The next morning.
Qiao Rongjin slept until late morning before finally waking up—completely rested at last.
She had always adapted easily to circumstances. Even after arriving in this unfamiliar era, it didn’t affect her sleep quality at all. She even instinctively reached for her phone to check the time, only to grab nothing but empty air. When she opened her eyes and saw the antique-style room, she finally remembered—she had transmigrated into a novel.
Her little face immediately fell for a moment, but soon she perked up again.
A new life. A new beginning.
There were still many things waiting for her to do. Once she brought Qi You, that little bun of a child, back to her side, she could close her doors and live quietly on her own.
As for the man from last night, Qiao Rongjin wasn’t worried at all. He had said he could handle it himself, so he likely could. He seemed quite capable anyway—even Prince Rui couldn’t find anything on him, which meant he was clearly no ordinary person. So she simply set it aside and stopped thinking about it.
“Master, you’re awake.”
At that moment, Qinglian’s voice came from outside.
“Mm.”
With Qinglian’s help, Qiao Rongjin washed up and gradually became more awake. She stared at her reflection in the bronze mirror for a moment, slightly dazed.
“Miss, you have an injury on your head. Shall I change your hairstyle today?” Qinglian asked.
“Mm.”
Qinglian’s hands were skillful, and she quickly finished styling her hair. She was about to apply makeup when she heard—
“No need for makeup today. Leave it like this.”
Qiao Rongjin looked at her reflection. Even without makeup, her beauty was still striking, and she seemed satisfied.
The original host’s appearance was delicate and refined—completely different from her own past life, which had a sharper, more aggressive beauty. The original face inspired a protective instinct in others, while hers had been the kind that kept people at a distance.
At barely over twenty years old, this body was at the peak of youth. The skin was smooth and fair; it didn’t need any embellishment to look beautiful. It had a naturally unadorned elegance.
Qinglian was slightly surprised that her mistress wasn’t wearing makeup today, but she didn’t say much. She simply smiled and said, “Master is already so beautiful. Even without makeup, you are still the most beautiful person in the backyard.”
As she spoke, she carefully wrapped the wound on her mistress’s head.
Qiao Rongjin agreed with that statement. This face was truly gifted—no wonder the male lead had once been fascinated with the original host when she first entered the manor, to the point that the other women in the backyard called her a “fox spirit” behind her back.
Today she didn’t need to go out, and she only had to pay respects to the Princess Consort on the first and fifteenth of the month. That gave her time to sort through the memories in her mind properly; yesterday had been too chaotic for her to think clearly.
“Master, it’s done.”
Looking at the woman in the mirror—white bandage on her head, skin fair and fragile, carrying a cold, delicate beauty—Qinglian couldn’t hide her amazement.
Qiao Rongjin herself also stared at the reflection.
The woman in the mirror had brows like distant misty mountains, eyes like starlight, a straight delicate nose, and lips naturally red without makeup. Her long hair was half-pinned up with only a simple jade hairpin and jade earrings. Elegant and understated. The bandage on her forehead added a touch of vulnerability, making her look like a fragile porcelain doll—beautiful, but as if she would break at a touch.
She truly was pleasing to the eye.
“Master is so beautiful,” Qinglian murmured unconsciously.
“I think so too.”
Qiao Rongjin admired the face openly, showing no humility whatsoever.
Qinglian laughed, then remembered something important. “Master, please take your medicine first. I’ll go bring your meal from the kitchen.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
Qiao Rongjin stared at the bowl of dark, unappetizing medicine, her brows tightly furrowed.
This was going to send her straight to the afterlife, wasn’t it?
What kind of human suffering was this? She hated Chinese medicine the most.
But medicine is bitter for a reason. Even if she didn’t want to drink it, she had to. There were no antibiotics here—if it got infected, she couldn’t gamble with her life.
So she took a deep breath and downed it in one go with the resolve of someone heading to execution.
After drinking it, she felt like even her soul had turned bitter. Her face scrunched up, and she quickly grabbed water beside her and drank it all, only gradually feeling better.
Only then did she have the mental space to think about other things.
Prince Rui, the male lead of this novel, was the fifth son of the current Emperor Jingyuan. He was also the only son of Consort Xian. Calm and reserved in personality, decisive in action, with a photographic memory, he had always excelled among the princes since childhood. He was highly valued by the emperor and outstanding in both literature and martial arts.
However, because of his abilities—and because his maternal family, the Duke of Dingguo’s household, was extremely powerful—he had become deeply feared by the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the other contenders for the throne. This made even those around him, and his entire manor, unsafe.
So, for him, whether he wanted it or not, he had to fight for the throne.
Based on the plot and the original host’s memories, the main contenders for the throne were the Crown Prince, the Second Prince (Prince Huai), the Third Prince (Prince Chen), the Fifth Prince (Prince Rui), and the Seventh Prince (Prince Su).
Among them, the Third Prince and Prince Rui were known to despise each other openly.
Emperor Jingyuan was already over fifty, nearing sixty, and his health was declining. The Crown Prince and the other princes were already making their moves in secret, their schemes growing more and more ruthless.
Qiao Rongjin sighed.
This was the imperial court—rigid hierarchy, overwhelming power, and extreme danger.
Fortunately, she had transmigrated into Prince Rui’s manor. If she had become a commoner instead, life would likely have been even harder.