Broken Mirror
Xu Xianyue’s last consciousness was the cold lake water flooding over his mouth and nose, and the feeling of suffocation followed him everywhere. All that was left in his vision was a chaotic, gradually fading green.
She remembered her attempt to salvage the box of Qing Dynasty velvet flower materials and intangible cultural heritage archives that was about to sink to the bottom of the lake with the sunken ship—a foolish, almost instinctive, dedication that belonged to a craftsman. And then, this moment.
There was neither the gloomy underworld as expected nor the legendary Naihe Bridge.
When I regained consciousness, the first thing I felt was a heavy, crushing weakness. My eyelids felt like they were weighed down with lead, and it took a lot of effort to pry them open a crack.
What caught my eye was the blurry tent ceiling, an old blue-gray color, embroidered with long-faded lotus patterns. The air was filled with a faint, cheap smell of wood ash mixed with medicine.
"Wake up! The girl is awake!" A childish voice with a crying tone exploded in her ears, making her temples throb.
Her vision gradually cleared, and a tearful little face came closer. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with twin buns and a half-worn lotus-colored bodice. Xu Xianyue's mind went blank, and she just stared at her quietly, without any reaction.
"Miss, you are finally awake! You have been in a coma for two days! You scared me to death..." The little maid sobbed and hurriedly tried to get the medicine bowl next to her.
Xu Xianyue didn't move, nor did she speak. She slowly rolled her eyes, surveying the room. The old wooden furniture, the lattice windows covered with plain white window paper, and a peeling wardrobe in the corner—everything exuded a sense of straitened poverty and... an antiquity that didn't belong to any era she knew.
Who is she? Where is this place?
As soon as the thought came to her mind, a huge amount of memory fragments that did not belong to her suddenly rushed into her mind, like broken lenses, embedding sharply and chaotically into her consciousness.
The Xu family...the concubine...Xu Xianyue.
Her father was a minor official in the capital, her mother a frail, long-lost concubine. The original owner was timid, living under the thumb of her stepmother, a shadowy existence. And this time, her fall into the water seemed no accident... Her memory lingered on the moment of being shoved, and on the mocking, malicious face of her stepmother, Xu Xianyun.
"Miss, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me, just say something..." The little maidservant became more anxious when she saw her empty eyes. She was the personal maid of the original owner, named Wan Cui.
Xu Xianyue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a quiet clarity had returned. She accepted the fact—she had traveled through time. From an independent modern woman dedicated to inheriting intangible cultural heritage, she had become a concubine's daughter, living in a precarious situation in this ancient society.
"Water." She spoke, her voice dry and hoarse, with the friction of not speaking for a long time.
Wan Cui quickly poured some warm water and carefully fed her to drink.
A few sips of warm water moistened her throat, slightly dispelling the feeling of weakness. Xu Xianyue leaned against the headboard, her gaze fixed on her new hands—the fingers were slender, the skin delicate, though the nails were pale from blood loss and weakness. These were hands well suited for delicate work, completely different from the hands of her previous life, which had been lightly calloused from years of contact with silk and copper wire.
Well, that's fine. She sighed silently. In her previous life, she'd been alone, pouring all her passion into the soon-to-be-lost art of velvet flower making, ultimately sacrificing her life for it. Now, with a new identity and a new way of living, perhaps... she could finally find the true "leisure" and "moonlight" she'd always longed for?
While he was pondering, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door, accompanied by a deliberately high-pitched female voice with a hint of false enthusiasm: "Oh, my son, you're finally awake! It's really the Bodhisattva's blessing!"
The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged woman, wearing a maroon jacket with a twisted branch pattern, entered. She had a round face and narrow eyes. A smile was plastered on her face, but her eyes held no warmth. Behind her followed a young woman in a pink flowered dress. Her features bore a resemblance to the woman's, but her chin was slightly raised, revealing an undisguised arrogance. It was none other than the elder sister Xu Xianyun whom she remembered.
This is the mistress of the Xu family, Wang.
Xu Xianyue lowered her eyes, hiding all the emotions in them, and just called softly, "Mother." Her voice was still flat, and no emotion could be heard from it.
Wang walked over to the bedside, pretended to touch her forehead, and sighed, "Are you feeling better? You scared me when you fell into the water that day! How could you be so careless, child? What were you doing playing by the water?"
Without any hesitation, they attributed the crime of pushing someone into the water to the original owner's "carelessness".
Xu Xianyun beside him sneered, his tone cold: "Sister, you are the same. You can't even stand steadily, but you made mother worry for two days."
Xu Xianyue raised her eyes and glanced at Xu Xianyun quietly. Her gaze was clear, like the first melting snow in the mountains, without any emotion, but it inexplicably made Xu Xianyun's heart suffocate, and the following sarcastic words were stuck in his throat.
"Thank you, mother and sister, for your concern. This is Xianyue's fault." Xu Xianyue retracted her gaze, her tone remaining calm, as if the previous glance was just an illusion. She didn't want to argue; it was pointless. In this family, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was clear, and no one would stand up for a concubine's daughter. Arguing would serve no purpose other than exhausting herself.
Wang seemed very satisfied with her obedience. She pretended to be concerned for her and said a few more words, but then changed the subject: "Now that you're awake, there's something I need to tell you. I've also prepared an invitation for you to the flower viewing banquet at Prince Jing's mansion in a few days."
Prince Jing's Mansion?
Xu Xianyue's eyebrows furrowed slightly. In his memory, Prince Jing, Xie Wuqi, was the younger brother of the current emperor, renowned for his military exploits and commanding a significant military force. However, he was also renowned for his increasingly violent temper, fueled by a strange poison, and rumors of... a wife-killer. His first two fiancées had both died inexplicably after their engagement.
How could a small family like the Xu family receive an invitation from Prince Jing's Mansion?
Wang Shi seemed to see her confusion and explained with a smile, "The prince has been unwell recently. The emperor is deeply concerned and has ordered that the families of officials above the fifth rank in the capital must visit him and pray for his well-being. Your father, though of low rank, is also included." She paused, her eyes sweeping across Xu Xianyue's pale yet beautiful face, and said meaningfully, "This is a rare opportunity. You must prepare well and don't be impolite or bring shame to our Xu family."
Xu Xianyue understood. The so-called blessing was merely an excuse for the emperor to send another woman to appease or monitor the rumoured dying mad king. The Xu family, presumably, was hoping to capitalise on this opportunity. Even if it meant sending a concubine's daughter to bring good luck or fill the "wife-killing" trap, it would be a chance to ascend to the upper echelons of the family.
That’s really… a good calculation.
"My daughter is still ill and I'm afraid she might pass her illness on to His Majesty. It's better not to go," Xu Xianyue softly declined. She didn't want to get involved in any disputes, especially those involving a dangerous person like Xie Wuqi.
"Nonsense!" Wang's face darkened. "This is the emperor's will. How can you just say you don't want to go? The invitation has been sent, it's a blessing! Take good care of yourself, dress decently when the time comes, and don't look so depressed all day long!"
After saying that, without waiting for Xu Xianyue to speak again, he left with Xu Xianyun.
Before Xu Xianyun left, he turned around and glared at her fiercely, whispering, "Don't think you can climb up the social ladder just because you're pretty. Are you worthy enough to go to Prince Jing's Mansion? Be careful, you might die without even knowing how!"
The room fell silent again, leaving only Wan Cui's worried whisper: "Girl..."
Xu Xianyue didn't respond, but simply tilted her head to look out the window. In the yard stood a half-dead pomegranate tree, its gnarled branches stretching towards the gray sky.
Living in seclusion, quietly working on your craft? It seems that in this world, it is not easy to be alone.
For the next few days, Xu Xianyue rested in her room to recuperate. She spoke very little, spending most of her time quietly leaning against the window, gazing at the sky outside, or closing her eyes to rest, sorting out the remaining memories of the original owner and the rules of this strange world.
Wan Cui felt sorry for her and tried to find topics to cheer her up, such as talking about interesting stories outside the house and the bustle in the streets.
"Miss, you don't know that there's a new embroidery shop in the East Market. They have a wide variety of silk threads in all colors. I heard they even have the finest silk from Jiangnan..."
silk?
Xu Xianyue's eyes, which had always been calm, finally showed a tiny ripple.
She looked at Wan Cui and asked softly, "Is it possible to buy it?"
Seeing that she was finally interested in something, Wan Cui nodded quickly, "Of course, of course! If you want, I'll go buy some tomorrow!"
Xu Xianyue nodded and said nothing more. But something in her heart was slightly loosened. Perhaps, in this suffocating house, she could still find a small place for herself, accompanied by the only passion she had in her previous life.
The next day, Wancui returned with a small package of silk, a few strands of common copper wire, and some simple tools. It was crude, but she had all the basic materials.
Xu Xianyue asked Wan Cui to move an unused small table in the house under the window, and began her first attempt in this world.
The process wasn't smooth. This body was weak, and the strength and stability of the fingers were far less than before. Furthermore, the materials were inferior: the silk wasn't tough enough, and the copper wire was too soft.
She failed several times. Wan Cui was anxious watching from the side, but did not dare to disturb her.
Xu Xianyue, however, remained undeterred. She simply calmly dismantled her failed half-finished work and began again. Her movements were unhurried, her eyes fixed intently on the tiny specks of pure white silk and golden copper wire at her fingertips, as if the turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with her.
Gradually, the unruly material began to tame under her delicate fingertips. Twisting, hooking, and beating... each tedious process unfolded under her hands like flowing water, with a unique, calm rhythm.
Wan Cui was stunned. She had never seen the girl like this before, focused, calm, a faint aura shrouding her. Her eyes, usually as still as an ancient well, now shone with a restrained and moving brilliance.
When a velvet flower hairpin shaped like a newly blossomed magnolia, which was made of simple materials but had a lively and lifelike shape, finally appeared in front of Wan Cui, the little maid covered her mouth with her hands and her eyes widened.
"Miss...did you make this? It's so beautiful! Even more beautiful than the gilded one in the lady's room!"
Xu Xianyue picked up the velvet flower and examined it against the thin light from the window. It had many flaws, far inferior to her previous life's work, but in this world, it was proof of her reconnection with the past and confirmation of her own existence.
She casually handed the velvet flower to Wan Cui and said, "Take it and keep it."
Wan Cui took it as a treasure and held it carefully.
Xu Xianyue stretched his stiff neck and looked out the window again. It was almost dusk, and the twilight was all around, casting a desolate warm hue over the small courtyard.
The flower viewing banquet at Prince Jing’s Mansion... I have to go eventually.
However, Xu Xianyue's life has never been a chess game that others can manipulate at will.
She picked up the tea that had already gone cold and took a sip. The bitter taste spread across her tongue, but her eyes became clearer and calmer in the bitterness.
The storm is about to come, but she has quietly built her own tiny city defense.
The first ray of moonlight climbed up the window frame and fell silently on her quiet profile, reflecting the soft and lustrous silk on her fingertips that had not yet been tidied.
The night is still long. Her journey has just begun.
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