The bright red “double happiness” character[1]The Chinese character combines two copies of, meaning happiness, and is traditionally displayed at weddings to symbolize marital joy. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, the swaying red candles, the brocade quilt embroidered with a hundred children[2]The “hundred children” motif expresses a traditional wish for fertility, many descendants, and family prosperity; the number is symbolic. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, the sea of red everywhere—all spoke of the joy and bliss of the day.
Yet after the bride briefly fainted, the atmosphere in the bridal chamber changed.
Just as the maid Xiangxing was about to call for help, the bride suddenly opened her eyes. She sat up and stared blankly at everything around her.
Xiangxing jumped, thinking the shock had been too much for her. Seeing her awake, she immediately choked back a sob. “Miss, if you’re heartbroken, then don’t marry him! We’ll go back to the Marquis’s residence right now and tell the Marquis about Du Yuanran’s misdeeds. He’ll stand up for you! You mustn’t do anything rash over a man as fickle as him!”
Jing Di didn’t move. She only stared at Xiangxing blankly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to answer; she simply had no idea how to react.
She had just received her father’s company shares. Her brother and sister-in-law, unwilling to let her father hand the company over to her to manage, had gone to make a scene at the office. Her useless brother had been incited by his wife to attack her outright. She’d taken a slap—and somehow, that slap had sent her through time!
She wanted to comfort herself that this was all a dream, but the original owner’s memories[3]In Chinese transmigration fiction, a character may enter another person’s body and gain access to that person’s memories. This is a fictional genre convention, not a historical belief or practice. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); surged into her mind like a tide, forcing her to face the situation before her.
This place was called the Great Shu Kingdom. The body she now inhabited had the same name as her own: Jing Di. Her father, Jing Liangyu, was the Marquis of Anqi[4]“Marquis” translates hou, a title of nobility in imperial Chinese systems. Its precise privileges in this fictional Great Shu Kingdom are not established. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and the elder brother of the current empress. Though the original Jing Di was the sixth child in her family, she was the youngest legitimate daughter[5]In traditional elite Chinese households, a “legitimate” child was born to the principal wife rather than a concubine; this distinction could affect family status and marriage arrangements. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of the Marquis of Anqi’s household. In other words, she now had a remarkable status.
Today was the wedding day of the original Jing Di and her childhood sweetheart, Du Yuanran. A marriage between childhood sweethearts that ended happily should have been a cause for celebration. But after the original Jing Di’s bridal sedan[6]A bridal sedan chair was a decorated, porter-carried conveyance used in traditional Chinese wedding processions. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); entered his residence and she had just finished bowing in the wedding ceremony with the groom, she heard that a small sedan had been carried in through a side gate. As it turned out, the groom wasn’t just taking a wife today—he was also making Tang Yingying, the concubine-born daughter of a Hanlin Academy lecturer[7]The Hanlin Academy was an elite imperial scholarly institution whose officials served the court in literary and educational roles. Here, “lecturer” denotes an official teaching position, though … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, his concubine[8]In traditional Chinese households, a concubine was a socially recognized secondary partner whose standing was below that of the principal wife. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); on the very same day!
And Tang Yingying was already three months pregnant!
Set aside the original Jing Di’s status. Just considering her relationship with the groom, Du Yuanran owed his current standing entirely to her.
Du Yuanran had been born into a poor family. He had grown up without a father, relying on his mother, Madam Li, to get by. Their only means of support was Madam Li’s embroidery work for a workshop.
When the original Jing Di was seven, she went with her mother to the embroidery workshop. While her mother and the maids weren’t paying attention, she slipped out to play. On the street, she encountered a beggar who, seeing her fine, luxurious clothes, grew greedy and tried to rob her of her valuable accessories.
Just as she was overcome with fear, Du Yuanran appeared. Though the twelve-year-old was thin as a rail, he bravely shouted at the beggar until he retreated. That was how their bond began.
Perhaps out of gratitude, or perhaps because she admired the little boy’s courage, the original Jing Di treated Du Yuanran warmly from then on. She not only had him practice martial arts and study alongside her, but also used her connections to get him into the military for training. After he came of age, she even recommended him for a post serving the emperor, giving him all sorts of opportunities to prove himself and earn merit.
Du Yuanran hadn’t let her down. Starting as a lowly imperial guard, he gradually made a name for himself. After risking his life to protect the emperor, the emperor made an exception and appointed him a general. In this capital, where imperial power reigned supreme, he had become someone of note…
Du Yuanran had also sworn solemn vows to the original Jing Di, promising to devote himself to her for the rest of his life and never betray her.
And what had happened? The original Jing Di had never dreamed that this man, so steadfast in his promises, could be so fickle—swearing eternal devotion to her while carrying on with another woman!
Even setting aside how the original Jing Di must have taken the blow, Jing Di herself was furious. The more she thought about it, the darker her expression grew.
A scoundrel who forgot the one who’d helped him once he’d got what he wanted—what right did he have to be her man? She certainly wasn’t going to acknowledge this marriage!
But she had to keep calm in her current situation. This wasn’t the twenty-first century; she couldn’t simply refuse to recognize a marriage because she felt like it. With parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words[9]This echoes a traditional Chinese expression emphasizing parental approval and matchmaking as the basis for arranging a marriage. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); binding the match, getting out of this marriage would take careful planning and some real effort…
Watching the maid sob, Jing Di narrowed her lovely eyes. “Xiangxing, I have a plan to get out of here, but I’ll need your help. Are you willing?”
“Miss, how can you even ask?” Xiangxing replied at once. “My life belongs to you. If you need my help, I’ll give it. If you told me to risk my life and kill that faithless bastard Du Yuanran right now, I’d do it!”
Her reddened eyes were full of hatred for Du Yuanran. Jing Di didn’t need to ask to know that his taking a wife and a concubine on the same day had hurt not only the original Jing Di, but had enraged those around her as well.
With such a loyal maid, Jing Di no longer hesitated. She stood and began to undress.
“Miss, what are you doing?” Xiangxing asked, baffled by her actions.
“We’ll switch clothes. Then call Nanny Fu[10]“Nanny” here is a respectful household designation for a senior female attendant or nursemaid; it need not imply that she currently looks after children. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and Nanny Liu in. I’ll give them some instructions and have them help me leave the bridal chamber. You stay here in the wedding dress. If Du Yuanran finds you, insist that they brought in the wrong bride. Once I get home and tell Father everything, I’ll bring people back to fetch all of you and take you to the Marquis’s residence!”
…
The Fuyuan General’s residence[11]“Fuyuan” forms part of a Chinese-style military title meaning “Pacifying Distant Regions,” not the general’s personal name. Its exact rank and responsibilities in this fictional setting are … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was packed with guests today, and the banquet was just getting underway. Almost everyone was in the main courtyard. Even if someone happened to be on a garden path, it would only be a servant hurrying about.
The original Jing Di knew the grounds well. Relying on her memories, Jing Di easily avoided the busy paths after leaving the bridal chamber. Before long, she reached the rear courtyard where the horses were kept and the sedan chairs parked.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. Without a second thought, she ducked into a carriage.
She planned to hide until the person had gone, then find a low wall and leap over it. What she hadn’t expected was that someone was already inside the carriage.
Their eyes met.
Jing Di froze. The man in the carriage seemed startled too. Surprise flashed in his captivating peach-blossom eyes[12]“Peach-blossom eyes” is a Chinese literary description of attractive, expressive eyes, often suggesting flirtatious charm. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and his body, which had been leaning against the carriage wall, instinctively stiffened and straightened.
Jing Di quickly searched the original owner’s memories and identified him: Prince Yu, Xia Yanli.
Prince Yu was no ordinary man. His late father had been the Grand Preceptor[13]Grand Preceptor, or taishi, was a prestigious senior court title in imperial Chinese history; its functions varied by period. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of Great Shu and the current crown prince’s teacher. Xia Yanli himself was not only of illustrious birth but also gifted in both letters and arms. The emperor valued him so highly that he granted him a princely title, making him the only prince in Great Shu who did not share the imperial family’s surname.
Because of his father, Xia Yanli had grown up alongside the crown prince—her cousin, Sikong Hengyi—and they were very close. Xia Yanli also had longstanding ties with the Marquis of Anqi’s household, so the original Jing Di knew him well.
Still, Xia Yanli was known for his rakish, arrogant ways and his notorious reputation as a womanizer. The original Jing Di hadn’t thought much of him.
“Sixth Miss, what brings you here?” The man came back to himself and gave her an appraising look, the corner of his eye lifting. His magnetic voice held an amused lilt; her outfit and sudden appearance had clearly left him both curious and confused.
Jing Di awkwardly smoothed her bangs, trying to hide her embarrassment. But she didn’t retreat. Instead, she sat down opposite him, lowered her eyes, and put on a meek, submissive air as she pleaded, “I beg Your Highness to do me a favor and take me back to the Marquis of Anqi’s residence.”
“Your Highness…” Yingfeng, coming from the direction of the latrines, sensed another presence in the carriage and warily lifted the curtain. The moment he saw the woman sitting opposite his prince, his eyes went wide. “S-Sixth Miss…”
He couldn’t be blamed for gaping. Everyone in the city knew that the youngest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anqi was getting married today. They had come to the Fuyuan General’s residence to celebrate. But could someone please explain why the bride was in his prince’s carriage dressed like a maid?!
Worried he was seeing things, Yingfeng rubbed his eyelids, then looked again. It wasn’t an illusion.
Before he could blurt out another startled question, the man in the carriage—who had been wearing an amused expression—suddenly turned grave and said coldly, “Take her to the Marquis of Anqi’s residence.”
At the displeasure on his master’s face, the words about to escape Yingfeng’s mouth caught in his throat. Though he was full of shock and confusion, he quickly regained his composure and respectful seriousness, then climbed into the carriage.
Jing Di had been feeling a little uneasy. Although Prince Yu had close ties with the Marquis of Anqi’s household, taking someone else’s bride away from another family was hardly something anyone would agree to lightly. Even if he refused to help, she would understand; she could always think of another way…
So when she heard him give the order, she was more than a little surprised. She raised her eyes and gave him a grateful look.
The gatekeeper at the Fuyuan General’s residence wouldn’t dare question the Prince’s carriage. Peering through the small window as the carriage drew farther and farther away, Jing Di breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, a chill entered her eyes.
Once she was away from there, she would make Du Yuanran learn the consequences of forgetting the one who had helped him!
“Sixth Miss, aren’t you going to explain yourself to me?”
Hearing the teasing voice, she immediately composed herself and looked seriously at the man opposite her. He was staring at her maid’s clothes, his eyes full of mockery.
There was no denying that Prince Yu was exceptionally handsome! He had a tall, graceful build and wore a jade crown and a gold belt. He possessed both an imposing nobility that commanded respect and the breathtaking looks of Pan An[14]Pan An was a Western Jin–era writer whose legendary good looks made his name a traditional Chinese byword for male beauty. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. True, he had a reputation as a rake—but he had the looks to get away with it.
Looking closer at his face, she saw long, narrow peach-blossom eyes, brows that seemed born to bewitch, and naturally smiling lips. Even when he wasn’t smiling, they gave him an innate air of wicked charm. Add skin fairer than a woman’s, and he was so stunning that “demonic beauty” would hardly be an exaggeration.
“Sixth Miss, are you looking at me like that because you ran away from your wedding for my sake?”
…
Could she call him a peacock showing off its feathers and thinking himself irresistible?
Born into a merchant family, she had grown up amid the cut and thrust of commerce. She wouldn’t claim to be exceptionally shrewd, but she knew how to read people and situations. When dealing with a man who flirted indiscriminately, she knew that playing along would only encourage his bad behavior. The best approach was to act as if she hadn’t heard him and keep a polite smile on her face.
So she said nothing, answering only with a smile as though she hadn’t heard a word.
But seeing that her lovely face held no trace of anger or embarrassment—instead, her lips curled into a slight smile—Xia Yanli raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked again, “Could it be that I’ve guessed right?”
…
Jing Di’s self-assured, polite smile stiffened, and she could almost feel a black line sliding down her temple[15]An imaginary dark line on the forehead or temple is a comic-style image used in East Asian popular fiction to convey exasperation, embarrassment, or speechlessness. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736416_1_15').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736416_1_15', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Afraid he’d keep teasing her if she didn’t respond, she pressed her lips together and adopted a shy, timid air. In a low voice, she replied, “I owe my escape from the Du household today to Your Highness’s help. Once I’m home and have told my father, I’ll have him bring a gift to your residence to thank you.”
Xia Yanli had clearly seen the chill in her eyes earlier and the cautious way she was acting now. Hearing her talk around the question, he didn’t rein in his smile; if anything, it turned more mischievous. “Escape? I hear you and General Du have known each other since childhood and are deeply in love. Now that you’ve finally married, shouldn’t you be overjoyed? Why run away?”
Had he not helped her today, Jing Di would have given him a cold look and rolled her eyes without a moment’s hesitation. But she knew perfectly well that she was now in another world, inhabiting another person’s body and identity. She couldn’t act on a whim when she’d only just arrived.
Her eyes flickered beneath lowered lashes. Suddenly, she had an idea.
The next moment, she pursed her lips and covered her face with both hands, bursting into sobs. “Your Highness… please, don’t ask me anymore… I don’t want to talk about him… Boo-hoo…”
Acting was easy for a modern woman like her, so her tears were convincing. She even forced herself to cry real tears, and her nose ran too. As she sobbed, she used her hands to smear tears and snot all over her face. Then she rubbed them haphazardly on her clothes before wiping her face again…
The man opposite her had been at a loss for words as soon as he heard her crying. When he saw what she was doing, the wicked smile vanished from his face, replaced by open disgust. He even leaned away toward the carriage wall.
Watching his reaction through the gaps between her fingers, Jing Di was quietly amused.
What could people born into wealth and privilege least stand? Crudeness, of course!
The Fuyuan General’s residence was in the west of the city, while the Marquis of Anqi’s was in the east. The carriage traveled for a little over an hour before stopping. Jing Di had cried for a little over an hour, and the man hadn’t said a single word since she began.
As she jumped down from the carriage, Jing Di was still wiping away her tears and snot. But she didn’t forget to give a respectful curtsy toward the carriage and say in a choked voice, “Thank you, Your Highness!”
Yingfeng had been bewildered throughout the journey. Watching her run through the gates of the Marquis’s residence, he could no longer hold back the question he’d been biting back all that time. Turning toward the carriage, he asked, “Your Highness, what on earth is going on? Sixth Miss has already married into the Fuyuan General’s household—how can she still run away from her wedding?”
Xia Yanli lifted the carriage curtain. His narrow peach-blossom eyes still held a deep look of distaste, but as he gazed at the gates of the Marquis’s residence, his expression shifted to a teasing smile. “There’s bound to be a fine show at the Fuyuan General’s residence today. Why don’t we go back and watch?”
“…”
“The Crown Prince should still be at the banquet. I wonder how he’ll react when he hears about this.”
Yingfeng wore a helpless, bemused expression. A bride running away just after entering her husband’s home would be a scandal in any family. And they had delivered the bride back to her parents’ home—now they were going to watch the groom’s family deal with the fallout. Wasn’t that a little unkind?
…
The Marquis of Anqi’s residence.
His daughter was getting married today, and the household was bustling. But Marquis Jing Liangyu had been sitting alone in his study for several hours. When the steward came to summon him to lunch, he had turned him away.
His youngest daughter was the apple of his eye. Now that she was getting married, it felt as though someone had forcibly snatched a precious pearl from his palm. His heart felt hollow, and nothing seemed right.
Yet he had no one to confide in.
“Father!”
The study door was flung open.
The familiar voice made Jing Liangyu jolt. As he stared at the figure rushing in, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if he were dreaming.
“Father, I won’t marry him!”
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