What kind of situation is this!
Ruan Mianmian was sitting in a luxurious carriage. Across from her sat a beautiful woman weeping silently—her mother. Beside her, clutching the hem of her clothes, legs trembling but still trying to look brave, was her thirteen-year-old younger brother.
The carriage was heading toward the Duke Wei’s mansion.
How delightful, right? Since the day she transmigrated, she had been a genuine village girl for twelve whole years. Just yesterday, she’d found a suspicious bag of sweet potatoes at the east end of the village and was so excited she’d stayed up all night drafting a plan to escape poverty and achieve prosperity. But this morning, a carriage came from the east, claiming she was the fourth young lady of the Duke Wei’s mansion—and they’d forced her entire family onto the carriage to take them back.
Ruan Mianmian had been furious: her farming life was about to reach the final stage, and now they wanted to switch her to a palace intrigue script? Even if she was a transmigrator, this was way too much!
She had quietly rolled up her sleeves, ready to chase away the women who barged into their home. But then her usually gentle mother whispered privately with the leader of the group. After a while, she came back, teary-eyed, and dragged Ruan Mianmian and her brother onto the carriage. Seeing that “pear blossom bathed in rain” expression, Ruan Mianmian instantly understood—something was wrong.
Damn it! In this old, class-divided, feudal society, once you got entangled with a noble household, there was no escape unless the other party chose to release you. Otherwise, you were destined for a life of inner-courtyard strife.
Ruan Mianmian immediately hid her almost-revealed “fangs” and climbed aboard the thief’s ship—no, the carriage—with the demeanor of a weak, fragile white lotus, heading toward the second chapter of her life’s map.
“Mother, there’s no rush to cry now. With your temperament, once we enter the Duke’s mansion, you’ll have plenty of chances to cry later. The urgent matter now is this: you’re the only one familiar with that household’s situation, so you’d better brief me and my brother on the basic circumstances. Since we can’t escape, we shouldn’t go into battle unprepared.”
“It won’t come to battle,” Yun Niang said, wiping away her tears. Seeing her daughter so calm did soothe her a little.
From Yun Niang’s halting explanation, Ruan Mianmian quickly summarized the key points:
First: The Duke Wei’s household was full of factions and rivalries—inner-courtyard conflicts were inevitable.
Second: The reason her mother had been cast out with her and her brother years ago was that her brother had a red mark between his brows, rumored to signify an ominous “lone star” that would bring ruin to his parents.As for her own birth date and hour, it was said to foretell either immense fortune or great disaster. The Duke’s household had decided that a concubine’s daughter was far more likely to bring misfortune than wealth—and so, the three of them had been thrown out. That might be something to exploit later.
Third: The sudden decision to bring them back now—her mother hadn’t been told the reason. But the woman who came had looked at Ruan Mianmian several times, so Mianmian had every reason to believe the change in attitude was because of her.
Her internal alarms were blaring—but without any cheat powers, there wasn’t much she could do about it.
Well, whatever. She’d deal with things as they came. Heaven never sealed all paths—especially not for a transmigrator like her.
The outskirts of the capital weren’t far from the city itself. By noon, the carriage entered the western gate of the Duke Wei’s mansion.
The scene that greeted them could have come straight out of Dream of the Red Chamber: “A crowd of finely dressed concubines and maids came forth to greet them.”
Ruan Mianmian thought to herself, So this is like Lin Daiyu’s treatment. Looks like they didn’t bring me back for something like a ghost marriage—otherwise, a grand family like this wouldn’t bother with so much ceremony for a dying concubine’s daughter.
If she wasn’t going to die, that was enough. As long as she lived, she’d have a chance. Fate was made by one’s own hands.
She breathed a sigh of relief, though she still stayed cautious and observant. A beautiful woman was already taking Yun Niang’s hand affectionately, saying,“It’s been over ten years since we parted! We’ve missed you so much all these years. Who would have thought we’d meet again in this lifetime? Come quickly, the old madam and the madam of the house are waiting for you!”
Ruan Mianmian rolled her eyes inwardly: Keep pretending, let’s see how long you can keep it up.
Soon they entered a large courtyard—elegant, refined, and undeniably rich. But Mianmian had no mood to admire the architecture. This was a matter of life and death, not a guided tour.
The hall was spacious and luxuriously furnished, exuding noble opulence. A faint, delicate fragrance lingered in the air, almost making one’s bones go soft.
Someone brought in cushions. Yun Niang led her children to kneel and kowtow to the old Madam Hu, who sat at the main seat. Then they paid respects to the Duchess, Madam Chang, and others from the various branches of the family.As the introductions went around, Ruan Mianmian silently committed each face to memory.
Afterward came the seating arrangements. The gathered ladies began peppering her with questions:“How old are you this year?”“What do you usually do?”“What foods do you like?”“What colors do you prefer to wear?”On and on they went, and Mianmian answered each politely with her head bowed.
Finally, the old Madam spoke mildly:“That’s enough. The fourth girl and her family have just returned—they must be exhausted from the journey. Whatever needs saying can wait. Let them go rest and have lunch. After a couple of days’ rest, we’ll discuss other matters.”
Ruan Mianmian exhaled in relief. Looks like this round of formalities is over. Maybe I’ll get two days of peace. But weird—this whole household is laying on the family affection too thick. For a grand noble house, they’re being oddly warm toward a countryside-raised concubine’s daughter. Two of them even seemed almost flattering. Only those few young girls looked openly hostile toward me.
While she was still thinking this, two old servant women courteously escorted them to a side courtyard prepared for their stay.
“Mianmian, what’s wrong? You’re usually so talkative, but now you’re quiet as a mouse. Don’t be afraid, Mother’s here.”
Yun Niang hugged her daughter, successfully pulling her back from her thoughts.
“I’m fine, Mother. Just thinking.” Ruan Mianmian patted her mother’s back, then looked at her younger brother.“Jian’er, how do you feel about being back in the Duke’s mansion? Are you happy?”
Ruan Jian shook his head, lips pressed tight, his little face tense.“Sis, I don’t like it here. It doesn’t feel right. I’d rather be home. Are we… never going back?”
“Hmm… not for a while, I’m afraid. As for later, we’ll see. As long as your sister is capable, I’ll find a way to get you and Mother out of this pit.”
“Mianmian,” Yun Niang said softly, “this is the Duke’s mansion. How can you call it a pit of fire?”
“What else could it be? Paradise?” Ruan Mianmian glanced at her mother.“Mother, the sooner you see the Duke’s mansion for what it truly is, the easier it’ll be for you to keep your distance from them.”
Yun Niang gave a bitter smile. “Do I need reminding? I may be useless, but I’ve raised you and Jian’er all these years. I stopped considering them family long ago. And I doubt they ever cared about me either. Still, since they’ve brought us back, maybe… maybe the master feels guilty and wants to make it up to us?”
Ruan Mianmian rolled her eyes. “Have you ever seen a wolf feel guilty about eating a sheep and gift it a meadow afterward? Give up the fantasy, my dear mother.”
“Mother, Sister… does this mean I won’t see Uncle Jiang anymore?” The boy’s voice trembled. “I practiced horse stance with him for three years, and I’ve only just learned one full set of boxing moves. And Uncle Jiang was so kind to us…”
(End of Chapter)