Early in the morning, the entire capital was already sweltering beneath the blazing summer sun. Pedestrians hurried through the streets while rows of shops and market stalls lined both sides of the road. Every so often, someone would stop to haggle with a merchant over the price of their goods.
On the western side of the capital stood a district of elegant residences belonging to nobles and high-ranking officials. Even among the aristocracy, however, there were different levels of status. Near the center of this neighborhood sat a relatively modest estate. It was a traditional five-courtyard mansion, and in the eastern wing stood an exquisitely decorated two-story pavilion.
It was already the Hour of Mao (around 5:00–7:00 a.m.). The maids had long since prepared everything their mistress would need and were quietly waiting outside her room.
Yet today, the young lady inside had still not awakened.
Standing at the front of the group was a middle-aged nanny dressed in a dark purple Manchu robe. She was Madam Zhang, the young lady’s wet nurse. Stepping forward, she gently knocked on the door. Moments later, a young maidservant opened it from within.
“Has Miss not gotten up yet?” Madam Zhang asked sternly.
“Replying to Madam, not yet. Shall I wake her?” the maid who had been on night duty had barely finished speaking when a soft sound came from inside the room.
Clearly, the room’s owner had finally awakened.
Hearing the movement, the waiting maids immediately entered to assist their mistress. Through the bed curtains, they could make out the silhouette of someone sitting upright. A maid stepped forward and drew the curtains aside, revealing the young lady’s face.
She possessed delicate, refined features and an elegant beauty that was both graceful and refreshing.
Seeing that their mistress was awake, the maids hurried over to help her wash, dress, and do her hair, while Madam Zhang directed everyone with practiced efficiency. In an instant, the once-quiet room became bustling with activity.
Meanwhile, the young lady herself sat there in a daze.
She wasn’t actually this family’s daughter.
In her previous life, she had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker in twenty-first-century China. Like everyone else, she had studied hard, attended university, and, after graduation, found a clerical job at an internet company.
She didn’t have many hobbies. Since she had been raised by her grandparents, she had developed a love for tea. Whenever she had time off, she would visit a small teahouse, sip tea while reading a book, and enjoy her peaceful little life.
Who could have imagined that after simply going to sleep one perfectly normal night—with no illness or accident whatsoever—she would wake up as the daughter of another family?
She had actually awakened much earlier that morning. But the moment she opened her eyes and realized something was terribly wrong with her surroundings, she had been too afraid to make a sound.
Just as panic began to set in, a flood of memories suddenly poured into her mind.
They belonged to the original owner of this body.
It was now the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign.
She belonged to the Liya clan, holders of the hereditary title of First-Class Earl and Light Carriage Commandant. Their family could hardly be considered among the most powerful, but neither were they insignificant. Although they possessed the rank of First-Class Earl, they belonged to the Han Banner rather than the Manchu Eight Banners, so they weren’t particularly influential within the capital’s noble circles.
The family itself wasn’t overly complicated.
Her father, Shuerdeku, served in the capital garrison and was rarely home despite being stationed in Beijing.
She was the youngest daughter of the household. Her elder sister, Yuqing, had already married. Her mother managed the family’s affairs and, though she doted on her youngest daughter, she was constantly occupied with household matters. Meanwhile, Yu Mu herself had always been busy learning embroidery, music, painting, and the other accomplishments expected of a noblewoman, so mother and daughter rarely spent much time together.
Her name was Liya Yu Mu.
Born in the fifteenth year of Kangxi’s reign, she had participated in the imperial selection of noblewomen two years ago and had already been designated as a Secondary Consort to Crown Prince Yinreng.
Because it was the Crown Prince’s marriage, Emperor Kangxi—who greatly favored his son—had postponed the wedding for a year so that the Yuqing Palace could be thoroughly renovated. Unexpectedly, however, the Grand Empress Dowager had not survived the winter of the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi’s reign. The entire imperial family entered mourning, delaying the wedding another three years.
As a result, Yu Mu was currently an unmarried noblewoman awaiting her marriage into the imperial family.
Since she was to marry the Crown Prince, there was still much she needed to learn. The palace had specially assigned senior matrons to instruct the future imperial consorts in court etiquette and every aspect of palace life.
Yu Mu also had two older brothers and a younger brother.
Her eldest brother, Getai, was born to her mother.
Her second brother, Gelong, was the son of Secondary Lady Liang.
Her younger brother, Gehao, had been born to Concubine Zhang.
Fortunately, since their father spent little time at home, the atmosphere within the household remained fairly harmonious despite the different mothers.
After sorting through all these memories, Yu Mu felt as though she had been struck by lightning.
In her previous life, she had been an utterly ordinary young woman.
She had never paid much attention to Qing Dynasty history. Everything she’d learned in school had long since been returned to her teachers the moment she graduated.
Still, thanks to the explosion of Qing Dynasty time-travel dramas in recent years, she knew at least one thing.
The emperor after Kangxi was Yongzheng.
Not the Crown Prince.
Which meant…
The Crown Prince had failed to inherit the throne.
Worse still, television dramas always portrayed Crown Prince Yinreng as cruel and violent, someone who beat people at the slightest provocation. According to popular belief, that was why Kangxi had ultimately refused to let him become emperor.
And now…
She was going to marry him.
Yu Mu looked down at her slender body.
This body was only sixteen years old, yet it had developed quite well, with graceful curves and an attractive figure.
Unfortunately, that didn’t change one simple fact.
She was still just a delicate young woman.
How many beatings from the Crown Prince could she possibly survive?
Would she end up dying before the Crown Prince was even stripped of his title?
It was already June.
By August, she would be sent into Yuqing Palace.
Another unfortunate girl, Lady Liujia—the daughter of the Assistant Minister of Rites—would be entering alongside her.
But whether they entered first or later, it only changed who would be unlucky sooner.
Digging deeper into the original owner’s memories, Yu Mu realized there were only a few possible ways to avoid marrying the Crown Prince.
The first…
She could suddenly fall gravely ill and die.
Faking her death was impossible. Imperial physicians would personally examine the body, and bribing one of them was virtually out of the question.
The second…
She could lose her chastity.
If that happened, her only options would be death or spending the rest of her life as a nun with a solitary oil lamp.
Given her noble status and the scandal involved, death was by far the more likely outcome.
The third…
Emperor Kangxi could revoke the imperial decree.
Compared to the first two possibilities, that one was even less realistic.
Yu Mu was just an ordinary person.
She was terrified after transmigrating here.
But at least she was still alive.
She had no idea how she’d ended up in this world, nor did she know any way back home.
If she died now…
That would truly be the end of everything.
Better to cling to life than seek an honorable death.
She simply couldn’t bear to die.
In the Qing Dynasty, imperial authority stood above all else.
Every aspect of life was bound by rules and regulations. Anyone who behaved even slightly out of line would immediately become the focus of everyone’s attention.
Those carefree heroines in television dramas who effortlessly conquered the Qing Dynasty, attracted several imperial princes, and strolled happily toward the pinnacle of life…
That was far too unrealistic.
Here, even while she slept, a maid knelt beside her bed.
The slightest sound from Yu Mu, and the girl would immediately wake to serve her.
She didn’t have a shred of privacy.
Under such circumstances, what exactly could she possibly do?
After agonizing over her situation for more than two hours, Yu Mu heard the servants talking outside. She knew that by this hour, the original owner would normally have long been awake.
Unable to delay any longer, she deliberately made a little noise.
For now…
She would simply take things one step at a time.
She had no better plan.
After a lengthy morning of washing, dressing, and grooming, the maids helped her into a pink Manchu robe. Her hair was arranged in an elegant coiled hairstyle, adorned with matching hairpins and earrings.
Only then did she set off for the main courtyard to pay her respects to her mother, Lady Xilin Gioro.
The main courtyard wasn’t far from her own residence. It took less than fifteen minutes to walk there.
Upon arriving, a maid led her directly into her mother’s chambers.
“Greetings, Mother. I overslept today and came late to pay my respects.”
Following the original owner’s memories as closely as possible, Yu Mu obediently performed the proper greeting.
After all, she wasn’t this family’s real daughter.
If anyone realized something was wrong and decided she was some kind of evil spirit…
She might very well end up being burned alive.
So she could only imitate the original owner as faithfully as possible.
The moment Lady Xilin Gioro saw her daughter, she hurried forward and helped her up.
“My good child, get up quickly. How many times have I told you? You’re already considered a member of the imperial family. You no longer need to come and greet me every morning.”
“I know, Mother. But I’m not married yet. I still want to show you my filial devotion. Unless…” Yu Mu covered her eyes with a handkerchief, pretending to be hurt. “…Mother no longer likes me?”
Sure enough, seeing her daughter act so affectionately filled Lady Xilin Gioro with delight.
Her daughter was still close to her.
“You silly girl.” She smiled helplessly. “In just two months you’ll be married into another family. You won’t be the pampered young miss you are at home anymore. From now on, you must be careful with every word and every action. Never give anyone the opportunity to find fault with you. Only then will your mother truly be at ease.”
Taking Yu Mu’s hand, she affectionately led her to sit beside her on the kang bed and began chatting with her.
Yu Mu stiffened the moment her hand was held.
She had grown up with her grandparents in her previous life and had rarely experienced such close affection from a woman. Her parents had spent most of their lives working far from home, so they had never been especially close.
She truly wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy.
Fortunately, Lady Xilin Gioro noticed none of her nervousness.
Instead, she questioned Madam Zhang about Yu Mu’s daily routine. Only after learning that everything was in order did she turn back to her daughter.
“Mu’er, how have your etiquette lessons been lately?”
“Please don’t worry, Mother. I think I’m doing quite well. I certainly won’t make any mistakes.”
As she spoke, Yu Mu frantically searched through the original owner’s memories.
There were so many rules.
Palace taboos.
The preferences of every important imperial family member.
Who lived where.
Proper etiquette for every occasion.
Fortunately, after reviewing everything, she felt somewhat reassured.
After all, she would be living in Yuqing Palace with the Crown Prince.
She wouldn’t have to interact with Emperor Kangxi’s harem nearly as often.
Otherwise, simply remembering everyone’s identities might drive her insane.
“That’s good. But even while you’re studying etiquette, you mustn’t neglect your music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. His Highness the Crown Prince is especially fond of Han scholarship. Only by excelling in these things will you have more to talk about with him. Otherwise…”
Halfway through her sentence, Lady Xilin Gioro suddenly remembered that many servants were still in the room.
She waved her hand.
The maids quietly withdrew in orderly fashion.
“Mu’er, from the beginning, our family raised you to become the principal wife of another noble household. We never imagined you’d be chosen for the Crown Prince.”
“I’ve repeated these things countless times over the years, but you must remember them well.”
“The Crown Prince is the most exalted man beneath Heaven.”
“If you wish to live comfortably in the future, you must win his heart.”
“When the Crown Princess is eventually chosen, your life will be much easier if you’ve already secured your place.”
“Just thinking about my daughter having to live under another woman’s authority pains me terribly.”
Her expression grew increasingly sorrowful.
Yu Mu hurried to comfort her.
“Please don’t worry, Mother. I understand. His Majesty hasn’t selected a Crown Princess yet. I imagine she’ll be chosen during the next imperial selection. As long as I establish my footing before then, even if life isn’t wonderful, it certainly won’t be the worst.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that.”
Lady Xilin Gioro nodded.
“I won’t lecture you further.”
She reached into a hidden compartment beside the bed and withdrew a folded sheet of paper.
“These are the people our clan has quietly placed within the palace over the years.”
“Our family has never been especially wealthy or influential, and we never expected one of our daughters to enter the imperial palace.”
“They’ve only been gathering information about the palace all this time.”
“Take this.”
“I hope they’ll be of some help to you.”
Yu Mu accepted the list, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of pressure.
To be honest…
She had absolutely no idea how to manage secret informants.
Still, she could only accept the paper with apparent gratitude.
Lady Xilin Gioro continued instructing her on matters of conduct and dealing with people.
Before long, a matron knocked on the door from outside.
“Madam, the estate manager has arrived. He wishes to discuss the affairs of the family’s shops.”
“I understand. Have him wait in the front hall. I’ll be there shortly.”
Yu Mu immediately rose.
“Mother, since you’re busy, I’ll head back now.”
“Very well.”
“Oh, one more thing.”
“Take some time to decide which of your maids you’ll bring into the palace.”
“Let me know as soon as you’ve decided.”
“I still need to teach them many things before you leave.”
“I will, Mother. I’ll look into it when I return.”
With that, Yu Mu took her leave and returned to her little pavilion.
The morning greetings were finally over.
But countless more matters still awaited her.
The mere thought of everything she would have to face was enough to give her a headache.