Chapter 4: Settling In as Zhu Shuzhen

　　With everything handled, Qianli Xun felt a sharp pain in her forehead. “Ku Qiao, which room does your Miss live in? Quickly take me there, I need a good rest.”

　　Ku Qiao stepped forward to help her Miss up. “Follow me, Miss. The room you live in is right in the back.”

　　Qianli Xun did not refuse Ku Qiao’s help; she was simply too exhausted. The terrifying scenes of the earthquake were still vivid in her mind, and the lingering fear brought by that mysterious power had yet to fade. Moreover, adapting to her new identity as Zhu Shuzhen would take time. Now that she had finished dealing with those two for Zhu Shuzhen, the sudden relief allowed a wave of exhaustion to naturally overcome her.

　　Ku Qiao helped the Miss as they turned toward the back. Qianli Xun looked up and saw a garden gate with the words “Zhulan Residence” written on it. Stepping into the courtyard, she found it planted everywhere with bamboo and orchids, which did live up to the elegant name of the residence.

　　Entering the room, she was greeted by an antique and elegant atmosphere. The furniture was all crafted from mahogany. A delicate vase and an incense burner sat on the table, adding a touch of freshness. The window curtains were made of fabric, giving the room a sense of airiness, while the floral and bird patterns on them breathed life into the space. Calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, and together with the books on the desk, the room exuded a scholarly aura at once.

　　“The room Zhu Shuzhen lived in is truly not bad!” Qianli Xun said as she sat down on the bed.

　　“What are you saying? You make it sound as if you are not my Miss.” Though Ku Qiao had her doubts, she refused to acknowledge them. She fetched a small wooden box, opened it, and used a clean handkerchief to dab some ointment from inside, applying it to the wound on the Miss’s forehead. “This medicine is very effective. Within two days, the wound on your forehead will be completely healed, Miss.”

　　After applying the ointment, Ku Qiao put the small wooden box away and stood quietly to the side.

　　Qianli Xun looked at Ku Qiao. “Come closer, I have something to tell you.”

　　Ku Qiao approached cautiously.

　　Qianli Xun lowered her voice. “Actually, I am not your Miss. My real name is Qianli Xun. In my era, I encountered a massive earthquake, probably magnitude 7.5 or higher. I lost my life in the earthquake, and my soul was swept away by a terrifying force. When I woke up, I had entered Zhu Shuzhen’s body. Even now, I can hardly believe this is real. Based on my guess, your Miss had already died from Lin Jue’s domestic violence.”

　　Ku Qiao refused to admit it, kneeling on the ground. “You are my Miss. You were merely knocked out by Master Lin and lost your memory, that’s all.”

　　“You saw it yourself, I know martial arts. Can your Miss do that?”

　　“My Miss only knows how to write poetry and lyrics; she doesn’t know any martial arts at all. But this face… this figure—you are unquestionably my Miss. Others will only see you as the daughter of the Zhu family.”

　　Ku Qiao’s words were true. Qianli Xun had already died in the earthquake. Heaven had granted her a second chance at life, allowing her to become Zhu Shuzhen. In this era, everyone else would only see her as Zhu Shuzhen.

　　“Get up. Why are you kneeling? Sigh, since I have become your Miss, I might as well dutifully fulfill the role of Zhu Shuzhen. It’s just that I don’t possess any of her memories. Furthermore, I know martial arts, and more importantly, my way of speaking is definitely different from your Miss’s. It’ll be easy for others to recognize the difference; didn’t you hear Lin Jue say I wasn’t Zhu Shuzhen?”

　　Ku Qiao thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry, Miss. Sometimes strange things like this happen in our countryside, too. A person suddenly falls ill, and after they recover, it’s as if they’ve become a completely different person. Back in the village, they call this ‘rebirth’. If anyone asks, we’ll just tell them Master Lin knocked you unconscious, and when you woke up, you underwent a rebirth. Naturally, you would be different from before.”

　　“Good! Let’s go with that! Besides, it is the truth. By the way, let me ask you, why did Lin Jue beat your Miss?”

　　“Why are you still saying ‘your Miss’? It is you, Miss!”

　　“Right, it’s me. I am Zhu Shuzhen.” Qianli Xun felt extremely unaccustomed to saying this, but she had resolved to simply be Zhu Shuzhen in earnest. From now on, she would have to bury the name Qianli Xun deep in her heart.

　　Ku Qiao said, “When Lord Zhu married you off to Master Lin, you were extremely unwilling. That’s because Master Lin isn’t the kind of man you like at all. He only knows how to train soldiers, he’s vulgar, and he frequently comes home drunk. What you liked were men who could accompany you by moonlight amid the blossoms, composing verses together. Therefore, after marrying Master Lin, you have never consummated the marriage with him…”

　　Hearing that the marriage was unconsummated, Qianli Xun couldn’t help but rejoice. “Excellent! My purity is finally preserved!”

　　“Precisely because you refused to consummate the marriage with him, and even threatened to kill yourself to keep him away, he brought a merchant courtesan home and committed those shameful acts right in front of your face. When he saw that you showed no care whatsoever, he grew even more furious and resorted to violence.”

　　“So that’s how it is. Why did Lord Zhu… no, my father, marry me off to someone I dislike?” Qianli Xun slowly began to accept that she was now Zhu Shuzhen.

　　Ku Qiao felt satisfied with the Miss’s transformation. “You and Young Master Xu were innocently devoted childhood sweethearts. Unfortunately, the Xu family later declined and moved to an unknown place. Before he left, Young Master Xu promised that once he obtained an official rank through the imperial examinations, he would definitely come back to marry you. But you waited and waited, for a full five years, and Young Master Xu never came. Yet you were already twenty years old, considered an old maid. If you waited any longer, no one would want you. It just so happened that Master Lin came to propose marriage. Lord Zhu and Madam thought the Lin family was not bad, so they agreed to the match.”

　　Qianli Xun sighed with emotion; no matter the era, she always ended up being an old maid. She thought this to herself, though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, “How could a twenty-year-old be considered an old maid? Back in my era, I was thirty and unmarried, yet I still had plenty of suitors.”

　　Mentioning this, she thought of Shen Jianchen. He had also been swept away by that mysterious force. She wondered if he had also time-traveled to this era, hoping he was safe and sound.

　　Ku Qiao’s eyes widened. “What? Unmarried at thirty? You know, in this era, a thirty-year-old woman is practically at the age of becoming a grandmother.”

　　Qianli Xun laughed. “Becoming a grandmother at thirty? You must be joking!”

　　“How could I possibly lie to you, Miss? Besides, I prefer the current you.”

　　“Why is that?”

　　“The former Miss was good, but she didn’t speak much, spending all day writing poetry that I couldn’t understand. She was also frail and weak, constantly bullied by Master Lin. Now it’s different. You not only chat with me, but what matters most is that you know martial arts. Hanging out with you from now on means I definitely won’t be bullied by anyone.”

　　Qianli Xun chuckled. “Your Miss is both thirsty and hungry. Quickly bring me something to eat and drink. Once I’ve had my fill, I can get a wonderful sleep.”

　　“Coming right up! I’ll go prepare it for you now.”

　　After Ku Qiao stepped out, Qianli Xun walked over to the bronze mirror. The reflection was blurry, completely incomparable to a glass mirror. Nevertheless, she could still see that the face in the mirror was entirely different from Qianli Xun’s; she was simply Zhu Shuzhen now.

　　She sat down in front of the mirror, carefully admiring the face, which was both classical and exquisite. “I didn’t expect Zhu Shuzhen to be such a beauty.”

　　She spoke to the mirror, “Zhu Shuzhen, listen to me. From now on, you are me, and I am you. I will use your name and identity to live on in your era.” Saying this, she removed her hair ornaments one by one.

　　Zhu Shuzhen’s hair was incredibly thick and long, as black as ink. This hair quality, placed in Qianli Xun’s era, would make her the perfect model for a shampoo commercial.

　　Just as she was pondering, Ku Qiao brought in a tray of food. “Miss, the kitchen happened to have made your favorite Two-Color Lotus Seed Chicken Soup and Wild Vegetable Steamed Buns. I’ve brought you some, you can have a bite to tide you over.”

　　Qianli Xun couldn’t hold back anymore and hurried to sit at the table. “The food in the Great Song Dynasty is really not bad! Although there are only two dishes, they look quite exquisite, especially this chicken…”

　　“Two-Color Lotus Seed Chicken Soup,” Ku Qiao repeated, noticing the Miss had momentarily forgotten the name.

　　“Right, Two-Color Lotus Seed Chicken Soup. Just by the name, you can tell it’s not easy to make. It probably requires several steps and quite a long stewing time.”

　　“You are exactly right, Miss. It is quite troublesome. Please, enjoy it now.”

　　Qianli Xun couldn’t resist any longer and began wolfing it down in large bites. It was truly delicious.

　　Ku Qiao stood aside, watching her eat. Her table manners were far more uninhibited than the previous Miss. Recalling the imprisoned Master Lin, she said awkwardly, “Miss, Master Lin is shouting in the room, claiming that you assaulted your husband and threatening to take you to the local yamen [TN: A yamen was the local government office and magistrate’s court in ancient China]. In my opinion, it might be better to just let him go, to save us from his senseless yelling.”

　　Qianli Xun took a sip of the soup and devoured a steamed bun in no time, speaking as she ate, “It doesn’t matter. Once I’m full, I’ll gag his mouth. Then no one will have to hear him spout nonsense.”

　　“But Master Lin is a Military Training Officer, after all. Imprisoning a Military Training Officer of Lin’an City… I’m afraid the authorities will punish you.”

　　“Punish for what? This is a domestic matter, the authorities won’t interfere. Besides, if the authorities really want to meddle, they should first look into how he committed domestic violence against your Miss.”

　　Qianli Xun polished off the soup and steamed buns completely, stood up, and said, “Although the soup is delicious, it doesn’t quench my thirst well enough. Get me some tea. I’ll go check on Lin Jue first, and it’ll be ready to drink when I come back.”

　　“Yes,” Ku Qiao replied. Watching the Miss step out the door, she walked over to the tea table set with tea-making implements and began preparing tea.

　　Qianli Xun arrived outside the room where Lin Jue was locked up. A servant stepped out carrying a tray and an empty bowl, evidently having just finished serving Lin Jue his meal. Seeing Qianli Xun approaching, the servant hurriedly bowed, “Madam.”

　　Qianli Xun deeply disliked being addressed this way, but as she was now Zhu Shuzhen, she had no choice but to accept it. She asked curtly, “Is he behaving himself in there?”

　　How could a mere servant casually comment on whether their master was behaving himself? He simply gave an evasive reply, “The Master feels very uncomfortable being tied up by Madam.”

　　“You may leave.”

　　After the servant left, Qianli Xun pushed open the door and bypassed the folding wooden screen to see Lin Jue tightly bound and lying on the bed. He was quite calm at the moment, no longer making a racket.

　　Hearing footsteps, Lin Jue sat up immediately. He was, after all, a man with some martial arts foundation; he managed to rise swiftly without even using his hands for support.

　　Seeing Zhu Shuzhen walking toward him without any hair ornaments, yet still remarkably beautiful, he was struck by a feeling that was both familiar and strange. This woman used to only write poetry he couldn’t comprehend, spending her days with a furrowed brow, full of melancholy and sentimentality. She appeared both pedantic and aloof, and deep down, she looked down on a military man like him. Why was it that after being beaten unconscious by him, she woke up completely transformed? Her brow was much more relaxed, her speaking voice had grown louder, and crucially, she knew martial arts; her fists were truly formidable.

　　Lin Jue decided to soften his stance first: “My dear wife, we are husband and wife after all. Tying your husband up will only invite ridicule if word gets out. You should just let me go.”

　　Qianli Xun placed her hands on her hips. “Who is your wife? Who said we were husband and wife? Let me tell you, the former Zhu Shuzhen was beaten to death by you! I am the reborn Zhu Shuzhen! Not only am I no longer as easy to bully as before, but I’m also going to make you willingly give me a letter of divorce!”