The Trouble with Being a Stepdaughter

March 29, 2023. The blurb has been screenshotted.

Before Shen Man turned four, she wasn't called Shen Man. Her mother always called her “Girl.”

After she turned four, Shen Man and her mother were taken into the prominent Shen family, and from then on, Shen Man had a name.

The Shen family matriarch had firmly objected when Shen Man and her mother first arrived. But after they entered the household, she didn't make things difficult for them. Though life was hard, with the other concubines openly and secretly fighting among themselves, they managed to carry on.

Two years later, a fever took Shen Man's mother, leaving the little girl with nowhere to go.

After some discussion, young Shen Man was brought to the matriarch's courtyard and raised under her care.

The matriarch had children of her own and treated Shen Man with a certain coolness. Shen Man knew that, by blood, she was an outsider in the Shen household, and she was content with that.

When the legitimate daughter teased her, Shen Man simply gave a timid smile and let it pass.

When the master of the house treated her a little better, a concubine would warn her son to be wary of Shen Man. The illegitimate son would wave his hand dismissively. “She's not even a member of the Shen family, and she's a girl. Why would I need to be careful around her?”

The old madam felt sorry for the orphan and often called her over to serve, showing her affection so the servants wouldn't mistreat her. Shen Man was grateful and accepted her kindness with care.

And so Shen Man lived peacefully in the Shen household until she was nine. That year, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shen family married into a prestigious family.

That was also the year Shen Man met him.

The heir of Prince Yong's household, Jiang Que.

He was thirteen that year, a young man in fine clothes, riding a spirited horse. On the wedding day, someone threw a firecracker from who knew where. Jiang Que leaped off his horse and pulled nine-year-old Shen Man aside, laughing with carefree abandon:

“Careful, little sister. It's a joyous occasion, so let's not have any real bloodshed.”

The next time Shen Man heard of Jiang Que was a year and a half later. Princess Yong had passed away, and Prince Yong wanted to elevate one of his concubines to the position of secondary consort, but Princess Yong's family did everything they could to stop him.

Shen Man couldn't help thinking of herself, and worried for him. He must be heartbroken.

When Shen Man was fourteen, Prince Yong's household was once again at the height of its power. The Shen family wanted to build ties with them, and the best way was through marriage.

There weren't many girls of marrying age in the Shen family. To keep the concubines from gaining too much power, the matriarch took Shen Man's hand one evening and asked kindly, “My child, I've raised you all these years. Now it's time for you to do something for me.”

Shen Man lowered her eyes, as if considering it.

On their wedding night, Jiang Que lifted Shen Man's red bridal veil and smiled faintly. “It's you.” Yet there was not the slightest hint of surprise in his voice.

[The male and female leads are each other's one and only]

Theme: .