Chapter 1: The True Eldest Miss Meets Her Elder Brother and Fiancé

Chapter 1: The True Eldest Miss Meets Her Elder Brother and Fiancé

"Miss, you will soon meet the Young Master. Do you recall what I told you earlier?"

Zheng Jinyu lifted her gaze to look at the middle-aged woman standing beside her. In her forties with triangular eyes, the woman exuded meanness and ferocity.

Was this the person the Zheng family had sent to fetch her? Or was she perhaps dispatched by the impostor lady, Zheng Jinxiu?

"Don't expose your petty airs for all to see and embarrass yourself. If you can't speak properly, pretend to be mute. The more you talk, the more likely you'll make mistakes; silence is golden. I'm doing this for your own good."

Zheng Jinyu inwardly scoffed but outwardly responded with a meek "Yes."

The woman sniffed in disdain, her demeanor revealing a provincial naivety that paled in comparison to the grace and sophistication of the young ladies within the manor.

Zheng Jinyu is a time-traveler, who finds herself transmigrated into a novel where she is a minor character, barely noticeable amidst the ensemble of beloved ones.

But her inconspicuous identity was extraordinary; she was the true young miss who had switched places with the beloved protagonist, Zheng Jinxiu, in the story.

The point in time to which she had traversed was precisely when the Zheng family, having discovered their true-born daughter living away from home, dispatched emissaries to retrieve her and bring her back to the Zheng household.

Due to her inconspicuous status, she didn't have many scenes; her initial appearance in the story was when she returned to the Zheng family and knelt before her elders in the main hall.

In the original text, this scene had brought her great humiliation, causing the original character to be despised by all her relatives.

The encounter between the original protagonist and the eldest son of the Zheng family on her way home was not mentioned in the narrative.

As she was pondering these details, the door to the inn's guest room swung open, and two young men entered, one after the other.

She immediately recognized which of them was her elder brother, as the one on the right bore a slight resemblance to her in facial features.

Zheng Jinyu hurriedly rose to her feet and gave a slight curtsey, "Jinyu has come to pay respects to Elder Brother."

Zheng Hongyan was taken aback, his gaze shifting to the slender girl before him.

The sister he had imagined was vastly different from the one standing in front of him. Although she was dressed in worn-out clothes and looked rather thin and pale, her simple gesture of respect revealed a poise that belied her humble background. She didn't appear timid either.

Some unexplainable impulse prompted Zheng Hongyan to lend her a hand, but as he touched the coarse, faded cloth of her garment, he frowned. Casually hiding his arm behind his back, he subtly rubbed his fingertips together.

"Hongyan, how did you recognize me?"

Zheng Jinyu glanced at the handsome Zheng Hongyan and then at the stranger standing beside him, who seemed even more outstanding. She said, "Because we're siblings, of course."

The unfamiliar man chuckled softly and teased, "Brother Yan, this sister of yours, she's clearly a true blood relative."

These words struck a chord in Zheng Hongyan's heart, and he noticed the resemblance between Zheng Jinyu's eyes and his own. A hint of affection stirred within him.

He spoke up, "Jinyu, Prince Chen and I are rushing south to quell the unrest. Our return is uncertain. It just so happened that we encountered your carriage on the way back to the capital, so we wanted to see you first."

Zheng Jinyu looked in surprise at the young man beside her.

Prince Chen, isn't that Xie Peiyu, the legitimate son of the Imperial Princess who was betrothed to Zheng Jinxiu in the original novel?

The Imperial Princess was wed to the distinguished non-imperial Prince Xie Heng, from whom she bore a firstborn son, Xie Peiyu. His status, noble and exalted, was second only to that of the imperial princes themselves.

In this tale of collective adoration, the female lead, Zheng Jinxiu, is as if imbued with a magical charm. Anyone who comes into contact with her finds it impossible not to be drawn to her.

Only the Imperial Princess, upon learning that she was not of the Zheng family's blood, insisted that she would not proceed with this marriage under any circumstances.

She held no esteem for the untamed daughter of the Zheng family, nor did she favor her own biological child. As such, she insisted on annuling the engagement.

The Prince Chen, who was betrothed to the Zheng family's daughter in the original novel, didn't have much screen time either; most of his appearances were spent on military campaigns, leaving him with less presence than his own mother.

His mother's intervention in the marriage alliance conveniently facilitated the heroine's cultivation of suitors.

With no marital ties binding her, various male leads and supporting characters, secretly smitten with Zheng Jinxiu, vied with each other to express their affection through various schemes and stratagems, providing ample material for hundreds of chapters.

As Zheng Jinyu recollected the plot, the table was already laden with exquisite delicacies. Zheng Hongyan urged Zheng Jinyu to eat more, insisting that she was too thin.

In the original story, this elder brother had completely ignored the original protagonist. Seeing Zheng Hongyan's current warmth, Zheng Jinyu felt confident that her initial impression as a member of the Zheng family was spot on; at the very least, she hadn't given them the impression of being untidy, timid, or weak-minded.

However... Glancing uncertainly at the two people sitting opposite her, she wondered if, according to the customs of ancient times, she should be dining at the same table with them, a man and a woman?

Seemingly perceiving her unease, Zheng Hongyan picked up a chicken leg and placed it in her bowl, smiling as he said, "We're on campaign, so we won't be too fussy about such things. Besides, there are no outsiders here."

Zheng Jinyu was taken aback once more. In the original novel, the Imperial Princess and her son looked down on Zheng Jinxiu, but they didn't exactly take a fancy to Zheng Jinyu either. So how could he say there were no outsiders?

Unaware of the intricacies swirling in Zheng Jinyu's mind, Zheng Hongyan assumed that she was uninformed about the arranged marriage within the family. Thus, he said, "You'll understand eventually. Eat up. Prince Chen and I will have to set off early tomorrow morning, so we need to rest earlier tonight."

Lowering her head, Zheng Jinyu hastily began eating, for she was genuinely famished.

Nanny Xu, who had come to fetch her, barely provided the original owner with decent sustenance during the journey – just a few steamed buns and flatbreads to keep her from starving.

Each day, she subjected the girl to psychological manipulation, drilling into her that speaking up was always a mistake, while silence was golden.

When asked questions, she was instructed to merely nod or shake her head, and to remember to kneel and bow frequently, demonstrating fear and timidity. This way, her family would pity her and treat her kindly.

Under Nanny Xu's constant intimidation, when the original owner returned to the Zheng family, their first impression of her was that of a timid, weak girl who was good for nothing but nodding, shaking her head, kneeling, and bowing. They were deeply disappointed in her.

Initially, they had prepared a grand reunion banquet for her. However, after seeing the original owner, they found it too humiliating and decided to postpone the event. At the very least, they would wait until she could present herself more appropriately in public.

At first, Lady Zheng dispatched a nanny to instruct her in the rules of court etiquette and have her study alongside Zheng Jinxiu with the female tutor.

This very nanny was none other than Nanny Xu, who constantly manipulated her psyche and secretly bullied her, causing the already timid girl to become even more hesitant to speak up.

During lessons, the female tutor would often use passive-aggressive remarks, comparing her to Zheng Jinxiu.

In the narrative, whenever Jinyu made mistakes and was punished, Zheng Jinxiu would intervene on her behalf, kneeling to beg for mercy on the original owner's behalf.

She even assisted the original owner in cheating to complete assignments, and when caught, would burst into tears, saying she felt she had let down Jinyu and didn't want to see her suffer the tutor's punishment.

Instead, she was met with even harsher punishment, causing her family to grow increasingly disdainful of her, eventually reaching the point of complete abandonment.

With Zheng Jinxiu's "assistance," the original owner never got the chance to attend that anticipated reunion banquet.

People outside assumed she was an unloved and low-born daughter, but not a single member of the Zheng family stepped forward to clarify the truth.

After raising her for two years, under Zheng Jinxiu's persuasion, Lady Zheng arranged a marriage for her.

He was a suitor of Zheng Jinxiu's, with a decent status and background. However, Zheng Jinxiu did not fancy him, yet she could not shake him off due to his influential connections.

Back then, Zheng Jinxiu tearfully confided in Lady Zheng, stating that such a prestigious marriage was only fitting for Jinyu. She willingly offered it to her sister.

Later on, news arrived that Zheng Jinyu had been beaten to death by her husband's family.

Overwhelmed with guilt, Zheng Jinxiu fainted from weeping. Surprisingly, not a single member of the Zheng family blamed her; instead, they took turns comforting her.

The original host passed away, and the Zhengs mourned for a brief moment. Driven by their pride, they sought justice.

Yet, the response they received was that the Zheng family had deceived them first. They were meant to marry Zheng Jinxiu, the legitimate daughter of the Zheng household, but instead, they were tricked with a country girl. They declared that she got what she deserved for the deception.

The Zheng family felt guilty, so they didn't even dare to clarify that Jinyu was their only legitimate daughter, for fear of affecting Zheng Jinxiu's status.

With that thought, the insignificant, transparent figure was effectively erased from the scene.

At this point, she had already eaten quite enough. Due to Zheng Hongyan constantly serving her food, she had indulged a bit too much. She couldn't help but let out a small burp.

As a result, both people sitting across from her turned to look at her.