Chronicles of a Reborn Concubine's Rise: How It Began
In the bustling capital, undercurrents stirred within the Shen household. Shen Wanzhi, a concubine-born daughter of the Shen family, should have been a gentle, delicate young lady, but family feuds plunged her into endless hardship. Her birth mother had been a servant in the household, and Shen Wanzhi was born after the master happened to favor her. Within the sprawling estate, she and her mother endured the cruelty of the principal wife and the other concubines.
Shen Wanzhi was born beautiful, but fate had dealt her a cruel hand: large dark patches had inexplicably appeared on her face when she was little. Stark against her fair skin, they made her the object of everyone's ridicule and disgust. Her legitimate elder sister, Shen Shurong, was blessed with a lovely face and the status of a legitimate daughter. Doted on by the household, she saw Shen Wanzhi and her mother as a thorn in her side, and often seized any chance to torment and humiliate them.
That day, sunlight filtered through thin clouds and fell over the Shen family courtyard, yet could not reach the secluded little courtyard where Shen Wanzhi and her mother lived. Shen Wanzhi was boiling medicine for her mother in their cramped room, the bitter smell filling the air. Her frail figure looked especially lonely and helpless in the dim, yellow light, and the dark patches on her face seemed all the more sinister.
With a creak, the courtyard gate was shoved open. Shen Shurong strode in with a group of maids and matrons, her manner bristling with hostility. She wore splendid brocade and exquisite jeweled ornaments in her hair. Her makeup was immaculate, but her eyes were cruel. “Well, look at the ugly girl brewing medicine again. What a bad omen!” Shen Shurong said as soon as she entered, covering her nose in disgust.
Shen Wanzhi's heart tightened. She hurried to her feet and bowed. “Greetings, Elder Sister.” She lowered her
