The grand mansion stood in stark black and white contrast—bluestone floors, vermilion pillars, and railings intricately carved with complex begonia patterns. It had rained all night, and raindrops rolled off the plantain leaves, falling into the soil below.

On the table sat an exquisite purple-gold incense burner shaped like a small beast, emitting a water-wood fragrance that felt especially refreshing in the early autumn air.

Fragrant sachets with bright-colored tassels hung from all four corners of the bed. By the soft couch, two tall maidservants were carefully fanning the person lying on the bed.

“Falling into water when the weather is cool can cause a terrible fever. The young lady has been sleeping for a day and night. The doctor said she should be awake by now—why is there still no movement?” The maid in blue clothes couldn’t hide her anxiety.

“Guyu, it’s been nearly half an hour. Why hasn’t the doctor arrived yet?” asked the other maid in purple.

“The Second Madam is watching closely. This is considered a disgraceful matter, and the household is keeping it hidden. Master and Mistress aren’t in the capital, the eldest young master is away, and the Old Madam favors the east courtyard. Bailu and Shuangjiang went to find a doctor but haven’t returned—perhaps they’ve been intercepted. They’re driving the young lady to a dead end! This won’t do, I must go check,” said Guyu.

Just as she finished speaking, a faint sound came from the person on the bed.

“Young Lady is awake!” The purple-clad maid exclaimed with delight, hurrying to the bedside. The young woman on the bed was rubbing her forehead and slowly sitting up.

“Jingzhe…” Shen Miao murmured.

“This servant is here,” the purple-clad maid smiled, taking Shen Miao’s hand. “Does Young Lady feel better? You’ve been asleep for a day and night. Your fever broke, but you wouldn’t wake up. I was just thinking of fetching the doctor again.”

“Young Lady, would you like some water?” Guyu offered a cup of tea.

Shen Miao looked at the two before her with confusion.

She had four first-class maids: Jingzhe, Guyu, Bailu, and Shuangjiang, all clever and quick-witted girls. Unfortunately, in the end, none of them remained by her side.

Guyu had died at the hands of the Qin Crown Prince while protecting her from humiliation during her time as a hostage in Qin. Bailu died on the journey accompanying Princess Wanyu to her arranged marriage, and Shuangjiang died in the rear palace during the struggle for favor against Madam Mei.

As for Jingzhe, the most beautiful among them, she had willingly become a concubine to help Fu Xiuyi ascend the throne by using her beauty to win over a powerful official. In the end, she was beaten to death on some pretext by the official’s wife.

When Shen Miao learned of Jingzhe’s death, she wept bitterly and nearly miscarried.

Now Jingzhe stood perfectly fine before her, her features still as beautiful as a painting. Guyu looked at her with a smiling face. Both maids were in their good years, about fourteen or fifteen, leaving Shen Miao momentarily dazed.

After a moment, she closed her eyes with a bitter smile: “This pre-death hallucination is too real.”

“What is Young Lady saying?” Guyu put the teacup aside and reached out to feel Shen Miao’s forehead. “Could the fever have addled your mind?”

The hand on her forehead felt cool, comfortable, and real. Shen Miao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze instantly sharp. She slowly lowered her head to look at her own hands.

They were a pair of fair, delicate hands with neatly trimmed, round, and lovely nails—clearly hands that had enjoyed a life of privilege.

These were not her hands.

Her hands had grown rough from helping Fu Xiuyi manage court affairs and assessing situations. She had used them to write and review account books, to be ordered around like a servant in Qin, to fight for Fu Ming and Wanyu in the rear palace, to wash clothes in the Cold Palace. Her hands had been calloused, with swollen, black, and thin joints—how could they be so delicate now?

“Bring me a mirror,” said Shen Miao. Her voice was still weak, but her tone was firm.

Guyu and Jingzhe exchanged glances, but eventually Jingzhe fetched a mirror and handed it to Shen Miao.

In the bronze mirror, a young girl with a round face and full forehead appeared. Her large almond eyes were slightly red, her nose was round, and her mouth small. It was a face that had not yet lost its childishness. Not particularly beautiful, but fresh, cute, obedient, and shy in appearance.

It was the face of a young girl once praised by the royal family as having features that would “bring prosperity to her husband.”

The mirror suddenly fell from Shen Miao’s hand, making a crisp sound as it hit the ground. The sound of the fragments struck her heart, stirring up huge waves of shock.

She pinched herself hard, and two streams of hot tears rolled down her face.

Heaven had not forsaken her! Heaven had not abandoned her!

She had returned!

Guyu and Jingzhe were startled. Guyu hurriedly went to pick up the fragments, anxiously saying, “Be careful, Young Lady, lest you cut your feet.”

“Why is Young Lady crying?” Jingzhe took out a handkerchief to wipe Shen Miao’s face, but saw that Shen Miao’s expression was strange, seeming both to cry and laugh as she murmured, “I’ve come back…”

She grabbed Jingzhe’s hand. “What year is it now?”

Jingzhe was a bit frightened but still answered honestly: “It’s the 68th year of Ming Qi. Is something wrong with Young Lady? Are you feeling unwell?”

“The 68th year of Ming Qi, the 68th year of Ming Qi…” Shen Miao widened her eyes. The 68th year of Ming Qi was when she was fourteen—the year she met Fu Xiuyi, fell deeply in love with him, and even pressured her father to let her marry him!

And now… Guyu’s words echoed in her ears: “Please don’t frighten us servants, Young Lady. You’ve just recovered from a fever. Perhaps your mind isn’t clear yet. The First Young Lady was too cruel—this could have cost your life…”

In her previous life, Shen Miao had spent most of her time by Fu Xiuyi’s side, rushing about for him, with her days at the Shen mansion passing without flavor. Yet she remembered this incident clearly. She remembered everything related to Fu Xiuyi clearly.

Shen Qing had told her that Fu Xiuyi was coming to visit her second and third uncles at the Shen mansion. Shen Qing took her to secretly catch a glimpse of him, but when they reached the garden, Shen Qing pushed her off the rockery.

She was fished out of the pond, and other officials and colleagues who were present treated it as a joke at the Shen family’s expense. Her infatuation with Prince Ding had spread throughout the capital half a year earlier, and this incident only added to the mockery.

In her previous life, when she woke up, she accused Shen Qing of pushing her into the pond, but no one believed her. Shen Miao felt wronged and was punished by the Old Madam with confinement in the Buddha Hall. This meant she couldn’t go out for the Mid-Autumn Festival later. Shen Yue secretly released her and took her to the Yanbeihall’s chrysanthemum banquet, where she made a complete fool of herself.

Shen Miao closed her eyes briefly.

The Shen family had three branches. The first branch was Shen Xin, Shen Miao’s father, who was the son of the old general’s first wife. The first wife died of illness in middle age, and the old general married a second wife who gave birth to the second branch’s Shen Gui and the third branch’s Shen Wan. After the old general’s death, the second wife became the current Old Madam. The Shen family hadn’t divided, and the three brothers supported each other with good feelings, becoming a story of familial harmony.

The Shen family had been military for generations. By Shen Xin’s generation, only the first branch held military power, while the second and third branches took the path of civil officials. Shen Xin was often away on military campaigns, and his wife accompanied him. Shen Miao had always been left at the Shen mansion, personally taught by the Old Madam and her two aunts.

Through all their teaching, she had become a good-for-nothing who knew nothing, had no skills, and shamelessly clung to men whenever she saw them.

In her previous life, she had thought her aunts and the Old Madam treated her especially well. The etiquette and rules that Shen Yue and Shen Qing had to learn, she didn’t have to learn any of them. Looking back now, it was nothing but a thoroughly awkward case of excessive, insincere praise.

Taking advantage of her parents and brother not being by her side, they acted one way to her face and another behind her back, making Shen Xin and his wife feel that their daughter had become more frivolous and useless each time they returned home.

In this life, she would see how these people would shamelessly repeat their old tricks!

Just as she was thinking, she heard a maid who was sweeping the courtyard run in and announce: “Young Lady, the Second Young Lady has come to see you.”