It was already late at night.
Summer was almost over. Half of the hibiscus trees in Jiaoran Hall were in bloom, and now and then, a cool breeze drifted through the courtyard. The palace lanterns were embroidered with patterns symbolizing blessings, longevity, and long life. Their light fell upon the blooming flowers, casting faint, fragrant shadows across the spotless ground.
Aunt Du reached out and adjusted the red tassel hanging from a palace lantern. Her expression was half joyful and half worried.
The little princess’s fall had left everyone in the palace deeply anxious.
First, she had fallen unconscious. Then she had developed a fever. The Emperor had personally come to see her several days in a row. He had replaced almost all the servants inside and outside Jiaoran Hall. He had even found the floral peony patterns on the palace lanterns unpleasant to look at and ordered them replaced with patterns symbolizing blessings and longevity, hoping they would bring good fortune to the little princess.
If Aunt Du had not been an old servant who had cared for the little princess since the day she was born, even her old bones might already have been thrown into a dark prison.
Thankfully, the little princess had finally awakened.
Otherwise, who knew how many people in the palace would have been buried alongside her?
She was standing by the window in a daze when someone inside noticed her shadow reflected on the window and struggled to sit up.
The person was still extremely weak from her injuries, so the slightest movement made some faint noises.
Aunt Du immediately became alarmed.
“Your Highness, please be careful!”
The princess had only just recovered from her serious injuries. If she fell again, the consequences would be terrible.
Aunt Du no longer had time to think about anything else. She quickly lifted the curtain and went inside to attend to her.
*
After watching Lin Jiaojiao finish the calming medicinal soup, Aunt Du helped her rinse her mouth, wiped the corners of her lips, and slowly helped her lie down.
Throughout all these actions, Lin Jiaojiao tried her best to behave naturally, but she still could not stop herself from tensing up.
After all, she was still just a young girl.
Aunt Du assumed that she had not yet recovered from the fright. Feeling even more affection for her, she boldly placed a gentle hand on top of the princess’s quilt.
After waiting for a moment and seeing that Lin Jiaojiao did not react, she gently patted the spoiled little princess through the quilt.
Once.
Then again.
The little princess raised her long, thick eyelashes and smiled at her with her round eyes and curved lips.
Aunt Du’s heart melted completely.
Like someone soothing a little child, she comforted the princess for a while. Her warm palm continued patting her gently, each movement carrying just the right amount of pressure.
When she finally felt the princess’s body relax a little, Aunt Du carefully tucked the quilt around her.
Only then did she slowly leave.
Every time this familiar old servant came to take care of her, Lin Jiaojiao became terribly nervous. She was afraid that Aunt Du would somehow discover that the person inside this body was no longer the original princess.
But whenever Aunt Du left, Lin Jiaojiao could not help lifting her eyelashes and watching her retreating figure with tearful eyes.
She had gone far too long without feeling another person’s warmth.
*
Before transmigrating into the body of this princess who shared her name, Lin Jiaojiao had lived an almost completely isolated life.
Before she was even ten years old, she had developed a strange immune system disorder. From then on, she had lived in a completely sealed hospital room.
Even her parents could only look at their fragile and bewildered daughter through thick glass.
The people she interacted with most were doctors and nurses wearing cold gloves.
At first, she could still draw, paint, and make little crafts to entertain herself.
Later, as her health grew worse, she could only watch dramas and read novels.
She had grown up in that environment until she was sixteen.
The night before everything changed, Lin Jiaojiao read a novel before going to sleep, just like she always did.
Before she knew it, she closed her eyes…
She still remembered being awakened several days ago by the sound of people crying.
When she opened her eyes, everything around her was completely unfamiliar.
But for the first time, she was no longer surrounded by a world of white.
She gently moved her fingers and discovered that her body felt lighter and more comfortable than it ever had before.
Jiaojiao tightly gripped the quilt and could not help laughing.
She laughed until she started coughing, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
She had become the most honored little princess of the Yong Dynasty—the only daughter of the current Emperor.
Princess Jiaoran.
The original princess’s surname was Gui, and she had the same given name as Lin Jiaojiao.
It was only after hearing the surname and title that Lin Jiaojiao, still overwhelmed by the joy of having a second chance at life, slowly remembered something.
This seemed to be the exact same novel she had been reading before going to sleep.
A male-oriented novel…
When she thought about the original story, many frightening scenes surfaced in Jiaojiao’s mind.
If she kept thinking about it, she would have nightmares again tonight.
She gently bit her lip and shook her head.
Then she lifted the quilt, planning to sneak some lotus-seed and lily cakes to calm herself down.
The palace maid who should have been keeping watch outside the folding screen had already been sent away by her.
Jiaojiao quietly picked up a plate of pastries, stuffed one into her mouth, and tiptoed toward the inner room.
Earlier, when Aunt Du had fed her medicine, Jiaojiao had noticed an especially pleasant osmanthus fragrance on her.
Since she was still a “patient,” she naturally could not go outside.
At least she could secretly enjoy the fragrance from the window.
But just as she approached, she heard a faint sound of crying.
She was startled and swallowed the large piece of lily cake she had not even finished chewing.
*
Jiaojiao covered her mouth, her eyes full of tears.
She really wanted to burp.
But…
No.
If she let anyone notice her now, she definitely would not be able to hear what was happening.
The high wooden clogs worn inside the palace made far too much noise. So when Jiaojiao got out of bed, she simply put on her silk socks.
Now she stood on tiptoe, covering her mouth as she carefully slipped around the corner and crouched beneath a small window.
She was practically invisible.
“Autumn… Sister Autumn, please save my life…”
A woman’s broken voice drifted in with the autumn breeze.
“Are you sure? There’s really no way?”
The person answering sounded somewhat calmer.
Jiaojiao immediately recognized the voice.
It was her newly assigned personal maid, Yuqiu.
“…There’s no way.”
The first woman sounded desperate.
“I don’t know when my fingernail split. The dress is covered in woven-gold patterns, and one little snag pulled out the threads… The fabric is so delicate that there’s simply no way to repair it…”
Jiaojiao held onto the window frame and listened for a while.
The excitement in her eyes slowly disappeared.
In a few days, the Empress was going to hold a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet.
The original Princess Jiaoran had chosen a gorgeous gold-threaded hibiscus fairy dress long ago. She had planned to wear it to the banquet and outshine all the other young noblewomen.
A few days ago, Jiaojiao had heard about this and, curious to see it, asked the palace maids to bring it over so she could try it on.
At the time, Aunt Du had said that the dress had been stored in a chest for too long and needed to be aired out in the sun.
So the crying palace maid outside was probably the one responsible for drying it.
But what did it matter if a few threads had come loose?
They could simply change to another dress.
Princess Jiaoran had so many clothes that even the palace storerooms could not hold them all.
The Emperor had specially assigned several additional side halls just to store her fabrics and clothing.
The crying outside came and went.
Jiaojiao frowned slightly.
She still really wanted to burp.
She closed the window, quietly returned to bed, and took several deep breaths to suppress the urge.
Then she stared blankly at the delicate embroidered flowers and birds on the canopy above her.
It was no wonder the palace maid was frightened.
Even Jiaojiao herself was terrified after discovering whose body she had transmigrated into.
The original Princess Jiaoran had a truly terrible temper.
If she had not been so spoiled and willful, she would not have ended up with no one willing to speak for her when the new Emperor later sentenced her to death.
When Jiaojiao remembered the original princess’s fate in the novel, her whole body shuddered.
Even the burp disappeared from fright.
*
The novel Jiaojiao had transmigrated into was one of those male-oriented stories that had become popular in recent years, with no romantic storyline at all.
It had only one male protagonist—a handsome, incredibly powerful, overpowered hero who could be described as a typical “chosen one.”
He had no interest in romance and devoted himself entirely to building his career.
Normally, a male protagonist was supposed to be kind and righteous.
Even if he came from a humble background, he would usually be open and honorable, with the world in his heart…
Unfortunately, the author of this novel refused to follow the usual rules.
The male protagonist was the original Princess Jiaoran’s elder imperial brother, the Fifth Prince, Gui Heng.
His background was anything but humble.
Yet his story began badly.
Almost halfway through the novel, he was still the son least favored by the Emperor.
His difficult childhood did not teach him to be more forgiving toward others.
Instead, it turned him into a man with an extremely unpredictable temper, a sharp tongue, and little gratitude or compassion.
Once he obtained military power, he killed his father and forced his way into the palace to seize the throne.
He directly earned himself the title of “Tyrant.”
As for the series of brutal actions he carried out after becoming Emperor—expanding the empire abroad and suppressing his own people at home—there was even less need to mention them.
The author described it indirectly.
If a child in the imperial capital cried endlessly, the parents only needed to point toward the palace from afar.
The child would immediately become too frightened to cry.
That alone showed how terrifyingly cruel this man was.
Jiaojiao had stopped reading right there.
She had thought the author’s way of thinking was completely unreasonable, so she put the novel aside, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
How could such a twisted, paranoid, cold-blooded lunatic possibly be the male protagonist?
If only she had known she would transmigrate into the novel…
Forget it.
Reading further probably would not have helped anyway.
Because Princess Jiaoran’s fate came to an end before Gui Heng ascended the throne.
Her birth mother, Noble Consort Roujia, was remarkably bold.
She had actually dared to cheat on the Emperor.
Yet, like her daughter, she was spoiled and foolish, and offended people everywhere in the palace.
Eventually, the truth came to light.
The Emperor immediately imprisoned Noble Consort Roujia and her daughter and subjected them to endless torture.
Inside those dark palace chambers, they could no longer tell day from night.
By the time Gui Heng launched his rebellion and entered the palace to purge his enemies one by one, Noble Consort Roujia had already been beaten to death.
Princess Jiaoran was barely alive.
The once lofty and noble princess met a terrible end.
Jiaojiao vaguely remembered how the novel had described it—
The palace doors opened wide.
Long-awaited sunlight fell upon the girl’s pale face.
Her mind had never been clearer.
She stretched out her hand desperately toward the man standing before her, a man as cold and beautiful as a snow-covered mountain and a jade tree.
“Your… Your Majesty, I am not that old traitor’s biological daughter. I… I beg you to spare me…”
“Oh?”
Gui Heng smiled.
The tall man wore black armor, blood dripping from his clothes.
He lowered his eyes and looked at the filthy, trembling figure before him.
Slowly, he drew his sword.
His voice was colder than ice.
“If you are not my biological sister, then I have even less reason to…”
And then—
Blood splattered everywhere.
…
The next morning.
Aunt Du had just pushed open the door and was preparing to wake the princess when she heard a scream.
She immediately rushed over.
“Your Highness! Are you all right?”
“Waaah… Aunt Du… I’m scared…”
Jiaojiao threw her arms around her neck and buried herself in her embrace.
Her entire body trembled as she burst into tears.
Aunt Du froze for a moment.
Then her own eyes grew moist.
She hugged the little princess and gently patted her back, soothing her.
*
“Thank you for earlier, Auntie.”
Yuqiu was using warm jade to soothe Jiaojiao’s swollen eyes while Aunt Du tidied the bed beside them.
Lin Jiaojiao stared anxiously at Aunt Du through the bronze mirror for a long time before finally murmuring softly.
Aunt Du smiled.
“It is this old servant who should be thanking Your Highness. That Your Highness still has use for an old woman like me is already my good fortune.”
As the princess had grown older, her temper had become increasingly difficult, and she often showed little mercy even to an old servant like Aunt Du.
But when the seriously injured princess had just cried in her arms, Aunt Du had felt as though she had suddenly returned to many years ago, when the little princess was still a child.
Jiaojiao pressed her lips together for a while.
Then, unable to resist, she turned around and gave Aunt Du a huge smile.
She was at the age when a young girl was beginning to bloom.
Even when she lost her temper, she resembled an arrogant peony in full bloom.
But sitting quietly like this, she looked even more elegant and beautiful.
Her skin was soft and fair, her lips delicate and tender, and two little dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Under the morning sunlight, they seemed to shimmer like drops of honey.
She was the only daughter of the current Emperor, and she had such a beautiful appearance.
If only her temper were just a little better…
Just a tiny bit…
What kind of man in the entire world could possibly be unworthy of marrying her?
Aunt Du felt both relieved and proud.
She looked at the princess with loving eyes.
In this warm and peaceful atmosphere, Yuqiu felt increasingly uneasy.
“Your Highness, what would you like for breakfast?”
Aunt Du finished arranging the bedding and walked toward the dressing table with a smile.
Jiaojiao had already finished soothing her eyes, and Yuqiu was helping her comb her hair.
She looked up at Aunt Du and softly said,
“I want some mulberry juice…”
“The weather is cool today. Shall I have them warm it up before bringing it to you?”
“Okay.”
Jiaojiao obediently nodded.
Aunt Du left to carry out the order.
“By the way…”
Yuqiu seemed to be thinking about something.
The moment she heard those words, her entire body stiffened.
The little princess could feel the slight trembling of the fingers near her ear.
She looked up at Yuqiu with clear eyes.
“The dress I asked you to dry a few days ago—bring it over later. I’ll wear it.”
Yuqiu immediately knelt down.
“Your Highness, that dress has been stored for a long time. I’m afraid it needs to be aired for a few more days before the musty smell can completely disappear…”
Jiaojiao pressed her lips together.
She lowered her eyes toward the jewelry box and casually picked up an earring.
She did not look at Yuqiu again.
No one spoke in the inner room.
The silence was terrifying.
After a while, a section of incense broke off from the burner and fell into the ashes with a soft puff.
Yuqiu lowered her head, her heart pounding like a drum.
After thinking it over again and again, she did not dare to raise her head.
She pressed her forehead firmly against the floor.
“Your Highness is right. This servant will go and give the order immediately.”
Only after her personal maid turned and left did Jiaojiao release the earring she had been gripping tightly.
The delicate pattern of intertwined peonies had left a faint mark in her soft white palm.
She relaxed her tightly pressed lips, curved her round eyes into a smile, and happily let out a long breath.
What happened next was very simple.
Gold-threaded fabric was delicate.
Once the threads were pulled, it was difficult to repair.
Once stained, it was even harder to clean.
So when Lin Jiaojiao accidentally knocked over an entire cup of mulberry juice, allowing the dark purple juice to soak completely into the moon-white, gold-threaded hibiscus dress, she almost immediately heard Yuqiu let out a sigh of relief behind her.
The next moment, Yuqiu knelt down to apologize and hurriedly brought several sets of dresses for Jiaojiao to change into.
“This one.”
Yuqiu had clearly put a lot of thought into her choices.
Each of the dresses was beautiful in its own way, and all of them were suitable for the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet.
Lin Jiaojiao was dazzled by the choices.
After looking for a long time, she finally chose a pleated skirt in a soft sunflower-yellow color.
The pale, delicate fabric was embroidered all around the hem with light red silk trees.
The palace servants were quick and efficient.
Before long, they had even changed her hairpins and jewelry to match the new outfit.
“Our princess really looks beautiful in everything.”
The little face reflected in the mirror was soft and fair, with full cheeks and a delicate pointed chin that formed a lovely heart shape.
Her clear eyes were framed by long eyelashes.
She blinked slowly.
“Aunt Du…”
When Jiaojiao saw the pale-colored dress she was wearing in the mirror, she suddenly remembered something.
In the original story, before the overpowered male protagonist rose to power, he had deliberately kept a low profile so as not to attract attention.
Because of this, he preferred to wear dark-colored clothes.
Thinking about the fate that awaited her in the future, Jiaojiao suddenly found the sweet taste of the mulberry juice in her mouth turning bitter.
“The chrysanthemum-viewing banquet…”
She asked softly,
“Will my brothers be there too?”
“Of course.”
Aunt Du helped straighten the tassels hanging from her jade pendant and smiled.
“Although it is called a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet, the Empress actually wants to look over the outstanding young noblewomen of the capital and choose a few more suitable consorts for the Crown Prince.”
“Besides, the other princes are no longer young either. The Empress intends to look at potential matches for all of them at the same time.”
“Oh.”
Jiaojiao stared blankly at the flowers embroidered along the hem of her skirt.
Aunt Du carefully observed her expression.
“If Your Highness does not want to go, this servant can speak to Noble Consort Rou and explain the situation to the Empress.”
Princess Jiaoran had always been willful.
It was perfectly normal for her to be excited about something beforehand, prepare for it eagerly, and then suddenly change her mind and refuse to go.
“No, no, no!”
Jiaojiao hurriedly shook her head.
“I want to go. I want to go.”
For the sixteen years of her previous life, her world had been nothing but white.
Now that she had been given this precious chance to live again, of course she had to live properly—and live as long as possible.
And if she wanted to live a long life, she had to cling to the future Emperor who would eventually hold absolute power.
Although…
Well, although she had no idea how she was supposed to cling to a tyrant.
It probably would not be easy.
Still, she had to meet him first.
Perhaps the future tyrant had not completely grown into that terrifying person yet.
Maybe she still had a chance to straighten him out?
*
Outside, the courtyard was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
“Thank you, Sister Yu!”
The little palace maid who had damaged the fairy dress earlier was so happy that she nearly cried.
Remembering what had happened at breakfast, Yuqiu still felt a lingering fear.
She kept a serious expression and shook her head.
“You were simply lucky this time… Be more careful with your work from now on.”
“Yes!”
As they spoke, several dull rumbles suddenly came from the heavily clouded sky.
“Oh no. Hurry and bring the clothes inside.”
Yuqiu looked at the sky.
Everyone hurried to collect the clothes.
Inside the room, Lin Jiaojiao had too many worries filling her heart and nowhere to vent them.
So she could only hug the pastry box and eat as much as she could.
Thunder rumbled loudly outside the window.
Lin Jiaojiao slowly swallowed the almond pastry in her mouth.
She rested her cheeks in her hands and looked toward the window.
“It’s going to rain…”