Chapter 1

Chapter 1 June was exceptionally hot this year. Xie Run returned from the flower room empty-handed, accompanied by her maidservants. She hadn't walked more than a few steps before her back was completely soaked with sweat. Just as she reached the entrance of Linxuan Pavilion, she saw all the maids in the courtyard dropping into bows, their faces unable to hide their joy. Yuli spoke with a beaming smile, "Congratulations, Mistress! A thousand congratulations! Eunuch Shi'an from the Prince's side just came by and said the Prince will be coming to Linxuan Pavilion tonight. He told you to prepare yourself immediately." Xie Run was stunned for a moment. It took her a while to remember that she was a concubine in the Prince Jing’s estate, and that her duties included serving the Prince in bed. She raised a hand and said, "I understand. Help me change my clothes first, then." The smiles on the maids' faces widened, adding a touch of festivity to Linxuan Pavilion. "Yes!" Xie Run was supported as she returned to her room. There were four maids in Linxuan Pavilion in total. Dantao and Yuli were Xie Run’s dowry maids, while Xiaoshu and Xiaoci had been provided by the Prince Jing's estate. Of the four maids, one held a fan to provide Xie Run with a breeze, while another brought cool water, wrung out a cloth, and gently wiped away Xie Run’s sweat. Another brought tea for Xie Run to rinse her mouth, and they served her as she changed her shoes, her clothes, and her hairstyle. After the whole process, the most tiring thing Xie Run had done was walk those few steps. A faint chill drifted from the ice basin nearby, dispelling the sweltering heat of June. As Xie Run enjoyed the service of the four maids, she silently scolded herself for becoming so decadent, yet she couldn't help but lose herself in such a life. Although Yuli called her "Mistress" quite readily, Xie Run was actually just a lowly concubine in the Prince Jing’s estate of the Great Yu Dynasty. In terms of status, she was only slightly better off than the maids and servants of the estate. Above her were the Consorts, Side Consorts, the Princess Consort, and Prince Jing himself. Any one of them could decide her life or death on a whim. Xie Run could only comfort herself with the thought: since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it. At least this time she had a healthy body. She didn't have to suffer through days of illness, lingering between life and death. In her modern life, Xie Run's existence had been dark and devoid of light. She was suddenly diagnosed with cancer at the age of nine, and from then on, she never lived the life of a normal person. Injections, medicine, chemotherapy—each physical reaction was more severe than the last, leaving her body increasingly frail. As she watched more and more tubes and instruments being inserted into her body, her will to live gradually faded. Xie Run had tried to commit suicide, but seeing her parents weep as they spoke of their love and insistence on her staying, she could only painfully endure. She lived like this until she was twenty. By then, Xie Run had reached the terminal stage; her lamp had run out of oil, and she spent every day longing for death to arrive. Who would have thought that upon closing her eyes and opening them again, she would become Xie Run, the youngest daughter of Scholar Xie from the Xie clan of Chen County. When she realized she had a healthy body, Xie Run shed tears of excitement. She made a silent vow in her heart. No matter how difficult this life became, she would live healthily! Just as her parents in her past life had hoped, she would live to a hundred, healthy and worry-free. Xie Run came from the Xie clan of Chen County. The Chen County Xie clan was a world-renowned prestigious family, but Xie Run’s father's branch had long since moved beyond the five degrees of kinship. Aside from sharing a surname, they were distantly related by eight degrees and had long since fallen into decline. Truthfully speaking, they were merely the family of a scholar whose ancestors had once been wealthy. Xie Run’s brother, Xie Jing, had become a scholar at a young age and had high hopes of passing the provincial examinations this year. He originally had a boundless future, but unexpectedly, he caught the eye of the local magistrate, who wanted to forcibly recruit him as a matrilocal son-in-law. The Xie family was tormented by the magistrate to the point of near ruin. It just so happened that the steward of Prince Jing’s estate came to select concubines for the Prince. The Xie family devised a plan to present their beauty, sending their youngest daughter Xie Run into Prince Jing’s estate as a concubine. They hoped to use the Prince's influence to save Xie Jing’s future and the lives of the whole family. The original Xie Run was a simple and strong-willed young girl who had already pledged her life to the boy next door, her childhood sweetheart. Upon suddenly hearing that she was to become a concubine in the Prince Jing’s estate, she would rather die than obey. In her grief, she made a pact with her childhood sweetheart to elope. On the day of the elopement, however, the boy failed to show up. In a fit of rage, she threw herself into a lake. By the time Father Xie led people to pull Xie Run out of the water, the soul inside had already been replaced by the Xie Run who had traveled from modern times. After Xie Run understood what had happened, she only had time to sigh before she was hurriedly sent into Prince Jing’s estate to become one of his concubines. Another woman, Concubine Fang, had entered the estate at the same time as Xie Run. She was said to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan, exceptionally beautiful and possessing considerable family wealth. As soon as Concubine Fang entered the estate, she gained Prince Jing’s favor, serving him for five consecutive days. Afterward, the Prince never thought to visit Xie Run. As the days went by, Xie Run gradually became an invisible person. No one cared about Xie Run, and she was quite happy about it, closing her courtyard doors to live her own little life. In this era, deaths from floods and droughts were common, and famines and plagues broke out from time to time. One never knew how many people would die each day. Although Xie Run was confined to this small, square courtyard, she wouldn't be affected by natural disasters, nor would she lack food or suffer from malnutrition. Furthermore, she wouldn't die because she couldn't receive medical treatment for an illness. This was already very good. Having been sick for over a decade in her past life, Xie Run dared not have any other extravagant hopes in this one. Once Xie Run finished changing, she heard Yuli say softly, "Mistress, the flower room has sent someone." Xie Run was startled. "Why did they send someone?" Yuli gave a light huff. "What else could the flower room be here for? Naturally, they’ve come to deliver flowers. They must have heard the news that the Prince is coming to Linxuan Pavilion tonight and rushed over to make amends." Just moments ago, Xie Run had taken two maids to the flower room, wanting some inexpensive honeysuckle and jasmine to plant in the courtyard. Who would have thought the flower room manager wouldn't give Xie Run the time of day? He took her money but refused to do the job, making all sorts of excuses and offering cold mockery. Dantao, being more steady, asked softly, "Mistress, should you go see him? After all, you’ve just entered the estate; it’s not good to offend people." Yuli pursed her lips. "But seeing him just like that makes Mistress seem too easy-going. In the future, no one will take Mistress seriously." "You both have a point." Xie Run recalled the scene at the time and gave a faint smile. "Then let him leave the flowers, but there’s no need to see him." Dantao smiled. "Mistress’s way is the most appropriate." Accepting the flowers meant Xie Run would no longer dwell on the matter. Refusing to see him indicated that Xie Run was indeed annoyed with the flower room manager and was still angry. After Dantao dismissed the manager, Xie Run followed Yuli to the main room to look at the flowers. She saw rows of delicate, lush plants arranged under the veranda. Peonies, China roses, orchids, lilacs, honeysuckles, and jasmines—there were two pots of each. Xie Run looked at them and said, "This flower room manager certainly knows how to conduct himself." If the quantity were too large, Xie Run wouldn't dare accept them. But this amount was just right—neither too much nor too little. It wouldn't affect the supply for others in the estate, yet it still served to curry favor with Xie Run. It had to be said that those who could become managers in this estate were all seasoned and shrewd individuals. Xie Run had the flowers moved to the right veranda, planning to find time to clear a flower bed and plant them. After busying herself for a while, she looked up and realized it had turned dark. Dantao said, "Mistress, it’s about to rain." Xie Run remarked, "The old saying is true: June weather is like a child's face—it changes in an instant." Yuli’s brow was clouded with worry. "I wonder how long this rain will last. It won't stop the Prince from coming to see Mistress, will it?" Xie Run was taken aback; she really hadn't thought that much about it. But Yuli’s concern wasn't without merit. After all, Prince Jing was of noble status; he wouldn't specifically brave the rain just to sleep with a mere concubine. However, Xie Run wasn't particularly looking forward to the service anyway. "With the rain being so heavy, I actually hope the Prince doesn't come," Xie Run said with an air of understanding. "First, the roads will be muddy and easy to slip on. Second, it's easy to catch a cold after the rain, and being sick with a chill is far too miserable." In this day and age, there was no specialized medicine for a cold. Even a minor cold required a period of recovery, which was extremely taxing. "The Prince..." Hearing Yuli mention the Prince again, Xie Run smiled faintly. "Don't worry. It doesn't matter if the Prince doesn't come—" Xie Run was about to comfort Yuli and Dantao when she looked up and collided with a pair of eyes as deep and cold as a freezing pool.