Chapter 1: The Crossing

“Retreat! Retreat! Quick, retreat!”

In the dead of night, within the tropical rainforest, a group of agents from Country A, dressed in camouflage, were on a secret mission.

Upon reaching the rescue point, they had hoped to save the hostages, but instead, they were met with a hail of bullets.

“We’re in trouble, it’s a trap!” As the team leader, Shang Ruoyi, quickly ordered her teammates to retreat.

“Alan, take the others and retreat first, quickly!” Seeing her standing still, Shang Ruoyi frowned and said, “Alan, what are you thinking?”

“Heh, Captain, this is where we part ways!” Alan’s lips curled into a sinister smile, and the gun that was supposed to be aimed at the enemy was now pointed at her heart. “In hell, don’t blame me.”

Just as she was about to pull the trigger, Shang Ruoyi’s figure vanished like a ghost. In the next moment, she grabbed the gun, twisted her wrist, and disarmed her.

She then kicked her to the ground.

“Captain! Alan!” Hearing the commotion behind them, the teammates hurried back. “What happened?”

“Why?” Shang Ruoyi’s eyes were like daggers, her cold gaze fixed on her. “We are comrades-in-arms, bound by life and death.”

“Comrades-in-arms?” Alan sneered. “Who do you think you are? If you had saved him in time, Feng wouldn’t have sacrificed himself! We were about to get married! Your medical skills are among the best in all of Country A. Why didn’t you save him first before completing the mission? If you had, Feng would never have died!”

Shang Ruoyi’s brow furrowed slightly. “Feng died for his country. As agents, our primary duty is to complete the mission. Our lives belong to the state.”

“Then I will overthrow this state,” Alan’s eyes filled with a mad glint. “Now, you will all join him in death!”

With that, she pulled out a specially designed explosive with the fuse already removed.

“Boom!”

A towering flame lit up the night sky.

Tianshun Dynasty.

Inside the Prime Minister’s residence, there was a festive atmosphere, with lanterns and decorations adorning the halls. The servants wore red sashes around their waists.

“Quick, quick, quick! Go wake up the Second Young Miss!”

“Second Young Miss? Not the Eldest Young Miss?”

“What Eldest Young Miss? How could our Eldest Young Miss possibly marry that cripple!” The maid’s chin was practically in the air. “Our Eldest Young Miss is destined to marry the Crown Prince and one day become the Empress.” She pointed to the closed door of the secluded courtyard and shouted, “What are you standing around for? Go wake her up! If we miss the auspicious hour, don’t blame Master if he holds you accountable. You’ll be in big trouble!”

The maid hurriedly knocked on the door, but after a long while, there was no response from inside.

The maid who had come to deliver the message furrowed her brow and shouted, “What kind of airs is a concubine’s child putting on?” She commanded the servant boy behind her, “What are you standing around for? Go knock on the door! Do you want the Eldest Young Miss to punish you?”

Shang Ruoyi, lying in bed, furrowed her brow at the sound of the banging on the door.

“Crash!” The already dilapidated door couldn’t withstand such force.

The two wooden doors fell to the ground.

Shang Ruoyi, who had been lying with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide.

She leaped out of bed, swiftly moved to the door, and formed her right hand into a hook, viciously grabbing the throat of a servant boy.

Due to her immense strength, the boy’s eyes rolled back immediately.

“Are you courting death?” Shang Ruoyi’s icy gaze passed over the servant boy and landed on the maid behind him.

Meeting her gaze, the maid took a step back.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed by her retreat, she took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Second Young Miss, the auspicious hour has arrived. Master has ordered you to get ready. The groom will be here to welcome you soon.”

Shang Ruoyi snorted coldly. “Which cat or dog from which courtyard dares to cause a scene in my courtyard?”

“I am Cai Pin from the Eldest Young Miss’s courtyard.”

“Hmph, Shang Yufu can’t raise anything good,” Shang Ruoyi said with a cold smile. “What’s wrong? Is Shang Yufu injured or disfigured? Can’t she get married? Was she rejected by her fiancé?”

“You… you dare to curse the Eldest Young Miss!” Cai Pin pointed her finger at Shang Ruoyi.

In the next second, a scream echoed through the courtyard. Cai Pin fell to the ground, clutching her now limp finger and howling, “My hand! My hand!”

“I detest it when people point their fingers at me. This is just a small lesson for you. Next time, whichever hand is raised will be rendered completely useless.”

The servants stood in the courtyard, their faces filled with fear as they looked at this unfamiliar Second Young Miss.

Later, when her maternal family encountered difficulties and could no longer provide financial support, her scumbag father revealed his true nature.

Not only did he relegate her and her mother to the most remote courtyard, but he also allowed the servants to bully them. Her mother passed away in sorrow when she was ten years old, leaving her to live a lonely and miserable life in that courtyard for six years, only to eventually starve to death.

Faced with this harsh reality, she vowed to change Shang Ruoyi’s fate.

The first step was to leave the Prime Minister’s residence and establish her own household.

However, before she could implement her plan, her scumbag father decided to marry her off?

At that moment, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

“Shang Ruoyi, what are you dawdling for?” Prime Minister Shang Nian strode into the courtyard, his face flushed with anger as he surveyed the chaos. “You wretched girl! Look at what you’ve done!”

Shang Ruoyi responded with a cold smile. “What? Is it wrong for me to discipline disrespectful and unruly servants in my own courtyard, Father?”

Her sharp retort left Shang Nian momentarily stunned.

His second daughter had always been meek and submissive. How dare she contradict him today!

“Shang Ruoyi, how dare you question me!”

She dug at her ear, then curled her lip and said, “What, are your words an imperial decree? I think you should stop calling him Shang Nian. How about Shang Tian instead?”

“You!”

Just as he was about to slap her, the First Wife stepped forward and quickly stopped him. “Master, you mustn’t hit her. The bride must not have any red marks on her face when she leaves, or people will gossip about our Shang family.”

Especially since she was to marry the cripple from the Prince of Dingguo’s residence on behalf of her own daughter! Everything had to go perfectly.