Chapter 1: A Disastrous Start

"Breaking off the engagement at such a critical juncture is indeed a breach of etiquette, but this is purely a last resort. I hope the Old Madam will forgive us."

"It is said that the Old Madam of the Duke’s Mansion is a woman of great principle and reason. Surely you understand the difficulties our Marquis of Lin'an’s Mansion is facing."

"Your sixth young lady is still young, so there is no rush to discuss marriage. On the other hand, our third young master has already reached the age of twenty; we truly cannot afford to delay any longer."

"Once you leave, it’s not as if you’ll be able to return in three or five years... wouldn't you agree, Old Madam?"

Xin Nian felt dizzy, the world spinning around her. A disjointed, noisy chatter echoed in her ears, a cacophony that made her head ache.

She snapped her eyes open, her gaze flickering for a second before she instinctively reached for the M3-latest edition solar laser energy gun holstered at her waist.

Her hand met empty air, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

The space before her was dim and cramped, the air thick with the stench of rot and mold.

Xin Nian narrowed her eyes, trying to struggle into a sitting position, but her body refused to obey. She fell backward, landing right back where she started.

Her brain felt like a malfunctioning machine, forced to receive memories that didn't belong to her. Beyond the swelling ache and numbness, there was a sharp, needle-like pain.

Xin Nian was stunned.

She, a peak ninth-rank dual-ability user who had survived fourteen years in the apocalypse, had actually transmigrated into the body of the sixth young lady of the Duke Xin Mansion, who was about to be exiled?

Right, she remembered that at the time, her entire team had concentrated their fire on the two-headed zombie king, and after a flash of intense light...

Uh, so she died in battle and transmigrated?

Xin Nian’s heart tightened.

What about her parents and brothers? Did they transmigrate with her?

Before she could sort through her thoughts, she heard someone say softly, "Sixth Sister, don't be sad. Grandmother will make the decisions for you."

Xin Nian couldn't care less about being sad; she was only anxious about where her parents and brothers were. Everything else was irrelevant.

Helped into a sitting position, Xin Nian still felt terribly dizzy.

However, once her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw clearly that the entire Duke Xin Mansion family was being held in a prison.

A rough glance revealed at least twenty people in the cell—men, women, old, and young—all sitting listlessly on the ground.

She squinted at the young woman helping her, who looked to be eighteen or nineteen. Despite her haggard face, even the white prison garb couldn't hide her refined and elegant appearance.

This was... the original owner’s third sister, Xin Ruoyu?

Xin Nian’s eyes darted around, forcibly sorting through the information flooding her brain, barely managing to connect with the person in front of her.

Outside the wooden bars stood three plump matrons. The one leading them, the one chattering away most vigorously and causing her headache, was still blathering on.

"My mistress originally wanted to come in person, but the weather has been sweltering lately, and her old ailment of pharyngitis has flared up again."

"So, this old servant dared to take on this errand. I hope the Old Madam will grant us this favor."

"What favor is there to grant? You speak too heavily, Nanny. This marriage was originally requested by your Old Master and settled with our Old Duke. Now that both are gone, it is only reasonable for the Marchioness of Lin'an to have a change of heart."

The one speaking with sarcasm was the Old Madam of the Duke Xin Mansion, Lady Yu. Even in her filthy prison uniform, her back remained straight as a rod.

Nanny Chun from the Marquis of Lin'an’s Mansion stiffened, stammering, "That’s not how it is. You know that once your mansion leaves the capital this time, it will be hard to return for three or five years. Since the two families are destined to have no connection, it would be better for each to find a new match. Don't you agree, Old Madam?"

"Hmph." Old Madam Yu sneered. "Indeed, my Xin family is of humble standing and dare not hinder the bright future of your young master. Sixth Girl, return the engagement token to them."

Xin Nian couldn't process the "Sixth Girl" information yet, and it wasn't until her third sister, Xin Ruoyu, pinched her gently that she snapped back to reality.

Sixth Girl? Oh, Sixth Girl was calling her. In this body, she was the sixth among the Xin sisters, named Xin Nian, the legitimate daughter of the fourth branch.

But she had absolutely no memory of any engagement token.

Xin Nian searched her muddled brain but found no key information.

She looked up, gazing at the old woman outside the wooden bars with a pure and innocent expression.

Nanny Chun met those misty, confused eyes.

She paused. Was she playing dumb to avoid returning it? The other matrons turned their disdainful and condemning gazes toward Old Madam Yu.

Things had reached this point; it would be truly pathetic to keep clinging to the engagement token.

Old Madam Yu felt helpless. She knew that Sixth Girl had been spoiled rotten by her flighty mother; she was indecisive, prone to lingering attachments, and a natural crybaby. She feared that if they kept talking, the girl would flood the prison with her tears.

Usually, she would indulge her, but in the current situation, she couldn't afford to let her be willful.

The Old Madam hardened her heart and said coldly, "Sixth Girl, give it back to them. You can no longer afford to climb this social ladder; don't hinder Young Master Lu's future."

Xin Nian, looking completely innocent, simply swayed as she stood up, hopped twice, tilted her head, and spread her hands. "What do I have? May I ask you, what could I possibly have on me right now??"

Everyone was stunned.

That was true—the entire mansion had been confiscated!

Before the whole family changed into prison clothes, they had long since stripped off all their accessories. Now, one couldn't find a single copper coin on any of them!

Token or no token, the entire Duke’s Mansion had been cleaned out by the bailiffs.

Lady Yu realized she had been blinded by anger. She turned to the three nannies outside the bars. "You have all seen it for yourselves. Please go back and tell the Marchioness that since the engagement token has already been turned over to the national treasury, the marriage between our two families is hereby annulled."

Nanny Chun smiled until her eyes disappeared. "With the Old Madam's word, we can rest easy."

"Although we cannot be in-laws, there is still some sentiment between our families. My mistress specifically ordered me to prepare some daily necessities that your mansion might find useful on the road." Nanny Chun gave a look, and another nanny shoved a bundle through the bars.

"No need." A middle-aged man in the front row sneered, "Though my Xin Mansion has fallen, we at least..."

Before he could finish, a pair of small, fair hands reached out from inside the bars and happily took the two bundles the old woman handed over.

Everyone in the Xin Mansion was dumbfounded.

"Thanks." Everyone watched as the Sixth Girl, looking innocent and cute, waved at the woman after taking the bundles.

The Xin family:...

This girl used to be a weak, fragile crybaby. Now it seemed like a string in her brain had snapped. Had she been so traumatized that she’d gone stupid?

They were slapping her in the face by offering small favors after breaking off the engagement—what was she so happy about?

Nanny Chun also left the prison looking bewildered.

The accompanying nanny asked, "Is that Sixth Young Lady not right in the head?"

"She’s plenty smart," Nanny Chun said, her words laden with meaning.

What was the point of arguing? Getting something tangible was what mattered.

Knowing when to bend and when to stretch—she was a character. She had underestimated this Sixth Young Lady before.

"Nanny, we’ve offended the Duke’s Mansion quite badly today. If they ever make a comeback..."

Nanny Chun shook her head. "I’m afraid they won't have that chance."

"Then, as for the young master, we can't just keep him locked up and let him starve himself..."

"Sigh." Nanny Chun sighed, and the group gradually walked away.