“Young lady, you’re finally awake.” Before her was a round-faced maid, her eyes red from exhaustion, who wept with joy upon seeing her awaken.
Wen Jinxin looked at the person before her with uncertainty, hardly daring to believe it was Lan Hui.
Lan Hui was her personal maid, who had served her since childhood but had married before she entered the palace.
How could she be seeing Lan Hui? Was it because she had died and was now seeing an illusion?
Before Wen Jinxin’s eyes, Shen Jue’s chapped lips, his infatuated gaze, and his murmured whispers kept appearing.
It was just too late for everything.
“Young lady? What’s wrong? This servant will go fetch the physician at once.” Seeing Wen Jinxin in a daze, Lan Hui waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Wen Jinxin suddenly realized something was amiss—this felt too real to be an illusion. Summoning her courage, she tentatively called out, “Lan Hui?”
Her voice was soft, tender, and carried a slight nasal rasp. Wen Jinxin widened her eyes and instinctively covered her throat—her voice sounded different.
“It is I, young lady. The Buddha be praised, you are unharmed.”
Wen Jinxin’s eyes widened further as she tightly grasped Lan Hui’s hand. “You called me ‘young lady’? What year is it now? Where… where are we?”
Lan Hui was taken aback, replying with some confusion, “Young lady, what’s come over you? It is the thirty-first year of Yongqing. We are in Guangzhou Fu right now—have you forgotten?”
Wen Jinxin abruptly threw off the covers and got out of bed, picking up the mirror from the dressing table. She stared in disbelief at the youthful reflection staring back at her.
In the thirty-first year of Yongqing, she was only fifteen. Having lost both parents the previous year, she was now on her way to Guangzhou Fu to seek refuge with her grandaunt.
And that grandaunt was none other than Princess Dowager Zhennan, Shen Jue’s paternal grandmother.
She had lived in Zhennan Wangfu for two years, during which her grandaunt doted on her as if she were her own granddaughter. Those two years were the happiest she had known since her parents’ passing.
Until, at seventeen, she foolishly believed Shen Henglin’s deceitful words, trusting his false declarations of love, and accompanied him all the way back to the capital.
Looking back now, Shen Henglin was the root of all her tragedies.
While Wen Jinxin was still reeling from the shock of her rebirth, Lan Hui continued speaking.
“Young lady, during the days you were unconscious, Mama Du from Zhennan Wangfu has already come several times. She said she would take you back to the mansion as soon as you woke up. You must not fall ill again.”
Wen Jinxin nodded distractedly, allowing Lan Hui to help her back into bed to rest.
At first, she was afraid to sleep, fearing that the dream would shatter upon waking.
But after taking the medicine, drowsiness washed over her, and she drifted off for half a shichen without realizing it.
When she awoke again, Wen Jinxin’s first instinct was to confirm her surroundings. Fortunately, everything remained unchanged—this was no dream.
She had truly been reborn.
Overwhelmed with joy, Wen Jinxin wept, while Lan Hui flusteredly tried to comfort her. Wen Jinxin brushed it off by claiming she had had a nightmare.
“While you were resting earlier, young lady, this servant sent word to the Prince’s mansion. News should arrive soon. Please take the chance to rest a little longer.”
Gratefully, Wen Jinxin clasped Lan Hui’s hands. Though Lan Hui was only seventeen this year, she appeared far more mature—all because she had to take care of Wen Jinxin, who knew nothing at the time.
“Lan Hui, I couldn’t have made it this far without you.”
Lan Hui had not expected Wen Jinxin to say such a thing, and her eyes instantly reddened.
“Miss, how can you say such a thing? This servant has been with you since childhood. If not for the master and mistress, I would have starved on the streets long ago. Taking care of you is what I should do.”
Having lived a second life, Wen Jinxin’s perspective on things had completely changed.
Regardless of why she had been reborn, she would seize this opportunity to stay far away from Shen Henglin and change the tragic outcome.
The first thing now was to recover quickly. She remembered that back then, she had just arrived in Guangzhou Fu and suffered from travel sickness, vomiting for several days.
The token for identifying relatives was her mother’s jade pendant, which had been sent to the Prince’s mansion on the very first day. Upon seeing the pendant, Laotaifei wanted to bring her into the mansion immediately.
But she had fallen ill and was too weak. First, she feared bringing the illness into the mansion and infecting Laotaifei. Second, she worried that changing locations would hinder her recovery, so she had waited until she was fully recovered.
Now that she was awake, it was time to enter the mansion.
The thought of entering the mansion and seeing Shen Jue again lifted Wen Jinxin’s spirits. She drank the medicine brought to her without hesitation, wishing she could recover immediately.
After taking the medicine, she obediently lay down to rest, closing her eyes and carefully recalling.
What foolish things had she done when she was fifteen?
Meanwhile, inside Zhennan Wangfu, Laotaifei was holding a string of prayer beads, her eyes tightly shut. Beside her sat a young, beautiful woman, looking somewhat anxious.
“Where has Shizi gone? If you don’t explain carefully, watch your skins,” Mama Du demanded sternly.
Kneeling in the hall were two or three servants, all attendants from Shen Jue’s courtyard, now crying and pleading loudly.
Earlier that morning, Laotaifei had asked for Shen Jue to accompany her for a meal, only to discover that he was not in the mansion at all. He had been missing for two days, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Upon hearing this news, Laotaifei fainted and only regained consciousness after lying down for two quarters of an hour.
Now, the entire mansion was in an uproar over Shen Jue’s disappearance.
“Have mercy, Old Mistress! We truly know nothing. Shiziye only said he was going out to play and didn’t tell us where.”
Hearing this, Laotaifei stopped twisting her prayer beads. Enraged, she picked up her cane and stood up, ready to strike. “You don’t know? You couldn’t even keep an eye on a living person like Ah Jue. What use is the Prince’s mansion keeping you?”
The beautiful woman sitting beside her quickly rose to intervene. “Mother, please calm down. Don’t harm your health over these servants.”
Upon hearing this, Laotaifei immediately redirected her anger toward her.
“You speak so lightly. It’s not your own flesh and blood, so of course you don’t care. I don’t know how you manage this household—a living person has been missing for two days, and you didn’t even know.”
The speaker was Li Shi, Li Qiuhua. She was Prince Zhennan’s remarried wife, not yet officially titled, and also the younger sister of Shen Jue’s birth mother—Shen Jue’s youngest maternal aunt.
Logically, being both a stepmother and an aunt, with such close ties, they should have gotten along harmoniously.
But Shen Jue had disliked Li Shi since childhood. Back when the Princess Consort had just passed away, Li Qiuhua tried to get close to him, but Shen Jue would cry, throw tantrums, and smash things.
Laotaifei, of course, doted on her grandson, fearing others might bully him. She took Shen Jue under her own care, pampering him endlessly, and ultimately spoiled him into a Chaos Demon King.
Shen Jue had been restless since he was young. At four, he dared to tear his tutor’s books and paintings. At five, he could argue with his tutor. By seven, he had started pulling his tutor’s beard.
From childhood to adulthood, he had gone through countless tutors, and because of this, his reputation spread throughout Guangzhou Fu. Everyone knew there was a little tyrant in Zhennan Wangfu.
Prince Zhennan did want to discipline his son, but before the whip could even be raised, Laotaifei would start wiping her tears.
“I see now, you unfilial son want to beat my grandson to death. Fine, fine, then beat this old woman to death as well. Without my precious boy, I won’t live either.”
With such crying, how could Prince Zhennan still bring himself to strike?
Moreover, due to the stepmother relationship, Shen Jue, who was already not close to his father, became even more distant upon seeing Prince Zhennan. Even when father and son met, they had nothing to say to each other.
As time passed, Shen Jue no longer feared anyone.
When Shen Jue grew up, his minor mischief turned into true tyranny. He had a group of similarly idle, good-for-nothing friends who looked up to him, the Shiziye, as their leader. Their days were spent solely on eating, drinking, and having fun. Throughout Guangzhou Fu, whenever his name was mentioned, people would avoid him at all costs.
Shen Jue was now seventeen years old. He had never attended a proper academy for a single day, but he was proficient in horseback riding and archery.
This time, it was because they heard that a rare white tiger had appeared on Kong Lun Mountain in the neighboring county. They, a group of young masters, had hunted foxes and hares before, but they had never hunted a white tiger.
Someone suggested going to take a look. Shen Jue took the lead and made the decision, sneaking out of the city with his men and equipment without telling his family.
Laotaifei usually got along quite well with Li Shi. Li Shi was gentle, virtuous, and managed the household affairs properly, with nothing that could be faulted.
In front of the servants, she would also give Li Shi, the lady of the house, face. Today, she was truly extremely worried, which was why she spoke so harshly without courtesy.
Before Laotaifei even finished speaking, Li Shi nervously knelt down. “Mother, please calm your anger.”
But even so, it couldn’t dispel Laotaifei’s worry and anxiety. “Don’t call me that, I can’t bear it.”
Fortunately, this awkwardness didn’t last long before Prince Zhennan sent someone back to report that Shen Jue had been found and they were on their way to pick him up, telling Laotaifei not to worry.
“Amitabha, Buddha bless.”
Having news meant there was no danger. Only then did Laotaifei breathe a sigh of relief, and her expression towards Li Shi softened a bit.
But her tone was still not very pleased. “Get up. I was just anxious in the moment. Don’t take it to heart with this old woman.” Her words still implied blame towards Li Shi for not caring enough about Shen Jue.
The maid beside her hurried to help Li Shi up, but Li Shi waved her hand away and, supporting herself on the chair, stood up on shaky legs.
“Mother’s reprimand is correct. It was indeed my negligence. Mother, rest assured, such a thing will never happen again.”
Laotaifei still wanted to take the opportunity to advise her a few more words when a servant boy came from outside with a message. Mama Du, after hearing a bit, walked in quickly with a joyful expression.
“Old Madam, good news! The Wen family’s cousin young lady has woken up.”
Laotaifei, who had just been stern-faced and ready to teach a lesson, immediately showed a smile on her face, having no more time to deal with Li Shi.
“My poor, unfortunate child has finally woken up. Quickly send someone to fetch her. Remember to prepare a soft sedan chair. She just recovered from an illness and cannot withstand any jostling.”
Li Shi knew Laotaifei was very fond of this cousin young lady. Having just made a mistake, she naturally wanted to show her willingness now and eagerly chimed in.
“Mother, this is truly joyous news. Please rest assured, I will send someone to fetch her right away.”
The Laotaifei had just embarrassed Li Shi, and if she bypassed her as the mistress of the house now, it would truly be a humiliation. After some thought, she still nodded in agreement.
Worried that Wen Jinxin might be unfamiliar with Li Shi’s people and feel afraid, she still had Mama Du accompany her, arriving at the inn where Wen Jinxin was staying before noon.
In her past life, this wasn’t Wen Jinxin’s first time visiting the Zhennan Wangfu. When she was seven, her mother had brought her to offer birthday congratulations, but she was young at the time and had forgotten many things. When she first met Mama Du, she had been quite timid.
In her memory, during her two years in the Prince’s mansion, Mama Du had treated her exceptionally well.
Seeing Mama Du again after being reborn, Wen Jinxin couldn’t help but feel her eyes moisten, instinctively revealing a sense of dependence and closeness.
Seeing this delicate, sickly beauty, Mama Du’s heart melted completely. Moreover, being looked at with such a dependent gaze by Wen Jinxin, she couldn’t help but soften her voice to comfort her.
“Young Miss, you’ve suffered greatly on this journey. This old servant will take you back to the mansion now.”
Wen Jinxin didn’t have much luggage, but by the time everything was settled and they returned to the Prince’s mansion, it was already evening.
As soon as she stepped out of the sedan chair, Wen Jinxin saw the tall plaque inscribed with “Zhennan Wangfu,” and her eyes reddened once more.
She had truly returned.
Mama Du noticed this detail and felt even more heartache for Wen Jinxin, resolving to treat her with even greater care and attention in the future.
Upon entering the Prince’s mansion, they ran into Steward Liu, who was hurriedly walking out, and learned that the Laotaifei was in the main courtyard.
Eager to see the Laotaifei, Wen Jinxin didn’t notice the slightly unnatural expression on Steward Liu’s face when he mentioned the main courtyard.
When they reached the entrance of the main courtyard, Wen Jinxin was about to step inside when an angry roar suddenly came from within.
“You unfilial son, do you know your mistake?”
“I do not.” This was followed by a restrained yet stubborn voice.
Wen Jinxin trembled all over—this voice was all too familiar to her.
She could almost still hear him calling her by her ear, “Ah Jin.”
Instantly pushing aside Lan Hui, who was supporting her, she hurriedly ran into the courtyard. The scene before her froze her in her tracks…