On a blazing June day, Su Liuyue sat leisurely beneath the shade of a large locust tree in the courtyard, cradling a book in her hands. The hum of cicadas buzzed in her ears, and the occasional gust of warm wind brushed past her face. Yet the woman beneath the tree seemed entirely unaffected, her pale fingers gently stroking the yellowed pages.
Beside her, Er’an was so anxious her eyes were nearly red. But seeing her mistress so composed and unmoving, she dared not voice the torrent of words she held back.
It was strange—ever since the young lady woke up two days ago, she seemed like a completely different person. Surely, of all people, she should be the most concerned about today’s events!
Er’an glanced nervously toward the courtyard gate when a slightly hoarse female voice rang out, calm and unhurried: “Where’s that girl Ersi? Didn’t she say she was fetching some pastries to go with the tea? What’s taking her so long?”
The voice was placid, but it made the already guilty Er’an flinch. She opened her mouth hesitantly: “She… she probably…”
Before she could fabricate an excuse, Ersi’s frantic voice echoed from nearby—
“Bad news, Miss! Terrible news! The Zheng family… they’ve really come to break off the engagement!”
A round-faced maid, flushed and breathless, dashed into the courtyard like her feet were on fire. She stomped her foot and exclaimed: “Miss, guess what? The Zheng family’s second branch came to our house and said they want to cancel the engagement. They even said you’re not worthy of marrying into their family! As if that wasn’t enough, they proposed that Fourth Miss marry into the Zheng family instead. It’s outrageous!”
“They don’t want you, but they want a concubine’s daughter instead. Isn’t that a slap in the face? How will you ever show your face in public again?”
“I always said Fourth Miss was egging you on to despise Zheng Jiulang (Ninth Master), and fawning over Thirteenth Miss Zheng like a lapdog. She clearly had ulterior motives!”
“And the most absurd part? Master and Madam actually agreed to it! They’re clearly bullying you because you don’t have a mother to protect you. They’re treating you like you’re disposable…”
Seeing the girl grow more agitated, tears welling in her eyes, Su Liuyue frowned slightly and rubbed her brow. Her voice was calm as she interrupted: “Enough. Didn’t I say no one was allowed to inquire about what’s happening in the front courtyard today? Why did you sneak off to eavesdrop?”
Ersi choked on her words, her indignation still bubbling. She couldn’t help but protest: “But Miss…”
“That’s enough.” Su Liuyue cut her off again, this time more firmly. She had already guessed these two maids wouldn’t behave. Before she took over this body, they had followed the original owner—spoiled and reckless under her stepmother’s care—and were used to acting without thinking.
In the two days since her arrival, Su Liuyue had been suppressing them, and they’d already become more restrained. Otherwise, Ersi wouldn’t have stopped at just eavesdropping today.
Still, their loyalty to the original owner was unquestionable. For that alone, Su Liuyue felt they were worth retraining.
“What’s done is done. No amount of complaining will help. What matters now is keeping yourselves in check and avoiding unnecessary trouble.”
Her quiet but commanding presence left Ersi speechless. After a long pause, she muttered tearfully: “Why aren’t you worried at all, Miss? The Zheng family is trying to ruin your reputation! You only made a small mistake, and you nearly died because of it. Yet the Zhengs are still holding a grudge. They have no sense of nobility!”
Su Liuyue’s lips twitched slightly. She raised a hand and gently touched the white gauze wrapped around her neck.
For that so-called “small mistake,” the original owner had paid with her life. Perhaps only these two still believed it was a minor issue.
Though Su Liuyue had only been here for two days, she had inherited all of the original owner’s memories and quickly grasped the situation.
It all began in a dynasty unfamiliar to her.
Over a year ago, the Northern Protector-General of Great Yan, Zhou Xiaokun, launched a rebellion and marched his troops toward the capital, Yanjing. The previous dynasty, plagued by an incompetent royal family and a corrupt court, had long stirred public resentment. Zhou Xiaokun’s uprising seemed heaven-sent.
In just a year, the throne changed hands. Great Yan became Great Qing. Yanjing was renamed Xinjing. The nobles of the old regime were swept away like leaves in a flood. Those with sharp minds and quick hands scrambled to secure their place in the new court.
Among them, the Zheng family—once the weakest of Great Yan’s five great clans—reacted fastest. They pledged loyalty to the new emperor and sent their famed third daughter, the beauty of Yanjing, into the palace. She quickly won favor and was named Imperial Consort after conceiving the emperor’s child. The Zhengs rose swiftly, basking in imperial favor.
If even the great clans were scrambling, the lesser families were even more desperate not to be cast aside.
Historically, new emperors would placate most old officials to maintain stability and avoid being branded a tyrant. But key departments—especially the Ministry of Revenue, which oversaw household registration and finances—would inevitably be purged.
Unfortunately, the original owner’s father, Su Weili, was a mid-ranking official in that very ministry.
Born into humble origins, Su Weili had no strong backing. If dismissed, he’d be relegated to a minor post or exiled to some remote province, ending his career. In desperation, he targeted the Zhengs, who had already secured their footing. He visited them with lavish gifts, and somehow, the two families quickly arranged a marriage between his daughter and Zheng Jiulang, a lesser-born son from the Zhengs’ second branch.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly—until the original owner, spoiled and arrogant thanks to her stepmother, began to despise her fiancé’s humble background, egged on by her half-sister.
Four days ago, at a Zheng family banquet, she privately complained to her maid that her fiancé was just an unloved son and a low-ranking military officer, unworthy of her status as the legitimate daughter of a scholarly family. Unfortunately, guests overheard.
The scandal spread like wildfire across Xinjing.
The Zhengs were furious. With so many families vying for their favor, they had no reason to tolerate such an insult. They had offered the Su family a chance, and instead were repaid with contempt.
Su Weili, panicked, brought his daughter home. That night, she was found hanging in her room.
When she awoke, the soul inhabiting the body was no longer the original Su Liuyue, but a woman who had died in the line of duty in another world.
What a mess. A truly absurd situation.
Even after two days, Su Liuyue couldn’t help but rub her forehead when she thought about it.
Seeing her silent, Er’an assumed she was still brooding and quickly cut off Ersi: “Stop it. Miss has only just recovered. Her mood’s clearly better these past few daysYou didn’t see it, that day, when I found her hanging from the beam, I nearly lost my soul!”
Ersi fell silent, recalling the terrifying scene.
After a moment, Su Liuyue chuckled softly, her voice faint: “You two should know your mistress best. Do you really think she’s the type to seek death so easily?”
Some things, she couldn’t address just yet. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t noticed.
Ersi and Er’an froze. What did she mean by that? She sounded like an outsider. But truthfully, they had found it strange. Their mistress had never seemed the type to take her own life—not even out of shame. Yet when she hanged herself, they had been summoned and scolded by the furious Madam. They had no idea what had truly happened.
Just as the two maids hesitated, a voice rang out from outside, seething with anger: “Su Liuyue! Didn’t I say you were absolutely forbidden from stepping into the front courtyard today?! What are you trying to do, sending your maids to sneak around?!”