Chapter 1

Chapter One: Winter Days

Several days of snow had blanketed the rooftops, treetops, and ground in white. The light streaming through the paper-covered window lattices was much brighter than usual, casting a clear, shimmering glow in the room.

Eleven Miss put down the *Da Zhou Nine Domains Chronicle* she had been reading and opened the window to look out.

The trees outside Green Bamboo Pavilion were covered in thick snow. Occasionally, when the wind blew, the snowballs resting on the boxwood trees would fall, revealing the green leaves underneath, which was refreshing to see.

She realized that Yuyao, where she now found herself, was nestled in the northwest of Hangzhou Prefecture. To the southwest stood the Dadi Mountains, and to the northwest, Jing Mountain. To the south flowed the Tiaoxi River, originating from Tianmu Mountain in Yuqian County...

Too little information!

She had been to Yuyao before, but that time it was for a business trip. The client's wife had fled back to her hometown in Yuyao. Eleven Miss found her there and persuaded her to give up custody of the child. As a lawyer, she received a substantial reward of seven figures—her first major success in her career!

Thinking of this, Eleven Miss couldn't help but sigh. What good was it to dwell on these memories now?

In the three years since she had arrived here, the farthest she had been was to the second gate of the inner house of the Luo family mansion—to see off the Luo family's matriarch, her birth mother Lady Xu, to Ci'an Temple to burn incense.

What was Yuyao like now? How far was it from Hangzhou? What did it have to do with her?

Even if she knew all this and saw it with her own eyes, how would it change anything?

This world was no longer that world!

Eleven Miss let out a deep sigh, as if trying to exhale the weight of her past along with it.

"Eleven Miss!" Binju, the maid, entered with a tray of hot tea and small pastries just as Eleven Miss's forehead was resting against the window frame. "You've opened the window again. There's a north wind today." She placed the tray on the small table nearby and went to help her. "Today, I made pastries filled with fragrant plum blossoms. Would you like to try one?"

Three years ago, this body had fallen and been unconscious for three months, then bedridden for another six months. Without Binju and another maid, Dongqing, taking care of her meticulously, even if she had mysteriously entered this body, she wouldn't have survived.

Not wanting to refuse Binju's kindness, Eleven Miss obediently sat down at the table and accepted the hot tea she handed her, taking a sip.

The rich black tea, with just a bit of honey—her favorite.

Eleven Miss's eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly, showing a satisfied expression.

Seeing this, Binju couldn't help but smile and went to close the window.

A sudden loud banging sound came from upstairs, echoing overhead and causing a sense of panic.

Binju's expression changed, and she looked up at the ceiling, about to say something, when Eleven Miss began to recite as if chanting: "Bear with her, let her have her way, avoid her, and in time, you'll see how things turn out."

A suppressed laugh was heard from the doorway.

Both Eleven Miss and Binju turned to look and saw a young girl dressed in a peach-colored vest, carrying a dark green bundle, leaning against the curtain.

"Sister Dongqing!" Binju's eyes lit up. "You're back!" She went forward to help her with the bundle.

Dongqing was from Yu County. Her sister had married, and the first wife had given her five days off. Today was the fourth day, so it was unexpected that she had returned before noon.

"Why didn't you stay a bit longer?" Eleven Miss smiled. "Such opportunities don't come often!"

"There wasn't much reason to stay," Dongqing said, letting Binju take her bundle. "My brother has married, and his wife has given birth to a nephew. The house is already small. If I go back, they'll have to clear a room for me... It's better not to go back."

Over the past two years, Dongqing's family had depended on her monthly wages to get by. Last summer, her brother wanted to buy the land next door but was short of money. His wife even came to the mansion to ask Dongqing for help borrowing some money.

"What was it this time?" Binju had already poured a cup of tea for Dongqing.

At that time, Binju had lent Dongqing five taels of silver, and Eleven Miss had pawned two gold hairpins to make up ten taels.

Dongqing didn’t respond, but smiled as she untied the bundle Binju had placed on the round table. "My mother made a few pairs of shoes for Miss, and I brought them back..."

As they spoke, the rhythmic "thumping" from upstairs continued, growing more urgent, creating an unsettling noise.

The three downstairs remained composed, as if they were sitting in a garden bathed in a gentle spring breeze.

"...This green silk handkerchief is for Binju... and these fermented soybeans are for Xin Mama..."

"Did you make fermented soybeans again this year?" Binju asked with a smile. "It seems your family had a good harvest... Miss loves eating them too. You should have brought more..."

Dongqing felt a little embarrassed.

Her family had thoughtfully brought gifts for everyone, including Xin Mama, who worked in Eleven Miss’s room, but they didn’t mention anything about repayment.

Not sure how to explain, Dongqing was relieved when Eleven Miss asked, "Have you gone to thank Mother?"

"Yes, I have," Dongqing quickly replied. "I also met Xu Mama and gave her two jars of fermented soybeans."

Eleven Miss smiled and nodded, examining the shoes Dongqing's mother had made for her. "Dongqing, your mother's craftsmanship is really good..."

"Of course!" Binju said with a smile, "Dongqing has truly inherited her mother's skills!"

For some reason, Eleven Miss was reminded of her own past. After the Spring Festival, when classes resumed, her classmates would bring back local specialties for their roommates to share. But her own bag always contained the most expensive snacks from the supermarket, never anything personal or meaningful.

Her expression couldn’t help but show a hint of melancholy.

Seeing this, Dongqing was reminded of something that had been weighing on her mind.

"Eleven Miss," she said with some concern, "Is it because of my matter..."

Eleven Miss was startled, taking a moment to understand what she was referring to.

Dongqing, who was beautiful, steady in her actions, and excellent at needlework, had been noticed by Yao Mama, the matriarch’s companion. Yao Mama wanted to arrange a marriage between Dongqing and her nephew. However, not only was Yao Mama’s nephew unsightly, but he was also fond of gambling and visiting brothels. Neither Eleven Miss nor Dongqing thought highly of him. Before the Lunar New Year, Yao Mama had mentioned it to Eleven Miss, who had agreed at first, saying it would be Dongqing's fortune to marry into Yao Mama’s family. But as soon as Yao Mama left, Eleven Miss took the cords she had been making for the matriarch, went to the matriarch’s quarters, and while massaging the matriarch’s leg, asked innocently, "...Yao Mama said her nephew had been looking at the girls in the courtyard and took a liking to Dongqing... I wonder where her nephew had seen Dongqing..."

Since then, the matriarch had been somewhat cold towards Yao Mama, and the matter naturally fell through. But Eleven Miss had inadvertently made an enemy of Yao Mama.

After some time, the matriarch began to rely on Yao Mama again, and Yao Mama, feeling important once more, even made some bold remarks.

In the wealthy families of Da Zhou, there was an unspoken rule that if a maidservant was not married by the age of twenty, she would be released to avoid disrupting the natural order.

Dongqing was already eighteen years old.

Eleven Miss's birth mother, Lü Yi, had advised her, "Why create a rift with Yao Mama over a maidservant... She is the matriarch’s companion... You don’t even know your own future, yet you’re willing to offend someone for a maid..."

Thinking of this, Eleven Miss felt somewhat troubled.

She did not regret standing up for Dongqing.

In a place like the Luo family compound, where it was all women, being kind would lead to being bullied. If she couldn’t even protect her own maidservant, who would respect her? Besides, Dongqing had also done a lot for her.

What troubled her was her own future.

As an illegitimate daughter, beautiful, with a mother who was not favored, her fate was entirely at the mercy of the matriarch.

If the matriarch were just an ordinary woman of the inner quarters who could be placated with a few kind words, it would be fine. But she came from a prestigious family in Qiantang, and her father, who had served as Minister of Rites, had her educated like a boy, traveling across half of Da Zhou with him. At the age of thirteen, she was married into the Luo family, and by fifteen, she was managing the household. There were already six concubines by her husband’s side, and apart from Ke Yi, a former personal maid of the matriarch who had given birth to a son nine years younger than the eldest son, the other children were either daughters or had died young. Every time she saw the matriarch’s serene, bodhisattva-like face, Eleven Miss felt an uneasy tension.

As this thought crossed her mind, Eleven Miss couldn’t help but look up strangely at the ceiling above.

The Green Bamboo Pavilion had three rooms spread over two floors. Eleven Miss lived on the east side of the ground floor, Twelve Miss on the west side, and Ten Miss resided upstairs.

Eleven Miss's birth mother, Lady Lü, had feuded with Ten Miss's birth mother, Lady Yang, for most of their lives. In the end, both of them were outmaneuvered by Twelve Miss's birth mother, Lady Lu. At the thought of it, Ten Miss would order her maid to hammer the floorboards with a big stick, causing such a ruckus that it disturbed the two women.

Eleven Miss managed to keep her composure; after all, she had a mature soul within her. But Twelve Miss, who was only seven years old, was also able to stay calm, which left Eleven Miss genuinely impressed.

"Sister Wintergreen, don't worry." Seeing that Eleven Miss remained silent and the room's lighthearted mood evaporated, Binju smiled to comfort Wintergreen, "We still have two years, right? Miss is so clever, she'll definitely come up with a solution in these two years!"

Wintergreen's expression darkened, and she hesitated to speak.

Eleven Miss felt a twinge in her heart, recalling Wintergreen's expression when she returned.

Her expression turned serious as she asked, "Wintergreen, has Yao Mama sent someone to your family to propose marriage?"

Wintergreen lowered her eyelids.

Her silence confirmed Eleven Miss's suspicions, which set her heart ablaze.

She coldly snorted. Before she could speak, the voice of the young maid, Qiu Ju, drifted in from outside, deliberately raised to a higher pitch, "Yao Mama, with such heavy snow, why have you come? Quick, come inside and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself."

Everyone in the room was startled.

Binju, her face already pale, tugged at Eleven Miss's sleeve, "What should we do? What should we do?"

Even the usually gentle Wintergreen now had a sharp edge in her eyes.

"Why are you panicking?" Eleven Miss said with a smile as she stood up, her expression calm as she instructed the two, "Wintergreen, go and bring out the Da Hong Pao tea that the matriarch rewarded us last time to entertain our guest. Binju, go and welcome Yao Mama inside."

Her composure spread to Wintergreen and Binju.

The two responded with a "Yes," and were just about to go their separate ways when Yao Mama herself lifted the curtain and entered, her smile forced, not reaching her eyes, as she looked at the three of them, "Eleven Miss, the matriarch wishes to see you."