The sharp scent of bitter medicine filled the room, clinging to the curtains and drifting through the warm, heavy air. Three maidservants stood close to the bed, their anxious eyes fixed on the girl lying deathly still beneath the blankets.
"Sister Chunmei, when will Fujin wake up?" a young maid whispered, voice quivering. "It's been two days already… What if the Imperial Physician made a mistake?"
(Author: Fujin means princess consort)
"Don't talk nonsense!" Chunmei snapped, shooting her a sharp glare. "Fujin only fainted — everyone saw it. When she fell, she hit her head on the floor. She'll wake up soon enough."
But under the covers, Li Meihua felt as though she were drifting in endless darkness, trapped with no way out. Just when despair closed in, a faint voice echoed from somewhere far away, pulling her back. A sudden white light pierced the darkness.
Her eyelids fluttered. The three maidservants held their breath. Then, slowly, Li Meihua's eyes opened — dark and clear.
"Fujin is awake! Fujin is finally awake!" the youngest maid cried out, tears of relief spilling down her cheeks.
Li Meihua felt as if her head were about to split into two. "Shut up. Why are you screaming?" Li Meihua said coldly, holding her head. After her vision cleared, she saw three maidservants staring at her.
Li Meihua widened her eyes when she recognized who they were. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? How could they be alive? Was she dreaming, or had Heaven finally sent her to the underworld so she could be at peace?
Li Meihua closed her eyes again and opened them, but she still saw the three maidservants staring at her.
"Sister Hongdou, is something wrong with Fujin?" the youngest maidservant, Xiaoyu, asked the older maid.
Hearing the voice, Li Meihua screamed in fear, startling the three maidservants, who immediately stepped back in shock.
Why was she seeing her three maidservants? Why did they look so young? Weren't they dead? Li Meihua thought as she sat up on the bed. Where was she? she wondered. She looked around the room and was even more surprised. Wasn't this her room from when she married that bastard of a husband, Prince Jing? Why was she back here? Is this what the underworld looks like? Li Meihua thought.
"Fujin, is anything wrong with you? Should I call the Imperial Physician?" Chunmei asked, her face filled with worry.
No… how can this be a dream? Li Meihua thought, pinching herself. When she felt the pain, she was even more surprised. Was she really alive and not dead? she wondered.
She quickly tried to stand up from the bed, but her legs gave out the moment her feet touched the floor. Luckily, Hongdou caught her in time.
Feeling the warmth from Hongdou's body, Li Meihua became even more certain of her guess.
"Hongdou, assist me to the dressing table," Li Meihua said firmly.
Although Hongdou, Chunmei, and Xiaoyu were shocked to see their mistress acting so strangely, Hongdou still helped Li Meihua to the dressing table.
Looking at her beautiful, youthful face in the mirror, Li Meihua couldn't believe it. Her hand rose to touch her cheek. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She was really reborn. She wasn't dead. Heaven had truly given her a second chance.
"Mistress, why are you crying? Is something wrong?" Hongdou asked worriedly.
Li Meihua turned to Hongdou and gripped her hand tightly, ignoring the headache that felt as if it might split her skull.
"Hongdou, what year is it now? Tell me," Li Meihua demanded, her eyes fixed coldly on Hongdou's face.
Hongdou felt a shiver run down her spine under her mistress's sharp gaze. Had Madam discovered something? No… that couldn't be possible. She had been unconscious for two days…
Steadying her breath, Hongdou answered carefully, "Madam, it is the twentieth year of Emperor Longyuan Zhenrui's reign."
Li Meihua didn't release her hand and asked again, her voice low and tense. "What month and day is it today?"
"We are on the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, Fujin," Hongdou said softly.
Her guess was really true. She had really been reborn, Li Meihua thought as she let go of Hongdou's arm and sat down on the stool in front of the dressing table.
Chunmei and Xiaoyu were also shocked to see their mistress behaving so strangely. Xiaoyu stepped closer and asked worriedly, "Fujin, what is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm alright. Assist me to the bed," Li Meihua said in a low voice.
Xiaoyu and Chunmei quickly helped her back to the bed and made sure she was seated properly.
Li Meihua then turned to Hongdou, her eyes cold. "Go and guard the door. Don't let anyone in."
Hongdou lowered her head and answered softly, "Yes, Fujin." She stepped out quietly, but her heart was uneasy. Why did it feel like her mistress kept looking at her with cold eyes? Hongdou thought.
After Hongdou left, Li Meihua turned to Xiaoyu and Chunmei.
"Tell me — what has happened these past few months? I don't remember," Li Meihua said.
"Fujin, have you lost your memory? How can that be possible?" Xiaoyu asked, her eyes welling up with tears. "The Imperial Physician only said you have a concussion…"
"Enough. Stop crying — you're only making my headache worse," Li Meihua cut her off coldly. "Just tell me what happened."
Chunmei, who was more composed, stepped forward and began to speak, explaining everything that had happened in the past year.
After listening to Chunmei words, Li Meihua's eyes flashed with a cold light. That husband of hers — he was truly cold-hearted. She had only been unconscious for two days, yet he had already given his beloved concubine, that bitch Chen Lianhua, the authority to manage the household.
It was no different from what happened in her previous life.
Back then, she had been so naive. She believed everything her husband, Prince Jing, said was for her own good — and because of it, she had died tragically at Chen Lianhua's hands.
Although he might not have personally killed her, he still bore responsibility for her death. But since Heaven had given her a second chance, she would make them suffer — along with everyone who betrayed her.
Li Meihua's eyes glinted cold and ruthless.
"Alright, you can go now. Prepare some food for me. My body feels sticky — I need to bathe," Li Meihua said, looking at her two maidservants with a gentle glint in her eyes.
This time, she would protect the two of them. She wouldn't let them die at the hands of Chen Lianhua again.
"Fujin, it's already dark... Won't you catch a cold if you bathe now?" Xiaoyu asked nervously. She was afraid to speak — the ruthless look that had just flashed in her mistress's eyes had startled her.
But… was her mind playing tricks on her? How could her usually naïve and timid mistress have such a cold gaze? Yes, it must be, Xiaoyu thought to herself.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to me. Just go and prepare it — I won't be able to sleep if I don't bathe tonight," Li Meihua replied calmly.
"Yes, Fujin," Xiaoyu and Chunmei answered in unison and stood up to leave.
But just as they reached the door, Li Meihua suddenly spoke.
"Whatever was said in this room tonight, do not repeat it to anyone — even if they ask. Especially not Hongdou or my third sister," she warned.
"Yes, Fujin," they both replied, though puzzled by her words.
Their mistress had always been close to Hongdou and the third young miss of the Li family… Why would she say that now? But neither dared to ask.
Once they left the room, Li Meihua slowly lay down on the bed, her mind racing as she tried to gather her thoughts.
It seemed she had been reborn a year after marrying her husband, Prince Jing.That was good. It meant she still had time — time to change her fate and avoid the tragic end of her previous life.
This time, she would make them pay for everything they had done to her. She would make them suffer, one by one.
Tomorrow… was going to be interesting.
Just then, a sharp pain surged through her head, and Li Meihua forced herself to stop thinking.
Two ke later (thirty minutes), Chunmei and Xiaoyu returned to the room.
Xiaoyu's face was filled with anger, while Chunmei's brow was tightly furrowed.
"What happened?" Li Meihua asked, though she could already guess.
"Fujin, I went to the kitchen and told the servants that you were hungry," Xiaoyu said, barely hiding her fury. "But they said it was too late. The kitchen had already been locked, and no more fires could be lit. They claimed everyone was asleep…"
Xiaoyu clenched her fists. "But I heard them talking inside — they were still up, laughing and discussing things. When I threatened to report them to you, they told me that Side Consort Chen had given the order. She said everyone must follow the rules, if someone doesn't eat on time, they'll have to wait until morning."