Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Born into a Good Life

Xun Xiang lay listlessly in bed.

Even without swaddling clothes, she couldn't turn over; her only movements were stretching her legs and arms.

Unable to speak, she could only cry and smile, and even her smiles were faint.

She couldn’t see anything. At birth, everything was darkness, and only after a few days could she sense faint light.

Her greatest accomplishment was defecating and urinating without control; it happened whenever it needed to, unable to be held back.

Yes, Xun Xiang had transmigrated and was now just over twenty days old. She wasn’t exactly sure of her age.

A few days earlier, Xun Xiang’s vision had improved slightly. She could vaguely make out objects about twenty or thirty centimeters away. However, they were colorless and flat, like blurry black and white drawings.

The first object she saw was a “pacifier,” as the wet nurse put it into her mouth. It looked like a black circle pressed onto paper, complete with wrinkles. Startled, she firmly refused to open her mouth. Only when unbearably hungry did she close her eyes and accept it.

She also saw the faces of the princess, her mother, and her little brother when they kissed and sniffed her. Their features, like painted on paper, floated towards her, blurry and frightening.

The unclear two-dimensional world was disconcerting for Xun Xiang, and she was still adjusting to it.

Fortunately, her sense of smell and hearing as a baby were sharp, which helped her perceive her surroundings.

Outside the window, birds chirped, and a faint, elegant fragrance lingered in the air, barely perceptible.

The fragrance came from Xun Xiang herself. When she sweated or cried, the scent would become slightly stronger.

"In this life, not only did she possess a natural fragrance and memories, but she was also born into an enviable lineage. Her mother was a princess, her father a top scholar, her maternal grandfather the emperor, her maternal grandmother the empress, and she even had a little brother called 'Bo Ge'Er.'"

"She wasn’t sure about her little brother's exact age, but he seemed to be between two to three years old."

"Helplessly, Xun Xiang spent most of her time sleeping and only interacted with two wet nurses, leaving her with limited information."

"'Xun Xiang,' the same name as in her previous life, was bestowed by her imperial grandfather upon learning of her natural fragrance."

"When the imperial decree was announced, the wet nurse carried her to receive the edict. She had a moment of lucidity, during which she learned her name in this life was the same as before and discovered her mother’s title was Princess Dongyang."

"Unfortunately, her mother had suffered severe blood loss during childbirth, weakening her health. The servants, not wishing to trouble her, seldom brought Xun Xiang to her room. Approaching a month old, Xun Xiang had only seen her mother three times and her little brother six times."

"Accompanied by her little brother, the wet nurse once carried her to the palace to meet the emperor and empress, her grandparents."

"The emperor and empress adored their granddaughter, both holding her. Especially the empress, who praised her as a beauty unmatched in heaven and earth, and even kissed her cheek."

"She had never met her father, as he was away in Xiangxi, overseeing local examinations. She had learned this from overheard conversations."

"Her paternal family was quite large, with four generations living under one roof. Xun Xiang was brought out to meet them once during her 'Washing the Three' ceremony, amidst the bustling crowd. Half-asleep, she couldn’t distinguish who was who or remember any faces."

"They say reincarnation is an art; she must have saved the Milky Way in her past life, and having lived a dissatisfying previous life, she was now born into this splendid family."

"In her previous life, Xun Xiang had read web novels where some female protagonists had 'golden fingers' or special advantages."

"And she was born with a fragrant body. Was this to craft her into a unique beauty archetype?"

"Even with her limited, two-dimensional, black-and-white vision, she could tell her mother was beautiful. Having heard her father was an exceptionally handsome man, she wondered just how beautiful her own body must be!"

"Sometimes, Xun Xiang narcissistically thought, it was a good thing her grandfather was the emperor, for with her beauty and fragrance, no one would dare harm her."

"Xun Xiang was stunningly beautiful, often smiling foolishly with her mouth agape. Of course, it wasn’t a loud laugh, but a silent, smiling one."

"Wet nurse Xia often said, 'Little Xiang seems to spend most of her time smiling...'"

"She had two wet nurses, Xia Mama and Li Mama, along with a group of servants. Being so young, besides her wet nurses, other servants didn’t get the chance to tend to her closely."

"There were, however, two things that Xun Xiang found less than satisfactory. One was that her arms were almost always swaddled in blankets, even when lying in bed. The second was that she spent almost all her time in the bedroom of the West Courtyard, either lying in bed or in the arms of her wet nurse. She rarely visited her mother, who was in confinement and recovering, and seldom was taken outside to bask in the sun."

"She eagerly wished for time to pass quickly, to grow up and gain freedom of movement."

"'Pfft.'"

"As she lay in bed daydreaming, Xun Xiang suddenly let out a watery mess from her little bottom."

"Uncomfortable!"

"'Wah~ Wah~ Wah~'"

"To alert her wet nurse to change her diaper and wash her, all she could do was cry."

"Tears uncontrollably flowed, carrying a faint scent with them."

"'Oh, little sister has done it again.'"

"Li Mama's gentle voice followed."

"The swaddle was unwrapped, her lower half stripped bare, and a soft hand, moistened with water, repeatedly cleaned between her legs."

"Xun Xiang felt like crying but had no tears."

Mother Xia chuckled, "The young miss is growing more beautiful by the day."

Mother Li agreed with a hum, "The prince consort is renowned in our Great Li Dynasty for his good looks, and the princess herself is a beauty. Who knows how stunning the young miss will become in the future."

Mother Xia smiled, "The young miss is naturally fragrant and as beautiful as a flower. Not just the princess, but even the Emperor and Empress are quite fond of her. I heard that on her first full month, the Emperor will bestow upon her the title of a county princess."

Mother Li clicked her tongue in admiration, "The young miss is truly fortunate."

Xun Xiang loved hearing this, grinning toothlessly in response.

She gleaned another piece of information: this era was the Great Li Dynasty. It seemed fictional, as there was no such dynasty in the history of her previous life.

Mother Li then wondered, "Do you think the young miss will always have this fragrance? Or might it disappear suddenly one day?"

Mother Xia was taken aback, having never considered this. She said uncertainly, "I don't think so."

Mother Li laughed, "I don't think so either." Pausing, she added, "The mole above my left eyebrow, as my mother told me, was flesh-colored when I was young. It started to darken at the age of five and was completely black by eight."

Xun Xiang hadn't considered this either. Could her fragrance one day vanish, just as some children's single eyelids suddenly become double?

It wasn't an impossibility. It would be a pity if that happened.

After her bottom was washed, another small, round object appeared before Xun Xiang. She took it into her mouth - it was soft, with a three-dimensional feel, and not thin at all.

She began to suckle unconsciously, putting all her effort into it.

Xun Xiang had no qualms about breastfeeding. With her most private areas being seen and washed daily, this was nothing in comparison. It was a necessary stage of life that everyone must go through.

Finally, the awaited day, August 19th, arrived - Xun Xiang's full-month celebration.

The princess's mansion was all set for a grand full-month feast, with invitations sent out days earlier.

The Princess of Dongyang, feeling much better, held her precious daughter in her arms early in the morning. She looked at Xun Xiang with eyes full of love and affection, then leaned down to smell the fragrance emanating from her.

The prince consort will surely be captivated by his adorable and unique daughter upon returning home.

A new book by Qingquan is here, seeking recommendations and collections.