She was shoved into a woodshed in the back courtyard.
The old maid locked the door behind her, and the sound of her footsteps gradually faded away.
Xiao Guiwan collapsed onto a pile of dry straw.
Her head throbbed unbearably.
Clutching it with both hands, she felt cold sweat trickling down her temples.
Then, countless scenes flooded into her mind like a tidal wave—
She saw a dimly lit bedchamber. On an ornate carved canopy bed lay a pale-faced man.
It was Prince Ning.
She stood beside the bed in a wedding gown, her hands trembling.
She watched herself, day after day, feeding Prince Ning medicine, wiping his body, and brewing herbal decoctions.
Prince Ning had an atrocious temper. At the slightest provocation, he would smash bowls and throw things. Once, he even grabbed her by the throat, accusing her of trying to poison him.
Because his frail body prevented him from consummating the marriage, he repeatedly humiliated and tormented her in unspeakable ways, leaving her dignity in tatters.
To stay alive, she devoured countless medical texts, experimented with hundreds of remedies, and nearly died several times before finally discovering the cure that matched his illness and healing him completely.
After Prince Ning recovered, he ascended the throne.
She was crowned Empress and took residence in Fengyi Palace, receiving the homage of all the court officials.
Yet during those five years as empress, she had not known a single day of true happiness.
Prince Ning’s illness had been cured, but his temper had hardly improved.
His gloominess had merely transformed into cruelty.
She had witnessed him beating palace servants to death with rods.
She had also seen him, drunk, indulging himself with palace maids without restraint.
Trapped behind the crimson walls of the imperial palace, she lived every day in loneliness until illness claimed her life in Fengyi Palace.
The memories came to an abrupt end.
Xiao Guiwan’s eyes flew open, her body drenched in cold sweat.
Kneeling on the straw-covered floor, she gasped for air, her fingers digging deeply into the dirt beneath her.
The memories of her previous life…
Had all returned.
Closing her eyes, Xiao Guiwan slowly sorted through the torrent of memories.
At last, she understood why Xiao Shuwan had been so desperate to marry Prince Ning.
Because…
Xiao Shuwan had been reborn as well.
She had fought to marry Prince Ning because she believed she could once again become empress.
How laughable.
That gloomy, tyrannical emperor…
Whoever wanted him was welcome to have him.
She didn’t want him in the slightest.
As for the Prince of Zhenbei, in her previous life she had only caught a distant glimpse of him during a palace banquet. His features were vague in her memory, and she had no attachment to him whatsoever.
In that case…
What was wrong with marrying a farmer in the countryside?
Looking down at her dust-covered hands, Xiao Guiwan tugged faintly at the corner of her lips.
Perhaps living a different life wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Spending an entire lifetime imprisoned within the palace…
Would never compare to another way of living.
Farming the fields, raising chickens, growing vegetables, basking in the sunshine, listening to the wind…
Living freely and without restraint was far better than enduring the endless schemes and false smiles behind those palace walls.
As for Xiao Shuwan—
She could only wish her every success.
Hopefully she wouldn’t waste the blessing of being given a second life.
Supporting herself against the wall, Xiao Guiwan slowly stood up.
Suddenly, her foot struck something.
Looking down, she saw an old firewood axe with dried tree sap clinging to its blade.
She crouched to move it aside.
As her fingers brushed the sharp edge, it sliced across her index finger.
Blood immediately welled from the cut.
“Hiss…”
She quickly withdrew her hand.
A drop of blood slid from her fingertip and landed on the jade bracelet around her left wrist.
It was an ordinary jade bracelet.
The jade was of mediocre quality, neither especially translucent nor vibrantly green.
But it was the only keepsake her mother had left her before she died.
Her mother had been Xiao Yuanshan’s third concubine.
She had been gentle and quiet, fond of reading and painting, and had never competed with the other concubines for favor.
She had lived a peaceful, unobtrusive life.
Yet a simple bout of illness had taken her life.
Before passing away, she had given this bracelet to Xiao Guiwan.
Since then, Xiao Guiwan had worn it every day, never once taking it off.
Now, as her blood seeped into the jade’s natural veins, the bracelet suddenly emitted a faint glow.
She froze.
The pale cyan light gradually deepened into a rich emerald green, growing brighter and brighter until the entire woodshed was bathed in green radiance.
Then a wave of dizziness struck.
It felt as though the ground beneath her feet had vanished, and her entire body began falling—
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing on a stretch of unfamiliar land.
Soft earth lay beneath her feet.
Above her was a gray, hazy sky.
There was neither sun nor moon, yet the surroundings were brightly lit, as though it were perpetual dusk.
Ahead stood a crooked thatched cottage.
Half the door was missing, and the roof’s straw had been scattered by the wind.
In front of the cottage lay about two mu of barren farmland, completely empty.
Beside it stood a small well, its surface shrouded in a faint mist.
Cautiously, Xiao Guiwan stepped forward.
Her foot landed on a wooden plaque.
She bent down and picked it up.
Several lines of text were carved into it.
Spirit Farmland Space
Bound to its master. Activated.
Initial Level: Level One.
Assets: Two mu of spirit farmland, one spirit spring, one thatched cottage.
One jug of spirit spring water may be collected each day. Ordinary crops may be cultivated.
To level up, accumulate spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is gained through planting, harvesting, and completing space missions.
Xiao Guiwan stared silently at the words for a long time.
In her previous life, she had heard stories of miraculous treasures in the imperial palace.
But she had never seen anything like this.
An entire world…
Hidden inside the bracelet?
Just what exactly had her mother left her?
She walked to the spirit spring and scooped up a handful of water.
It was cool, carrying a faint sweetness.
She splashed it onto her face.
Immediately, the stinging pain from her cut lessened considerably.
Turning around, she entered the thatched cottage.
It was pitifully simple.
A wooden plank bed.
A table with one broken leg.
And a clay jar sitting on top.
She lifted the lid.
It was empty.
That was all?
Walking back outside, Xiao Guiwan stood before the barren spirit field.
Suddenly, she smiled.
Heaven had not treated her poorly after all.
It had given her this space.
Though it was only at the lowest level—
Only two mu of farmland.
Only one jug of spirit spring water each day.
Even the cottage didn’t have a proper door.
But the wooden plaque had said it could be upgraded.
She bent down and scooped up a handful of soil.
It was loose, fertile, and faintly infused with spiritual energy.
Although she had spent most of her previous life in the palace and knew little about farming, even she understood that crops planted in such soil would flourish.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Guiwan dusted the dirt from her hands.
With this space…
Even if she married into a poor farming family, she could still build a life for herself.
Xiao Shuwan.
Xiao Yuanshan.
Madam Zhou…
You think you can send me away with three thousand taels of silver and twenty mu of fertile land?
On my wedding day three days from now…
I’ll be sure to give you a memorable gift.
With a thought, she left the space.
The next instant, she was standing once more inside the woodshed.
The jade bracelet rested quietly on her wrist as though nothing had happened.
Only a faint crimson line had appeared on the inside of the bracelet, so subtle it was nearly impossible to notice.
She slipped the bracelet off.
With another thought, it vanished from her hand and appeared on the table inside the thatched cottage.
Excellent.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
“Second Miss, your dinner is here.”
A bowl of coarse rice porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables were pushed through the gap beneath the door.
Xiao Guiwan picked up the bowl and took a sip.
It was so hot that she hissed.
Leaning against the woodshed wall, she slowly finished the porridge.
By then, she already had a plan.
Setting the empty bowl aside, Xiao Guiwan closed her eyes.
Outside the woodshed, night gradually deepened.
Standing by the window of the main hall, Xiao Shuwan looked toward the back courtyard, satisfaction written across her face.
“Mother,” she said, turning to Madam Zhou, “have everything in Willow Village been arranged?”
Madam Zhou nodded.
“Everything’s settled. That Ye Daniu really is a farmer from Willow Village. His family is dirt poor, and both his parents are dead. He’s all alone now. Your father has already sent the marriage agreement over. The wedding will take place in three days.”
Xiao Shuwan smiled in satisfaction.
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