Chapter 1: Zhuangzi's Morning Dream

The spring breeze in March was light and cool. The shallow grass had not yet been trampled by horse hooves. In a small courtyard exquisitely arranged with rockeries and greenery, a chubby little girl sat under a tree newly budding with green, lost in thought. Not far away, beneath the eaves of a brown wood relief, a beautiful woman dressed in simple, elegant clothes watched the pink-clad little girl on the swing under the tree, her eyes filled with worry. The little girl had her small hand propping up her forehead, her gaze vacant.

Beside the beautiful woman stood a young girl of about ten, dressed as a maid, who also looked on with a face full of concern. "Madam, did Miss hit her head when she fell into the water? Should we invite the doctor to take another look?"

Before the beautiful woman could respond, a middle-aged man stepped through the courtyard gate. A faint aura of slaughter was woven into his brows, and he possessed a commanding presence. He scooped up the pink-clad little girl from the swing, gave her a kiss, and said to the beautiful woman under the eaves, "Susu, I am back." This man, who appeared suddenly and carried the scent of blood from the battlefield, interrupted Murong Niechen's thoughts. Helplessly, her small hands wrapped around the man's neck as she gave a timid cry, "Daddy." This middle-aged man was the pink-clad girl's father, the beautiful woman's husband, the renowned Great General of the Great Zhou, and the current head of the Murong family, Murong Zhi.

It had been half a month since she was fished out of the pond, yet Niechen still seemed unable to snap out of it. Two sets of memories were tangled together in her mind: one was five years of memory in this ancient country called Great Zhou—though "five years" was an exaggeration, as no one can remember their infancy. The other was twenty-two years of modern memory fragments that surfaced from time to time: the heartbreak of love and the suffocating pain of being unable to breathe just before death.

The life-and-death struggle of their first encounter, the two years of intimate closeness—she had thought that even if they weren't meant to be soulmates, they were each other's "only one." In the end, when she was two months pregnant, she was driven to death in the freezing seawater by his former love and fiancée. In her midnight dreams, she felt nothing but cold, bitter seawater flooding her nose, her mouth, and her ears, the suffocation of the air in her lungs being gradually replaced by the sea. If this were truly a dream, it was a pain too heavy for an adult to bear, let alone a child. If this were reality—the stars shifting and the soul returning to a different time and space—to whom should she direct this overwhelming hatred?

"Susu, I'm sorry. I said I would protect you and your mother, I didn't expect that while I was away..." "It was just an accident. Ping'er is still young; it was just a bit of carelessness during play between children." The beautiful woman interrupted Murong Zhi's words, stepped forward to take Niechen from his arms, and continued with a smile, "Alright, alright, don't cling to your father. Your father just returned and hasn't even had time to wash and change yet." The little maid curled her lip, clearly disagreeing with her mistress, but tactfully went to find the washing maids.

Murong Zhi nodded and turned to walk into the house. Niechen pouted and whispered, "Murong Nieping clearly pushed me." The beautiful woman lightly patted Niechen's head. "Chen'er, Mother has her own ways of handling this. You are not allowed to tell your father." Niechen replied, "I know." She sighed inwardly, thinking to herself that whether this was a dream or a wandering soul crossing over, she was ultimately in this world. And in this world, she was surrounded by tigers and wolves. Her mother in this body was also quite strange; she would have to rely on herself for everything. Having died a wasted life once, was she really going to die a second time?

While the mother and daughter were lost in their own thoughts in the room, the sound of footsteps echoed at the entrance again. Judging by the sound, there were quite a few people. Before any figures were seen, a high-pitched female voice cried out, "Master, you're finally back! If you hadn't returned, our Ping... the Second Young Lady would have knelt herself to death in the ancestral hall! She is only eleven! Although the Eldest Sister is the Primary Wife and has the right to punish the Young Lady, I, as a concubine, cannot say anything, but... but the Second Young Lady is my own flesh and blood after all!" Accompanied by the wailing, a woman about thirty years old, dressed in colorful silks and with a face clearly heavily made up, stumbled into the main hall. Far behind her was a noblewoman of dignified and elegant bearing; who else could it be but the Primary Wife she spoke of?

"How interesting. Third Concubine's shouting is quite something; saying such venomous words right in front of the Grand Madam... this is a blatant accusation of the legal mother mistreating a concubine's daughter. Is this 'legal mother' actually referring to the Grand Madam, or is she implying that this body's mother, the Fifth Madam?" Niechen couldn't help but wonder secretly.

"Master, Master?" Not seeing Murong Zhi, Third Concubine grabbed Niechen's mother and continued to cry incessantly. "Fifth Madam, the Second Young Lady... she really didn't do it on purpose! Isn't the Fifth Young Lady fine now? Madam, I beg you to speak to the Master and plead for the Second Young Lady's release."

Before Niechen's mother could speak, the Grand Madam stepped gracefully into the hall. Her voice carried three parts elegance and five parts dignity: "What kind of decorum is this, all this wailing and crying? The Master has only just returned to the manor, and you act like this—are you suggesting I have mistreated Ping'er?"

Third Concubine showed a look of panic. "Grand Madam, I misspoke! I wouldn't dare! I only..." She turned and grabbed Niechen's mother's sleeve again. "Fifth Madam, please, please plead for the Second Young Lady. You have the heart of a Bodhisattva."

Seeing this display, Niechen's mother knew that these two were putting on a performance right in front of her. They had harmed her daughter and now wanted her to plead for mercy just to smooth things over and maintain a facade of peace. Did they truly think she, Su Ying, was easy to deal with? She immediately put on an anxious expression. "Eldest Sister, Third Sister, please don't be like this. Chen'er was frightened a few days ago and is very timid. The Master is back and is currently changing in the inner room; in the end, everything will be decided by the Master. No one good will be wronged." *And no one bad will be let off.* With one sentence, she blocked the exit for the two performers. If the Master decided, then it would have nothing to do with her, Su Ying, or the Grand Madam.

Seeing her mother speak this way, Niechen cooperated by letting out a couple of whimpers and burying her head in Su Ying's neck, acting the part of a frightened child. Internally, however, she was contemplating this mother. It seemed she was truly not simple. In front of her father, she was an elegant, generous, and peace-loving "flower of understanding"; in front of his wives and concubines, she was weak and kind, yet her words were watertight, ensuring she was never bullied.

Speaking of Niechen's mother, Su Ying, her background was unknown, but her origins were extraordinary. Six years ago, Murong Zhi had been honored for his service on the borders and returned to his hometown with the glory of being awarded the rank of First-Class Grand General. He brought back an imperial decree, and he also brought back a woman. The decree stated that Murong Zhi had managed his troops well and kept the borders peaceful, earning the favor of the one upon the throne; he was granted an official rank and the command of four hundred thousand troops.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains the Way, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Murong Zhi's elderly mother and his wife were both granted the title of First-Class Lady. The key point was that the decree also bestowed upon Murong Zhi a "Equal Wife" (Pingqi), who was also a First-Class titled lady. This woman was Su Ying, Niechen's mother. Since Murong Zhi already had a primary wife and three concubines, Su Ying became his Fifth Madam.

Murong Zhi doted on this Fifth Madam immensely—or rather, this Fifth Madam and Murong Zhi were deeply in love and treated each other with utmost respect. Within a year, Su Ying gave birth to a daughter, named Murong Niechen. However, for six years, no one in the General's Manor knew where Su Ying came from or who her family was. Perhaps Murong Zhi applied the principle of "loving the house along with the bird," as he doted on his youngest daughter, Murong Niechen.

In an era where men were held above women, women often had only a surname and no given name. Noble families might give their daughters names according to the genealogy, but that was about it. The character "Chen" (Dust/Mortal World) in Murong Niechen's name was chosen by her mother, Su Ying, in the hope that her daughter would find joy in the mortal world and live a carefree, happy life. Murong Zhi gave Niechen the courtesy name "Jin Yue" (Current Joy). From the moment Niechen could speak, she and Su Ying meticulously taught her poetry, classics, and music—a level of care that was unparalleled even on the Central Plains.

The Grand Madam sat in her grand armchair, her voice carrying three parts reproach. "Fifth Sister is right. Third Concubine, please stop this; the Master will handle everything." After speaking, she gave Third Concubine a meaningful look that made Niechen's heart drum with unease. What schemes were these two plotting now?

At that moment, Murong Zhi stepped out from the inner room. He wore a dark blue-black long robe and a matching silk headcloth, which reduced his battlefield ferocity by three parts and added seven parts of scholarly elegance. The Grand Madam stood up, smoothed her skirts, and bowed slightly to Murong Zhi, calling out "Master" with soft eyes and lowered brows.

Seeing Murong Zhi emerge, Third Concubine immediately went through the motions of wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and cried out in grief, "Master, the Second Young Lady..." "Enough," Murong Zhi interrupted before she could even begin. "Susu has already told me about this. Since it was just children playing, Xiuzhen, you did indeed punish her a bit too harshly." Murong Zhi turned to the Grand Madam and said softly, "Xiuzhen, I am away from home for most of the year, and Susu does not manage the affairs. You have to manage the household and raise the children alone; you have worked hard."

The Grand Madam's heart skipped a beat. Ever since Murong Zhi had brought Su Ying back, when had he ever spoken to her with such gentle tones? Today was truly abnormal.

Seeing this situation, Third Concubine couldn't help but speculate secretly: *Could it be that the Master has changed his mind? Then the matters the Madam arranged...* Murong Zhi ignored his three wives, who all had varying expressions, and continued to speak tenderly to the Grand Madam. "Hui'er is twelve now, isn't she? Her temperament is a bit too cold; you should pay more attention to her. As for Ping'er and Qian'er, let them stay with Lvfu. You look after them; surely nothing will happen."

Third Concubine was overjoyed, but the Grand Madam was shocked. Lvfu was originally her own maid. To win Murong Zhi's heart and deal with the Second Concubine, she had taken advantage of Murong Zhi's drunkenness to let Lvfu climb into his bed, making her a favored maid. Lvfu was also a lucky woman; after only a few times, she became pregnant, and the Grand Madam had taken the initiative to elevate Lvfu to the status of a concubine. Once she became Third Concubine, Lvfu's mind became active, and combined with a bit of cleverness, she became even harder for the Grand Madam to control. Out of desperation, the Grand Madam had used her status as the legal mother to take both of Lvfu's daughters to raise them herself. Lvfu, fearing to offend her, had been quite dedicated to the two concubine-born daughters. The former master and servant, now the primary and secondary branches of the family, had lived quite harmoniously. Now, Murong Zhi wanted to return the daughters to Lvfu—wasn't he undermining her?