In her drifting consciousness, Xianglan had a dream. In it, she was in her previous life, wearing a red wedding dress. The wedding procession was grand, causing a stir among residents along half the street who poked their heads out to watch. Before she entered the sedan chair, her mother held her hand and said tearfully, “My child, this departure is different from being at home. I fear you’ll suffer…”

She stared at her mother’s face, gripping her hand tightly but unable to speak. Suddenly, the face seemed to transform into Madam Xue. The dream shifted, and she saw Madam Xue and Chen Wanquan being sold off by Zhao Yuechan, hearing her parents’ soft crying. Her heart burned with anxiety as she desperately tried to save them. With a violent struggle, she awoke.

She opened her eyes to see green curtains. Xianglan moved slightly, feeling completely drained of strength. Her head was bound with a cloth strip and still felt dizzy, though her facial injuries no longer burned as they had two days ago. She touched her face, feeling a layer of medicine, and struggled to sit up and pull back the curtains. She saw a maid sitting on an embroidered stool beside the bed, wearing a silver-red fitted jacket and dark green skirt, doing needlework.

Seeing movement, the maid quickly put down her work and came forward, saying, “Thank Buddha, Miss has finally awakened. You’ve slept for two whole days.” She felt Xianglan’s forehead and murmured, “Still somewhat hot, but better than last night.” She efficiently brought a bowl of warm water and fed it to Xianglan spoonful by spoonful with a small silver spoon, wiping her mouth corners with a handkerchief.

Just as Xianglan tried to speak, the maid put down the bowl and ran out like a gust of wind. Shortly after, Song Ke entered and sat beside her, saying gently, “Are you feeling better? The doctor said you have an external cold with stagnant qi, congestion in your five organs, excessive worry, and caught a chill, which brought on the illness. After taking some medicine and proper care, you’ll be fine.”

Seeing Xianglan watching him with bright eyes, he coughed and continued, “Your facial injuries are superficial. The doctor said fortunately whoever hit you didn’t use much force, otherwise your face would have been ruined.” He looked at her still staring at him and thought: “Girls care about their looks. She was beautiful; if her face were truly ruined, she’d be distressed and recovery would be difficult.” So he added, “We’ve applied two kinds of medicine to your face – premium wound medicine and Qianjin Hall’s tissue-regenerating ointment. The swelling has gone down these past two days. I think it will heal in a few days.”

Xianglan nodded but found her face hurt when trying to speak. She used her finger to write the character for “thank” on the blanket. Song Ke understood after looking twice and smiled, “It’s nothing. I had planned to bring you to serve me anyway, but Lin Jinlou wouldn’t release you.”

Xianglan kept watching him. Song Ke thought he saw a hint of a smile in her eyes, which made him happy too. He said, “The kitchen has some porridge. If you’re hungry, have Yuexi and the others heat some for you.”

Xianglan shook her head and wrote “parents” on the blanket with her finger.

Song Ke nodded, thinking how Xianglan still worried about her parents despite her situation – he hadn’t misjudged her; she was truly filial and kind-hearted. He said, “I’ll bring your parents here too. I’ll tell Xiuhong later to request them from Lady Lin.”

Only then did Xianglan relax. Her heart was full of gratitude she couldn’t express, and by then her strength was spent. Her head fell to the pillow and she fell asleep.

Song Ke was startled. Having some medical knowledge, he checked her pulse and realized she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He called the maids, gave some instructions, and quietly withdrew.

Xianglan settled in the side room next to Song Ke’s bedroom. Song Ke had two maids, sisters named Junxi and Yuexi, who were clever and pretty, and not given to gossip. They took good care of Xianglan and occasionally told her about the Song household.

The next day, Song Ke came specifically to tell Xianglan: “I’ve brought your parents here. Your father is now the second manager at our antique shop, and your mother went with him. But since you’re unwell, meeting them would worry them. Once you’re better, you can go home for a few days.” He took out a new jacket and said, “Your mother just made this and asked me to bring it.”

Xianglan looked and recognized Madam Xue’s needlework. Tears welled in her eyes as she silently hugged the jacket. She struggled to rise and knelt to kowtow to Song Ke on the bed.

Song Ke hurried forward to help her up, saying, “You’re not well yet, why exhaust yourself like this? Haven’t you had enough medicine? Lie down quickly!” Just then, a servant from the front courtyard reported visitors, so Song Ke had to leave, instructing Junxi and Yuexi to watch her carefully.

Song Ke had thought Xianglan would improve after hearing news of her parents, but once her long-held anxiety eased, she seemed to collapse entirely. As the saying goes, “Illness comes like a mountain falling, and leaves like pulling silk.” Her illness brought out all the symptoms accumulated at Lin’s house. Though her facial injuries gradually improved, she remained feverish and dazed. Song Ke grew anxious, but three different doctors failed to cure her.

One evening, as Jun and Yue were tending to her, they suddenly heard Xianglan say, “The Crown Prince was forced to death by the Eighth Prince, our family will be executed… Grandfather, Father, Mother, brothers, sisters, you must run quickly… don’t let them catch you…” Then she said, “Young Miss, this servant was wrong, please stop beating…”

The two maids were startled by the words “family execution.” They quietly approached and gently shook Xianglan, softly calling, “Sister Xianglan, Sister Xianglan.” Seeing her dazed and feeling her burning forehead, they realized she was delirious. Then they heard her say, “Cao Lihuan, I’m not afraid of you. If circumstances weren’t against me, why would I endure your abuse? Zhao Yuechan, you’re so vicious – aren’t you afraid of karma in hell?!”

Jun and Yue looked at each other in alarm and lowered the bed curtains. Junxi stayed by the bed while Yuexi went to knock on the study door.

Song Ke was studying hard for next spring’s imperial examinations. Seeing Yuexi enter, he put down his book and asked, “What is it?”

Yuexi said, “Sister Xianglan isn’t well. She’s talking nonsense – I’m afraid the fever will harm her body.”

Song Ke immediately went to the side room and lifted the curtain to see Xianglan with eyes tightly shut, looking quite unwell. His heart sank and his lips pressed together tightly.

Junxi thought for a moment and said, “Young Master, why not send a note asking Third Master Lin to let Doctor Luo from Lin’s family’s Jian’an Hall examine her? His medical skills are exceptional.”

Song Ke hesitated. He knew of Doctor Luo’s skill, but the man practiced at the Lin family’s pharmacy and often moved about their inner quarters, being quite familiar with household affairs. If he had seen Xianglan before, this encounter would have been awkward. Song Ke had planned to hide Xianglan in his household until he passed the examinations the next year, then use the money to secure a position and take his whole family to his post, escaping the Lin family’s influence before making further plans.

While still hesitating, he heard Xianglan murmur, “It hurts so much…” as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Song Ke’s heart ached, his hesitation vanishing. He immediately wrote a note to Lin Jinting. Soon Doctor Luo arrived. Seeing the bed curtains drawn tight with only a handkerchief-covered hand extending out, he assumed it was an unusual maid or young miss of the Song household. He took her pulse and wrote a new prescription.

As Yuexi went to brew the medicine, Junxi whispered, “Did you hear earlier? Xianglan mentioned ‘Crown Prince,’ ‘Eighth Prince,’ ‘family execution’ and such.”

Yuexi startled, looked around, and whispered back, “Pretend you didn’t hear it, keep it to yourself. She was delirious with fever.”

Junxi stuck out her tongue and said no more.

After two doses of Doctor Luo’s medicine, Xianglan’s symptoms eased. Song Ke naturally ordered the kitchen to prepare various soups for her. During this time, Xianglan learned three pieces of news from the servants: First, Lin Dongqi was engaged to the Second Young Master of the Marquis Zhenguo’s family, with the wedding ceremonies to be held after Old Madam Zeng’s mourning period; second, Lin Jinlou’s concubine Huamei had returned home for a visit when her house caught fire, after which both she and her maid Xique disappeared; third, Qinglan’s funeral was complete – though she received a decent burial, as a concubine she couldn’t enter the Lin family ancestral graves and was buried at a separately chosen site with good Fengshui.

Xianglan sighed deeply. As her health gradually improved and the swelling in her face subsided, only bruising remained, far less frightening than before. When Xianglan’s spirits improved, Song Ke arranged for her to meet her parents in a small room by the second gate. Seeing Xianglan’s condition, Madam Xue’s tears fell like rolling melons, and Chen Wanquan’s eyes also reddened.

The family of three sat wordlessly for a long while before Xianglan smiled through her tears, “We’re all fine now and can be together again, why cry?”

Madam Xue said hoarsely, “What do you mean fine, look at your condition…” and began crying again.

Seeing no one around, Chen Wanquan whispered, “What exactly happened? Earlier there were rumors the Master had taken a liking to you and would promote you, so how did you end up being bought by Young Master Song?”

Xianglan lowered her eyes: “Precisely because the Master noticed me, the First Madam couldn’t tolerate it. She beat me severely and tried to sell me to a brothel. Fortunately, Young Master Song bought me instead… But this was done secretly, so parents must keep quiet. It wouldn’t be good if First Madam and the others found out.”

The couple gasped at the word “brothel,” shaking their heads like rattles: “We can’t, we can’t, absolutely can’t tell. Young Master Song also instructed us not to let slip a single word, even by accident.”

Chen Wanquan said, “Don’t worry. After leaving Lin’s house, your mother and I moved to the alley behind the Song residence. It’s very quiet there, with few acquaintances.”

Madam Xue sighed, “Young Master Song is truly kind-hearted, buying us both just to keep the family together. Later I must kowtow several times to thank him for his great mercy.” She looked at Xianglan again, overwhelmed with distress.

Chen Wanquan looked at his beloved daughter with heartache, quietly wiped his eyes, but said sternly, “This is all because of your willfulness! If you hadn’t entered the manor and had properly married the Liu Manager’s son instead, how would you be any different from a proper madam in an ordinary household? Why suffer like this? You looked down on the Liu family for being Lin Manor servants and thought their son foolish. But look at your father – I’m also of servant birth. What were you thinking? Now you’ve suffered for it!”

Madam Xue hugged Xianglan and pushed Chen Wanquan, saying, “Say less! Can’t you see how much our daughter has suffered? Yet you still say such hurtful things, you insensitive old fool!”

Xianglan lowered her eyes. Though she had suffered much since entering the manor, she never regretted it. The Lin house was difficult to endure, but submitting to generations of servitude and marrying as told – that despair might have truly killed her. She yearned to break free of bondage and had to try even at great cost. Even if mountains of fire lay ahead, she had to forge through them.