Chapter 1 Time Travel
In 223 AD, the emperor passed away. Unfortunately, the old emperor had no sons. The heir he had raised since childhood also died a year after ascending the throne. The whole country mourned. The prime minister and a group of regents had no choice but to select another son from the royal family to succeed to the throne.
This son was the second legitimate son of Prince Chang. He was rumored to be virtuous and loved the people, but his true nature was revealed soon after he ascended the throne. He indulged in pleasure all day long, disregarded the common people, and only used his relatives. Gradually, the court was divided into two factions, one led by the prime minister and the other led by Prince Chang. The two factions were at each other's throats, and the court was in chaos.
In the warm spring of March, with its gentle breezes, the area should be ablaze with vibrant colors, but the Prime Minister's residence is only graced by a few green bamboos and the occasional chirping of birds, making it appear somewhat desolate compared to other places.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence from afar.
Upon hearing the voice and recognizing the person, the maid immediately lowered her head and bowed, saying, "Master."
Song Yunzhou frowned, waved his hand, and asked in a deep voice, "How was Miss's day?"
The maid said, "Miss just took her medicine and is currently reading inside."
Song Yunzhou nodded, pushed open the door, and saw a slender figure standing quietly by the window, gazing outside with a faint expression, as if she had an unyielding sorrow.
He cleared his throat, which sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet room. The woman turned around. Despite her youthful appearance, which should have made her pale, she couldn't hide her good complexion. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She turned around and curtsied, saying, "Father."
Song Yunzhou suppressed the worry in his eyes and nodded. He glanced at the maids behind him and paused. "You all go outside and keep watch. I have something to say to your young lady. No one is allowed to come in without my permission."
"Yes." The maids bowed slightly and left the room.
Song Luoning was surprised, but her expression remained unchanged: "Father, what happened?"
Since she came of age, her father had never entered her boudoir; this was the first time.
Song Yunzhou frowned slightly, his tone revealing concern as he said, "You're not feeling well, why are you still standing by the window? Springtime brings wind and pollen everywhere, don't make your cough worse."
Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed across Song Luoning's eyes, but then a faint smile appeared on her lips, and her face gained a touch of girlish charm: "I'm so bored staying in the house all day, and there aren't any flowers or plants in our Prime Minister's residence."
Knowing early on that pollen and willow catkins would worsen her cough, the Prime Minister's residence forbade the planting of flowers and plants.
Song Yunzhou sighed, unable to bear blaming her. His youngest daughter had been frail and sickly since childhood, and the doctor had even predicted that she would not live past twenty. Her mother had also passed away early, and as her father, he had always been less attentive to her. He felt even more guilty.
With the court in turmoil and his incriminating evidence in the hands of his mortal enemy, he had no time to care for his daughter.
After a moment of contemplation, he said as if he had made up his mind, "Pack your things. Your father will have someone send you out of the city. Go to Chenjia Village in Linyang County and find a man named Xiao Yu."
Song Luo frowned.
Song Yunzhou dared not look into his daughter's eyes, turned his face away, gritted his teeth and continued, "When your mother was alive, she arranged a marriage for you. Although the other party's family had fallen on hard times, he was still a member of the royal family and a direct descendant of the founding emperor. With a little encouragement, he could get a position in the court in the future."
“Father…” Song Luoning was about to speak when Song Yunzhou interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument: “This matter is settled. Moreover, the other party has been kind to us, and the Song family cannot do such an ungrateful thing.”
Song Luoning looked at her father without saying anything more. Although she was trapped in this small corner of Qianyue Residence, she was very perceptive. Her father must have a reason for sending her away so suddenly.
Song Yunzhou said, "Your father and brothers won't see you off. Remember this..." After saying that, he took out a betrothal letter from his sleeve, placed it on the table, sighed, and left.
Song Luoning glanced at the letter of appointment, pursed her lips, and opened it. The black regular script flowed smoothly, and the two characters 'Xiao Yu' came into view.
In the end, it all turned into a sigh.
......
Chenjia Village, Linyang County.
An Yu rubbed her slightly protruding forehead, opened her eyes groggily, and saw a dilapidated mud-brick house with broken doors and windows, and cold air constantly blowing in.
Where is this?
How did she end up here?
An Yu endured her headache, got up from the ground, and looked around. The room was small and dilapidated. A few steps away from her was a wooden bed, a round table, two stools, a teapot and four teacups on the table, and nothing else.
The place could be described as utterly destitute.
An Yu frowned. Wasn't she participating in training?
While deep in thought, some text suddenly appeared in her mind. An Yu frowned. After slowly digesting it, she realized that she had transmigrated into a book, and into a melodramatic romance novel that she had read before. A large part of the text was about how the male lead tormented the female lead. What was even more infuriating was that the male lead eventually married the daughter of a general for his own benefit.
Even so, the female lead remained unconscious, and until the moment she died, she was still thinking about the male lead.
When An Yu saw this part, she was so angry that her heart ached, and she even cursed the unscrupulous author in the comments section.
She never expected to transmigrate into this book. As for who she became, she was sorry to say she didn't know. However, from the text, she could tell that the original owner had the same name as her but a different surname. She was called Xiao Yu and was originally from a fallen royal family. Although the succession to the throne had long been lost in her generation, the ancestral home and land still existed. Although they were not living in luxury, they were definitely not having any problem with food and clothing. However, the original owner's father died early, and her mother was worried that the family property would be seized by her uncles and aunts. So she made the original owner dress as a boy from a young age. When she was young, the original owner was quite promising, but she grew up to be more and more crooked and eventually became a spendthrift who was hated by everyone. She squandered the family fortune early and was eventually kicked out of the house by the original owner's mother and lived in a dilapidated mud house.
An Yu stared into thought as she read the text.
The novel doesn't introduce the original owner, so she's probably just an insignificant passerby. But being a passerby isn't bad either; at least she's not a cannon fodder who dies young, or a vicious female supporting character. The love and hate between the male and female leads have nothing to do with her, and she can survive until the end.
The only downside is that the original owner was a bit poor, and he would have to rely on himself to become rich in the future.
An Yu rubbed her still sore forehead. At that moment, her stomach started growling. She closed her eyes. It was one thing to not have any cheat codes, but to have to worry about starving to death right from the start was another.
I decided to fill my stomach first before making any plans. Just as I got up to go to the kitchen, there was a knock on the door.
An Yu was stunned for a moment. She had just transmigrated and had not yet fully adapted to her current identity. She hesitated whether to open the door or not.
Then someone outside the door called out, "Xiao Yu, open the door quickly."
"......"
An Yu was conflicted.
After a while, the knocking continued. Well, she couldn't keep hiding forever. She straightened her clothes, pushed open the door, and saw a lot of people gathered at the door through the low wall. Judging from their clothes, they should be villagers from the neighborhood. She opened the courtyard gate.
The person knocking on the door was a man whose appearance was rather indescribable. Judging from his looks alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had shifty eyes. The man immediately grabbed her, pulled her to the side, and said in a low voice, "I knew you were home."
Not only is his appearance sleazy, but his behavior is also sleazy.
An Yu frowned, disliking the man in front of her for some reason, feeling a vague sense of disgust. She glanced around behind him and asked, "What is it?"
The man, looking furtive, moved closer to her, pointed to the carriage behind him, and said in a low voice, "Xiao Yu, someone is looking for you. They're in that carriage."
An Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the carriage was surrounded by a crowd. No wonder she hadn't seen it from the courtyard at first; the crowd had blocked her view. She frowned slightly.
After the original owner's family fell into decline, they moved to this small village and stopped associating with the people from before. In ancient times, being able to travel by horse-drawn carriage, especially one with tall horses and a wide body, meant that one must be of high status and wealth.
Suddenly, An Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the original owner not only squandered the family fortune but also incurred debts?
A bad feeling suddenly crept into my mind.
Seeing that she didn't react for a long time, the man couldn't help but urge her, "Xiao Yu, what are you daydreaming about? Go over there, don't keep the young lady waiting..."
girl?
An Yu precisely gleaned two words from the man's incessant chatter: Damn, could it be that the original owner owed a debt of love?!
His lips twitched involuntarily.
On second thought, something seemed off. Although the original owner had disguised herself as a man since childhood, she was still a genuine woman. In ancient times, such a thing would be punished by being drowned in a pig cage if discovered. Judging from the text she received, the original owner was rather timid and should not have dared to do such a thing.
Ignoring the man's incessant chatter beside her, she walked nervously to the carriage and took a deep breath: "My name is An... Xiao Yu. May I ask what business you have with me, young lady?"
That was close! She almost let it slip. It seems she needs to adapt to her new identity as soon as possible.
The car door slowly opened.
An Yu... no, Xiao Yu was stunned when she saw the woman's face clearly. The woman was wearing a moon-white dress, with delicate eyebrows and a pair of clear, cold eyes like obsidian. She was so beautiful that it was hard to look away. Her long, black hair reached her waist. The only downside was that the woman was too thin and had a pale face, giving her the appearance of a sickly beauty.
However, every single detail perfectly aligns with Xiao Yu's aesthetic sense.
The woman in the car noticed Xiao Yu staring at her intently and without any attempt to hide it. A hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes: "Are you Xiao Yu?" Her voice was clear and distant.
"Ah? It is..." Xiao Yu came back to her senses, secretly cursing herself for almost being blinded by good looks. She steadied herself and forced a calm demeanor, saying, "I am indeed Xiao Yu. May I ask what business you have with me, young lady?"
Judging from what the woman had just said, she probably didn't recognize the original owner of this body, and Xiao Yu was completely relieved.
As long as it's not about being in debt, that's fine.
Song Luoning pursed her lips. Based on the person's behavior just now, she hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed, glanced at the crowd of onlookers, and said softly, "May we go inside to talk?"
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