A noble daughter of the Shen family was long engaged to the prince. However, three years ago, the heir fell gravely ill, and rumors quickly spread that his end was near. Upon hearing this, the proud Shen family decided their favored daughter could not be sent off to a doomed marriage. Instead, they coerced a concubine’s daughter to step in and marry the ailing heir, ensuring the true daughter would escape the fate of becoming a “living widow.” Under further threats—her half-sister vowed to marry her off to a lowly servant if she refused. The young woman’s father posed the question one final time: “Will you marry or not?” Backed into a corner, she had no choice but to relent…