Gu Yi suspected she had misheard and asked insistently, “What day is it today?”

Tao Jia, not understanding her concern, still repeated word by word: “Today is the fifteenth of the sixth month.”

Gu Yi froze with her mouth open…

Could it be that she had died from choking on the flatbread, and this was starting over from the beginning…

A palace concubine who died from choking on flatbread—was she the first in the Great Mu Dynasty’s history?

But if she had died, would she have to keep repeating this forever?

What kind of horrifying palace intrigue novel was this!

She had avoided the female protagonist, who was the fuse for her death, so how could she still die from choking on flatbread?

Was Concubine Gu destined to die within three chapters no matter what?

Tao Jia, seeing her deathly pale complexion, hurriedly asked, “Beauty, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

She was feeling unwell everywhere!

Gu Yi took a deep breath. When she turned around, she saw that a palace maid sent by Concubine Wang had already arrived at the entrance of the side hall.

“The Concubine invites both Beauties to the main hall for breakfast.”

Gu Yi waited for a moment before standing up, “Thank the Concubine for her kindness. I’ll go right away.”

If she had to start over, then start over she would. This time, she would try following the original plot line, meeting the female protagonist to see if that would work!

Gu Yi walked into the main hall of Xiu Yidian with a smile on her face.

Concubine Qi had already arrived. Seeing her, she nodded and said, “You’ve come.”

Gu Yi smiled and said, “Concubine Qi’s lip color today looks like peach blossoms, it’s beautiful!”

Concubine Qi still smiled shyly.

Concubine Wang still arrived fashionably late.

The breakfast laid out before Gu Yi was still flatbread.

This time, however, she didn’t pick up her chopsticks.

Tao Jia had no choice but to reluctantly ladle a spoonful of white fungus soup from a little further away.

After Gu Yi took a sip of the soup, she heard Concubine Wang say, “Concubine Gu’s clothing fabric is worn out. I happen to have fabric of the same color. Why don’t I reward Concubine Gu with it? Wearing it would surely be becoming.”

Gu Yi put down her bamboo chopsticks and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Concubine.”

Half a moment later, a palace maid immediately brought a bolt of fabric, still the same water-blue silk of decent quality.

Concubine Wang looked at the silk and said, “This fabric hasn’t been cared for in a while and has gathered dust. I’ll have to trouble Concubine Gu to take a trip and send it to Huan Yi Ju.”

Gu Yi didn’t waste words and simply answered with a “Yes.”

This time, she strolled to Huan Yi Ju, even stopping along the way to admire the scenery.

The summer lotus pond was full of delicate pink lotus buds.

Tao Jia followed behind her, “Beauty, let me carry the silk.”

Gu Yi smiled, “Since Concubine Wang asked me to deliver it, I should be the one carrying it. Just follow me.”

Tao Jia asked in a low voice, “Beauty, aren’t you upset?”

Gu Yi shook her head, “Concubine Wang is the master of the hall, with a rank above mine. What is there to be upset about?”

Tao Jia nodded, “The Beauty is so enlightened!”

In the original book, Concubine Gu had been resentful for a long time before going to Huan Yi Ju and meeting the female protagonist Zhao Wan. So Gu Yi stood for quite a while in the Imperial Garden, having nothing else to do, just staring blankly at a pot of white chrysanthemums.

Seeing this, Tao Jia hurriedly said, “If the Beauty likes these chrysanthemums, today I will ask the garden’s gardener to send some to Xiu Yidian for the Beauty to enjoy.”

Gu Yi absent-mindedly gave an “Mm” in response.

At the first quarter of the Si hour (around 9:15 AM).

Gu Yi finally dawdled her way to the entrance of Huan Yi Ju.

The main entrance of Huan Yi Ju was an arched doorway. She stood there for a moment.

A moment later, a figure walked over.

It was a young woman in palace attire. Even though the upper part of the palace maid’s uniform was Barbie pink and the skirt was a fresh green, she still wore it with the grace of a willow swaying in the breeze.

Her hair was black, her skin as white as snow, and her eyes rippled like water.

Confirming with a glance, this should be the female protagonist!

If this weren’t the female protagonist, Gu Yi could only say that Huan Yi Ju was hiding exceptional talents.

Gu Yi tentatively called to her, “Come here, I have a bolt of silk to give to you.”

Zhao Wan, seeing a ranked Beauty from the palace standing outside Huan Yi Ju, was somewhat surprised. She curtsied gracefully and said, “Beauty, please give your instructions.”

Gu Yi handed the silk to her, “When you’ve washed it, deliver it to the side hall of Xiu Yidian.” Then she asked, “What is your name?”

Zhao Wan: “This slave is Wan’er.”

Gu Yi: “Are you Zhao Wan?”

Zhao Wan looked surprised, “How does the Beauty know my surname is Zhao?”

Confirmed, this was the female protagonist!

Gu Yi smiled slightly, “I guessed.”

Zhao Wan: “…” She gathered the silk in her hands, curtseyed, and said, “If that’s all, this slave will take her leave.”

Just at that moment, the sachet at Zhao Wan’s waist fell to the ground as she curtseyed, and a piece of white jade tumbled out.

How perfectly timed. Gu Yi inwardly sneered, looking carefully at the jade pendant on the ground. It was a white jade in the shape of a rabbit, simple in design but of exceptional quality.

Zhao Wan immediately anxiously picked up the jade pendant and tucked it into the sash at her waist.

In the original book, Concubine Gu, angry from being humiliated by Concubine Wang, had seen this small palace maid from Huan Yi Ju hiding a beautiful jade and suspected her of stealing. After a series of dramatic actions, she had confiscated the female protagonist’s white rabbit jade pendant.

Now experiencing it firsthand, Gu Yi thought that Concubine Gu probably… actually… was just too poor…

Zhao Wan never showed her jade pendant to others, hiding it in the lining of the sachet at her waist, never removing it even when sleeping.

How had it suddenly fallen today? She looked at the sachet and saw that the silk ribbon seemed to have been cut…

Before she could think more about it, she looked up and met the Beauty’s inquiring gaze.

The Beauty’s eyebrows and eyelashes were curved, her eyes containing a smile…

She seemed to be an extremely gentle Beauty.

Zhao Wan bowed and said, “This slave lost her composure just now. Please punish me, Beauty.”

How could Gu Yi dare to punish her? She wasn’t tired of living.

“It’s nothing. You should keep your personal belongings safe.”

Zhao Wan acknowledged this.

Gu Yi, feeling she had established a positive connection with the female protagonist, walked away unhurriedly.

Just one day later, in the afternoon of the sixteenth of the sixth month, at the third quarter of the Wei hour (around 2:45 PM).

Zhao Wan brought the cleaned water-blue silk.

Gu Yi exclaimed in surprise, “It’s done so quickly?” Last time, the little palace maid Chu Tong hadn’t brought it until the evening of the third day.

Zhao Wan lowered her eyes and said, “The Beauty is kind-hearted, so this slave prioritized washing the Beauty’s fabric.”

Look, this was indeed establishing good relations!

Gu Yi said happily, “That’s wonderful.”

Tao Jia came forward to receive the silk and sniffed it carefully, noting that it still had a lingering fragrance.

After Zhao Wan left, Gu Yi cautiously stayed in the side hall of Xiu Yidian for another day.

The palace gardener sent several pots of white chrysanthemums, so she casually sketched them with a brush, which wasn’t too boring.

Tao Jia, while grinding ink, asked, “Is the Beauty drawing rocks?”

Gu Yi gave a dry laugh. For chrysanthemums to be mistaken for rocks… “Mm, yes.”

On the evening of the third day, the moon rose above the treetops. It was the seventeenth of the sixth month, and the moon was still a full disc.

Gu Yi counted the hours, waiting for dawn. This time, she was smart enough not to order a midnight snack and just sat quietly in her room.

Tao Jia stood not far from her side.

Rumble.

Thunder rolled across the sky, and heavy rain suddenly fell.

After waiting for quite some time, Gu Yi heard a shout from outside: “His Majesty the Emperor arrives!”

Gu Yi instinctively looked at the moon outside the window, which had just passed over the top of the locust tree in the courtyard.

From the front of the main hall, Concubine Wang’s voice could be faintly heard.

When the voices gradually faded, Gu Yi finally let out a long breath.

It should be fine now.

The night deepened, and the rain fell harder. A wind rose outside.

A gust of wind blew open the window frame with a loud “thud,” and the wind extinguished the candles in the room.

Gu Yi trembled and stood up.

Tao Jia said, “The wind is too strong. I’ll go close the window and relight the candles. Please wait, Beauty.”

The room suddenly darkened. In the darkness, Gu Yi, who was standing, was bumped by Tao Jia as she rose.

Gu Yi steadied herself by holding onto an object she touched, which seemed to be the bookshelf placed there.

Then, she heard a loud “bang.”

A pot of white chrysanthemums fell from the bookshelf and hit Gu Yi’s head.

The bookshelf was as tall as two people. Gu Yi was struck, bleeding from her head, feeling numb.

Amid the intense pain, she once again saw that flash of white light.

Early in the morning, just as daylight was breaking, Gu Yi opened her eyes. Outside the bed curtain stood a blurry silhouette—Tao Jia.

Tao Jia, noticing that the Beauty on the couch had awakened, was about to reach out to lift the bed curtain when she saw Gu Yi turn over and sit up, asking her, “What day is it today?”

Tao Jia was stunned for a moment, then answered, “In reply to my lady, today is the fifteenth of the sixth month!” She added, “Today happens to be the day for turning the tablet. Would my lady like to offer some gifts?”

Explode, sixteenth of the sixth month!

Gu Yi felt she could hardly breathe evenly. She was so angry that she fell back onto the couch.

What kind of transmigration into a novel was this? Not following the original plot wouldn’t work, and following it wouldn’t work either.

Not following meant death, and following also meant death.

Yet she wasn’t allowed to truly die, repeating again and again—who could endure this!

Garbage novel, garbage transmigration!

I quit!