Chapter 1: Resurrection

At dusk, heavy snow continued to fall, showing no signs of stopping as the sky grew darker. In the front courtyard of the Xu family estate, white lanterns were lit one by one, casting a glow over the mourning decorations and the white mourning flags fluttering in the cold wind. The bleak scene was further heightened by the eerie quietness, with paper effigies of carriages, cattle, servants, and boats lined up along the courtyard walls, swaying gently as if ready to come to life. Nervous servants, afraid of wandering the grounds alone, paired up with older housekeepers to venture around.

In the mourning hall, Ning Rulan, the third lady of the Xu household, was dressed in plain mourning clothes. She placed an incense stick before the memorial tablet of Lady Qin Meinang, the deceased first lady of the Xu family. As she looked at the tablet with its glistening black inscriptions, she sighed, still finding it hard to believe that such a beautiful and gentle woman, so full of life, was gone at such a young age.

As Ning Rulan was wiping away her tears, a housekeeper approached and whispered, “Third Lady, Lady won’t be able to return today. The head of the Bai Family has selected a lucky date, so the funeral will be postponed for three more days. Lady will stay at her family home to fulfill her filial duties.”

Ning Rulan frowned. “Our first lady’s funeral is tomorrow. Lady knows about it, and she has been managing the inner court since her illness. Now that she can’t be here, and since our lady never attends to matters, everything falls on me. But I don’t know how to handle any of this! These past two days have worn me out, and tomorrow will surely be even worse!”

At the thought of the chaos to come, Ning Rulan felt a chill run down her spine. Born into a scholarly family, she had always been engrossed in books, painting, and poetry, rarely concerning herself with domestic affairs. Now, she was thrust into managing the grand funeral of a noble lady, a task that felt like a monumental burden.

Her nursemaid, Liu Mamma, sympathized. “Third Lady, don’t worry. The senior housekeepers and managers are here to help, so there shouldn’t be any major mistakes. You haven’t had dinner yet, and you’ve worked hard all day. It’s time to rest. There should be no one else coming tonight, so let us servants tend to the incense here while you have a warm meal.”

Ning Rulan nodded, giving a few more instructions to the attendants before heading to the back courtyard.

After she left, the maids stationed in the hall took a look around, making sure no one else was coming. Sighing with relief, they stoked the coals in the brazier and settled comfortably around it, chatting and complaining about the bitter cold, dreaming aloud about having a sip of warm wine to fend off the chill.

As they laughed and joked, an ethereal figure emerged from the coffin at the back of the hall. Draped in regal finery and adorned with fine jewelry, the resurrected beauty sat up, silently observing the servants who had been gossiping about her. This ghostly vision was none other than Qin Meinang, the lady of the house who had seemingly returned from the dead.

The maids continued chatting until they finally noticed her. When they saw the figure of the deceased lady, they were petrified, some fainting from fright.

Qin Meinang or rather, her modern soul who had somehow awakened in Qin Meinang’s body listened to the maids’ gossip and understood what had happened: she, a modern woman, had perished in a car accident but had mysteriously been reincarnated into this ancient noble woman’s body. This noble woman, only seventeen years old, had left behind a six month old son and a husband who had apparently already taken a new lover.

Furious at what she’d heard about her child’s mistreatment, she climbed out of the coffin, ready to defend her son against anyone who dared harm him. She would fight for him, the child she barely knew yet felt an overwhelming urge to protect.

Just then, the head of the Xu family arrived, striding purposefully through the courtyard. Seeing the pandemonium around him, he demanded, “What’s going on?”

One of the maids, trembling, stammered, “First Lady… she’s… she’s missing! She’s… risen from the dead!”