Zhao Hanzhang took the medicine handed by the maid and drank it in one gulp, then popped a candied fruit into her mouth. Returning the bowl, she asked, “Have you found out? Among those injured this time, is there anyone else who lost their memory like me?”
The maid, Ting He, shook her head. “No, Third Lady, I haven’t heard of any.”
“Has news of my injury and memory loss spread?”
Ting He looked at her with concern. “As you instructed, we’ve told those outside, but… they don’t seem to believe it.”
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t care whether they believed her or not. She only wanted Professor Fu to know that there was a girl in the Zhao Family who had lost her memory.
She just didn’t know if Professor Fu was as lucky as her—whether he was still… drifting, or if he, like her, had undergone soul transmigration.
Yes, she had undergone soul transmigration. Ten days after waking up, after trying every method to verify it, she realized she had possessed the body of this young girl who looked very much like her.
The girl also shared the surname Zhao, was the third child in the family, and was called Third Lady. She was only fourteen years old.
Too young. Zhao Hanzhang felt too guilty to occupy her body, so she often called out to her at night, hoping she would return to continue her own life.
After all, Zhao Hanzhang had lived for twenty-eight years. She had endured hardships but also enjoyed her share of blessings. Though she could be considered to have died young, the accident was her own, and she had to bear the consequences. She couldn’t occupy someone else’s body in another world.
This karma was too great for Zhao Hanzhang to bear.
Unfortunately, no matter how she called out, the girl never appeared. The body felt empty, with not a trace of her soul left.
Zhao Hanzhang could only shift her attention to Professor Fu.
Though she had only glanced back once that day, the man in the suit who could see her and called her “Teacher Zhao” was undoubtedly Professor Fu, who had been caught in the same accident as her.
So handsome, no wonder the students often whispered about how good-looking he was.
She wondered if he was lucky. If he had possessed a body like her, what identity did he have? Could he hear the news she had spread and find her?
If he hadn’t possessed a body, could she, now a human, see him?
As usual, Zhao Hanzhang worried about this daily. Ting He returned after putting away the medicine bowl. “Third Lady, Second Lady and Fourth Lady are outside requesting to see you.”
“No,” Zhao Hanzhang refused without looking up. “Tell them seeing them gives me a headache.”
Ting He paused for a moment, then curtsied and withdrew.
Zhao Hanzhang lay on the bed and sighed. Though she wasn’t the original owner, she had inherited her memories, so she couldn’t truly be said to have lost her memory.
When she didn’t think about it, she remained unaware, but as soon as she tried, the relevant memories would surface in her mind. Seeing people the original owner had known before, past memories would slowly emerge, comparable to a Baidu search.
But even a Baidu search takes time, not to mention the time needed to read and process the information. So, she could never recognize people immediately, and her reaction time was a bit slow. That’s why Zhao Hanzhang simply claimed to have lost her memory. After all, she had indeed injured her head and truly… couldn’t quite remember.
Unfortunately, it seemed no one really believed she had lost her memory.
Zhao Sanniang, her given name Hezhen, had just turned fourteen not long ago. There was little to say about her father, as he had died early and wasn’t particularly well-known.
What was worth mentioning was her grandfather.
Her grandfather, Zhao Changyu, was renowned throughout the country. He held the title of Shangcai Bo, had served as Zhongshu Ling, and was praised for his clean and simple governance. He had only one son—her father—but he had passed away.
She had only one grandson, her own younger brother, named Zhao Yong, who was just twelve years old this year, but he was… not a very bright child.
That was a euphemistic way of putting it. At twelve years old, apart from his own name, he only recognized the names of his father, his mother, his sister, and their grandfather.
And even among those, the surname "Zhao" was repeated.
Thus, Zhao Changyu wanted to pass the title to his nephew, Zhao Ji, who was Third Lady's paternal uncle.
But recently, rumors suddenly spread within the mansion, claiming that Zhao Changyu intended to arrange a prestigious marriage for Third Lady to ensure that his own grandson, Zhao Yong, would inherit the title and prevent the family fortune from falling into others' hands.
Before Zhao Changyu could respond to the rumors, the twelve-year-old Zhao Yong had already taken his attendants out of the city for hunting.
With the recent change of emperor, the area outside the city was filled with chaotic troops and displaced refugees. For a young nobleman of limited intelligence to venture outside the city at such a time was practically a death wish.
Upon hearing that her younger brother had left the city, the young girl immediately gathered her people and went out to search for him. She encountered the chaos outside the city and, in her attempt to save Zhao Yong, fell from her horse. By the time she was carried back, she had already stopped breathing.
Zhao Hanzhang had been in an elevator accident, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in this world. After closing and opening her eyes once more, she awoke in this body.
Over the past ten days, the Second Lady and Fourth Lady, who had persistently sought to see her, were both Zhao Ji's daughters—her cousins. Zhao Hanzhang had not yet decided on her next steps, so she had no desire to meet them.
She wanted to find Professor Fu first.
Transmigration was already a miraculous phenomenon, and she had even undergone soul transmigration. Perhaps the exceptionally intelligent Professor Fu could uncover some pattern in this event, allowing them to return to their original world.
She just didn’t know what had happened to their bodies in the elevator. If they returned, would they still be able to revive?
Zhao Hanzhang felt somewhat anxious. She stretched out her limbs and felt even less inclined to move.
Hearing Ting He’s hurried footsteps approaching, Zhao Hanzhang closed her eyes and said, "Didn’t I say I wasn’t seeing anyone?"
"Third Lady, it’s the Lord who wishes to see you."
Zhao Hanzhang opened her eyes and propped herself up from the bed. "Grandfather?"
"Yes, Cheng Bo has brought people to escort you."
Cheng Bo was her grandfather’s trusted aide, always by his side. Even the current chief steward of the mansion was merely his younger brother.
Zhao Hanzhang lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before saying, "Bring me clothes to change into."
She could refuse to see others, but she could not refuse Zhao Changyu—he was the head of the household.
Ting He quickly fetched a set of slightly worn everyday clothes for Zhao Hanzhang to change into.
Zhao Hanzhang looked at them with satisfaction and gave Ting He an approving glance. After changing, four sturdy maids carried in a sedan chair, lifted Zhao Hanzhang onto it, and carried her out.
Oh, she had forgotten to mention—when she fell from the horse, she not only injured her head but also her leg. It wasn’t particularly severe, but as a noble young lady, any injury to muscles or bones required bed rest. If she dared to move even slightly, her mother in this body would cry, and she could cry while holding her for an entire day and night.
Thus, over the past few days, Zhao Hanzhang had been exceptionally obedient—lying down whenever possible, sitting only when necessary, and never standing if she could avoid it.
This was the first time she had left (or rather, been carried out of) her own courtyard. Along the way, flowers bloomed in abundance, spring light was radiant, and butterflies fluttered about. It was clear that the courtyards of this household were meticulously maintained.
As she was carried along, the servants she encountered along the way lowered their heads, bowed, and stepped aside, not daring to straighten up until the sedan chair had passed far into the distance before resuming their tasks.
The closer they got to the Main Courtyard, the more respectful the servants they encountered became.
The gate of the Main Courtyard opened, revealing a lush phoenix tree planted within. Beneath its dense foliage stood a table, where a slender and elegant… middle-aged man was seated.
At the sight of him, memories of the time they had spent together as grandfather and granddaughter surfaced in Zhao Hanzhang's mind.
Good heavens, this elegant middle-aged man was actually her grandfather.