Chapter 4: I Shall Embrace the Spring

In March in Yanjing, the weather had been clear and bright for days.

Xie Yun awoke on such a vibrant day, unlike the heavy snowstorm that had blanketed the world before her death. The sunlight streaming through the lattice window gradually illuminated the scene before her eyes, but before she could fully take it in, she heard a faint sobbing nearby.

“Who has our mistress wronged? She has done so much for the Prime Minister’s residence, and now they say she’s not the true lady. I feel so sorry for her.”

“Baozhu, stop crying quickly. The person is coming to the residence today. We must find a way to wake the mistress; otherwise, the madam will surely blame us.”

“Blame us if she must! The mistress’s heart is already heavy with sorrow. Must we force her to get up and witness such a scene?”

Baozhu whispered her complaints while Yixiang sighed and shook her head anxiously, her face etched with worry.

The moment Xie Yun opened her eyes, it was these two who met her gaze.

Both wore the same snow-blue short jackets, their hair neatly combed. One’s face was delicate and charming, the other clear and fair. Seeing her awake, their expressions brightened with joy.

“The mistress has woken? You must not have rested well last night. I’ll have them bring you some food,” Baozhu said, stepping forward. She noticed Xie Yun staring blankly and saw the puzzled look on her face.

Indeed, Xie Yun was stunned. As Baozhu adjusted the pillow behind her, she glanced down at the black lacquered bed adorned with gold patterns beneath her, then around at the lavish furnishings, confirming without doubt that she was in her old chamber at the Prime Minister’s residence.

Yet she had clearly been married. How could she still be here in her former quarters?

A sudden thought emerged in her mind, and she gasped sharply.

Xie Yun abruptly looked up, grasping Baozhu’s arm with urgency. “You just said—who is coming to the residence today?”

Baozhu was momentarily taken aback, then spoke with some resentment, “Isn’t it that Xie Yuming... Yesterday, the Prime Minister and madam received the news and hurried to bring her back today. Mistress, don’t be afraid. Yixiang has already sent a letter to the old madam; she will surely support you.”

The Prime Minister’s daughter, cherished for fifteen years, born into wealth and honor, yet yesterday a treacherous servant claimed the true daughter of the Prime Minister had been wandering outside all along, speaking with such detail it was absurd.

Yet the Prime Minister and madam believed it.

Since learning of her true identity yesterday, Xie Yun had been dazed and withdrawn, locking herself in her room during dinner without letting anyone in.

Only this morning did Baozhu, unable to bear it, bring Yixiang to break in.

Hearing Baozhu’s earnest words and pinching herself hard, Xie Yun finally confirmed that she had indeed returned to the very day when Xie Yuming came back to the residence.

It was also the turning point of her life.

On this day in her past life, she was heartbroken, believing she was about to be expelled from the Prime Minister’s residence. Her grandmother, who had always doted on her most, had gone to the Wan’en Temple outside the city for fasting and prayers, absent from the residence these days. In her sorrow, she even feigned illness to avoid meeting Xie Yuming’s arrival.

Later, when her grandmother returned, she insisted to her father that Xie Yun be kept, and Xie Yuming magnanimously offered to treat her as a sister, visiting daily with gentle words, expressing happiness at having a sister.

Though Xie Yun had felt conflicted at first, she gradually changed her view of Xie Yuming.

What happened afterward... Xie Yun closed her eyes.

“Mistress?”

Yixiang and Baozhu exchanged a glance, puzzled by her silence.

Xie Yun looked at Yixiang’s pretty face and paused. “Yixiang, help me dress. On a day like today, I should go to the front hall and see for myself.”

Their two maids were startled by this, Yixiang uncertainly glanced at her, but Xie Yun shot her a sidelong look.

The woman on the couch had dark brows and greenish hair, with an ethereal beauty and a faint smile at her lips that somehow chilled Yixiang’s heart.

Yixiang dared not look again and hurried to help her dress, while Baozhu thoughtfully prepared some food.

Half an hour later, Xie Yun, accompanied by her two maids, moved gracefully like a breeze through the garden, arriving at the front hall.

The hall was bustling. Madam Xu Yourong, wife of the Prime Minister, was usually reserved, but even she could not hold back tears on a day like this. She hastily helped the kneeling young woman to her feet, her voice warm and eager.

“Good child, it’s good you’re back.”

As Xie Yun stepped inside, a gentle smile played on her lips. “Mother, I heard a guest has arrived today.”

The young woman standing before Madam Xu froze for a moment, then turned her head.

Yixiang and Baozhu glanced at the girl. She wore a double-woven apricot-yellow jacket with a white embroidered skirt. She looked delicate and refined, but her eyes darted nervously, revealing her unease. They immediately felt disdain.

At this moment, Xie Yuming’s heart was in turmoil.

Upon learning she was the Prime Minister’s daughter, she had been overjoyed, secretly rejoicing that she could escape the hardships of Huaiqing Lane. But hearing someone call Madam Xu “mother,” she guessed this was the woman who had stolen her fate—and seeing her now, she was stunned into silence.