Chapter 1

Despite it being past the twelfth lunar month, the snow in Bianliang City showed no signs of stopping. Day after day, the entire city remained blanketed in white.

In front of a courtyard in the eastern wing of the Rong Guogong Mansion, several young maids stood hesitatingly, holding various items, while speaking in hushed tones.

“Why are you just standing there?” The speaker was a maid dressed in a light green bijia. She was about eighteen years old, with a delicate face, and was carrying a food box as she approached from the other side of the corridor. Seeing the maids standing in front of the curtain, she frowned, her voice tinged with displeasure.

The young maids who had been talking quickly fell silent and respectfully greeted her, “Sister Moqi.”

After the greetings, a maid dressed in a pine green jacket stepped forward and whispered, “Sister, do you think the madam has truly recovered?” Seeing Moqi’s gaze, she glanced at the silk curtain and softly added, “After waking up yesterday, the madam spoke a lot of nonsense, which was quite frightening. Do you think she might be possessed?”

Moqi’s face darkened at these words. Just as she was about to scold them, a female voice from inside called out, “Moqi, is that you? Come in.”

The voice, weakened from illness, was not very loud, especially muffled by the wind and snow outside, making it even softer.

No one outside spoke, so the maids all heard it clearly. The maid who had spoken earlier turned pale. Moqi responded respectfully, casting a stern glance at the maids, and warned them in a low voice, “The madam has just recovered. Watch your tongues. If you talk nonsense again, you’ll be in trouble.”

Moqi was always authoritative among the maids, so her words made them all tense up and obediently reply, “Yes.”

Seeing this, Moqi said nothing more. She lifted the curtain and entered the room. Inside, the room was warmed by an underfloor heating system, making it feel like spring compared to the outside. She placed the food box on the table and led the maids through the four-panel screen embroidered with peonies.

Behind the screen, a woman dressed in a pale blue robe sat with her back to them, facing a bronze mirror.

Her figure was slender, and though her half-turned face was not particularly beautiful, there was a unique charm in her features. However, the illness from a few days ago had left her looking somewhat wan. Hearing the sound of footsteps, the woman turned to look at them. She was about twenty-three years old, her face devoid of expression, and her voice flat as she said, “Come and serve me.”

There was a small mole on her right cheek, usually not noticeable, but it became visible when she spoke, adding a touch of liveliness to her otherwise calm face.

Moqi quickly responded. She tested the water temperature, and finding it suitable, she wrung out a cloth to help the woman wash up.

Afterwards, she supported the woman to the outer room, where breakfast had already been laid out. She helped the woman sit down and softly said, “Today’s breakfast includes matsutake and chicken porridge, crystal buns, and four types of vegetables. You have lost a lot of weight recently and should take care to nourish your stomach.”

The woman said nothing and simply ate the meal that Moqi had prepared.

After a quarter of an hour, she put down her chopsticks, accepted the cloth Moqi handed her to wipe her mouth, and said lightly, “Clear it away.”

The small tasks were naturally handled by the young maids…

Moqi helped the woman up and walked her back inside. Once the maids outside had left, she handed the woman a freshly brewed cup of tea, then stood respectfully to the side. Though usually composed, Moqi now seemed somewhat hesitant.

The woman took the tea but did not drink it, placing it on the tea table beside her instead. Seeing Moqi’s expression, she changed her posture and said calmly, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Moqi hesitated before softly speaking, “Those young maids are still inexperienced and often speak without thinking. Madam, please don’t take offense.”

The woman listened but remained silent. She leaned back against the cushion, her eyes fixed on the three-legged animal-shaped incense burner on the high table.

The incense inside had just been replaced with a calming blend, filling the room with a refreshing scent. The woman continued to lean against the cushion, her slender wrist resting on the armrest, her almond-shaped eyes watching the curling smoke. After a while, she finally asked, “Do you think I am possessed?”

Mo Qi hadn’t expected the woman to ask such a question, and for a moment, she was stunned.

She lowered her gaze and looked at the woman on the couch. Seeing this familiar face from old memories, she was unsure how to respond. Half a month ago, the border brought back the Duke’s corpse along with a letter, which mentioned that the Duke had a son outside. The lady, hit by two consecutive blows, fainted and could not withstand it.

—-

In the past half month—

No matter how many methods the doctors outside or the imperial physicians used, they couldn’t wake the lady up.

Last night, the lady did wake up once, but her speech was incoherent and frightening. The maids said she either went mad or was possessed, but fortunately, she didn’t ramble for long. However, Mo Qi did find it strange.

She felt that the lady had changed a lot since waking up this time.

Just as Mo Qi had this thought, she pushed it aside. Given what had happened, it wasn’t surprising for the lady to change. The lady and the Duke had known each other since childhood and got married right after she turned eighteen. Over the past seven years, who in Bianliang City didn’t envy their relationship? Who could have imagined that the Duke had a son outside all along?

How could the lady bear such a blow?

With this thought, Mo Qi composed herself and respectfully replied, “Madam, please don’t overthink. You just need some time to recover, and you will be fine after a few more days of rest.”

Upon hearing this, the lady finally withdrew her gaze. She said nothing more and took a sip from the tea cup at her side. After the tea’s fragrance filled her mouth, she said, “You may leave. I want to be alone for a while.”

Mo Qi wanted to say more, but seeing the lady’s expression, she held back. She lightly acknowledged, gave a curtsy, and left the room.

The curtain rose and fell—

Now, there was no one else in the room except for the lady on the couch.

The wind and snow outside hadn’t stopped, occasionally hitting the window lattice, making the room feel even quieter. The lady put down her tea cup and walked toward the bronze mirror. Though it was daytime, the light wasn’t strong. Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, she looked at her reflection without any change in her expression.

This wasn’t the first time she looked at this face since waking up…

Besides the initial shock, she no longer felt anything when she saw it.

The lady reached out, her slender fingertips brushing the faint mole on her right cheek. This face bore no resemblance to hers except for that mole and… this name.

Shen Wei.

Shen Wei couldn’t understand why she ended up in this place?

She was clearly the Shen Wei of the 21st century, yet she woke up in this place, becoming another Shen Wei.

Shen Wei closed her eyes, her face showing no emotion, but her mind was in turmoil.

She remembered that before traveling through time, she had just met the blind date arranged by her elders. Disliking his words, she refused him on the spot. Unexpectedly, right after leaving, she got a call from her mother, leading to a heated argument, and then she was hit by a car… But even if she was hit by a car, she should have ended up in a hospital.

Why did she come to this ghostly place?

Thinking about this, Shen Wei frowned. She reached out and massaged her furrowed brow. In the 21st century, she had a good job. After years of hard work, she had become the Chief Operating Officer, owned a house and a car, and although she was over thirty without a partner, she felt there was nothing wrong with her life.

So, when she woke up to a bunch of maids, she was indeed shocked.

Even though she had faced countless challenges in the workplace, encountering this situation left her stunned. That’s why, upon waking, Shen Wei said many things that others saw as mad ramblings. But after gaining the original body’s memories, she confirmed that she had indeed traveled through time.

She hadn’t traveled to any known era but to a book.

This book was recommended by her assistant, Xiao Li. Because of a business trip, she read it on the plane out of boredom. Although she didn’t like web novels, this book left a deep impression on her because the cannon fodder main wife had the same name as her.

The book was called “Power Minister,” a popular serialized novel about the male lead, Lu Qihuai, who rose from a humble concubine’s son to a powerful minister.

Lu Qihuai wasn’t a kind person; he could even be described as a villain. Anyone who had ever wronged him met a bad end. Naturally, the cannon fodder Shen Wei also had a tragic fate. When Lu Qihuai rose to power, Shen Wei was sent to a nunnery.

She was too proud to endure the hardships there and died within a few years.

Meanwhile, Lu Qihuai smoothly gained the paranoid emperor’s trust and became a pillar of the court. If she remembered correctly, there should be a second part to this book, but she didn’t follow up on how Lu Qihuai’s story unfolded after becoming a powerful minister.

—-

Footsteps approached outside, and soon Mo Qi entered, lifting the curtain and reporting, “Madam, the old lady sent someone to invite you to Dajing Zhai.”

At this time?

If she remembered correctly, it should be to discuss Lu Qihuai’s entry into the household.

With this thought, Shen Wei slowly opened her eyes. She looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror and, after a moment, said, “Understood.”
—-
Gu Tiao found a man covered in blood and carefully nursed him back to health for several months, eventually marrying him. Little did she know that the man was actually the crown prince of the current dynasty.

Terrified, Gu Tiao planned to leave the man overnight, but before she could leave the city gate, she saw the man sitting high on a horse, looking down at her with a smile, saying, “Where is my lady planning to go?”