The aphrodisiac Lin Dan had been given was a long-lost secret palace drug known as Soul-Scattering Powder. As the name suggested, once consumed, the person would become like a soulless being, driven only by animalistic desires, completely disregarding the consequences. If one couldn’t control it, they might even die in bed.

Fortunately, Prince Zhuang was discovered in time and sent to the imperial hospital. Otherwise, he would have become a waste. But what surprised the emperor even more was that Lin Dan, who had also been drugged, managed to stay conscious through sheer willpower, preventing both herself and Prince Zhuang from falling into an irreversible disaster. Indeed, members of the Lin family were strong-willed individuals, and even their women were not inferior.

Due to this incident, the emperor was left with an extremely deep impression of Lin Dan. Not only did he not blame her, he also secretly sent an imperial doctor to treat her wound and rewarded her with many treasures.

Prince Zhuang, now widely awake, found it hard to move on. Every time he closed his eyes, Lin Dan would appear in his mind. How she gritted her teeth as she pierce her own thigh again and again; how she tore down the curtains and used them to tightly wrap her bleeding wounds; how she opened the door and walked out without looking back. Despite the pain from her injuries, her strides were wide, her back was straight, and she looked like a beam of light disappearing into a blurred background……

At this thought, Prince Zhuang couldn’t help but cover his warm eyes, mocking himself, “Li Xian, you’re really useless, aren’t you? You can’t even compare to a woman.” He hadn’t even stepped onto the battlefield, but he had already learned what cruelty truly meant from Lin Dan. Though she wasn’t a soldier, she had been exposed to such an extent that she possessed a ruthlessness that ran deep into her bones— something only soldiers had. She was hard on others, but even harder on herself.

From that day on, he completely abandoned the idea of earning military merits on the battlefield using connections and decided to start as a humble soldier. How could he take on a great responsibility if he couldn’t even measure up to a woman? If he used his imperial father’s favor to act arrogantly in the army, only to be scared out of his wits and flee the battlefield in disgrace, wouldn’t he become the laughingstock of the entire nation?

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Lin Dan had no idea what kind of emotional journey Prince Zhuang had been going through, nor did she care about how he was. At that moment, she was lying on a couch, letting two maids tend to her wound.

“Miss, does it hurt? Should we be more gentle?” The two newly appointed maids asked constantly, afraid of causing their mistress pain.

“Just wrap it up. There’s no need to ask.” Lin Dan said while holding a military book in her hand, absorbed in reading.

“Sister^[1]elder sister, I’ve come to visit. Does your wound still hurt?” A petite young woman entered the room, holding a brocade box in her hands.

Lin Dan looked up and saw that it was Lin Wan, the Shu sister whom the other Lin Dan was the most fond of yet also felt the most guilt toward. She tugged the corners of her lips into a slight smile and greeted the other party. Lin Wan^[2]luxuriant; exuberant lived up to her name, with a delicate and graceful beauty. Her every frown and smile exuded a fresh, elegant charm that was captivating. She was unlike Lin Dan, whose beauty was too striking and dazzling, making her seem a bit distant and difficult to approach.

Although Lin Wan was a concubine-born daughter, her mother was a revered saintess from Miaojiang whom Lin Tie brought back after she had saved his life. With a noble bloodline and being a great benefactor to the Lin family, she married into the central plains, lived quietly, and kept to her place. Lin Tie doted on both mother and daughter, and even the official wife had never made things difficult for them, which made Lin Dan and Lin Wan closer than their other siblings.

“Oh no, Sister, your injury is so severe. Does this mean you won’t be able to leave the house for months?” Lin Wan exclaimed upon seeing the wound.

“It’s not that bad. It’ll heal quickly.” Lin Dan waved dismissively.

“How can you say it’s not bad with such a serious wound? It’s all Lin Hui’s fault. I never imagined she’d turn out to be that kind of person……” Lin Wan’s eyes reddened as she spoke and she quickly turned away to wipe her tears, fearing it would make her sister sad. To cheer Lin Dan up, Lin Wan opened the box and smiled. “Sister, I’ve brought the poetry collection you asked for. Since you’ve injured your leg and can’t go out, you can take this time to read more books.”

Lin Dan wasn’t interested in the poetry collection and only glanced at it casually before her eyes settled on one particular book. The handwriting on this one was distinctly different from the others. At this time in the Great Wei Dynasty, woodblock printing had already been invented and most books sold in the market were written in neat regular script. Yet this one was completely different, with elegant and flowing handwriting, and the cover featured a strikingly exquisite and beautifully inked orchid.

Possessing all of the other Lin Dan’s memories, Lin Dan immediately recognized that this book had been transcribed by Ding Mujie, and the cover was painted by him as well.

She stared at the book for so long that Lin Wan noticed. Hugging the book to her chest, Lin Wan quickly said, “Sister, this book was personally copied by Mujie for me. I haven’t even finished reading it yet. If it weren’t for your injury, I wouldn’t have brought it out. Please, Sister, once you’ve read it, return it to me. Don’t lose it again.”

In fact, the other books transcribed by Ding Mujie hadn’t been lost— they were taken by the other Lin Dan to pine over them. Lin Dan shifted her gaze indifferently and waved her hand. “You should take them back. Just looking at them gives me a headache.” The other Lin Dan had always preferred martial arts to books. If it hadn’t been to align with Ding Mujie’s tastes, she wouldn’t have forced herself to read. Lin Dan had even less interest in such melodramatic works.

Lin Wan playfully poked Lin Dan and teased, “I knew you wouldn’t last long. Fine, fine, if you don’t like them, I’ll take them back. I can’t bear to part with them anyway!” She carefully wrapped the books in silk and placed them back into the brocade box.

Lin Dan patiently chatted with Lin Wan for a while longer and invited her to stay for dinner. As the sun began to set, Lin Dan gently hinted for the other party to leave. Lin Dan wasn’t much of a talker and many of the topics Lin Wan brought up didn’t interest her. Yet for some reason, it felt as though Lin Dan’s mind was stocked with a wealth of knowledge. Whenever something triggered it, that knowledge would emerge, ready for her to use.

Lin Wan was well-versed in poetry, and though Lin Dan pretended to be clueless, she was actually able to respond to every point. Even when Lin Wan mentioned obscure subjects like numerology, the five elements, and the eight trigrams, Lin Dan was equally knowledgeable. Lin Dan thought to herself that before her memory loss, she must have been an exceptionally well-read person.

After about an hour, Lin Wan finally took her leave. Lin Dan breathed a sigh of relief and noticed Lin Wan had walked to the door empty-handed. “Don’t forget your poetry collection.” She reminded.

“Oh! I was having such a good time chatting with you, I almost forgot!” Lin Wan rushed back to grab the brocade box.

At that moment, a maid spoke from behind the curtain, “Seventh Miss, the Madam asks you to go to the front courtyard quickly. Someone from the Ding family has come with a marriage proposal!”

Lin Dan cupped her hands and said, “Congratulations, Sister.”

Lin Wan gave Lin Dan a glance that was half annoyed and half delighted, then covered her face and ran out. The maid who had accompanied her teased, “Look how anxious our Miss is! Now that the real person has appeared, she doesn’t even care about her most treasured poetry collection. Eldest Miss, I will take these things with me. Please rest well.”

Lin Dan nodded indifferently, waiting for the room to clear before heading to the back courtyard, where she examined a row of weapon racks. This had once been the other Lin Dan’s favorite place, where she would diligently practice martial arts whenever she had free time. Despite being a woman, she never allowed herself to slack. However, ever since she and Lin Wan had secretly caught a glimpse of Ding Mujie at Mingjue^[3]Apperception Temple and heard about his talents, she had become infatuated. Gradually, she abandoned her martial arts training and took up the study of poetry and literature.

She had never been suited to scholarly pursuits. Reading poetry gave her headaches, yet she stubbornly persisted. Whether the other Lin Dan’s persistence had been meaningful or not, Lin Dan didn’t know. What she did know was that she would never change herself for anyone. Just the thought of becoming a mere accessory to someone because of so-called ‘love’ and losing her sense of self filled her with an overwhelming sense of revulsion.

To dispel this stifling feeling, she picked up a large saber and began to swing it with fierce vigor.

———pr


Meanwhile, Ding Mujie stood in the hall, bowing respectfully to General Lin and Madam Lin.

Madam Lin, in a seemingly casual tone, said, “From now on, Lin Wan will be in your care. You’ve seen her sisters before— Lin Wan is the gentlest of them all, not as strong-willed as Dan’er. You mustn’t bully her.”

Ding Mujie immediately promised, “I will take good care of Lin Wan, Madam, please rest assured. I have only met Lin Wan among her sisters and I don’t know the others well, but everyone has their own strengths. Gentleness has its advantages and strength has its own virtues. It all depends on whether one finds the right match.”

His words put Madam Lin completely at ease. Lin Dan had claimed never to have met Ding Mujie, and Ding Mujie had said the same. How could there be any secret relationship between them? That maid must have been making baseless accusations.

Ding Mujie showed no sign of it on his face, but inwardly he let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected Prince Zhuang to be carried out of Linshui Pavilion and feared that Lin Dan had caused a major offense and angered the imperial family. After investigating, he discovered that Lin Dan hadn’t been implicated, which finally put him at ease.

To avoid any further complications, he immediately urged his mother to come to the Lin family with a marriage proposal, determined not to miss out on Lin Wan again. Yes, he was now sure— he had been reborn, returned to a time before all the tragedies had unfolded. He had the time to treat Lin Wan well and ensure Lin Dan would also have a good ending.

When Lin Wan and her mother, Concubine Shi, entered the hall, they saw Ding Mujie standing quietly with his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in thought. He was well-dressed and exuded a refined temperament. His face was sharp and well-defined as if chiseled by a sculptor. Hearing movement, he turned his head slightly. Upon realizing it was his fiancée, a soft and gentle smile immediately spread across his lips and his already star-like eyes shone even more brightly, his handsome appearance nearly breathtaking.

Lin Wan’s cheeks flushed crimson and she quickly lowered her head, avoiding his burning gaze.

Concubine Shi first paid her respects to General Lin and Madam Lin, then greeted her future in-laws before sitting down to observe. As a concubine, she originally had no authority over her daughter’s marriage, but due to her special status and the fact that she had saved General Lin’s life, Madam Lin treated her with exceptional regard. Concubine Shi remained silent throughout, nodding frequently and appearing to defer entirely to Madam Lin’s decisions. With that, the two families quickly settled the details of the marriage.