The rain outside had already stopped.

Through the wide-open door, Qi Yue could see into the courtyard where the two maids were using iron rakes to clear fallen leaves and dead branches that the rain had knocked down, preventing them from clogging the drains. They spoke quietly as they worked, one reminding the other not to get her feet wet, the other directing this one to scoop from here. Their soft voices and gentle mannerisms, combined with their attire in this rain-washed classical courtyard, created a scene like an ink painting—fresh and elegant.

The one who had applied her makeup was called A’Ru, and the one who had arranged her hair was the younger one called A’Hao. They were both easy names to remember.

Qi Yue sighed. Things had come to this point—she’d have to take it one step at a time.

She sat there in a daze, lost in wild thoughts, when A’Ru and A’Hao came in carrying food.

One bowl of porridge—thin porridge. Qi Yue stirred it with a spoon—millet.

One round cake, palm-sized. Qi Yue broke it open with her hands—surprisingly, it was made with unleavened dough.

Vegetables—what kind of vegetables were these? They seemed similar to pickled Chinese cabbage roots from winter. Qi Yue poked at them with chopsticks. There was another dish that appeared to be meat, though it seemed to have been simply boiled in water—bland and tasteless.

With maids serving her and being called “Young Madam,” plus a large group of servants earlier—though their attitudes were a bit strange—this was undoubtedly a large household. Looking at the furnishings and clothing, this should be a wealthy family.

“This is what I’m eating?” Qi Yue couldn’t help but ask.

This wasn’t even as good as the cafeteria food at the financially strapped rural clinic.

“Young Madam, this month’s allowance hasn’t been delivered yet…” A’Ru lowered her head and murmured.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound. Being new here, she shouldn’t worry about food and drink for now. Though she didn’t know if this was breakfast or lunch here, according to her time difference, it should be dinner time anyway.

“Then I’ll eat,” she said with a smile.

The two maids breathed a sigh of relief but were also somewhat surprised. This time, the Young Madam didn’t lose her temper or cry upon hearing this news. Instead, she smiled and ate heartily. Seeing the completely cleaned dishes, both couldn’t help but stare at the Young Madam in amazement.

“Waste is shameful,” Qi Yue said seriously.

Regardless of what the original owner’s appetite or habits were, she, Qi Yue, had this appetite and these habits.

She didn’t intend to pretend. One person wasn’t another person—no matter how much she pretended, she couldn’t fool anyone. It was better to use amnesia and personality change as an excuse.

A’Ru and A’Hao didn’t understand what this phrase meant, but as servants, they were accustomed to listening without questioning. They nodded and responded affirmatively.

“You go eat first. When you’re done, come back. I have something to tell you,” Qi Yue said.

Seeing her somewhat serious expression, A’Ru and A’Hao felt uneasy but didn’t dare ask many questions. They hurriedly cleared the dishes and withdrew.

They returned shortly—whether they had eaten or not was unclear.

Qi Yue still sat in the chair. Seeing them approach, her expression became even more serious, making the two maids panic.

“I need to tell you something,” Qi Yue began. “Today when I hanged myself…”

“Young Madam, we were talking nonsense. The Young Madam never did such a thing…” A’Ru immediately knelt down crying.

A’Hao also knelt down.

Qi Yue looked helpless. She hadn’t said anything yet—what were these two maids thinking?

“I did it, and I really died,” she said, ignoring their words and continuing.

A’Ru and A’Hao looked up at her in astonishment, then cried even harder.

“…Actually, I even drank Meng Po’s soup and can’t remember anything—how I died, how I got to the Yellow Springs Road, whether I saw the King of Hell—I don’t remember any of it. I only remember wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where to go or what to do…” Qi Yue stopped them from speaking again and continued. Her gaze looked toward the door as if immersed in memories.

A’Ru and A’Hao gradually stopped crying and looked at her with expressions of shock, amazement, and some fear. They were listening, and with Qi Yue’s deliberately low, deep tone, the two maids couldn’t help but huddle closer together.

“…I walked and walked, and suddenly…” Qi Yue said, then abruptly paused.

A’Hao, being younger, couldn’t help but cry out, then realized her impropriety and covered her mouth while kowtowing in apology.

Qi Yue was actually amused by her and waved her hand to indicate it was fine.

“Suddenly I saw a person, an… um, an old lady waving at me,” she continued, this time in a gentler tone. “At that time, I was unconscious and thoughtless, so I just walked over. She looked at me and cried, saying many things I couldn’t understand…”

“What did she say?” A’Ru, being bolder, couldn’t help but ask.

“Things like ‘silly child, why did you come here’ and ‘what’s the point of this suffering,'” Qi Yue said, frowning as if trying hard to remember. She was indeed trying to remember, and as she thought, she thought of how heartbroken her relatives would be losing her, and tears began flowing. “…I didn’t recognize who she was, but I felt she was someone very, very close to me…”

Hearing this, A’Ru’s expression froze, then she sat up straight.

“Was… was it the Old Marchioness?” she asked stammering.

Old Marchioness? Qi Yue shook her head.

“I told you, I drank Meng Po’s soup and forgot everything, including… you all,” she said with a sigh, wiping her tears.

“Ah? Young Madam, you… you don’t recognize us anymore?” A’Hao asked with a shocked expression.

Qi Yue nodded.

“At that time, the old lady grabbed me, she cried and I cried too. Then I asked where I should go, and she said I should naturally go back. I had long forgotten where I came from, and before I could ask, she pushed me, and then I woke up,” she said in one breath. “When I woke up, I saw a large group of you rushing in. I thought I was still in the underworld and that you were going to interrogate me. I was terrified.”

A’Ru and A’Hao nodded. Thinking of that moment when they first saw each other, the Young Madam had indeed shouted “ghost!” and looked genuinely frightened—that definitely wasn’t acting… So that’s how it was.

But… this was too…

A’Ru and A’Hao didn’t know what to say for a moment. They just sat on the ground in a daze while Qi Yue also remained silent, waiting for them to process this themselves. The wait wasn’t long.

“So the Young Madam doesn’t remember anything from before?” A’Ru asked.

Qi Yue felt relieved and nodded.

“You can get up now,” she said.

A’Ru helped A’Hao up, and they both stood.

“Young Madam really doesn’t remember A’Hao?” A’Hao pointed at her own face and asked.

“Forget about you—I don’t even remember myself,” Qi Yue said.

“Oh, this Meng Po’s soup is really that powerful…” A’Hao exclaimed.

“Of course it’s powerful. Otherwise, if people were reincarnated still carrying memories from their previous lives, how could they live?” Qi Yue explained. Ancient people should all believe in this deeply—it would be easier to deceive them.

Then the human world would be in chaos. The two maids thought about it and nodded in unison.

“So,” Qi Yue exhaled and leaned back in her chair, “I’m also someone who’s been reincarnated. Though I don’t know why that old lady pushed me back, since I’ve returned, I must live well. Not knowing about the past is actually better—starting everything fresh is clean and pure.”

Thinking of past events, A’Ru cried again. Forgetting was indeed better.

“So don’t worry about me. I absolutely will never seek death again,” Qi Yue said, looking at her with a smile.

A’Ru nodded through her tears.

“The Young Madam… doesn’t recognize the people in our residence either?” she asked quietly after thinking for a moment.

Qi Yue smiled slightly.

“There’s nothing to hide about this. Whether they believe it or not, I have a clear conscience,” she said.

A’Ru understood her meaning and nodded in agreement.

A’Hao didn’t understand what they were talking about, but thinking that the Young Madam no longer recognized her made her very sad. She earnestly introduced herself to Qi Yue, while Qi Yue began asking about things she had “forgotten.” Compared to the steady A’Ru, A’Hao was more lively and talkative. Qi Yue quickly learned about “her” past from A’Hao’s account.

Qi Yueniang, from Yandu in the Great Qing Kingdom. As for what the Great Qing Kingdom was, Qi Yue interrupted to ask, but the answer was that the Great Qing Kingdom was just the Great Qing Kingdom, so Qi Yue gave up asking further.

This Qi Yueniang’s parents had died early. She and her grandmother had fled as refugees to Yong’an Prefecture, taking shelter at the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain, ten li outside the prefecture city. At fourteen—five years ago—she had by chance treated the Marquis Dingxi’s Old Marchioness who had been bitten by a poisonous snake while going up the mountain to burn incense. After her grandmother accidentally fell from a cliff and died, the Old Marchioness, considering her lonely and helpless state and remembering the life-saving favor, brought her into the residence to personally raise her at her side, treating her the same as the young ladies of the house. Two years later, she petitioned for an engagement between her and the eldest son of Marquis Dingxi. Three years ago, when the Old Marchioness fell gravely ill, she moved up the wedding date to personally witness their wedding ceremony. Right after the newlyweds completed their bows, the Old Marchioness closed her eyes.

This sounded like an incredibly melodramatic legendary tale! This Qi Yueniang, an orphaned girl, had leaped to become the eldest grandson’s wife of Marquis Dingxi’s residence—the future Marchioness Dingxi of the next generation. This was undoubtedly the most brilliant sparrow-to-phoenix transformation! However, it seemed that after the prince and princess married, they didn’t live happily ever after…