Nie Shuang slowly opened her eyes. 

    How lucky...it was just a dream. 

    What a bizarre dream. She must have been single for too long to have such a terrifying nightmare. 

    Ugh. A handsome but fierce General doing all sorts of things to her, tormenting her multiple times. After the excruciating pain of the first time, the rest...mm…wasn’t bad. But he was relentless, using his strength without stopping. By the last round, Nie Shuang felt like her bones were going to crumble. She almost begged for her life. 

    Phew...at least it was just a dream. 

    Nie Shuang shifted, trying to get up from the bed. 

    "Ouch!" 

    It..It…It hurt so much. Her whole body ached, and she felt a sharp pain in a particular area. 

    She collapsed back onto the bed, now reluctant to move at all. 

    Wait! This wasn’t a dream after all! 

    Her eyes widened in shock. So, she really was the unlucky bride of that General! 

    A maid, hearing her cry out, opened the door and entered. She was a chubby-cheeked young girl. After placing a basin of hot water on the table, she nervously approached Nie Shuang. 

    "Miss, how are you feeling?" 

    The sounds coming from the bridal chamber last night had been loud enough for everyone to hear. The General had really been rough on her young miss. Even though it was their wedding night, and her young miss was a beauty, he could have shown a little more restraint, couldn’t he? Now look at her—what state was her young miss in? Xiao San quietly wiped away her tears.

    Nie Shuang glanced at the maid standing there with a sad face, noticing the sympathy in her eyes. It warmed her heart a little. Even though the loyal maid had arrived a bit late, at least she was here now. She also seemed sincere and kind.

    "Don’t cry. Come help me, will you?" 

    Nie Shuang extended her hand for the maid to help her sit up. Xiao San rushed to assist, and once she was seated, she finally had a chance to take stock of herself and her surroundings. 

    "And where is the General?" 

    She took the opportunity to ask about the man who had caused her so much suffering. 

    "He left before dawn, Miss,"

    Xiao San answered, her eyes welling up again. It seemed the General didn’t care for her young miss at all. On the first day, instead of staying to take her to the tea ceremony together, he left right after finishing his business. How was her young miss supposed to hold her head up in this household now?

    “You need to go for the tea ceremony soon. Please hurry and get up, Miss. The General has ordered you to be there by the end of the Chen hour (9:00 a.m.).” 

    Xiao San, afraid her young miss would dwell on it, quickly changed the subject. Time was short, so she only had time to help Nie Shuang freshen up. The young miss’s fair skin was covered in red marks. The General had shown no tenderness at all, not treating her with care like a precious flower. Her chest, especially, was littered with kiss marks. Xiao San blushed. Her young miss was well-formed, and at this age, she already had a full chest. Her beauty was inherited from her mother, Xiao Yi Niang[1].

    Once she was dressed, Nie Shuang sat quietly while Xiao San styled her hair. It was only now that she had a chance to look at the woman reflected in the brass mirror. The moment she saw her reflection, her breath caught. Though the image wasn’t as clear as modern mirrors, it was undeniable that the woman looking back at her was a beauty. Big, round eyes framed by thick lashes, elegantly arched eyebrows, and delicate lips and nose—it was an enchanting face. What a shame, though. Despite her beauty, it hadn’t earned her any favor from her husband.

    Once Xiao San finished tying up Nie Shuang’s hair, another maid, Xiao Tong, brought in breakfast. Nie Shuang casually chatted with the two girls, subtly asking questions and gathering information. As it turned out, she was the daughter of a concubine of a wealthy merchant. General Song had been forced into marrying her due to circumstances beyond his control. He likely felt humiliated by the situation but couldn’t break his word. No wonder he had such a sour expression last night.

    As they talked, both Xiao San and Xiao Tong began to cry again. Xiao Tong mentioned overhearing in the kitchen that the other two concubines, who had also been accepted into the household yesterday, were given grander and closer residences than Lian Fang Quarters. It seemed they had been left in this remote, solitary residence.

    Hearing this, Nie Shuang laughed in delight. Oh, so they had brought in concubines at the same time? This was clearly intended as an insult. But instead of feeling angry, she was pleased. Good—this meant the General wouldn’t bother coming to see her often. The two maids stared at her wide-eyed. What was there to be happy about? Why was their young miss acting so strangely today? Xiao San reached out to touch her forehead.

    “Miss, are you feeling unwell?”

    Nie Shuang smiled. 

    “I’m perfectly fine. It’s you two. I’m married now, yet you’re still calling me Miss. If others hear that, they might criticize us.”

    Xiao San and Xiao Tong quickly slapped their mouths. Both were young maids from the merchant’s household, only a year or two younger than the owner of this body. They were still quite childish in their thinking. Entering a high-ranking noble’s manor like this had made them feel nervous and out of place. In contrast, Nie Shuang didn’t feel worried at all. She could handle anyone, as long as that General didn’t visit her too often. The very thought of him still sent shivers down her spine.

    The three of them made their way to the main quarters for the tea ceremony, with the two maids supporting Nie Shuang as she walked, gritting her teeth to endure the pain with each step. At least he had been considerate enough not to make her come early in the morning. As they walked, they encountered the odd stares of the servants in the manor. Even though they were mere household staff, they couldn’t resist looking down on someone from a merchant family. And for a concubine’s daughter to be married as the principal wife out of a sudden—this made it even harder for them to accept. Some servants even pretended not to see Nie Shuang, avoiding the need to pay their respects. Nie Shuang looked at them with indifference. What newcomer didn’t face this kind of test in a new place?

    When she arrived at the hall, her husband’s family was already gathered. The chatter and laughter died down the moment she stepped in, replaced by an uncomfortable silence that no one bothered to break. Nie Shuang gave a small smile, bowed respectfully to the elders, and then walked toward Song Qilin.

    “Dear husband.”

    He stood and led the way, kneeling before his parents with Nie Shuang following closely behind. She felt no nervousness at all; after all, she had dealt with important figures often enough during her business negotiations in the past. Though his parents were clearly displeased with this daughter-in-law’s family background and the manner in which she had entered their household, they couldn’t be stingy with their welcoming gifts. Nie Shuang exclaimed inwardly when she saw the fine Hetian jade bracelet, paired with other jewelry like hairpins, earrings, and jade tassel. If this were the present day, the entire set would be worth hundreds of thousands of yuan[2], not to mention the promissory notes[3] given by the elders. This marriage was turning out to be quite a profitable arrangement. No wonder Nie Shuang’s father had invested so much effort into it.

    His mother, upon seeing how beautiful, composed, and intelligent her new daughter-in-law was, felt a bit more at ease. Although she still wasn’t pleased with her family background, there was nothing that could be done about it now. She could only hope that Nie Shuang would behave modestly, stay in her place, and not cause any trouble.

    Once the tea ceremony was finished, everyone sat down together for lunch. Nie Shuang was seated next to her husband, but he didn’t speak to her at all during the meal. The others didn’t pay her any attention either. Taking advantage of this, she focused on enjoying her food without worrying about being watched. Since everyone already had their biases against her, there was no point in flattering them.

    After lunch, the General’s mother called Nie Shuang over for a conversation. She informed her that she was excused from the traditional duty of serving her mother-in-law each morning.

    “You can continue living as you’ve always done. There’s no need to trouble yourself by coming to pay respects to me every morning. My health isn’t great, and I don’t like receiving visitors.”

    Nie Shuang could tell from her tone that she wasn’t truly accepted, but she was relieved. If she had been expected to act like the perfect daughter-in-law, constantly attending to her mother-in-law, she would have preferred to go back to the hard work she did in her past life. So, she simply nodded obediently and let Xiao San and Xiao Tong help her back to Lian Fang Quarters.

    Once they returned, Nie Shuang threw herself onto the bed, exhausted. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep, completely unconcerned about what anyone in the General’s household might be saying about her.

[1] Yi Niang (姨娘); a term to address the concubine in ancient time.

[2] Yuan is the basic unit of money in China; the main unit of the renminbi currency.

[3] Promissory notes or Flying cash (Chinese: 飛錢, pinyin: Feipiao), was a type of paper negotiable instrument used during China's Tang dynasty invented by merchants but adopted by the state. Its name came from their ability to transfer cash across vast distances without physically transporting it.