“Xiu’er, is that you?”
Tang Zhuojun opened her eyes, only to feel stars spinning before her vision. Her knees burned with pain. Looking at the anxious maid in front of her, she called out tentatively.
She—an acclaimed doctor of the 22nd century—had just pulled an all-nighter performing two surgeries. On her way to the cafeteria, she tumbled down a flight of stairs. She thought it would just be a massively embarrassing accident, but instead, it turned out to be a transmigration scene.
A flood of memories that did not belong to her rushed into her mind.
Her name was Tang Zhuojun, twenty years old, daughter of Tang Mingfan, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. She was notoriously famous in the capital as a man-crazy woman desperate to marry.
Poor Tang Mingfan—an upright and incorruptible official—had been driven to premature gray hair and total reputational ruin by this useless daughter.
“Miss, are you alright? You scared this servant to death,” Xiu’er said, still shaken, reaching out to help her up.
It was over. She had really transmigrated.
With no time to dwell on it, Tang Zhuojun only wanted to run.
Because she had tripped over the threshold and fallen—and right now, on the bed inside the room, lay an unconscious man. Her target: Prince Jin.
Her former self had been courting death with her obsessive desire to marry, harassing all four of the capital’s most eligible young gentlemen. Not long ago, the emperor’s son who had been lost among the common people—Prince Jin—had been acknowledged and brought back. His handsome and imposing appearance immediately caught the foolish former owner’s attention.
Today was the Grand Princess’s flower-viewing banquet, primarily held to select a consort for Prince Jin. Tang Zhuojun had eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall—she drugged His Highness, and had now entered the “climbing into bed” phase.
“Let’s go, hurry!” Tang Zhuojun scrambled to her feet, grabbed the purse that had fallen on the ground, noticed white powder inside, even lifted it to sniff briefly. Without sparing the handsome man on the bed another glance, she tucked the purse away, grabbed Xiu’er, and ran outside.
“No—Miss, weren’t you… Prince Jin is right there!” Xiu’er stared at her in a daze.
“If I tell you to go, then go!” Tang Zhuojun snapped.
No time to explain—run!
“Miss, you’re backing out?” Xiu’er asked uncertainly. “Didn’t you want to sleep with Prince Jin?”
“Do I look like I have too long a life? If I want to sleep with someone, can’t I go sleep with a male escort instead?”
“But when you went before, you were kicked out because you had no money…” Xiu’er whispered. “Male escorts cost money.”
“Sleeping with a male escort costs money. Sleeping with Prince Jin costs your life. If you keep nagging, I’ll leave on my own.”
The former owner’s brain must have been full of water to try scheming against a prince. Whether she succeeded or not, she’d be lucky to survive with only half her skin intact.
Just as master and servant hurried into the courtyard, they suddenly heard the sound of a lock clicking shut outside.
“Not good! someone is setting us up,” Tang Zhuojun immediately realized.
“Then what do we do?” Xiu’er panicked.
No matter what, they couldn’t be caught. Today’s trap was aimed either at her or at her father.
Tang Zhuojun glanced at Xiu’er. “Do you want to latch onto Prince Jin? If you do, I’ll fulfill your wish.”
“I don’t! I don’t!” Xiu’er was terrified.
Tang Zhuojun looked at the courtyard wall, steeled her heart. “Come on, we climb the wall!”
She told Xiu’er to go first, but Xiu’er refused, crouching down and begging her to step on her shoulders.
Tang Zhuojun clenched her teeth and stepped up.
Xiu’er bit down hard and slowly stood up.
From that height, Tang Zhuojun could see farther. Led by maids, a group of nobles headed this way, with the Grand Princess at the front. Her face was livid. Tang Zhuojun saw it clearly.
This was bad. They’d been caught like fish in a jar—no escape.
“Put me down!” Tang Zhuojun ground her back teeth.
Even in the worst situation, she had to struggle to the bitter end. She couldn’t just surrender.
Moments later, a maid’s voice rang out from outside: “It’s here.”
The door opened. Surrounded by the Grand Princess, the group saw Tang Zhuojun sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, lazily fanning herself with a round fan. A maid stood behind her. Master and servant looked relaxed, as though merely resting there.
Tang Zhuojun appeared calm, but inside she was panicking like crazy.
Feigning surprise, she stood up and bowed. “What’s going on? Everyone’s here? The Princess’s residence is so big—I got lost, so I brought my maid here to rest for a bit. Is this a restricted area? If so, my apologies. Xiu’er, let’s go.”
Grease her feet and slip away first.
“Stop right there!” the Grand Princess shouted angrily. “Sneaky and shifty—what kind of behavior is this?”
Hey! why the insults? Who’s sneaky? What did I steal?
I didn’t even touch your precious nephew—he’s still lying inside perfectly fine!
Of course, Tang Zhuojun could only say this in her heart.
Her gaze fell on the young woman standing beside the Grand Princess.
That girl looked about fifteen or sixteen. She wore a pale moon-white patterned jacket with wide sleeves, jade pendants and an embroidered pouch at her waist, and a pomegranate-red skirt. The tips of her shoes, inlaid with bright pearls, peeked out from beneath the hem. Her hair was jet black, her eyes bright, her teeth white—she looked dignified and graceful.
Her name was Ruan Anruo, daughter of Ruan Xingzhi, Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. She had always been “close friends” with Tang Zhuojun.
Ruan Anruo feigned surprise. “Zhuojun, what’s going on? Why are you here?”
With a brief recollection of the things Ruan Anruo had done, Tang Zhuojun knew immediately—this was a prime example of a white lotus in full bloom. Given how things had escalated today, it was highly likely that Ruan Anruo had instigated and orchestrated it all.
Ruan Anruo was arrogant and believed herself superior to Tang Zhuojun in every way. Yet her father was constantly overshadowed by Tang Zhuojun’s father. So she had long encouraged Tang Zhuojun to do ridiculous things, hoping she would make a fool of herself—and ideally drag Tang Mingfan down with her, forcing him to resign.