Mu Qing jolted awake from her sleep, the sky outside still not fully bright.
So much so that she couldn’t quite tell whether she was already awake, or still trapped in a dream.
Perhaps it was the sound of her turning over that had been heard, for a shadow flickered in the partitioned room outside, followed by a lively and crisp girl’s voice quietly asking, “Young Miss, are you awake? Do you need anything?”
That’s… Xueli?
Mu Qing froze for a moment. When she tried to respond, she realized her throat was parched to the point of burning. She gave a soft cough, intending to ask for some tea to moisten her throat, when the bed curtain in front of her was gently lifted.
It was indeed her personal maidservant, Xueli.
Last night had been her turn to stand night duty in the adjacent room. Hearing Mu Qing’s unusual movements, the anxious girl had rushed over in nothing but a thin robe, her hair loosely tied.
With one hand she lifted the bed curtain, and in the other she held a lamp. Her still-young and tender face was full of concern, the small glass snowball lamp in her hand casting a warm glow that dispelled a bit of the chill in Mu Qing’s heart.
Seeing Mu Qing staring at her in a daze without a word, Xueli became even more uneasy, calling out “Young Miss” twice more. Only then did Mu Qing slowly come back to herself.
Seeing the worry on Xueli’s face, she smiled faintly and said, “I’m fine, just a little thirsty… go get me a cup of almond tea, make sure it’s warm.”
Hearing her speak normally, Xueli let out a sigh of relief and cheerfully agreed before heading out to prepare it.
Mu Qing quickly withdrew her smile and, wrapping herself in a brocade quilt, lay back down, staring blankly once more.
If Xueli was still here, then that meant everything just now was really only a dream?
But it had been far too real.
To the point of being terrifying—more frightening than the day she first realized she had become the eldest daughter of the Mu family.
It turned out, ordinary transmigration wasn’t the most thrilling thing. The real kicker was suddenly discovering that she had transmigrated into a book.
Especially since, according to the plot in the book, what awaited her wasn’t just “thrill”—it was death. And not just death, but an utterly humiliating one.
Thinking of the fate of the Mu family’s eldest daughter she’d seen in that “dream,” Mu Qing couldn’t help but shudder. She could no longer lie still and simply got out of bed, draped a robe over herself, and sat down at her writing desk. She spread out paper and picked up a brush, determined to sort through this world’s “plot” from beginning to end.
Her name was Mu Qing, originally an utterly ordinary corporate worker. One day, she woke up to find herself turned into a baby—without any warning at all. Just like that, she became the legitimate eldest daughter of a merchant family in Jiangnan in some unknown dynasty, and her name was still Mu Qing.
Fortunately, she had always been the type to go with the flow. She had no ambition to stand out, much less become a consort or empress. She couldn’t be bothered with any earth-shattering “gifted genius,” “reincarnated child prodigy,” or “unparalleled beauty” kind of character settings. She just grew up honestly as an ordinary child.
The Mu family was small and simple. Her mother, the matron of the household, was capable and fierce, managing the family affairs with a firm hand and without the headaches of inner-court infighting. Her father and adoptive older brother were both honest, hardworking merchants. Coupled with her occasional use of modern knowledge and ideas, the Mu family grew from an average business into one of the more prominent wealthy families in the area over the course of a decade.
As for her, due to being “born cute,” having “an auspicious face,” and by sheer coincidence helping the family succeed in a few major matters, she was treated like a living lucky charm by the whole household. She lived a life where she got everything she wanted and could do as she pleased.
As a contented slacker, she had been perfectly satisfied with such a life of wealth and ease. Who could’ve known that just after her eighteenth birthday, she would suddenly have such a “dream”?
Turns out, everything—this entire world—was part of a book.
A wish-fulfillment romance set in an alternate dynasty.
In this made-up era, there was a male lead straight out of a power-fantasy script. Though born poor and humble, his luck was off the charts.
Not only did he use his good looks and quick wit to navigate the streets and alleys of the city from a young age, he also possessed extraordinary talent. After sneaking into a private school for lessons a few times, he miraculously passed the county-level imperial exam. Then, as soon as he left his village, he randomly saved a wealthy merchant—yet nobly refused any reward. Predictably, the merchant was so impressed he gave his only beloved daughter to him in marriage, supporting him with the full strength of the household and throwing money at him to help him climb the ranks.
Of course, he encountered all kinds of lucky breaks along the way, meeting powerful patrons and blossoming romances at every turn. All the other men became either his backers, underlings, or stepping stones for face-slapping; and all the women—so long as they were beautiful—fell madly in love with him.
He forged ahead against all odds, ascending step by step. Each beauty he met loved him, and each one he loved, he took in. Yet his harem was astonishingly harmonious—each woman modest and courteous, helping him in her own way. They made his home life comfortable and his career smooth. In short, he was a winner at life.
Of course, this so-called “winner” referred to the male lead. As for his original wife—the daughter of the rich merchant—things weren’t so great for her.
She was a pampered young lady from a wealthy family, but after marrying this poor scholar, she had to become the virtuous wife and good mother. Not only did she have to contribute her family’s resources to jumpstart his success, she also had to be “gentle and magnanimous,” “tirelessly devoted,” manage the entire harem, care for the other women and their children, and even handle certain especially difficult women on his behalf…
Worst of all, her only child became collateral damage in the male lead’s feud with an enemy, dying miserably in her arms. Sure, the male lead was enraged and utterly destroyed the villain afterward, but her child could never open his eyes and call her “mother” again.
And after ten years of tireless devotion as the original wife, the male lead needed to marry a princess—who refused to be a concubine. So, conveniently, the wife, already grieving her son, emotionally repressed, and worn down by years of hard work, died on the very day the male lead had her honored with a noble title.
Not only did she free up a spot for the princess, but she also became a touchstone for the male lead’s “undying love for his late wife.” With this touching persona, he went on to win the hearts of several more stunning women with powerful backgrounds…
Who knows how the original Mu Qing must have felt at the end of her life. Maybe she’d be so furious she’d rise from her grave.
But as for this Mu Qing? She was having none of it. No damn way was she going to accept such a bullshit fate.
Considering the formidable power of the so-called “Dragon-AoTian protagonist halo,” Mu Qing didn’t dare take the risk of ignoring the warning from that dream and leaving her fate to the heavens. She had to take the initiative and nip every possibility in the bud before it could sprout.
According to the book, the original wife Mu Qing was the only beloved daughter of Master Mu, a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan. At the age of eighteen, she married the Dragon-AoTian as his wife. Mu Qing had just turned eighteen last month.
In other words, if she didn’t act quickly, what awaited her would likely be a marriage to Dragon-AoTian and a lifetime of tragic misery.
There wasn’t much time left. If she wanted to avoid that dreadful plotline, what exactly should she do?
Mu Qing couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
When Xueli came back into the room with a bowl of steaming hot almond tea, this was the scene she saw—
Her usually intelligent and talented young lady was sitting by the window at the writing desk, draped in a robe, biting the end of her brush in focused contemplation. The newly brightened morning light outside fell softly on her fresh and youthful face, making her look like a ball of snow, glowing faintly. Her slightly brooding brows and eyes hung low, lending her a bit more softness and elegance in place of her usual spirited air. She looked as though she had stepped out of a painting.
Even though they had grown up together since they were children, Xueli still found herself staring in a slight daze. Just as she was zoning out, that beauty from the painting suddenly turned her head and smiled at her:
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me wash and dress. Today I’ll go have breakfast with Master and Madam.”
Only then did Xueli snap out of her daze like waking from a dream. She quickly called for the other maids to come help Mu Qing freshen up, while still unable to resist saying, “What’s gotten into you today, Miss? Normally, you wouldn’t get up before mid-morning no matter what. How come you’re up so early today, and even volunteering to go dine with Master and Madam?”
She paused for a moment and couldn’t help adding in a quiet voice, “Did something happen?”
This girl had grown up with her since childhood—on the surface, fiery and energetic, but in truth sharp and clear-minded. Nothing could get past her. Mu Qing didn’t treat her as an outsider either. She sighed and said, “Nothing. Just had a dream and woke up early.”
Xueli let out a sigh of her own and said, “Ah, that explains it… must’ve been from overeating at last night’s family banquet, gave you indigestion, and led to a nightmare, right? If that little brat Bingtang hadn’t been so lazy and I’d been the one serving you, I wouldn’t have let you eat that much…”
While Xueli was still rambling on, Mu Qing felt her heart warm.
Being cared for wholeheartedly like this felt truly wonderful. But then she remembered Xueli’s fate in the dream and couldn’t help but smile bitterly again. If she remembered correctly, Xueli had followed her as a dowry maid into the Dragon-AoTian’s household. In the end, to protect her child, Xueli had died miserably at the hands of the Dragon-AoTian’s enemies. Such a good girl, gone just like that, without even a sound.
The person before her now smiled as brightly as a flower, but in the blink of an eye, she could become a lifeless corpse. Both master and maid would meet tragic ends, while Dragon-AoTian fed off their suffering to grow into an unstoppable force… Such a stark contrast was enough to chill her to the bone. Wasn’t that the very definition of a horrific nightmare?
But this wasn’t something she could tell the girl.
With her here, none of that would ever happen.
Mu Qing allowed the maids to finish tidying her up, then drank the bowl of almond tea that had reached the perfect temperature in one go. After casually rinsing her hands and mouth, she stood up with a smile and said, “Let’s go. Time to pay respects to Master and Madam.”
