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The disengagement, the engagement, the marriage—all these matters were settled within a few days. Unexpectedly, the despicable Lu Man attempted suicide, causing an uproar in the entire capital, tarnishing Princess Changting’s reputation.
However, with so many guests present and the old marquis still unconscious, Eldest Master Jiang and the others felt extremely uneasy, as if they had swallowed a fly, and had to call imperial physicians to attend to Lu Man.
****
Lu Man felt a fiery pain in her neck and throat, but she couldn’t cry out. How long had it been since she last felt her own body? A month, or two? She couldn’t remember.
Ever since the accident and admitted to the ICU, she felt as though her body was no longer hers, she had lost all sensation. It was as if her soul was hovering in the hospital room, seeing herself lying in bed, connected to various tubes, relying on a ventilator to stay alive…
The doctors said she was in a “severe coma,” with little chance of recovery. Her mother refused to give up hope, always longing for a miracle, hoping that one day she would wake up and not willing to give up on treatment.
But most of the time, her soul seemed to drift back to ancient times, witnessing a silly, plump young lady being misled by her close maid into doing inappropriate things.
For instance, when guests visited the Lu family or when someone lingered near the walls of the estate, the maid would find a way to lead the young lady to a specific location. The stepmother, Mrs. Xiao Chen, or the stepsister, Lu Yuan, deliberately spoke in a way that angered the young lady, and the young lady, indeed, would raise her voice and argue with them…
What was even more despicable was that the maid also facilitated secret communication between the young lady and a certain gentleman. Although they hadn’t reached the point of “covert meetings”, they had met several times in the garden, exchanged tokens and letters in private, and had even held hands once.
It was like a real-life “Peony Pavilion”! A persuasive matchmaker, a beautiful Cui Yingying, an affectionate Zhang Sheng, and more.
The silly young lady’s name was surprisingly Lu Man as well. Seeing the other Lu Man being manipulated by the maid, this Lu Man was extremely anxious but had no way to intervene.
Moreover, this Lu Man discovered that the maid, Hong Ling, was actually acting on the instructions of Mrs. Xiao Chen. What’s more, Hong Ling had already been involved with the gentleman in back-and-forth interactions, even embracing and cuddling. The gentleman promised, “If you and I share the same bed, how could I bear to see you lying on a different one? In the future, I will definitely request you as my mistress…”
Hong Ling was overjoyed, twirling her handkerchief around her finger, casting flirtatious glances at the gentleman, stomping her feet, and then running off.
Chen Fei, the “gentleman” couldn’t contain his restlessness, but the young girl had already run far away. He watched her departing figure and laughed, scolding, “You little troublemaker, you’ve ignited my desire, then run off. I won’t forget this, and I’ll see how I deal with you in the future.”
Mrs. Xiao Chen was the stepmother of the other Lu Man, and Chen Fei was Mrs. Xiao Chen’s nephew. Mrs. Xiao Chen was definitely not sincerely kind to the other Lu Man, otherwise, she would have arranged the engagement directly with the other Lu Man. Why stage this drama? Although she didn’t know Mrs. Xiao Chen’s intentions, this Lu Man knew that she had ulterior motives.
That evening, Hong Ling said that Chen Fei had lovesickness, had lost his appetite, and wanted the other Lu Man to go to the front courtyard’s guest room to meet him at night. She even claimed to have obtained the spare keys to the rooms, and no one would notice them in the dead of night. The other Lu Man felt ashamed and didn’t want to go, but Hong Ling tried to persuade her by all means.
Due to their identical names and surnames, this Lu Man cared deeply for the other Lu Man, fearing that she might be deceived. In ancient times, a girl’s reputation was of utmost importance. If she were caught in an affair or became pregnant out of wedlock, what would happen to the other Lu Man? It turned out that there were so many private intrigues in ancient noble families, and the stepmother’s heart was truly wicked.
Just as this Lu Man was getting agitated and feeling distressed, her soul was “rescued” back by modern doctors.
Lu Man traversed through the thick black fog back to her hospital room, only to see herself lying in bed with a tracheotomy, surrounded by doctors working to save her. She, too, desired to come back to life and made several attempts to re-enter her body, but to no avail. She knew that she probably couldn’t survive and wouldn’t be able to accompany her mother any longer.
It seemed as though she could hear her mother’s heart-wrenching sobs outside the hospital room, which pierced her heart. She couldn’t bear to leave her mother, who had been her everything for thirty years. What would her mother do without her?
When she saw the line on the small screen next to “herself” straighten out, and the doctors stopped their efforts, she immediately plunged into darkness.
****
Lu Man finally struggled to open her heavy eyelids. The sight that greeted her was a sea of red—crimson quilt, canopy, and bed top, with red sachets hanging. It was as red as blood, bright, and unsettling, surrounding her like a tide of red.
What was happening? She knew she was already dead, but this place didn’t seem like the underworld?
Enduring the pain, she turned her head slightly and saw red brocade hanging all around the canopy bed, palace lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and two tearful dragon-phoenix wedding candles on a tall table. There was also an antique dressing table, round table, wardrobe, and diamond-shaped lattice windows…
She realized that this was ancient times, and she was in a bridal chamber.
She was so shocked that she instantly fully awoke, letting out a hoarse and low “Ah.” Her throat was in immense pain, forcing her to hold back the rest of her words.
At this moment, a person’s face suddenly appeared before her. “Young Miss, you’ve finally awakened!”
The face looked familiar—oval-shaped, fair-skinned, almond-shaped eyes, and thin lips.
Lu Man remembered her, she was the maid, Hong Ling, who had been acting as a matchmaker and was actually very close to “Zhang Sheng.”
Hong Ling complained, “Young Miss, you’ve finally awakened. If you hadn’t, we would have had to accompany you in death…”
A crisp voice interjected, “Sister Hong Ling, you can’t speak to the young miss like this, oh, no, to the Third Young Madam.”
Following the voice, another maid came and pulled Hong Ling aside. She approached the bed and gently reassured her, “Third Young Madam, you’ve awakened, that’s wonderful. Once you’re better, hurry and apologize to the Princess and the Third Young Master. You were brought here to bring fortune to the old Marquis. They won’t mistreat you and will surely forgive you.”
This person, Lu Man had seen as well. She was another maid to the other Lu Man. She was not as delicate as Hong Ling, nor as quick-witted, often saying things that the other Lu Man didn’t like to hear, so the other Lu Man didn’t favor her.
Then, some unfamiliar scenes once again surfaced in Lu Man’s troubled mind.
Lu Ying had brought over a bowl of herbal soup and softly said to Lu Man, “Third Young Madam, it’s time to take your medicine.” After giving her the medicine, she wiped the corner of Lu Man’s mouth with a handkerchief and said, “Please rest, Third Young Madam. If you need anything, just call for us.” Afterward, she led Hong Ling out of the room.
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I like the interplay of our MC and the original. It’s refreshing