Lu Ershenzi let out a howl of pain, feeling as if her internal organs were about to shatter. She involuntarily released Xue Shi and nearly vomited bile. Xianglan, still brandishing the door bolt, prepared to strike again. The onlookers gasped in alarm, shouting, "This is outrageous!" They rushed to wrest the bolt from Xianglan, who allowed them to take it. She then twisted away, dashed into the kitchen, and emerged wielding a kitchen knife, charging straight at Lu Ershenzi while yelling, "You’ve been stealing from our family day in and day out, and today you dared to beat and curse my mother! I’ll settle all the old and new scores at once—I’d rather die than let you live!"
The knife gleamed menacingly under the sunlight, its cold edge sending chills down everyone’s spine. Lu Ershenzi was utterly shocked and scrambled to dodge, while the neighbors hurriedly blocked Xianglan, pleading, "Talk this out properly! Put the knife down!"
Xianglan shrieked, "Why didn’t any of you stop that shrew when she was beating and cursing my mother? Today, my family has suffered unbearable humiliation. I’ll kill her first, then slit my own throat—at least it’ll be a clean end!" She continued to lunge forward, cursing, "Go ahead, bring out your precious ‘Madame’! Pah! What ‘Madame’? She’s nothing but a Bedchamber servant, a dog relying on its master’s power! Today, I’ll plunge this blade into you, then take my own life!"
Seeing Xianglan’s deadly resolve, the crowd tried to disarm her, but she snapped fiercely, "Anyone who tries to take this knife is my sworn enemy! If I don’t kill her today, I’ll do it tomorrow!" Her terrifying demeanor momentarily stunned everyone. Xianglan then glared at Lu Ershenzi, gnashing her teeth. "You vile shrew, come and face your death! Since you dared to lay hands on my mother, I’ll slaughter your brats for revenge!"
The crowd gasped in horror—what?! Not only did she intend to kill Lu Ershenzi, but also her children? Everyone knew the Lu family had three daughters and finally bore a son two years ago, treasured like the apple of their eye. Who would have thought this seemingly gentle and beautiful Chen girl was the fiercest shrew of all!
Lu Ershenzi had initially intended to fight back, but upon hearing Xianglan’s threat to "slaughter your brats," she was cowed by the girl’s life-or-death determination and cowered in a corner, not daring to utter a word. Xue Shi, though gratified by her daughter’s defense, grew terrified when she saw Xianglan wielding a weapon, eyes bloodshot and truly ready to kill. Staggering forward, she wrapped her arms around Xianglan and begged, "My child, put the knife down! If this ends in bloodshed and you’re dragged to court, how will I live?"
Xianglan thought it best to quit while ahead but kept her expression cold. She handed the knife to Xue Shi and said, "You hold onto this." Breaking free from the others, she stormed into the Lu family’s house. Lu Ershenzi’s two daughters had been peeking from the doorway and scattered in fright as Xianglan charged in. Rummaging swiftly, Xianglan yanked a fine cloth garment from under the quilts and dashed back outside, holding it up. "This is the new dress my mother made for me! The cuffs are embroidered with an orchid and the character ‘Lan,’ traced from my own design. Which of your daughters is named ‘Lan’?"
Lu Ershenzi’s face flushed and paled alternately as she blustered, "My second daughter has a dress of the same color. I must’ve taken it by mistake."
Xianglan sneered. "By mistake? Who do you think you’re fooling?"The crowd chimed in to mediate, urging, "It's all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Neighbors can always talk things out."
Xianglan snorted coldly and said, "Apologize to my mother, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, I’d rather die than let this slide—I’ll take it all the way to the mansion and make sure Taitai, the ladies, and Master all know that the so-called 'Auntie Lu' has a thieving mother!"
Lu Ershenzi hated Xianglan to the core, wishing she could devour her alive. But Xianglan had seized her most vulnerable weakness, making an apology utterly impossible. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly collapsed to the ground, wailing dramatically, "Oh heavens! That door bolt nearly killed me! My back and chest are in agony! My dear Auntie, if you don’t come to stand up for me, I’ll be stabbed to death! How wretched my fate is, to be trampled upon by some pauper’s little brat..." She rolled around on the ground, refusing to get up.
Xianglan strode over and spat fiercely in Lu Ershenzi’s face, enunciating each word with venom: "Shameless—wretch!" With that, she pulled Xue Shi into the house and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Chen Wanquan had been hiding inside the whole time. When the commotion erupted in the yard, he had paced anxiously indoors. Now, he glared at Xianglan and gnashed his teeth. "You! You! Always stirring up trouble for your elders!"
Xianglan ignored him, fetching water for Xue Shi to wash her face and tidy up before pouring herself half a cup of cold tea to drink. As Xue Shi wiped her face and combed her hair, she murmured, "That was satisfying, but their eldest daughter still has some influence..."
Chen Wanquan exploded in anger. "Only now you think of that? And what about your daughter’s reputation? Once word spreads that 'the Chen family’s girl is a knife-wielding shrew at such a young age,' how will she ever marry?"
Xianglan waved him off impatiently and shot him a glare. "Enough, enough. If Father had any backbone, why didn’t he stand up for Mother? Only daring to bully his own family while cowering before outsiders—if Father had any courage, would I need to bear the name 'shrew'?"
Chen Wanquan only dared vent his temper on his wife. Toward his daughter, he was utterly doting and even somewhat afraid of her. At her words, he fell silent. Xianglan continued, "Lu Ershenzi is a slippery, lawless brute. What use is reasoning with her? Sometimes violence is the only answer—it’ll make her behave. Our family is refined and decent; we’d never stoop to squabbling like Black-eyed Chickens with her kind. We’ve endured slights before, but now she’s trampling on our dignity. If we don’t stand our ground, others will mock us as spineless and bully us even more. Today it’s a piece of clothing—what if tomorrow it’s our valuables? The day after, our silver?" She fixed her gaze on Chen Wanquan. "With such a weak family backing me, what good marriage could I hope for? Even if I marry, I’d just be bullied by my in-laws. Without a son, our family is already looked down upon. If I don’t seize this chance to establish our dignity, who knows how much worse the bullying will get? So what if I’m called a 'shrew'?"
Xue Shi burst into laughter, tapping Xianglan’s forehead. "You were raised in a Buddhist temple—isn’t the Buddha all about compassion? How did you end up wielding a kitchen knife? You nearly scared me to death!"Xianglan made a playful face and laughed, saying, "The Buddha once said, 'Fierce-eyed Vajra, bow-headed Bodhisattva.' I was just playing the role of Vajra to test Lu Ershenzi. Besides, I knew what I was doing—I wouldn’t really chop her, just scare her a bit."
Xue Shi hugged Xianglan affectionately and said, "My daughter has grown up and knows how to stand up for her mother." Chen Wanquan shot Xue Shi a sharp glare, shaking his head with a sigh. Xianglan nestled into Xue Shi’s embrace and said, "Don’t worry, Mother. Though I’m a girl, I’m no less capable than a man. There’s a saying, 'A woman can be as heroic as a man.' As long as I live, I won’t let you suffer any grievances."
Chen Wanquan sneered, "You’re quite the fierce one. Pity you weren’t born a red-robed general!"
Xianglan pursed her lips and said nothing. She truly wished she had been born a red-robed general—or at least a man. But alas, in this life, she remained a woman.
In her previous life, she had been Shen Jialan, the legitimate granddaughter of Shen Wenhan, the Crown Prince’s Junior Mentor and Grand Academician of the Household Administration. She, too, had once been praised as "a woman as heroic as a man." The Shen family was a distinguished and noble household, highly favored by the Crown Prince, and their lineage flourished. Shen Jialan had been tutored in all the refined arts from childhood—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and household management—mastering each with ease. But who could have foreseen the sudden death of the late emperor, the Eighth Prince’s coup, and the Crown Prince’s mysterious disappearance? The palace changed hands overnight. The Eighth Prince spared no effort in purging the Crown Prince’s faction, and the Shen family, caught in the struggle for succession, was implicated and exterminated to the ninth degree. The legitimate descendants of the Shen family were dragged to the Meridian Gate and executed, while the women were consigned to the Music Bureau. Fifteen-year-old Shen Jialan, already married, saw her husband’s family also swept up in the disaster and exiled three thousand miles away.
Shen Jialan plummeted from the clouds into the mire. In a single night, her family was destroyed, and she witnessed the cruelest hardships of the world, accompanying her husband’s family on their thousand-mile exile. Along the way, they endured freezing cold, starvation, ostracism, and abuse—suffering beyond words. Her newlywed husband, Xiao Hang, fell gravely ill during the journey. To protect him and their family, she transformed from an elegant noblewoman into a fierce and combative shrew. Yet even so, she couldn’t save them all—her husband died halfway, and she, weakened by illness, was abandoned by the officials and soon succumbed to her sickness.
When she opened her eyes again, she had become a tiny infant, cradled by Xue Shi, who softly called her "Xianglan." Though born a household slave of the Lin family, she had never felt such gratitude and contentment.
The prestigious Lin family of Jiangnan was all too familiar to her. The Lins had risen through commerce, later marrying daughters of impoverished or lesser-ranked officials, gradually prospering until their descendants entered officialdom. By the third generation, their influence had spread across the Jiangnan region, amassing immense wealth and power. The family patriarch, Lin Zhaoxiang, was a shrewd and adaptable man. When she was thirteen, Lin Zhaoxiang had once sought to arrange a marriage between her and the Lin family’s eldest grandson, Lin Jinlou—despite her being four years older than him. For unknown reasons, the matter was dropped, and Lin Zhaoxiang even submitted a memorial to retire and return to his hometown. Two years later, when the court was engulfed in bloodshed and the Shen family was nearly wiped out, the Lin family stood firm, thriving more than ever.Shen Jialan had experienced the confiscation of family property and knew the even more tragic fate that befell servants when their masters fell from grace—she'd heard that all her former maids had ended up in brothels. She silently comforted herself that with the court situation now stabilized and the Lin family keeping watch on all sides, they likely wouldn't follow Shen family's disastrous path. For now, this servant identity might remain secure.
As a child raised in a Buddhist temple, her days with Dingyi Shitai were simple yet peaceful and happy. Only when she returned to the secular world did she suddenly face harsh reality: a weak-willed, alcoholic father, a frail mother, and her own impending coming-of-age ceremony with marriage arrangements already underway.
Xue Shi was a beauty, but Chen Xianglan's current form was even more striking. With her delicate charm, literacy, skilled needlework, and gentle demeanor—always wearing a sweet smile—coupled with her honest parents, suitors nearly wore out their doorstep. Even several influential Lin family stewards came inquiring.
Her father favored the third son of Second Manager Huang from the rice shop, while her mother preferred the youngest son of Head Manager Liu from the silk merchant. Both were lifelong Lin family servants. Xianglan had met them—illiterate, narrow-minded men whose only distinction from country bumpkins was being servants of a powerful family. Xue Shi already gleefully picked between them, planning to finalize the betrothal by year-end, then spend New Year's silver bribing senior maids to beg the masters' permission for Xianglan's marriage—thus fulfilling her own wish.
Xianglan wanted to scream at the heavens—she'd rather die than marry like this! Wedding a Lin family servant meant her descendants would forever remain Lin family chattel. What were servants? Goods. Property. Barred from imperial exams, forbidden free marriage, denied land deeds—playthings to be sold, killed, flayed, or gifted at their masters' whim!
Xianglan refused to be a plaything her whole life. Given this second chance at living, she vowed to become a proper landowning matriarch with houses, fields, and livestock—living peacefully with family. Even as a child, she'd plotted how to free her household from servitude while securing their future. When she learned her father's indenture wasn't irrevocable and could be bought out, her eyes lit up—freeing him meant hope for her own freedom. Moreover, she'd heard of Lin family servants buying their liberty!
She'd secretly painted several works, instructing her father to sell them at the antique shop under the pretense they were temple nuns' creations fundraising for renovations, with the shop keeping 10% commission. All sold within days, earning 1.2 taels of silver. Ecstatic, Xianglan hid the money carefully.
Today, Lu Ershenzi delivered herself right to Xianglan's doorstep. First, to avenge her mother; second, to intimidate their usual bullies; third, to establish her own fierce reputation—delaying the betrothal while she quietly pursued her plans.
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