The warm spring sun shone brightly, the emerald waters reflected the weeping willows, and the gentle breeze carried a faint, refreshing fragrance in the air.
Ye Yun slowly opened her eyes, taking in the surroundings—pavilions over water, winding corridors, and distant palaces standing in harmony. This was nothing like the modern, high-tech experimental base she had known. This…
“Boom—” The deafening explosion echoed endlessly in her mind!
She had been the top Elixirist of a mysterious 21st-century organization. Who would have thought that during her Elixir making, the laboratory would explode, leaving nothing behind? And now, this?
Suddenly, memories not her own flooded her mind. “Ye Yun”?
To think she had been reborn as the legitimate daughter of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence in Eastern Cang Country, sharing the same name.
“Cough, cough!” Ye Yun coughed abruptly, catching a whiff of blood in the air.
She sat slumped on a stone, next to a patch of blood that had not yet fully dried. Seated by the water, its clarity mirrored her reflection—identical to her former self.
Yet her face was pale, devoid of rosy vitality, exuding an air of delicate frailty. A trace of blood lingered at the corner of her lips. Ah, this body was truly at its weakest, likely to falter at the slightest breeze.
From the residual memories of the original owner, as the legitimate daughter of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, she had been showered with boundless affection. Her parents and elder brother doted on her immensely, and even the current Empress Dowager and Emperor held her in special favor. But today, she had witnessed the man she adored—the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, her betrothed—locked in passion with a palace dancer, while he scorned her sickly frame behind her back, claiming she was beneath his notice. Were it not for her status as the Duke’s daughter, he would never have agreed to marry her.
Ye Yun sighed, pitying the original owner for succumbing to rage, triggering her illness and meeting a sudden end.
Now, though her soul had taken over this body, barely sustaining life, the frail and ailing form was exceedingly weak.
Wait—she was a top-tier Elixirist. How could she not manage to restore this body?
Having been granted a second chance at life, she must cherish it. The most urgent task now was to annul her engagement with the Crown Prince. A man of his caliber was beneath her regard.
Just as she sorted through her thoughts, a breathless figure rushed toward her. From the original owner’s memories, this was clearly her personal maid, Lingzhi.
“Young… Young Miss, I’ve finally found you! Are you alright? When you ran out of the Eastern Palace and vanished, I was terrified.”
Ye Yun felt a twinge of helplessness. Your young lady was indeed in trouble. But for now, she was barely holding on.
“Blood? Young Miss, why is there blood on your lips?” Lingzhi exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she noticed the bloodstain on the stone where her mistress sat. “Young Miss, this…”
“It’s nothing,” Ye Yun replied indifferently.
“Blood? What blood? What happened?”
Ye Yun then heard an anxious voice from behind. Turning, she saw a group of palace attendants hurriedly escorting none other than the current Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty, please don’t worry. Yun’er is fine. I merely had a momentary imbalance of qi and blood, so…”
“Help Yun’er back to the Palace of Everlasting Joy at once and summon the imperial physician immediately,” Empress Dowager Xiao commanded without delay.
The Palace of Everlasting Joy…
Ye Yun lay on the beauty couch padded with soft goose-down cushions as the imperial physician hurried over without a moment’s delay. She said nothing more, allowing the physician to take her pulse.
“How is she? This old one sees Yun’er’s complexion remains quite poor,” Empress Dowager Xiao inquired anxiously.
After completing the examination, the physician reported truthfully, “Your Highness need not worry. Miss Ye is unharmed, merely suffering from agitated heartfire. Given her naturally delicate constitution, this reaction is expected. Rest will restore her. However, this humble physician understands Miss Ye’s regular medications are specially formulated by the Duke’s Residence. I dare not presume…”
“Your Highness, I’m feeling much better now,” Ye Yun interjected with a light cough. “I took my medicine before entering the palace today and can endure.” Though this fragile body inherited from the original host wasn’t her choice, she resolved to gradually nurture it back to health. After all, with such delicate health, she had no intention of living just two more years before perishing again. Yet this very fragility, when wielded appropriately, could effortlessly accomplish many things.
“You’re still coughing,” Empress Dowager Xiao remarked as she sat beside Ye Yun, gently stroking her chest to soothe her breathing. “Yun’er, tell this old one what truly happened today. Whatever it is, I shall see justice done for you.”
Ye Yun blinked, allowing two crystal tears to trace down her cheeks, perfectly embodying vulnerability. She could already see the Empress Dowager’s heartache for her overflowing even before she spoke. Just as she prepared to respond, Yu Momo swiftly approached…
“Your Highness,” Yu Momo called softly, leaning close to whisper the detailed report just delivered by the palace attendants outside.
Lying on the beauty couch, Ye Yun observed Yu Momo’s confidential exchange with the Empress Dowager, noting how the Dowager’s brows furrowed tightly, clear anger emerging on her face. Undoubtedly, the retelling of the dramatic scene unfolding at the Eastern Palace had reached her.
Empress Dowager Xiao reached over, using her silk handkerchief to tenderly wipe the tears from Ye Yun’s eyes and cheeks. “Yun’er, you’ve been subjected to such distressing matters.”
Before the Empress Dowager could continue, Ye Yun spoke first in a faint, weakened voice: “Your Highness, Yun’er is truly fine now. Sitting by the imperial lake earlier, I reflected deeply. What I witnessed and heard at the Eastern Palace did upset me initially, but I’ve come to understand – affection cannot be forced. Since His Highness the Crown Prince holds no such feelings for me, even if I were to forcibly become Crown Princess, neither he nor I would find happiness hereafter. Perhaps ending things here would be best for all involved.”
“Are you suggesting… that this old one should… But didn’t you adore the Crown Prince wholeheartedly?”
“Indeed I did,” Ye Yun sighed deeply, feeling her current performance would have earned her Best Actress in her original world. After a deliberate pause, she continued, “But now… the affection has faded. I know Your Highness cherishes me, but I truly wish to cease these impositions. You promised to decide matters for me – I beg Your Highness to grant me this resolution.”
Empress Dowager Xiao turned to Yu Momo, her voice cold and stern: “Go directly to the Eastern Palace. Deliver this old one’s decree informing the Crown Prince his engagement to Yun’er is annulled. Then notify His Majesty the Emperor, and recount the entire matter truthfully to the Empress.”
“Yes, I understand.” Yu Momo responded and withdrew from the hall to handle the matter assigned by the Empress Dowager.
Ye Yun offered a faint smile to the Empress Dowager. “Yun’er thanks Your Majesty.”
Empress Dowager Xiao held Ye Yun’s hand and gave it a gentle pat.