The cicadas are chirping outside the window, and the noise is making my head ache again.
I've been here for nine days now, and I have to wear three or more layers of clothing every day. It's so hot, and I'm always covered in sweat.
Now, I no longer hate those difficult clients. I just want to go back, drink a glass of ice water, and let my moldy brain air out. But every day when I wake up, I'm still in this ancient house.
Standing beside me were respectful maids, one of whom was named Wan'er. She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, clever and intelligent, and full of spirit. She always called me "Young Master".
I remember when I first woke up, I was looking at the dark clothes I was wearing, and the people next to me kept calling me "Young Master!" which made me nervous. After I finally managed to get everyone to leave, I took off all the clothes that were tied haphazardly on my body and made sure that I was still behind my daughter before I breathed a sigh of relief!
I was heartbroken. That day, I had just finished my mission and returned home. Everything seemed normal. When I fell asleep, I heard a voice in my ear, but I was too sleepy to think about it. When I woke up, I was in this Great Zhao Kingdom. I searched through all the history I remembered in my mind, five thousand years of history, but there was no Great Zhao Kingdom here!
I had to wear men's clothing every day and learn to ride horses and shoot arrows. Luckily, I was in good physical condition, so these were all child's play.
My current name is Ji Ying. My real name is Ji Shuang. Occasionally, I think about how I somehow ended up in this godforsaken place. Putting the two names together, I guess we could call me "Ji Shuangying" (meaning "Ji Double Win"). Up until now, my biggest advantage has been my age. I've gone from twenty-seven to eighteen. Nobody knows whether to laugh or cry.
Just as he was enjoying the breeze at the door, Wan'er came over and said, "Young Master, Madam invites you in."
I tugged at my shirt; this awful weather is unbearably hot.
Wan'er and I walked to the central courtyard, crossed a corridor, and finally arrived at the main hall. The Ji family was the general's mansion of the Great Zhao Dynasty, with General Ji and an older brother. Now, sitting in the seat of honor in the main hall was Madam Ji, my mother, with tear stains on her face. I mentally prepared myself, making sure I didn't give myself away.
Feigning concern, he walked up to Ji's mother, knelt down, and bowed: "Mother, you called me."
Mother Ji clutched her chest and waved her hand, telling me to stand aside. She then dismissed everyone and told me something that shocked me to my core.
I opened my mouth and asked again, "Mother, you want me to marry a princess?"
Mother Ji wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "My daughter, I'm so sorry, but now, your father and brother are both at the border. Fortunately, the family has raised you as a boy since you were little. Your brother and father had a huge fight; he'd rather jump off the city wall and die than marry the princess. The imperial decree of marriage has already been sent to the manor; the imperial order cannot be disobeyed." After saying this, she burst into tears. I felt a throbbing in my temples and a chill run down my spine.
After Ji's mother finished crying and calmed down, I said, "Mother, I am a girl. If this is discovered, it will implicate the family sooner or later." What I really wanted to say was, I am not your daughter, and your family has raised her as a boy since she was a child. Didn't you know that something bad would happen later?
Madam Ji muttered to herself, "It's all because of that last hunt, you stood out so much. I told the general not to be so ostentatious, but he wouldn't listen. Now the marriage is arranged, what are we going to do?" Tears of women in ancient times were truly worthless, they would fall at any moment.
After calming Ji's mother down, I thought it over and over, but I still felt it wasn't a good idea. If I ran away, where could I go? This place wasn't in a historical dynasty; I had no idea what the final outcome would be. Right now, I just wanted to bang my head against a pillar; maybe that would send me back in time.
Wan'er brought a bowl of lotus seed soup and placed it on the table: "Young master, quickly drink some lotus seed soup to clear your heat; your face has been flushed." My face was flushed because of the heat. In the sweltering heat of midsummer, I was wearing layers of clothes, along with jade pendants and sachets, and long boots—more layers than I would wear in a modern winter—yet I didn't suffer from heatstroke!
I held the lotus seed soup in my hands, and it was ice cold. So I drank it in big gulps, and finally felt the coolness in my body. I sat on the stool with my head on my lap, leaning against the pillar behind me.
Wan'er rolled her dark, bright eyes: "Young master, you're going to be a prince consort, that's a wonderful thing, why do you look so unhappy?"
Then it dawned on me that Wan'er had served me for so many years, hadn't she discovered that I was a woman? "Wan'er, are you sure I can marry a princess?"
Wan'er smiled, revealing her small, delicate teeth: "Why not? Young master, you are a dashing and handsome young man. Princess, you are royalty, and I've heard from outsiders that your mother is a great beauty, so you must be very beautiful too."
With a headache, I dismissed Wan'er, opened the window, looked around to make sure no one was there, and followed my memory to Ji's mother's room.
I told the maids at the door to be quiet, knocked once, and then opened the door to go in.
My mother sat by the bed, her face full of worry. I asked the question that had been bothering me: "Mother, don't the maids and servants in the house know that I am a girl?"
Madam Ji gestured for me to sit down. "Ying'er, back then, the midwife got excited and gave the wrong gender. Your aunt, Consort Ji, who was the most favored concubine, happened to be there. She returned to the palace beaming with joy. Since your father had just won a battle and had a son, the Emperor appointed him General of the Cavalry, and you and your brother were both granted titles. It's a pity; if the truth had been revealed then, it would have been considered deceiving the Emperor. Moreover, Consort Ji's position was threatened, and Empress Zhang's family was always eyeing the throne. They couldn't afford to make a mistake, so they kept making you dress as a man. Who knew this would lead to such a disaster?"
Ji's mother's tears fell uncontrollably again. The summer night, which was originally very hot, no longer felt hot, but now she was covered in cold sweat.
I returned to my room dejectedly, only to find it devoid of any feminine ornaments or belongings, filled with nothing but bows and arrows, swords, and martial arts implements. I was filled with worry.
Am I supposed to marry some princess, only to be discovered on our wedding night to be an imposter, and ultimately be sentenced to death?
Those who dream of time travel every day, ending up like me, might as well just kill themselves. I turned my head and looked at the biggest pillar in the room. I thought I'd give it a try; what if I managed to travel back in time?
My forehead was throbbing with pain. When I opened my eyes, I still saw Wan'er's little face. My heart sank!
Ji's mother sat to the side, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief: "My son, we are so sorry for you." I felt dizzy and lightheaded, so my head tilted to the side and I fainted again.
When I woke up again and was able to get out of bed, I heard that my father and brother had returned. I was overjoyed, thinking that maybe they had a solution. I couldn't sit still in the room and was about to open the door to go out when my brother, Ji Yun, opened the door and came in, with a beautiful young woman on his arm.
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