Chapter 1

The 20th year of Longxing, Emperor Jin Yuan.

The winter of this year was exceptionally cold. Snow began to drift from the heavens as soon as the tenth month arrived. From Liangzhou to Guanzhong, from the northern frontiers to the south of the Yangtze, even Yangzhou—a place where the climate is usually as warm as spring—welcomed an unprecedented heavy snowfall just as the New Year approached.

It had been many years since the south of the Yangtze had seen snow. This was the first snowfall since the Jin imperial house moved east, the nobility crossed the river, and Emperor Jin Zhao established the capital in Jiangzuo to extend the imperial lineage. The young scholars of the high-ranking, powerful clans were inexplicably excited, one after another cooking snow to boil tea or inviting a friend or two to tread through the snow in search of plum blossoms. Amidst the clinking of wine cups and the rustle of fragrant robes at banquets and salons, there was naturally no shortage of "pure conversation" regarding the profound and mysterious teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi.

It goes without saying that such was the social atmosphere of the time.

At this moment, in a three-courtyard residence in Niushou Village, sixty miles southwest of the Jin capital, Jiankang, two young maidservants were sweeping the accumulated snow in the courtyard while talking loudly.

"Hee hee... it’s so cold! I’ve lived this long, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen snow!"

"Who’s to say otherwise? It’s my first time too! Didn't the Third Miss already ask the steward to request charcoal from the main estate for the brazier? Why hasn't it been delivered yet?"

"This is the south, not the north! In a normal year, why would we ever need charcoal? I heard Steward Yuan from the outer courtyard say that all the charcoal is transported from the Great Yan and Great Wei in the north. That top-quality silver-frost charcoal costs a tael of silver per catty! With the sudden cold this year, the coal supply is insufficient; even the ladies in the palace don't have charcoal to use. You’re still expecting the Third Miss to have a good supply?"

"No way, right? Look at what kind of family we are. The Third Miss is the legitimate daughter of the first branch; that is such a noble status. Never mind one tael of silver—even if it were ten taels a catty, our estate could afford it! Would the stewards really dare to cut the Third Miss’s rations?"

"The legitimate daughter of the first branch, sure, but whether the Eldest Master can keep his position as the legitimate eldest son is another matter! The Eldest Madam is a sickly thing, bedridden for ten years and unable to bear a son... The vast Shen estate is entirely managed by the Second Madam, Lady Huyang... Besides, the Third Miss may be the legitimate daughter of the first branch, but she’s a legitimate daughter who committed a fault and was sent away to this godforsaken place. Do you really expect Lady Huyang to treat her well?"

"You have a point! I was hoping that once the Third Miss’s charcoal arrived, we could go into her room to warm ourselves by the fire, but it seems there’s no hope now! Sigh..."

The voices of the two maids grew louder and louder, finally waking Shen Yuanyu, the Third Miss, who was sleeping on the couch in the inner chamber. Because there was no lit brazier, the room felt somewhat chilly. Fortunately, this was the south; even in winter, the climate was much warmer than in the north. Shen Yuanyu rubbed her slightly cold hands—in her past life, she was a northerner, and she really wasn't used to days without heating!

The room was quiet, without even a maidservant to attend to her. The corners of Shen Yuanyu’s mouth couldn't help but curl up. Nanny Zhang, who currently managed the affairs of her room, really didn't hold her in any regard!

Just as she was thinking this, a cold, sharp voice suddenly shouted from outside: "You two little sluts, what are you babbling about here?" The two maids outside shivered violently, only to see a woman wearing a plain Hangzhou silk jacket with her hair in a round bun, standing before them with a stern face, holding a bowl of medicine.

"Nanny Zhang, please forgive us, we..." The two maids were so frightened that cold sweat broke out. The Langling Shen clan was a prestigious family of several hundred years with extremely strict inner-household rules. If they were caught gossiping about their masters, a beating to death would not be considered excessive.

"The Third Miss is bedridden and needs quiet to recover! Yet you two are here disturbing her peace!" Nanny Zhang’s tone was severe. "If I hear you again, I will immediately call a human trafficker to sell you off!"

The two maids cried out repeatedly, "Nanny Zhang, spare us! We won't dare do it again!"

Nanny Zhang didn't actually intend to do anything to them; she just wanted to scare them into behaving. She scolded, "Stay here and keep watch properly. I’m going in to serve the Miss her medicine!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and a cold draft rushed in as Nanny Zhang entered. Because she was facing the light, Nanny Zhang didn't clearly see the Third Miss’s expression. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw Shen Yuanyu staring at her with a pair of bright, large eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible coldness in her gaze. For some reason, Nanny Zhang felt a chill run down her spine.

Ever since the Third Miss had fallen into a coma with a high fever several months ago, Nanny Zhang felt as if she had become a different person upon waking.

Calm, composed, collected... The Third Miss, who used to be impulsive and lacked any depth, had become entirely serene. Nanny Zhang assumed she had matured due to the drastic change in her environment and didn't think too much of it.

She walked over attentively and placed the medicine bowl on the pear-wood side table in front of the Xiangfei couch. She reached out to help Shen Yuanyu up. Every table, chair, flower, and tree in the room was exquisite and elegant, showcasing a low-key luxury everywhere. As the head of the Qiao-surname gentry, the Shen family was of the highest standing. Although Shen Yuanyu had been sent to the manor for a major mistake, the Eldest Master sent a steward to check on her every month, so Nanny Zhang dared not be negligent with the room's furnishings.

Shen Yuanyu reached out and rubbed her eyes to clear her head, saying faintly, "Nanny Zhang is here..."

Nanny Zhang said softly, "Miss is awake. Does your head still hurt? This is the medicine I just brewed in the small silver pot; it’s still warm. Please drink it while it’s hot!" As she spoke, she held up the medicine bowl.

Shen Yuanyu didn't answer her, but her nose twitched imperceptibly. She had transmigrated into this strange dynasty three months ago. In her past life, she came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, though she eventually became a lawyer. Although she didn't practice medicine, her grandfather and father were famous TCM doctors. Having grown up immersed in the pharmacy, she knew just by the scent that this ordinary cold medicine had been spiked with a dose of Gastrodia elata. The scent of the Gastrodia was so strong it suppressed all the other medicinal smells—the dosage was clearly massive!

Gastrodia wasn't poison, but if she drank this, her cold wouldn't just fail to improve; it would worsen and recur, forcing her to stay in bed for at least a month. A thousand thoughts flashed through Shen Yuanyu’s mind.

In these three months, she had been observing quietly and finally understood her situation: although she was the mistress, she was surrounded by wolves, with not a single person of her own.

She pushed away Nanny Zhang’s arm. "I’m thirsty. Go pour me a cup of water."

A flash of impatience crossed Nanny Zhang’s eyes, but she had to put down the medicine bowl and pour a cup of tea in a blue-and-white porcelain cup to serve Shen Yuanyu.

After putting down the tea cup, she hurriedly picked up the medicine bowl again. "Third Miss, it’s time to drink your medicine. It will be even harder to swallow once it gets cold."

So eager to have her drink this tampered medicine? Shen Yuanyu sneered inwardly. She sniffed it while Nanny Zhang held it and cried out, "I won't drink it, it’s so bitter!"

Nanny Zhang was secretly anxious and tried to persuade her earnestly, "Good medicine is bitter but effective. If you don't drink it, how will you get better? In a few days, it will be the Old Matriarch’s eightieth birthday. Steward Yuan from the front brought word from the Eldest Master that you are to be brought back to the estate to pay your respects. If you perform well then, won't you be able to stay in the estate? You won't have to suffer in this countryside anymore. Don't you agree? But if you don't drink your medicine and don't recover, how can you return to the Shen estate smoothly?"

Shen Yuanyu’s heart stirred slightly; in an instant, she understood the intention of the person who had drugged the medicine. They didn't want her to return to the Shen estate!

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for—the chance to leave the manor. She absolutely could not let these people get their way! She lowered her eyelids slightly to hide the emotions in her eyes, appearing as if she had been swayed by Nanny Zhang. "Nanny is right!" she said. Nanny Zhang was secretly delighted; she was just a fourteen-year-old child, easily coaxed with a few words.

Shen Yuanyu said deliberately, "I’ve been so well taken care of by you these days! If Concubine Bai hadn't sent you here to manage the affairs of this manor, I really wouldn't know what to do!"

Nanny Zhang hurriedly said, "It’s not my merit! The Eldest Madam is bedridden and cannot manage affairs, and Concubine Bai respects and dotes on you and the Eighth Miss the most. She treats you and the Eighth Miss even better than her own daughter, the Seventh Miss!"

The Eighth Miss, Shen Yuanshu, was Shen Yuanyu’s biological sister, while the Seventh Miss, Shen Yuanbi, was the daughter of Concubine Bai!

Shen Yuanyu didn't say a word, but a trace of mockery flashed in her eyes.

"This autumn, I asked Luan Niang to make a small jar of honey-preserved plums. Go to the small kitchen and get some; I’ll have them with my medicine."

Nanny Zhang smiled. "Good, good!" As long as she was willing to drink the medicine, she would do anything. She stood up and went out to find the plums.

Only after Nanny Zhang left did Shen Yuanyu quickly get off the couch. She first dipped her finger into the medicine bowl and smeared some on the corners of her mouth, then looked around. Seeing a pot of Jianlan orchid used for decoration on the north side of the inner chamber, she walked over and poured the medicine into the flowerpot.

It was thanks to Nanny Zhang’s neglect of her that there wasn't even a maidservant in the room, making it so convenient for her to act.

After finishing, Shen Yuanyu put the bowl back in its place and lay back down on the couch. She felt a slight dizziness. This body was truly too weak! Fortunately, she had taken her own pulse and knew there was no serious illness, just physical frailty. The splitting headache she had earlier was simply because a soul from another time had inhabited this body and inherited the original memories, causing such discomfort.

Before long, Nanny Zhang returned with a small bowl of honey-preserved plums. Seeing the empty medicine bowl on the side table, a look of suspicion crossed her face.

Before she could speak, Shen Yuanyu said impatiently, "I asked you to get some plums, why were you so slow? In such cold weather, the medicine is almost cold! How do you expect me to swallow it now?" She acted extremely angry.

Nanny Zhang’s face turned sheepish. "It’s all my fault for being slow! It’s all my fault!" She looked at the empty bowl and asked cautiously, "Did you drink all the medicine?"

Shen Yuanyu said crossly, "Of course I drank it! If I waited for you to come back, who knows what time it would be!" After being scolded so righteously, Nanny Zhang’s suspicions vanished. Seeing the medicine stains on the Third Miss’s lips, she felt even more relieved.

A look of joy couldn't help but appear on her face.

Shen Yuanyu sneered inwardly. Not wanting to waste any more time with her, she waved her hand. "Go! Unless I call for you, no one is to come into this room! If the steward sent by my father arrives, you must come and tell me immediately!"

"Yes!" Nanny Zhang bowed and left. In her heart, however, she thought: Once you’ve drunk that medicine, don't even think about returning to Jiankang. The Old Matriarch is the most senior elder of the Shen family, how noble she is. When the time comes and you are sick and wretched, the Eldest Master is a filial son; no matter how much he misses you, he won't dare let you return. Isn't he afraid of passing the illness to the Old Matriarch?