Their hurried footsteps echoed around before they became smaller and fully gone.
Now, there was only Shen Jinzhi, her two personal maids, and Shen Wuqing in that place.
Shen Wuqing suddenly lifted her head. She laughed mockingly. "Cousin, why bother pretending to be kind? It was you who ordered them to throw these rotten things and spew out curses at me, right?"
"Impudent! How dare you speak disrespectfully to the Princess Consort!" The personal maid behind Shen Jinzhi immediately berated rather indignantly.
Their Princess Consort was willing to enter this dirty and smelly place just to check on her condition, yet Shen Wuqing always had a lot of unfair accusations against her!
Shen Wuqing only responded with humorless laughter.
"Cousin, you haven’t changed at all," Shen Jinzhi muttered after she signalled her personal maid to stay quiet.
Her eyes flashed with indescribable emotion. What was it? Disgust? Pity? Sympathy?
Shen Wuqing didn’t need it, especially the last one.
"Just get out of here. Seeing your face makes me almost puke again." Shen Wuqing sneered. "Aren’t you happy my family is ruined while yours is more prosperous than ever?"
With that, Shen Wuqing turned around, trying to find a comfortable position as she laid on the cold floor.
[System, this place is so cold and uncomfortable, not suitable for sleeping at all.]
System: ...
It responded with a complex tone. [Host, this is a prison cell, not a hotel.]
She stretched and yawned as she closed her eyes. Judging from the retreating footsteps, she had detected that Shen Jinzhi and her two personal maids had gone.
[Oh, really?] She muttered noncommittally. [I will definitely rent the most luxurious hotel room once I return to the modern times.]
She snapped her fingers. [You are going to keep your words, right?]
[Host, don’t worry. We will definitely send you back to the modern time with the 100 million yuan we have promised.]
She yawned again, so sleepy and tired that she didn’t notice the strangeness in the System’s tone.
[Then, hurry up and send me back. Let me hug my 100 million yuan...]
[I, Ye Lingyue, will definitely return with a lot of wealth.]
