Early February, the New Year celebrations had long passed, yet the cold wind persisted.
In the northwest corner of Shangjing, the capital, within the estate of the first-rank Marquis of Jingbei of the newly established Great Rong Empire, heart-wrenching wails echoed, drawing startled glances. Amid the cries, servants and maids rushed about the marquis’s estate in a flurry of panic.
“Silence! Stop that crying! A son of a military family, carrying on like you’re dying over a little pain—where is your manly spirit?”
In a room in the rear courtyard, Marquis of Jingbei Fu Chuanyi, his face flushed with anger, roared repeatedly.
The young boy choked back a sob, his cries softening slightly, but he couldn’t help continuing to wail, intermittently protesting, “I’m only twelve! I’m not a grown man yet! Grandma, it hurts so much! Waaah—”
Immediately, an elderly woman scolded, “Yuchen is your only son, my precious grandson! He’s hurt and broke his leg, and instead of showing pity, you lose your temper—what kind of logic is that?”
“Mother!” The Marquis of Jingbei could barely contain his frustration, lowering his voice in anger. “You know as well as I do that the dynasty is newly established, the crown prince yet to be chosen. His Majesty has decided to follow the previous dynasty’s custom, allowing the princes to each select study companions to attend lessons together. For families like ours with meritorious service, this is a tremendous opportunity!”
“Regardless of whether the one above harbors thoughts of ‘discarding the bow once the birds are gone,’ if our Chen’er can successfully be chosen as a prince’s study companion, it would be like obtaining a protective talisman. At a critical moment, it might even save our entire clan.”
“But… but at this very moment!” The Marquis of Jingbei flared up again, turning to glare hatefully at his son Fu Yuchen, who was still howling incessantly. “This wretched boy, instead of studying properly, climbs roofs, tears off tiles, and scales trees to catch birds—and ends up breaking his leg! And tomorrow is the day of the study companion selection! What are we to do now?!”
The room fell silent. Even Fu Yuchen was frightened into stopping his cries, leaving only hiccups and sniffles.
After a moment, Lady Fu tightened her embrace around her precious grandson and sighed slowly. “This is fate! What else can we do? My son, tomorrow you must inform His Majesty that our Fu family will withdraw from this study companion selection.”
“No! We cannot withdraw!” A clear, resolute voice of a young woman rang out in the room, drawing everyone’s attention toward her.
“What do you mean, my lady?” The Marquis of Jingbei asked in surprise, looking at his wife.
Lady Xie, the Marchioness of Jingbei, shifted her pained gaze from her son’s heavily bandaged left calf to look back at the marquis. A determined expression appeared on her face. “Our family is different from others! Because we have another Chen’er!”
Everyone followed Lady Xie’s pointing finger to a delicately beautiful little girl in the corner.
In the corner, Fu Xuechen, who had been quietly nibbling on a pastry, stiffened slightly. Her dark, lively eyes blinked, revealing an innocent expression.
It had been over half a year since Fu Xuechen’s soul transmigrated into this young girl’s body after she drowned in midsummer. In these months, although she no longer had smartphones, computers, various online games, or modern entertainment, she was also free from heavy academic burdens, part-time jobs, and the pressure of unemployment after graduation. After overcoming her initial confusion, she gradually settled down, accepted the drastic change in her life, and began her ancient-era existence.
Fortunately, this dynasty, which seemed to exist in a parallel timeline, had reached a level of civilization similar to the late Yuan and early Ming periods of her original world. There was no shortage in food, clothing, or shelter, and as the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s household, she even had carriages and sedan chairs for travel. With a host of maids and servants attending to her every need, her life was even more comfortable than in her original world—though admittedly more confined, with a slower and more leisurely pace.
Occasionally, she would practice the qin, paint, learn sewing and tailoring, or practice calligraphy with a brush. The joy she found in these activities was comparable to that of retirees in her previous life.
But now, at this critical moment when her twin brother was facing the selection of imperial study companions, he had unfortunately broken his left leg. And her birth mother, Lady Xie, seemed to have an idea…
Lady Xie, the wife of Marquis Jingbei, whispered persuasively, “Yuchen and Xuechen are one-in-ten-thousand twins, born with nearly identical appearances. Since they are still young and their voices aren’t too different, if they wear the same clothes and are carefully groomed, others will find it hard to tell them apart.”
Lady Fu hesitated fearfully, “But… this is a crime of deceiving the emperor…”
Lady Xie’s tone was firm, “Mother! Think carefully. Yuchen is only temporarily injured—it’s not as if he’s gone. Once he recovers, we can quietly swap the two children back. If we’re careful, no one will know. After some time passes, who could possibly find out? Who would have evidence to accuse us of deceiving the emperor?”
Marquis Jingbei paced rapidly back and forth in the room for two rounds, then stopped abruptly, having made a resolute decision. “This opportunity is too rare to miss. We’ll do it!”
Lady Xie nodded in relief and reminded him, “Then, husband, you must immediately send someone to silence the physician.”
“Of course!” As a military officer who had just returned from the battlefield, Marquis Jingbei was not lacking in execution once a decision was made. He immediately left the room, called for his trusted steward, and issued a series of commands, as if the entire marquis’s household had quietly sprung into action.
Meanwhile, Lady Xie kept a close watch on her son and sternly instructed him, “Chen’er, for now, consider yourself under house arrest! You are no longer allowed to refer to yourself as ‘young master.’ You must pretend to be your sister, wear skirts when you go out, and only use the chamber pot for your needs. Whatever you want will be brought to your room. Speak less and read more. I will have both of your wet nurses specifically attend to you. Only when your injury has healed can you swap back with your sister.”
Fu Yuchen, his eyes red and hiccupping, protested loudly, “Mother, I don’t want to pretend to be a girl!”
“Then don’t take a single step outside!” Lady Xie replied decisively, leaving no room for doubt. “Every evening, I will have your sister visit your room under the pretext of checking on your injury. She will tell you about her experiences and lessons for the day. This is an order!”
Fu Yuchen opened his mouth but ultimately dared not disobey his mother’s command. He could only respond weakly, “Yes.”
“Nanny Xu, I’ll trouble you with Yuchen!” Lady Xie nodded to the children’s wet nurse, who had been silently attending to them all along.
Although Lady Fu was the elder of the household, like a venerable matriarch, her personality was not domineering. Seeing that her son and daughter-in-law had made up their minds, she shook her head helplessly, released her precious grandson, and affectionately patted her granddaughter’s head before leaving first.
From beginning to end, no one asked Fu Xuechen, who had been standing silently by, for her opinion. This matter was inevitable—she could either agree willingly or be forced to agree. Moreover, in this feudal era, parental authority was paramount, and children had little room for defiance.
To maintain secrecy, Lady Xie summoned her son’s personal attendant Fu An, his senior maid Haitang, and her daughter’s senior maid Furong. After thoroughly employing both threats and incentives, and making the three swear solemn oaths of silence, she revealed the secret of swapping the identities of the young master and young lady to them. She also finalized the arrangements for the three to switch and serve the respective young master and young lady accordingly.
From this moment on, Fu An and Haitang would follow Fu Xuechen, while Furong would attend to Fu Yuchen. This exchange would continue until Fu Yuchen’s leg injury was completely healed. Fortunately, the attendant Fu An was not allowed to enter the inner courtyard after the rear gate was locked in the evening, so it would not affect the private life of the young lady, Fu Xuechen.
As for the other maids and attendants, Lady Xie would punish them by sending them to a separate courtyard on the grounds of failing to properly care for the young master and young lady. She would replace them with servants who originally served the Marquis and his wife and were completely unaware of the situation. These servants would only return to their original positions after the Fu siblings swapped back.
Once everything was arranged, and after Nanny Xu and Furong helped the one-legged Fu Yuchen leave, Lady Xie finally turned back and looked at her daughter with a guilty expression.
“Xuechen, don’t blame your father and me. For the future peace and prosperity of the Fu family, and for your brother’s prospects, you must endure this hardship!”
“Mother, I don’t feel wronged,” Fu Xuechen replied calmly.
What hardship was there? In these times, it was inconvenient for girls to go out. In the half-year since she had arrived, Fu Xuechen had only left the house twice—once when she was taken by Lady Xie to a mountain temple to pray and give thanks after nearly drowning and being “saved,” and once during the New Year when she accompanied Lady Xie to the palace for the New Year’s banquet. That was all.
The rest of the time, she was confined to the house, secretly envying that boy Fu Yuchen, who could slip out anytime to play with his friends from the Imperial College. Moreover, the instructors at the Imperial College didn’t strictly supervise these scions of noble families who didn’t need to take the imperial examinations and were merely waiting to inherit their family titles, allowing them to skip classes and cause mischief frequently. His life was truly carefree and enviable.
Who would have thought that such a fortunate opportunity to swap identities would fall into her lap? For at least the next three months, she could go out every day, breathe fresh air, and explore the folk customs of this era. What a delightful prospect!
Seeing her daughter’s calm and fearless demeanor, Lady Xie breathed a sigh of relief and felt deeply gratified. “I knew it. My daughter is also a heroine among women, with courage no less than any man’s. In terms of responsibility and maturity, you might even surpass your brother. You are someone worthy of trust and reliance!”
Next, Lady Xie began to meticulously instruct Fu Xuechen on various precautions. For example, she must relieve herself thoroughly before going out, drink as little water as possible while outside to avoid needing the restroom, deliberately adopt more masculine mannerisms to avoid revealing her femininity, keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention, politely decline any food or drinks offered by others, maintain a distance from the princes and other study companions, and avoid forming casual friendships, among other things.
Fu Xuechen listened attentively and agreed to each point, which further reassured Lady Xie: after all, she was the daughter of a military family and had practiced martial arts as a child, being no less mischievous than boys. It was only when she grew older that Lady Xie strictly confined her to learning needlework and etiquette, gradually calming her down.
After the admonishment ended, Fu Xuechen removed her hairpins, washed off her makeup, let down her twin buns, and re-styled her hair into a simple single bun, securing it with a jade hairpin and a hair ribbon. She then changed into a brand-new Imperial College scholar’s robe and hard-soled men’s boots, transforming in an instant into Fu Yuchen.
It must be said that the Fu family’s genes were truly exceptional! Fu Chuanyi was originally a handsome, sharp-featured man with a cold demeanor, while Lady Xie was famously beautiful in her youth. The twin siblings inherited both their parents’ best traits: Brother appeared as a gentle and handsome youth with a touch of softness, while Sister was an elegant beauty with cool, refined features. Dressed in the same clothes and styled identically, they were truly indistinguishable—both equally handsome and jade-like in their beauty.
Lady Xie circled her daughter twice but found no fault, nodding with immense satisfaction. She waved her hand and instructed with a smile, “Alright! Your father is waiting for you in the study. He will explain the rules for boys when going out or entering the palace. You may go now.”
“Yes! Your son bids farewell.”
Fu Xuechen slightly deepened her voice, performed a male bow, and turned to leave after a slight bow to her mother.
Her words and demeanor were flawlessly executed!
Lady Xie was so astonished she felt momentarily dazed. If she hadn’t watched her daughter change clothes and known her son was recuperating from an injury, she would have thought this was Fu Yuchen. What a remarkable Fu Xuechen—truly surprising, pride-inducing, and worthy of newfound respect!