Her identity was enough to make people jealous.
But she was also a useless nobody, easy to bully.
So, they all picked on her as much as they could.
The bullying wasn’t just physical abuse—it was also emotional isolation.
They always made her feel inferior.
Intense self-abasement mixed with fierce pride often drove her to reckless acts of resistance—like snapping back at them or angrily punishing those troublesome servants.
And then there was Grace Wan, always scheming behind the scenes. For example, when she punished those unruly servants, Grace would secretly arrange for one or two of them to end up dead...
In families like theirs, losing a servant or two meant nothing.
But for her, an unmarried young lady, such rumors were absolutely ruinous.
Her father would fly into a rage, while she refused to back down—the two of them were like oil and water... This drama played out at least once or twice every month.
But no matter what she did, she always came out unscathed.
Her father never let anyone threaten her status or her interests.
Even sending her into the palace as Imperial Consort was done for her own good—he had no idea about Grace Wan and Wendy Zhu’s sinister intentions.
They all misjudged Grace Wan, and ended up dying by her hand...
After more than twenty years, as the carriage wheels rolled on, her father's disappointed rants and her mother's tearful eyes grew more vivid in her mind...
......
Gradually, the carriage slowed down. She lifted the curtain and finally saw the grand gates of the Zhu Estate for the first time in over twenty years, and the pair of imposing Blue Ox Guardians at the entrance.
Grace's eyes grew red with emotion.
Dad, Mom, Grace... is home.
Grace Wan had already received the urgent message from the tenth, and was waiting at the door for her.
To outsiders, this aunt always put her first, no matter what.
Even her own children were never treated with such importance.
Standing with her was Grace’s half-sister, Cindy Zhu.
Cindy Zhu was a year younger, fourteen this year, and looked almost exactly like Grace Wan—definitely her biological daughter.
In her previous life, before entering the palace, she’d gotten along well with Cindy Zhu. Because she blindly trusted spiritual practitioners, she’d followed her half-sister’s advice on everything.
Looking back now, she felt like a total idiot!
With Hope and Claire helping her out of the carriage, Grace walked up to her family’s front door.
"Grace, my dear lady! You’re finally home!" Grace Wan smiled and reached out to her, looking genuinely happy and relieved.
"Greetings, Miss!" The servants behind her all knelt in respect.
"Rise, all of you!" Grace said coolly, then walked up to Grace Wan, giving her a slight smile. "Aunt, I’m home!"
I'm home.
Home after more than twenty years.
Home after seeing through all your tricks.
Grace Wan, keep playing your part.
"I’ve finally got you back! You were gone for months, and not a day went by that I didn’t worry about you." Grace Wan grasped her hand, sounding emotional. "Let me take a good look at our young lady—you’ve gotten taller and even prettier!"
Grace smiled at her, then turned to Cindy Zhu. "How have you been, Cindy?"
"I’m doing great, big sis!" Cindy Zhu replied sweetly.
Grace nodded and said to Grace Wan, "Aunt, I’ll go change first, then pay my respects to Grandmother!"