Jing Rong sat dazedly on the bed, her eyes unfocused as she took in her surroundings.

The room was simply furnished, containing only a narrow wooden bed, a clothing rack and a wardrobe, and a dressing table.

The door and windows were cramped, and the room was long and narrow, likely a side chamber.

The bedding was not of the finest quality; it was made of plain fabric rather than silk, and the embroidery was not very intricate, far inferior to what Jing Rong was used to.

It had been ten days since she had opened her eyes again, and Jing Rong now knew that she was no longer in the Eastern Palace but in the Duke of Jing Ning’s residence, four years into the future.

After losing consciousness in the Eastern Palace, Jing Rong seemed to have fallen into an endless, dark chaos, with a faint, childlike voice calling “Mother.”

She had thought it was her unborn child waiting for her on the road to the afterlife, but she had woken up here instead.

When she first woke up, she was completely disoriented, like a fool, unable to respond when others spoke to her.

It wasn’t until after lying down for ten days that she slowly accepted the reality of her reincarnation.

The door creaked open, and Jing Rong looked over nervously.

A delicate young girl with apricot eyes and peach-like cheeks entered.

She was around eighteen or nineteen years old, with an air of charm and grace.

She wore a thick wind hat that made her face appear even smaller, and she was wrapped in a cotton cloak with a blush-colored lotus-patterned jacket underneath.

The girl’s name was Zhenzhen.

Like Jing Rong’s current identity, she was a senior maidservant beside the Duke of Jing Ning’s heir.

“I’ve saved you some food, specially prepared by the kitchen. It’s cold now, so you stay lying down while I check if it’s warmed up,” Zhenzhen said, noticing that Jing Rong’s eyes were more spirited than before.

Her expression brightened as she spoke, carefully covering Jing Rong with a blanket. “It’s the coldest when the snow is melting. Your body can’t afford to be chilled.”

After saying this, she donned her wind hat and cloak and went out.

Jing Rong’s current identity was Xue Rongrong, originally a farmer’s daughter who was sold to the Duke’s residence because her family could no longer afford to support her.

The heir, charmed by her beauty, kept her by his side as a senior maid.

The original owner of this body was hopeful of being favored by the heir due to her close proximity, but her shallow scheming made her a target of the heir’s wife.

When the heir was away, the wife took the opportunity to punish Rongrong, making her kneel in the snow until she was frostbitten and fainted.

She was then carried back to the side chamber, and Jing Rong opened her eyes just as the original owner had passed away.

The narrow door of the side chamber was pushed open again, and Zhenzhen entered with a food box. “The food is warmed up now. Hurry and eat.”

“Mm,” Jing Rong nodded.

Zhenzhen, who worked alongside the original owner for the heir, had a good relationship with her and had been taking care of Jing Rong for these ten days.

The food box was filled to the brim with minced chicken, radish, and winter bamboo shoots.

Jing Rong wasn’t very hungry, but the fragrant aroma made her feel some appetite.

“Eat quickly,” Zhenzhen said with a smile.

She was very beautiful, and her smile was particularly bright and charming, like the most exquisite peony flower.

Jing Rong nodded and picked up her chopsticks to start eating.

Zhenzhen moved to the other side of the room to brew tea, continuing to chatter, “It’s lucky you woke up this time, but we must be extremely careful from now on. Don’t let the concubine position slip away, or you might end up losing your life.”

Isn’t that the truth?

Being a minor concubine isn’t easy.

In the previous life, Jing Rong lost her life, and in this life, Xue Rongrong had no better fate.

Zhenzhen poured a cup of hot tea for Jing Rong, holding it in her hands to warm them before estimating that it was drinkable, and then handed it to Jing Rong. “Have a sip. Eat slowly and don’t choke.”

“Thank you.” Jing Rong had been lying in bed for ten days, only seeing Zhen Zhen during this time.

She felt genuinely cared for by her and was quite touched.

“It’s nothing. Didn’t we say we’d support each other and live a good life?” Zhen Zhen saw that Jing Rong was indeed feeling much better, so she started to joke, “I’ve already arranged everything with Aunt Han in the kitchen. She secretly saved a bowl of chicken soup from Rongkang Courtyard for you for lunch. She will also help prepare some chicken soup rice for you in the evening. It’s the best for your recovery.”

As the head maid close to the heir, everyone in the household was willing to give Zhen Zhen face and do her favors.

While Zhen Zhen chattered on, Jing Rong didn’t hear a word.

She was lost in her thoughts.

Four years…

She had been dead for four years.

Not too long, but not short either.

The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess must have children by now, right?

Did the Crown Prince ever think of her and their child who died with her?

Jing Rong felt like her heart was being pierced by a thousand arrows.

Her child!

“Rong Rong, what’s wrong? Is the pain coming back?” Zhen Zhen noticed the pained expression on Jing Rong’s face and exclaimed in shock, “That venomous woman Wang Yilan caused you so much suffering. I won’t let her have her way. She doesn’t want the heir to marry us, but I will become his woman.”

Jing Rong couldn’t listen to a word.

Ever since she woke up, she had been thinking about one thing: If she came back to life and arrived at the Jingning Marquis Manor four years later, what about the child who died with her?

Did the child also come back to life? Was the child in the manor too?

“Are there any four-year-old children in our manor? Boys or girls?”

Zhen Zhen was startled by the sudden painful grip on her wrist and Jing Rong’s intense question, “What children?”

Seeing Zhen Zhen’s frightened expression, Jing Rong quickly let go of her hand. “It’s just… when I was unconscious, it seemed like a child was always calling me. Zhen Zhen, I woke up entirely because of that child’s voice. Please answer me first, okay?”

Her response was half true, half false, but Zhen Zhen believed most of it.

Plus, Jing Rong’s sincere tone didn’t seem like she was possessed, so she answered seriously, “You must have had a nightmare. There are no four-year-old children in our manor. The youngest maid brought in by the broker the other day is already eight years old.”

A four-year-old child?

Jing Rong was momentarily stunned, then realized that the original owner of her body in this reincarnation wasn’t the same age as her.

Thus, her child might not have been reincarnated as a four-year-old.

But if he wasn’t four years old, how would she ever find him in this vast world?

“…When you were unconscious, I was the only one keeping watch. Did you perhaps think that a four-year-old child was calling out to you in my voice?”

Yet she was just an insignificant person.

The child, however, carried the bloodline of a true dragon.

If she could be reincarnated, the child’s fate would surely be even more resilient.

The thought that her child might also have been reincarnated brought her some comfort and even a bit of relief.

As long as he was alive, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, it was enough, even if she might never find him.

“Why are you daydreaming again?”

Jing Rong snapped out of her thoughts and reached out to hold Zhenzhen’s hand. “My mind is a bit disoriented. I’ll be fine after resting for a couple more days.”

After a pause, she added, “My knees are very painful.”

“Kneeling in the snow for so long must have injured you,” Zhenzhen said, clearly skeptical that Jing Rong was completely fine.

However, she didn’t argue and simply nodded in agreement. “There isn’t much work in the study room. I’ll handle everything. You can rest for another ten days or half a month, and you’ll definitely feel better. I’ll ask someone to buy some ointment for your legs to help with the pain.”

“Mm.”

Jing Rong held the hot tea that Zhenzhen handed her, sipping slowly.

She tried to push aside her inner turmoil and accept the reality of being a maid in the Duke’s residence.

She was dead, dead four years ago in the Eastern Palace.

The maid Jing Rong no longer existed in this world.

From this moment on, she was Xue Rongrong of the Duke of Jing Ning’s residence.

The search for her child would have to be planned carefully and could not be rushed.

As they were talking, the door to the side chamber was forcefully pushed open, and a maid in a green jacket entered.

She was around Zhenzhen’s age but less attractive, with a long face, prominent cheekbones, and an overall harsh appearance.

“Xinrong, what are you doing here?” Zhen Zhen stood up nervously.

Xinrong was the maid who came with the heir’s wife as part of her dowry.

She was trusted deeply by the heir’s wife. It was Xinrong’s idea to have the original owner kneel in the snow as punishment.

Xinrong rolled her eyes at Zhen Zhen and sneered, “You think I want to be here? The heir’s wife has ordered Rong Rong to go to Rongkang Courtyard for questioning.”

“Questioning again? Rong Rong’s body isn’t fully recovered yet!” Zhen Zhen exclaimed anxiously.

“Oh, a mere maid, putting on airs. I see she can walk now. Do you expect the Marquis’s wife and the heir’s wife to come and invite her personally?” Xinrong sneered, “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. But when someone comes to send you out of the manor, don’t cry!”

Out of the manor?

Sending Rong Rong out of the manor?

Could it be that the heir’s wife was determined to sell Rong Rong away?

Zhen Zhen’s face changed slightly, about to ask more, but Xinrong had already closed the door and left.

“Rong Rong, what did Xinrong mean by saying ‘out of the manor’? What does she intend?” Zhen Zhen turned anxiously to Rong Rong.

When Xinrong entered, Rong Rong had been lost in thoughts of her past life, wondering how to confirm if her child had also come back to life like she did.

Now, with Zhen Zhen asking her, her mind wasn’t fully clear yet.

“I feel like there’s more to her words. The people outside said the heir will return to the manor soon. Why do the Marquis’s wife and Wang Shi want to question you at this time? What are they planning to do to you? Why did they even involve the Marquis’s wife!” Zhen Zhen was extremely worried.

Ever since Wang Shi married into the Marquis’s manor, the Marquis’s wife had handed over the household management to her and never intervened in manor affairs, spending her days in prayer and meditation.

Now, for Wang Shi to bring the Marquis’s wife into this, it couldn’t be as simple as questioning.

Hearing Zhen Zhen’s words, Rong Rong gradually calmed down and tried to get up with effort.

“The wife of the Duke is very strict with rules. The words you said in anger that day will certainly be used against you…” The original owner, taking advantage of her beauty, had acted recklessly and spoken disrespectfully when provoked by people from Rongkang Courtyard.

This led to her punishment of kneeling in the snow.

She had hoped that her fainting would let the matter be forgotten, but it seemed they still intended to pursue it.

“If the mistress wants to see me, I must go. The Duke’s wife is highly esteemed and respected; I believe she won’t make things too difficult for me.” Zhenzhen, surprised by Rongrong’s calm response, saw that she was having trouble moving and quickly went to help her change clothes. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll go with you and help plead your case.”

“You don’t need to accompany me. They’re looking for reasons to find fault, and you might end up being dragged down with me.”

Rongrong said, putting on a thick cotton cloak and heading outside.

Earlier, Xinhong had made a valid point—what sort of airs could a maid afford to put on?

When the mistress wants to question someone, it’s only right to go alone.

Having spent six or seven years in the palace, Jing Rong had learned the most about how to be a servant.

As Zhenzhen said, the housekeeper of the Duke’s residence was the Duke’s wife, and since she had invited the Duke’s wife to meet today, it was likely to be unpleasant and required cautious handling.

“Are you really not going?” Xinhong pushed open the door and walked in again while Zhenzhen and Rongrong were still talking.

Zhenzhen glanced anxiously at Rongrong, who understood that she was worried Xinhong might have overheard their conversation.

Having been cared for by the kind-hearted Zhenzhen for several days, Rongrong held no suspicions against her.

She gave a slight nod to reassure Zhenzhen and then followed Xinhong outside.