CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 12: STRIFE BETWEEN LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING (PART 12)

The family temple was in a very secluded corner, guarded by only an old servant. Yet, even so, Li Shumeng couldn’t take a single step out of the temple.

Upon hearing the news about Prince Kang, she smashed everything and sat in the messy room, crying her heart out.

She was unwilling; even in the book, Li Shumeng wasn’t this miserable.

Clearly, she came from the future and knew so much. When she came here, she wasn’t supposed to be the protagonist, so why can Li Shuning live so happily?

She wanted to escape.

She didn’t believe it. With so many ideas in her mind, she was sure she could live well in this world.

She couldn’t be trapped in this place.

While in the restroom, Li Shumeng watched the flame before her, a fleeting glimmer in her eyes.

Li Shumeng returned to her dwelling and gathered her things. Although she was discarded at the time, she still had quite a few silver notes hidden away.

Li Shumeng carefully placed the silver notes close to her body, even stuffing some into her shoes.

At least, she knew not to flaunt her wealth.

However, after coming to this world, Li Shumeng became a noble lady who never experienced any hardships and later married Prince Kang, so naturally, no one dared to act rashly in front of her. As a result, she somewhat forgot that the outside world wasn’t so peaceful. After all, this wasn’t the modern era, and women’s status was different.

Li Shumeng lit a candle and placed it by the pillow. By the time she closed the door and left, the flame had already reached the pillow.

Soon, the room was on fire.

The old servant also sensed something was wrong. She had been guarding the gate of the courtyard and, upon seeing the fire, immediately ran out to call for help to put out the fire.

As soon as the old servant left, Li Shumeng quickly departed.

She needed to escape from here.

Li Shuning naturally saw all of this. Originally intending to create an opportunity for Li Shumeng to leave, she didn’t expect Li Shumeng to be so eager to leave on her own.

But Li Shuning still created quite a few opportunities for Li Shumeng.

Otherwise, encountering some servants along the way would have exposed Li Shumeng long ago.

With Li Shuning’s spiritual power helping, Li Shumeng soon left the Li Family.

When Li Shumeng was still the Princess Consort Kang, she had quietly acquired some properties, including some shops and a three-entry courtyard.

Now, having left the Li Family, she could still live quite freely.

Originally, the property acquisition was done quietly, so naturally, no one was in the courtyard.

After going there, Li Shumeng slept through the night, and the next day, with her face covered, she went to a brokerage and bought some servants.

She would live well, and one day, she would make the people of the Li Family and Prince Kang regret abandoning her.

Li Shumeng indeed had some business acumen, and her shop, whether in its products or sales methods, was quite novel.

She indeed made a considerable profit.

The courtyard where Li Shumeng lived was very large. Although she had servants, she still felt somewhat empty in the deep of night.

What Li Shumeng didn’t know was that as she lived there and owned some shops, rumors that she was a widow had already spread nearby.

Therefore, some local hooligans began to loiter nearby.

One day, after going out to balance the books, Li Shumeng collided with a playboy on her way back.

With some time spent taking care of herself, Li Shumeng still had some beauty.

The playboy’s eyes wandered, having someone follow Li Shuning, found Li Shumeng’s residence, and knowing she was a widow, the playboy grew a little interested.

One night, Li Shumeng was already asleep.

However, a shadow climbed over the street gate, knocked out the servants living in the outbuilding, and then opened the street gate.

The man boldly entered the courtyard.

When Li Shumeng awoke, she found a man undressing her.

Li Shumeng was astonished and shouted for help.

The man laughed, "Go ahead and shout, that’ll be perfect. I can tell others that you seduced me, look at this tender skin, it’s really smooth."

"Go away, you get away from me, boohoo."

That night was a nightmare for Li Shumeng; she was raped.

Yet the true nightmare was just beginning.

This three-entry courtyard seemingly opened its gates overnight. Every night, that playboy would come, and sometimes he even brought other men along.

As for chastity, Li Shumeng didn’t care much, but after these playboys got tired of her, she was raped by those hooligans, who even stole her money. For the first time, Li Shumeng was a bit at a loss.

Why did it have to be like this?

A woman with decent looks, and quite a bit of wealth, is a temptation in itself. Moreover, such a woman seemingly had no backing, naturally attracting countless flies.

Li Shumeng’s affairs eventually reached the Li Family.

Having such a daughter, the Li Family already felt utterly humiliated, directly opened the ancestral hall, and erased Li Shumeng’s name.

Having escaped from the family temple and even set it on fire, now plagued by these things, the Li Family was unwilling to acknowledge Li Shumeng at all.

When Li Shumeng’s three-entry courtyard was seized, and her shops taken away, left with nowhere to turn, she went to the Li Family. But the Li Family shut their doors, and with no other option, Li Shumeng left Xuanjing alone.

To be honest, when the playboy first sneaked in, if Li Shumeng had immediately returned to the Li Family to admit her wrongs, perhaps the outcome wouldn’t have been like that.

After leaving Xuanjing, Li Shumeng encountered a familiar face in a small village.

It was none other than Xiaolan.

Seeing Li Shumeng, Xiaolan was also incredulous.

"Second Miss, how did you end up like this?"

Li Shumeng was in a very sorry state at that moment.

"Xiaolan, it’s you. How come you’re here? After Elder Sister said you made a mistake, I couldn’t find you anymore."

Xiaolan lowered her head, seemingly tidying Li Shumeng’s skirt, but in fact, her eyes flashed with a cold glimmer.

"The Eldest Miss likely knew that this servant helped the Second Miss, so she found a fault and had me transferred."

What Xiaolan didn’t say was that, in fact, her whole family was driven out by the Li Family.

Being of slave status, Xiaolan and her family couldn’t take a single step forward. After arriving at this village, to stay, Xiaolan married a local tyrant, and in the ensuing two years, her father died of illness, followed by her mother.

And she, Xiaolan, was abused in various ways by the tyrant, not even having an inch of unharmed skin on her body, all thanks to the Second Miss.

If not for the Second Miss, who threatened her at the time and got her into trouble, leading to being driven away by the Eldest Miss, she would still be the most valued maid by the Eldest Miss’s side.

Xiaolan was very enthusiastic, and Li Shumeng was taken to her home.

But after just one meal, Li Shumeng felt drowsy and fell asleep.

Upon waking up again, she found herself in a brothel.

Xiaolan was not very bold, but she still knew about Li Shumeng’s disgrace. Seeing Li Shumeng in such a sorry state, she naturally wanted to seize the chance for revenge.

Of course, it was her husband who helped sell Li Shumeng to that place.

The tyrant, having taken the money, drank wine and, upon returning, beat Xiaolan again, leaving her crawling on the ground, unable to stand up.

Li Shuning saw all of this and couldn’t help but laugh. It was indeed a case of evil receiving its due.

From then on, Li Shuning focused on cultivation on the hovercar, while in the Marquis Mansion, only the puppet remained.