"Young Master, you should return first. The Princess has yet to wake."
"My mother’s collapse today is partially my fault. I will keep watch here so that I may be the first to offer my apology when she awakes."
...
This was the conversation Xia Weiyi heard as she regained consciousness. Though the two had lowered their voices as much as possible, the soundproofing in these ancient houses was nowhere near that of the modern era. Even though the speakers were in the outer room, she could hear them clearly.
She felt thirsty and intended to call for someone to bring her water, but then one of the voices suddenly exclaimed in alarm.
"Young Master, what are you doing? Please, get up! The Princess hasn't awakened yet; she cannot see you kneeling there."
"No, my mother fell ill because of me. If I do not kneel, my heart will not be at peace."
...
*So you do realize you were the one who infuriated her to the point of collapse,* Xia Weiyi mused to herself.
Since she still found the whole concept of transmigrating into a book surreal, Xia Weiyi decided to simply lie still and eavesdrop on the drama unfolding outside, using the time to sort out her current situation.
Finding herself inexplicably transported into the world of a novel—and a feudal dynasty with a rigid hierarchy at that—it would be a lie to say she wasn't terrified. Even with her god-like perspective and the ability to foresee certain future events, she remained deeply unsettled.
After all, she possessed neither extraordinary intellect nor the power to turn the tides of fate. Her top priority was to keep herself alive.
As for grander ambitions, she would worry about those only after she had ensured her survival.
...
After stepping out into the outer room, Song Yunjian knelt straight in the courtyard. His features were handsome and profound, his posture as elegant as jade, and his temperament as cool and noble as a snow lotus atop a high mountain.
Had Xia Weiyi seen him, even she might have been struck by his ethereal beauty and remarked that he was indeed worthy of being the male lead of the original novel.
"The weather is scorching, Young Master, please get up before you suffer from heatstroke."
Mammy Li tried to persuade him with earnest words, thinking to herself that if this were her own child, she would have slapped him across the face by now.
How could that fake daughter from the Earl's Mansion be worthy of a young master with such dragon-like grace? And what right did she have to make the young master cause the Princess to faint from anger?
It was currently July, a time when the weather was as fierce as fire. This year was especially hot, and within moments of kneeling, Song Yunjian was drenched in sweat.
"Mammy, there is no need to persuade me. I only ask that Mother does not blame Qingyue. She... she only..."
A sudden wave of discomfort hit him off guard. Song Yunjian felt his vision go black, his body began to break out in a cold sweat, and a wave of nausea washed over him, causing his rigid torso to sway before he collapsed into the arms of his servant.
"Young Master! The Young Master has fainted!" the servant cried out while holding him.
Mammy Li was startled, silently cursing the misfortune of it all, and hurriedly called for others to come and help.
Although the Princess was annoyed that he had lost all sense of propriety over a fake daughter, he was, after all, the foster son she had raised with affection; he could not be treated with negligence.
Song Yunjian had been raised in the lap of luxury ever since he was brought into the estate; he had never endured such treatment. Fortunately, the household staff were well-trained—some hurried to carry him, others ran to fetch medicine...
After a period of chaos, Song Yunjian regained consciousness, though he continued to retch dryly. Mammy Li took it upon herself to have him sent back to his Xiuzhu Courtyard.
...
"Passed out so quickly? How useless!"
Xia Weiyi lay back down, feeling quite regretful. She had wanted to enjoy the show, but unfortunately, the performer was not up to the task.
She hadn't even caught a glimpse of the legendary male lead yet. The original book had described him as a great beauty.
But it was fine; she was his mother now, and she could look at him whenever she pleased.
Just as she was consoling herself, she heard someone approach on tiptoe.
"Princess, you are awake!"
The person who had arrived was none other than Mammy Li, who had just finished seeing the others off. She was about thirty-five or thirty-six, slightly plump with a rosy complexion. Her features were not particularly striking, but she looked very kind-hearted.Having been discovered, Xia Weiyi had no choice but to feign a fragile, helpless state as she attempted to sit up. Mammy Li hurriedly stepped forward to assist her, tucking a soft pillow behind her waist before calling for her personal maids, Jinping and Yushuang, to come in and attend to her.
Soon, two young maids appeared before her. They looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old—still middle-school age by modern standards—with faces that retained a touch of childishness.
Drawing on the original owner’s memories, she recognized them both: the taller one with larger eyes and a more composed air was Jinping, while the shorter one, who appeared more lively and possessed a distinct, wide-set look, was Yushuang.
In the book, these two girls and Mammy Li had remained unfailingly loyal to the original owner, a realization that allowed Xia Weiyi to relax significantly.
Before this, she had often fantasized about the possibility of transmigrating, and she had always considered the most terrifying scenario to be finding herself surrounded by no one she could truly trust.
Fortunately, the author had crafted the original owner as someone doted on excessively by her family, a girl who deeply valued social status and held deeply ingrained class prejudices. She was hardly the sort of pathetic, unloved, and friendless creature one might fear.The three of them attended to Xia Weiyi’s morning routine together. One massaged her head, another kneaded her shoulders, and the third hammered her legs.
One had to admit, servants trained in high-ranking households were far more attentive than any male model.
After being thoroughly pampered, the last traces of discomfort in her body vanished. Only then did she put on a show of concern for her "precious son."
"Where is Yun'er?" she asked, imitating the tone of the original owner of the body.
"The eldest young master suffered from heatstroke and has already been sent back to Xiuzhu Courtyard," Mammy Li replied. Since Song Yunjian was an adopted son who had been ten years old upon entering the estate, he had his own separate courtyard; he only came to the Princess’s residence to pay his respects.
"Hmph!" Xia Weiyi’s eyes snapped open. Adopting the expression the original owner had worn since the death of her husband, she let out a cold, sharp sneer—a look composed of three parts mockery, three parts indifference, and four parts nonchalance.
"How touching. He’s the type to lose a layer of skin at the slightest touch of the sun, yet he’s willing to suffer all this just for that little slut!"To emphasize Song Yunjian’s deep affection, the original book described his skin as being as sensitive as the Princess and the Pea; a little too much sun and he would peel.
As expected, once the original female lead was reborn and discovered this, she would surely weep with heartache and then pin the blame on her.
Seeing her frustration, Mammy Li lightened the pressure of her hand as she massaged her scalp. "Princess, set your mind at ease. The eldest young master is just at an age where he is easily troubled by matters of the heart. It is nothing of great consequence."
Xia Weiyi thought to herself: *You don't understand. This is a huge deal; it concerns your Princess's very life.*
For the sake of her own skin, Xia Weiyi decided to take the initiative.
At this stage, her relationship with the male lead had not yet completely deteriorated, so she had two choices.
First, she could wait for Tang Qingyue to be reborn. After the two were married, she would make sure never to be a stumbling block between her and Song Yunjian. She would be a good mother-in-law, using her own resources to pave the way for them. That way, even if Prince Jing ascended the throne in the future, with this layer of goodwill, her ending would not be too miserable.
Second, taking advantage of having the script in her hands, she could sever every possibility of the protagonists’ growth and help her own unknown, convenient father ascend to the throne. The process might not be easy, but once successful, she would be the noble Grand Princess.
Honestly, even when she was reading this novel, she never liked the characterization of the protagonists. The heroine hadn’t truly gained any enlightenment; she was simply using her rebirth to reap the fruits of others' labor.
As for the male lead, he was clearly the foster son of the original owner, yet he worked for Prince Jing. She didn't know the hidden reasons behind this, but in the end, when the original owner died a miserable death, he didn't even feel a shred of sorrow. Calling him an ingrate would be putting it mildly.
Now that she had transmigrated into a position diametrically opposed to the protagonists, and since she had no intention of befriending them, well...
Sorry, not sorry—she was going to be the Grand Princess.