The large house was distinctly black and white, with bluestone slabs, vermilion pillars, and carved railings with intricate crabapple blossom patterns. It had just rained all night, and raindrops rolled off the banana leaves and fell into the soil on the ground.
The purple gold incense burner on the table was crafted into an exquisite little beast, and the incense it exhaled was water wood fragrance, which smelled particularly refreshing in the early autumn weather.
Fringed sachets with tassels hung on the four corners of the bed, their colors bright. Beside the soft couch, two tall maids were carefully fanning the person on the bed.
"It's cold out, and if you fall into the water, you'll get a fever, which is terrible. The young lady has slept for a whole day and night. The doctor said she should wake up by now, but why is there no movement?" The maid in green clothes could not hide her anxiety.
"Guyu, it's been more than half an hour. Why hasn't the doctor come yet?" said another maid in purple.
"The Second Madam is keeping a close eye on this. This is a scandal, and everyone in the mansion is hiding it." Guyu glanced at the person on the bed. "The Madam and the Master are not in the capital, and the Eldest Young Master is not here either. The Old Madam favors the East Courtyard. Bailu and Shuangjiang went to find a doctor and haven't returned yet. Could it be that they were stopped? They're pushing the young lady into a desperate situation! No, I have to go out and take a look."
As soon as the words fell, a faint sound came from the bed.
"The young lady is awake!" The purple-clothed maid exclaimed in surprise, rushing to the bedside. The girl rubbed her forehead and slowly sat up.
"Jingzhe..." Shen Miao murmured.
"I'm here," the purple-clothed maid smiled and took Shen Miao's hand. "Are you feeling better? You've slept for a whole day and night, and the fever seems to have subsided, but you haven't woken up. I was thinking of going to find a doctor again."
"Young lady, would you like some water?" Guyu handed her a cup of tea.
Shen Miao looked at the two people in front of her with confusion.
She had four first-class maids: Jingzhe, Guyu, Bailu, and Shuangjiang, all intelligent and capable. Unfortunately, none of them survived.
Guyu, while she was a hostage in Qin, died at the hands of the Crown Prince while protecting her from humiliation. Bailu and Shuangjiang—one died on the way to marry Wanyu, the other in the harem competing for Madam Mei's favor.
As for Jingzhe, she was the most beautiful. To help Fu Xiuyi ascend to power and win over powerful officials, Jingzhe willingly became a concubine, using her beauty as leverage for the official's submission. Ultimately, the official's wife found an excuse to punish her and have her caned to death.
Upon learning of Jingzhe's death, Shen Miao wept bitterly and nearly miscarried.
Now, Jingzhe stood before her, her features still as beautiful as a painting, and Guyu beamed at her. The two maids, both fourteen or fifteen years old, left Shen Miao dazed.
After a moment, she smiled bitterly and closed her eyes. "This hallucination before death is too real."
"What are you talking about, young lady?" Guyu put the teacup aside and reached out to touch Shen Miao's forehead. "Could it be that the fever has made you confused?"
The hand touching her forehead was cold, comfortable and real. Shen Miao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze suddenly sharp. She slowly lowered her head and looked at her hands.
They were a pair of white and delicate hands, with neatly trimmed nails, round and lovely—obviously the hands of a person who had lived a life of luxury.
But they were not her hands.
Her hands had been roughened by accompanying Fu Xiuyi in handling court affairs and assessing situations. She had held a pen and read account books one by one, been ordered around like a servant in the Qin State, fought for Fu Ming and Wanyu in the harem, and washed clothes in the cold palace. Her hands were covered with calluses, the joints were swollen and dark—not delicate at all.
"Bring me a mirror," Shen Miao said. Her voice was still weak, but her tone was firm.
Guyu and Jingzhe looked at each other. Finally, Jingzhe went to get a mirror and handed it to Shen Miao.
In the bronze mirror, the girl had a round face, a full forehead, a pair of large almond eyes with a slight redness, a round nose, and a small mouth. Her face was still childish, not particularly beautiful, but fresh and lovely, well-behaved and shy.
It was the face of a girl that was once praised by the royal family as "lucky for her husband."
The mirror in Shen Miao's hand suddenly fell to the ground with a crisp sound. The shattered pieces struck her heart, setting off a huge storm.
She pinched herself hard, and two lines of hot tears rolled down.
Heaven will not let people down, and heaven will not let her down!
She was back!
Guyu and Jingzhe were startled. Guyu hurried to pick up the debris on the ground and said anxiously, "Miss, be careful not to prick your foot."
"Miss, why are you crying?" Jingzhe took a handkerchief to wipe Shen Miao's face, but saw that Shen Miao had a strange expression, as if crying and laughing, and murmured, "I'm back..."
She grabbed Jingzhe and asked, "What year is it now?"
Jingzhe was a little scared, but still answered honestly, "The sixty-eighth year of Mingqi. What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
"The sixty-eighth year of Mingqi, the sixty-eighth year of Mingqi..." Shen Miao's eyes widened. The sixty-eighth year of Mingqi—when she was fourteen—was the year she met Fu Xiuyi, fell in love with him, and even asked her father to arrange their marriage!
And now... Guyu's words rang in her ears. "Miss, don't scare us. The fever has just subsided. Maybe you are not in your right mind. The eldest lady is really too cruel. This is going to take your life..."
Shen Miao had spent most of her previous life by Fu Xiuyi's side, running around for him. Her life in the Shen Mansion had been boring. She remembered this incident vividly, as she did every single thing about Fu Xiuyi.
Shen Qing had told her that Fu Xiuyi was coming to the Shen residence to visit his second and third uncles, and had secretly dragged her along. Once in the garden, Shen Qing pushed her off the rockery. She was fished out of the pond, and other officials present at the time simply thought they had witnessed the Shen residence in mockery. Her infatuation with Prince Ding had spread throughout the capital six months earlier, but this time, it only added to the jokes.
In her previous life, she had woken up and accused Shen Qing of pushing her into the pond, but no one believed her. Shen Miao, deeply aggrieved, was confined to the Buddhist temple by the old lady, and thus unable to leave the house for the following Mid-Autumn Festival. Shen Yue secretly released her and took her to the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet at Yanbei Hall, where they made a complete fool of her.
Shen Miao closed her eyes.
The Shen family had three branches. The eldest, Shen Xin, was Shen Miao's father, the son of the old general's first wife. After his first wife died of illness in middle age, the old general married a second wife, who gave birth to the second and third sons, Shen Gui and Shen Wan. After the old general's death, the second wife became the current old lady. The Shen family remained united, and the three brothers supported each other and maintained a close relationship—a story that had become a legend.
The Shen family had been a military family for generations. By the time of Shen Xin's generation, while the first branch held military power, the second and third branches pursued the path of civil service. Shen Xin was often away on military campaigns, and Madam Shen followed her husband to the army. Shen Miao remained in the Shen residence, personally taught by the old lady and her two aunts.
After all the teachings, she became a complete failure, a fool, and a shameless idiot who clung to any man she met.
In her previous life, she only felt that her aunts and the old lady treated her well, and she didn't have to learn the rules and etiquette that Shen Yue and Shen Qing had to learn. Now, it seemed like nothing more than a clumsy act of sabotage.
Taking advantage of her parents and brother's absence, they acted one way to her face and another behind her back, only to make Shen Xin and Madam Shen feel that their daughter had become even more naughty and foolish every time they returned home.
In this life, she wanted to see how these people would shamelessly repeat their old tricks!
Just as she was thinking about this, she heard the maid sweeping the yard outside run in. "Miss, the Second Lady is here to see you."
Previous/Next
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
