Last night, the rain pattered against the mandarin duck tiles, whisking away the final trace of summer’s lingering heat.
Once the rain ceased and dawn broke, the sky was clear and bright, and all things appeared fresh and beautiful.
Yan Tongshu stepped onto the damp green bricks and entered Xianlin Hall. She opened the window of the book restoration room and took a deep breath. The cool air, infused with the fragrance of greenery, seeped into her lungs.
She looked up at the Chinese tallow tree outside the window. Not long ago, it had been lush and green, but now it showed a faint “red head,” as if announcing that autumn had arrived.
Yan Tongshu turned back to her desk, took off her crossbody bag, and pulled out the buns, nuts, and milk tea inside.
She had brewed the milk tea herself before leaving home. After the carriage ride to Xianlin Hall to restore books, the temperature of the tea was just right.
Enjoying the beautiful scenery outside the window and the cool early autumn breeze, Yan Tongshu took a bite of a bun followed by a sip of milk tea.
When she finished, Yan Tongshu patted her stomach and let out a satisfied burp. After cleaning up the trash, she grabbed a pillow and lay down on the long lounging daybed beside the restoration room. She pulled out a picture book to pass the time while snacking on nuts.
When her eyes grew tired, Yan Tongshu set the picture book aside, pulled a thin quilt over herself, turned over, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.
When she had slept long enough, the bell rang.
Yan Tongshu sat up from the bed and let out a lazy yawn.
The drowsiness brought tears to her eyes, making her vision hazy.
Still not fully awake, Yan Tongshu’s mind felt shrouded in a layer of fog.
The bell rang?
Is class over?
Yan Tongshu looked at the ancient architectural surroundings and then down at the red official robes she was wearing. She snapped awake.
Oh, she had forgotten. She had traveled to this ancient dynasty called Wu and had been living as this cross-dressing fourteen-year-old top scholar for eight years now.
In those eight years of being an official, she had grown from fourteen to twenty-two. She had also risen from a mere fifth-rank book restorer in Xianlin Hall to the Deputy Third Rank simply by putting in the years.
Yan Tongshu stretched her limbs.
Wonderful. Another morning successfully wasted.
“Official Yan.”
The voice of a bailiff came from the door. “Official Yan, your maid has brought your lunch.”
Yan Tongshu yawned again. “Let her in.”
A moment later, Zhenzhu entered carrying a food box. “Young Master, the kitchen made your favorites today: sweet and sour pork, Eight-Treasure Duck, and stir-fried lotus root slices.”
Yan Tongshu swept the brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and the books needing restoration onto the daybed to make room for eating.
Zhenzhu took the dishes out one by one, handed the utensils to Yan Tongshu, and then took a set for herself to join her.
Yan Tongshu picked up a piece of the sticky rice from the duck’s belly. This rice was stuffed with ham, dried scallops, and diced chicken; after being thoroughly steamed, the sauce and the flavor of the duck meat had seeped into it, giving it a unique taste.
Holding a duck leg, Zhenzhu said, “By the way, Young Master.”
Yan Tongshu looked up. “Hmm? What is it?”
Zhenzhu said, “Madam said she happened to run into Madam Zhou today. The two of them calculated the time—the late Emperor has been gone and the new Emperor has been on the throne for over two months now. The period of mourning and avoidance is almost over. Since they met, they figured there’s no time like the present. They want the two families to get together tomorrow to discuss the marriage between Second Miss and Young Master Zhou.
Madam said that since you are the head of the household, if there isn’t anything important at Xianlin Hall tomorrow, you should take the day off and stay at the manor.”
Yan Tongshu swallowed the duck meat and reached for the thermos under the table, wanting to make tea.
When she gripped the thermos, she gave it a shake.
Oh, it was empty.
She had been “lying flat” since she started work today and hadn’t bothered to get hot water at all.
Yan Tongshu stood up with the thermos. “Zhenzhu, keep eating. I’ll go next door to borrow some water from Official Jiang.”
Zhenzhu said, “Young Master, let me go.”
Zhenzhu snatched the thermos from Yan Tongshu’s hand and ran off to the neighboring room to borrow water.
Yan Tongshu had been a book restorer at Xianlin Hall for eight years, and Zhenzhu had been delivering lunch for eight years; she was well-acquainted with the officials here.
To most officials, Xianlin Hall was not a desirable post; it was merely a place for restoring books.
Just restoring books. The late Emperor hadn’t valued it, the court didn’t care about it, and its funding was meager. There was no extra profit to be made, and certainly no power to be had.
The officials assigned to Xianlin Hall usually started out indignant, networking and pleading everywhere in hopes of escaping this “Cold Palace” to return to a real political career.
Naturally, those with connections and avenues left.
Those left behind without connections had to stay. As time passed, their indignant hearts gradually turned to stone.
Official Jiang, Yan Tongshu’s neighbor, was one of those without connections.
Official Jiang was two ranks lower than Yan Tongshu. When he first arrived, he was an angry youth who would curse the court for at least an hour every day. Yan Tongshu had admired his boundless energy back then.
Now, as time dragged on, Official Jiang had become listless, drifting about all day like a vengeful spirit whose essence had been drained.
Sure enough, when Zhenzhu knocked on Official Jiang’s door, he opened it with a face full of despair. Hearing Zhenzhu’s request, he floated back into the room and then floated back out like a corporate slave drained by ten years of labor, pouring his water into Zhenzhu’s thermos.
As the cold wind blew, Zhenzhu was hit full-force by the aura of resentment emanating from Official Jiang.
My goodness.
Zhenzhu ran back clutching the thermos and patted her chest. “Young Master, I haven’t seen Official Jiang for half a month, but his resentment seems even heavier now.”
Yan Tongshu shrugged. “How should I know?”
Zhenzhu picked out the tea leaves. “Young Master, it’s been five years. Why can’t Official Jiang just let it go? I think working at Xianlin Hall is great. Little work, good pay, and freedom. What’s not to like? I’m practically envious.”
Yan Tongshu nodded vigorously in deep agreement.
Never mind that others saw Xianlin Hall as a “Cold Palace”; in her eyes, it was paradise!
An eight-hour workday.
A private office.
No supervision, no performance reviews, no unreasonable regulations, no clocking in or out, no business trips, and no complaints.
Every day, all she had to do was leave the house, sit down, brew a pot of tea, prepare a plate of snacks, and read some picture books. When she was bored, she’d restore a couple of pages. If she didn’t feel like it, she could just say she wasn’t satisfied with today’s work, tear it up, and redo it tomorrow.
Since no one cared and there were no KPIs, it was pure bliss.
Her salary arrived on time every month without a penny missing, and she received automatic promotions and raises based on seniority.
This was simply the dream company for every working professional!
Recalling her life before transmigrating, working twenty-four-hour shifts at the hospital like a beast of burden, and then looking at her current happiness, Yan Tongshu nearly shed a tear.
Back then, to escape that soul-sucking job, she had heard that being a forensic pathologist was slightly more relaxed than the hospital. She even stayed up after work to study for the forensic exams. Then, because she was working and studying simultaneously, she died from overwork.
Heaven must have heard the painful cries of her soul, granting her such a perfect “lying flat” life.
Oh God! This humble believer is willing to eat a balanced diet of meat and vegetables for the rest of her life in exchange for staying in Xianlin Hall forever!
Yan Tongshu prayed fervently in her heart.
After finishing the meal, Zhenzhu packed the dishes back into the food box. “Young Master, don’t forget to ask for leave.”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
There was never anything to do at Xianlin Hall, and certainly never anything urgent. Taking leave was just a matter of handing in a slip of paper.
After seeing Zhenzhu off, Yan Tongshu lay back on the daybed, crossed her legs, and began cracking melon seeds.
She knew how to read between the lines.
Madam Yan’s emphasis on “happening to run into” Madam Zhou was anything but accidental.
Years ago, Official Yan was critically ill and at death’s door. The doctor said he wouldn’t last the night. It just so happened that the original body’s mother, Madam Yan, was in labor. To let Official Yan die in peace, Madam Yan lied and told him she had given birth to a son.
Unexpectedly, Official Yan, who had been brooding over having no male heir, was so overjoyed to hear he had a son that he pulled through and survived for eight more years.
The late Emperor heard that Official Yan had survived his illness due to the “joy of gaining a son” and, to show concern for his official, sent someone to offer greetings and gifts.
Thus, the original host was forced to continue the cross-dressing charade by sheer circumstance.
Later, Official Yan and his concubine Chen Meirong had a younger sister, Yan Liangyu. Official Yan passed away when Yan Liangyu was two years old.
At that time, Official Yan was a high-ranking official of the third rank.
The Zhou family was only of the fifth rank.
The original host was only eight years old.
No one had expected that Official Yan, who had survived one crisis, would suddenly fall ill and pass away eight years later.
With Official Yan gone, the Yan family was left with only Madam Yan, the original host, the elder sister Yan Liangrong, and the two-year-old sister Yan Liangyu.
A family of widows and orphans.
Only Official Yan had served in the court, and the family’s foundations weren’t deep. From then on, the Zhou family gradually reduced their contact with the Yans.
Later, the original host became the top scholar at the age of fourteen, gaining fame throughout the capital. Seeing her seemingly limitless future, the Zhou family suddenly became warm toward the Yan family again and brought up the marriage contract that had been casually mentioned years ago.
Madam Yan disliked the Zhou family’s opportunism and used the excuse that the children were too young to set the matter aside.
After that, Yan Tongshu transmigrated into the body.
At that time, the original host had already offended many people in court due to her upright nature and blunt criticisms. Seeing that the court was full of wolves and tigers eyeing the Yan family, Yan Tongshu realized she had the “crime of deceiving the Emperor” hanging over her head. Knowing she couldn’t beat those old foxes who had been immersed in politics for decades, she came up with a plan.
Taking advantage of the late Emperor’s aging and his growing obsession with the reputation of being a virtuous ruler, she sought out trivial, insignificant matters. Every day, at a set time, she would impeach members of the imperial family, civil officials, and military generals.
She gambled on the fact that the late Emperor didn’t want to be known as a tyrant who drove his ministers to death. Following the original host’s previous career path, she established a persona of being upright—extremely upright, incredibly upright. She would frequently offer to bash her head against a pillar, demanding the Emperor severely punish the entire court.
Before long, the late Emperor grew tired of Yan Tongshu. He found an excuse to exile her to Xianlin Hall.
Yan Tongshu was more than happy to lie flat.
As long as she stayed quietly in Xianlin Hall until retirement and let everyone forget her existence, no one would expose her identity as a woman. The Yan family and she would be safe.
However, since the “son” of the Yan family had been sent to the “Cold Palace,” the family’s future seemed bleak, and the Zhou family turned cold toward them once more.
A few years later, Official Zhou was promoted to a fourth-rank official.
Neither the Zhou nor the Yan family brought up the old marriage contract, and both sides assumed the matter had faded away.
To their surprise, Zhou Zhengxun and Yan Liangyu had somehow developed feelings for each other. At that time, Zhou Zhengxun was fourteen and Yan Liangyu was only thirteen.
Yan Tongshu tossed the melon seed shells into the trash and picked up a plate of peanuts.
Only thirteen.
In modern terms, that’s just a middle schooler.
Proper puppy love.
A middle schooler is at their most stubborn age. No matter how much the Zhou family objected, Zhou Zhengxun was determined to be with Yan Liangyu, and the two even planned to elope.
Left with no choice and fearing the scandal of an elopement, both families relented and formally settled the marriage contract.
Though the contract was set, the Zhou family proposed that the children were too young and should wait a few more years.
Yan Tongshu couldn’t have agreed more.
Only middle schoolers.
The idea of two thirteen- or fourteen-year-old children getting married was a massive shock to her values.
It wasn’t right. It really wasn’t right.
When Yan Liangyu turned fifteen, they discussed the wedding date, but Madam Zhou fell ill, and the matter was postponed.
At sixteen, they tried to set a date again, but Madam Zhou’s illness relapsed, and it was postponed once more.
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New story teaser, please add to your collection! Please, I’m begging!!
《The Crown Princess Didn’t Treat Me Like a Disabled Person》
(Sunshine Food Blogger x Gloomy Disabled Crown Prince)
When the original host died, Yao Yuejin happened to transmigrate into her body. Guided by the faint remnants of the original soul, Yao Yuejin inherited some blurry memories.
The memories told her she was the only daughter of the Yao family, twenty-two years old, and already married. She had a husband with paralyzed legs, Pei Fengzhi, and a mischievous six-year-old son, Pei An.
Her parents had both passed away, leaving behind a small restaurant. Unfortunately, the location was remote and business was poor.
Furthermore, her husband’s paralysis had left him disheartened. He stayed behind closed doors all day, earning nothing while spending money.
The family’s life was extremely tight and impoverished.
How could this be allowed?
Just because he was disabled and handsome, did he expect someone to support him while serving him like a lord?
Yao Yuejin wasn’t going to be that sucker.
So, while managing the restaurant, Yao Yuejin confiscated all of Pei Fengzhi’s private savings and began working him like a beast of burden.
Since her husband was disabled, Yao Yuejin would take him along to collect debts by playing the “pity card.”
Using the wheelchair to move goods was efficient and saved labor. As for her husband being stuck without his chair—well, he could just sit by the stove and watch the fire! So what if it was summer? Does business stop just because it’s hot?
Doesn’t want to go out? No problem. Her husband was handsome; he’d make a fine greeter at the door.
Previously, Pei Fengzhi had hidden in his room, his will crushed like a broken-winged crane waiting for death. Later, in order to seek revenge and kill Yao Yuejin, Pei Fengzhi exercised diligently every day. His arm muscles grew by leaps and bounds as he desperately tried to spin his wheelchair fast enough to generate sparks while chasing after her.
The two were filled with deep hatred for each other, like fire and water. Except for the “Love-Thread” poison that required them to “make hate” every seven nights, they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.
But this was actually just Pei Fengzhi’s one-sided perspective. In reality, Yao Yuejin never took his little grudges to heart.
After all, Yao Yuejin’s restaurant was now famous in Jinling with tables booked months in advance. Pei Fengzhi was entirely supported by her.
Until one day, Yao Yuejin accidentally learned the truth.
First: Pei Fengzhi wasn’t some destitute cripple; he was the Crown Prince who had been missing for six months.
Second: She and Pei Fengzhi weren’t actually a married couple. she had been paid by Pei Fengzhi to act as his wife and provide cover. Even their son had no relation to either of them.
Third: The Crown Prince had recovered and had sent troops to arrest a certain woman who had treated him like a slave, day and night.
Yao Yuejin: “…”
…
In the Crown Prince’s manor, Yao Yuejin was locked inside a massive golden birdcage.
Pei Fengzhi held a dagger, dragging it across the golden bars. The metallic screech sounded like a summons from the King of Hell.
However, Yao Yuejin wasn’t scared at all. She ate, drank, and slept as usual.
After all, as long as the “Love-Thread” poison wasn’t cured, they had to share a bed every seven days, or they would both drop dead.
Pei Fengzhi gave a light scoff. “You really aren’t afraid of death.”
Yao Yuejin held out a fragrant skewer of roasted lamb. “Husband, want a bite?”
Pei Fengzhi: “Heh.”
Pei Fengzhi took the skewer.
…
Before capturing Yao Yuejin, Pei Fengzhi had always wanted to kill her.
Of course, he still wanted to after catching her.
It was just that a small accident had occurred, making it impossible for him to do so.
That day, the commander of the Imperial Guard handed him a pill. “Your Highness, this is the world’s only antidote for the Love-Thread poison.”
“Is that so?”
Pei Fengzhi toyed with the pill in his hand.
Plop.
The pill fell into the lotus pond.
Pei Fengzhi smiled. “What should I do? This lonely one accidentally lost it.”