Chapter 1: 001 The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"Third Young Mistress, please wake up..."

"What should we do?"

"Where is the doctor? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"..."

Bai Suihe’s head was throbbing with pain, and the constant murmuring in her ears was relentless. They say three women make a crowd, but the chatter of seven or eight women was nothing short of torture.

In her hazy state, she felt someone take her pulse and force medicine down her throat, after which she drifted back into a muddled sleep.

When she woke up again, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Beneath her was not the expensive latex mattress she had imported from Thailand, but something rather firm.

She opened her eyes. The dim candlelight, the dancing light gauze, the swaying tassels, and the antique bed curtains made her blink in rapid succession.

Close, open, close, open...

She pinched herself hard and nearly cried out, but at the last second, she reached up to cover her mouth.

This was definitely not her apartment. She remembered locking the doors and windows tight before going to sleep; it was impossible for anyone to have the capability to move her somewhere else without a sound. Only one possibility remained: she had transmigrated.

She quietly propped herself up. Before she could make a sound, a head suddenly lifted. "Third Young Mistress, you’re awake."

Bai Suihe gasped in shock, bit her tongue, and asked, "You scared me! What time is it now?"

"This servant is guilty, please punish me, Third Young Mistress." As Dongmei said this, she was already kneeling on the floor, feeling deeply annoyed with herself. Her mistress had just woken up, and her sudden outburst had indeed been startling.

"It’s fine, get up," Bai Suihe asked softly again, "What hour is it?"

"Replying to the Third Young Mistress, it is already the Hour of the Rat (11 PM – 1 AM)," Dongmei replied respectfully, glancing at the moonlight outside.

Between eleven and one in the morning, she calculated, and Bai Suihe collapsed back onto the bed.

She rubbed her temples as waves of memories flooded in, but these memories left her feeling suffocated.

She envied those who transmigrated as poor peasant girls; although their path was difficult, there was still hope.

Unlike her, while she had transmigrated into a wealthy family, the entire household was about to be raided and exiled, and she was currently carrying a child in her womb.

"Third Young Mistress, is your head hurting?" The movement in the inner chamber quickly drew the maid on night watch. Another head maid, Chunxiang, lifted the curtain and entered.

"The doctor is waiting outside. Shall we have him come in to take a look?"

Bai Suihe waved her hand. Dongmei and Chunxiang were the original personal maids who had accompanied her in marriage and were her confidantes in the manor. She had to get a grip on things; she couldn't afford to show any flaws in front of them.

"What did the doctor say earlier?"

Dongmei and Chunxiang quickly knelt to offer congratulations. "Third Young Mistress, the doctor said you fainted from sheer exhaustion. But rest assured, the little master in your womb is perfectly fine."

Bai Suihe touched her stomach. There was indeed a little life in there. The fetus seemed to share a connection with her, as it gave a little kick at that moment. "Let me rest for a moment. Bring me a cup of water."

Dongmei bowed, quickly went out, and returned with a cup of warm water. "Third Young Mistress, here is the water."

Bai Suihe took a few sips and waved them away. "You may all leave. Let me have some peace and quiet."

Dongmei and Chunxiang exchanged worried glances before respectfully withdrawing.

Left alone in the room, she finally had the space to sort through the original owner's memories.

She had actually transmigrated into an ancient exile-themed novel, becoming the villain's short-lived cannon-fodder wife.

The female lead of the book was the legitimate daughter of her husband’s eldest brother. Because of the female lead's actions during the exile, she would die along with her unborn child.

Her husband, seeking revenge for her and their child, would turn dark and begin to oppose the male and female leads, only for the female lead to outmaneuver him, leading to the total destruction of their branch of the family.

The reason she had fainted today was because she had been forced to stand and observe etiquette in front of her mother-in-law.

Ever since she married in, this rule had never been skipped. Despite being born into a humble family, her mother-in-law insisted on following the rigid, suffocating rules of noble clans.

Bai Suihe rubbed her head, and the thought of her "cheap" husband made her head ache even more.

A thirty-year-old single woman, and the moment she arrives, she’s a married woman. But since she had fainted, where was her husband?

Right, he had been sent out to inspect the family businesses. He was always gone for ten days or half a month at a time. He should be back in three or five days.

Thinking about the unknown life she would have to face starting tomorrow, Bai Suihe secretly cheered herself on. Since she was here, she would have to make the best of it. She needed to think of ways to protect herself when she eventually clashed with the female lead.

As for trying to curry favor with the female lead, Bai Suihe didn't even consider it. Most people around the female lead ended up as cannon fodder, and she had no intention of walking into her own grave.

Besides, the villain wasn't so bad. In "Striving for Self-Improvement," the motto "Striving with Heaven is endless joy, striving with Earth is endless joy, striving with people is endless joy" had always been her guiding principle.

Even if she couldn't do anything to the female lead, she would find a way to carve out her own path in this world.

As she thought, her eyelids grew heavy. With no energy left to worry about anything else, she drifted into a deep sleep.

When she woke up again, it was still pitch black outside. Although the people outside were trying to keep their footsteps light, she could still hear them moving about.

Bai Suihe accepted the situation well; since she was here, she would adapt. Besides, coming here had made her more than ten years younger, which was a gain in itself.

Her eyes widened instantly. This body was only eighteen years old, and she was already carrying a child...

She had never been in a relationship, nor was she an ignorant young girl, but this body was still a minor. Even if she didn't die because of the female lead, the dangers of childbirth in ancient times were real.

And going into exile while heavily pregnant was a life-or-death situation.

She tensed up immediately. This matter needed to be carefully planned; it would be best to leave this quagmire as soon as possible.

Divorce was simply impossible. In this dynasty, she had never heard of anyone getting a divorce, only being cast aside.

And those who were cast aside were branded with all sorts of crimes, leaving them with only a dead end.

Moreover, according to the original owner's memories, her "cheap" husband was actually a decent person.

"Third Young Mistress, are you awake?" Chunxiang asked in a low voice from outside. "It is time to go to the main house to pay your respects."

Bai Suihe said, "Come in."

As soon as she spoke, Chunxiang entered with several maids carrying washing supplies, dresses, and jewelry.

Bai Suihe sat up, following the memories in her mind, and let them serve her.

She cursed inwardly countless times. They were only the family of a Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, yet their rules were more demanding than those of the royal nobility.

"After I fainted yesterday, what did the Old Mistress say?" Bai Suihe felt this was a complete lack of human rights; even a pregnant woman had to pay respects, not to mention she had fainted just the day before.

Looking at the person in the bronze mirror, it was exactly what she had looked like in high school...

"The Old Mistress sent some supplements via Zhou Momo," Dongmei said, looking indignant. "But there was no other message, and she didn't excuse you from your morning and evening greetings, Third Young Mistress."

Even though all three young masters were born to the Old Mistress, and fingers have different lengths, this was too much favoritism.

As daughters-in-law, the Eldest Young Mistress and Second Young Mistress didn't have to stand on ceremony like this every day.

Starting a new story, throw some flowers!

It’s fate that you clicked in, whether you like it or not, leave a mark (a ticket), thank you!

(End of chapter)