The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 1

In the 223rd year of the Baisheng era, the emperor passed away. Unfortunately, the late emperor had no sons. The successor, who had been raised by the old emperor since childhood, also died a year after ascending the throne, plunging the entire nation into mourning. The Prime Minister and a group of regents had no choice but to select another son from the royal family to take the throne.

This son was the second legitimate son of Prince Chang. Rumored to be virtuous and benevolent, he soon exposed his true nature after his ascension. He indulged in pleasure and luxury day after day, disregarding the common people, and only promoting his close kin. The court gradually split into two factions: one led by the Prime Minister, the other by Prince Chang. The two factions were at each other’s throats, and the court fell into chaos.

It was the third month of spring, with a gentle breeze, a time that should have been filled with vibrant blossoms. However, within the Prime Minister’s residence, there were only a few green bamboo plants. The occasional bird song made the place feel a bit desolate compared to other mansions.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence from afar.

The maid looked up, saw the person approaching, and immediately lowered her head, bowing respectfully, “Master.”

Song Yunzhou’s brows were tightly furrowed. He waved his hand and asked in a low voice, “How is the young lady today?”

The maid replied, “The young lady just drank her medicine. She’s inside reading a book right now.”

Song Yunzhou nodded and pushed open the door. He saw a slender figure standing quietly by the window, gazing outside. Her expression was faint, as if burdened by an unsolvable sorrow.

He cleared his throat, a sound particularly jarring in the quiet room. The woman turned around. Despite her blossoming youth, her pale complexion couldn’t conceal her beauty. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she turned and curtsied, “Father.”

Song Yunzhou, suppressing the worry in his eyes, grunted in acknowledgment. He glanced at the maidservants behind him, paused, and then said, “You all go stand outside first. I have something to discuss with your mistress. No one is allowed to enter without my command.”

“Yes.” The maidservants bowed slightly and exited the room.

Song Luoning was surprised but showed no emotion on her face, “Father, has something happened?”

Ever since she came of age, her father had not entered her boudoir. This was the first time.

Song Yunzhou’s brow furrowed slightly, his tone filled with concern, “Your health is poor. Why are you standing by the window? There’s a lot of wind in the spring, and pollen is everywhere. Don’t make your cough worse.”

Hearing this, a hint of sadness flickered in Song Luoning’s eyes. Then, she raised the corners of her mouth in a faint smile, her face showing the charming coquettishness of a young girl, “Staying cooped up in the room all day is so boring. Besides, there aren’t many flowers or plants in our residence.”

Years ago, knowing that pollen and willow catkins would worsen her cough, the residence was forbidden from planting flowers and plants.

Song Yunzhou sighed, unable to scold her. This youngest daughter of his had been sickly since childhood, and doctors had even predicted she wouldn’t live past twenty. Her mother had also passed away early, and as a father, he had always felt he had given her too little attention, and his guilt was even greater.

With the current unrest in the court and his vulnerabilities in the hands of his rival, he had even less time to care for his daughter.

After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to have made up his mind and said, “Pack your things. Your father will have someone send you out of the city. When you get to Chen Village in Linyang County, look for a person named Xiao Yu.”

Song Luoning frowned.

Song Yunzhou didn’t dare to look into his daughter’s eyes. He turned his face away and gritted his teeth, continuing, “When your mother was alive, she arranged a marriage for you. Although the family has fallen into poverty, the man is also a member of the royal family, a direct descendant of the founding emperor. With a little guidance, he could still hold an official position in the court in the future.”

“Father…” Song Luoning was about to speak, but Song Yunzhou interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument, “This matter is settled. Besides, the other party has shown us great kindness. The Song family cannot be ungrateful.”

Song Luoning looked at her father and said nothing more. Although she was confined to the small space of Shallow Moon Courtyard, her mind was clear. For her father to suddenly want to send her away, there must be an unavoidable reason for her to leave.

Song Yunzhou said, “Your father and your brothers won’t be able to see you off. You must remember…” He then took out a marriage contract from his sleeve, placed it on the table, sighed, and left.

Song Luoning glanced at the marriage contract, pursed her lips, and opened it. The words ‘Xiao Yu’ in a flowing black script came into view.

She let out a final sigh.

Chen Village, Linyang County.

An Yu rubbed her slightly protruding forehead and groggily opened her eyes. What she saw was a dilapidated mud-brick house. The doors and windows were broken, and cold air constantly poured in.

Where was this?

Why was she here?

An Yu endured a headache, got up from the floor, and looked around. The room was small and shabby. A few steps away from her was a wooden plank bed, a round table, and two stools. On the table were a teapot and four tea bowls, and nothing else.

It could be completely described as bare walls and a home with nothing.

An Yu frowned. Wasn’t she in training?

As she pondered, some textual descriptions suddenly appeared in her mind. An Yu’s brows furrowed. After she slowly digested the information, she realized that she had transmigrated. She had entered a heart-wrenching, cliche romance novel she had once read. The novel spent a large portion of its pages describing how the male lead emotionally tormented the female lead. What was even more infuriating was that the male lead eventually married the general’s daughter for his own gain.

Yet, even after all this, the female lead never woke up. She was still thinking of the male lead even at the moment of her death.

When she read this part, An Yu was so angry her liver ached. Because of this, she had left an angry comment scolding the heartless author.

She never expected to have transmigrated into this very book. As for who she had become, she didn’t know. However, from the text, she could tell that the original host had the same given name but a different surname as her. Her name was Xiao Yu, and she was from a fallen branch of the royal family. Although the right to an official position had long been gone by her generation, the ancestral house and farmlands were still there. While not a life of luxury, a basic living was definitely not a problem. Unfortunately, the original host’s father died early. Her mother, worried that the family property would be snatched by the uncles, had the original host dress as a boy from a young age. When she was a child, the original host was somewhat promising, but she grew more and more wayward, eventually becoming a good-for-nothing despised by everyone. She squandered all the family’s assets and was finally kicked out by her mother, living in a dilapidated mud-brick house.

An Yu fell into deep thought as she looked at this passage.

The novel had no description of the original host. She should just be an insignificant side character. But transmigrating as a side character was not bad. At least she wasn’t a short-lived cannon fodder or a wicked female villain. The love-hate relationship between the male and female leads had nothing to do with her, and she could survive until the very end.

The only downside was that the original host was poor, and she would have to rely on herself to make a living in the future.

An Yu rubbed her still-aching forehead. At this moment, her stomach also grumbled. She closed her eyes. What kind of feeling was it to have no special powers and immediately have to worry about starving to death?

She decided to fill her stomach first before making any plans. Just as she was about to get up and go to the kitchen, there was a knock at the door.

An Yu was stunned. She had just arrived and hadn’t fully adapted to her current identity. She was hesitating whether to open the door.

Then she heard someone outside shout, “Xiao Yu, open the door quickly.”

“…”

An Yu was conflicted.

After a while, the knocking continued. Forget it, she couldn’t hide forever. She tidied her clothes and pushed open the door. Through the low wall, she saw many people gathered at the entrance. Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be local villagers. She opened the courtyard gate.

The one knocking was a man. His appearance was a bit hard to describe. Based on his looks alone, it would not be an exaggeration to say he had shifty eyes. The man immediately grabbed her, pulled her to the side, and whispered, “I knew you were home.”

Not only did he look lewd, his actions were also lewd.

An Yu frowned. For some reason, she really disliked the man in front of her, feeling a subtle disgust. She scanned the area behind him, “What is it?”

The man looked shifty, moving even closer to her. He pointed to the carriage behind him and whispered, “Xiao Yu, someone is looking for you. They’re in that carriage.”

An Yu followed the direction he was pointing. She saw that the carriage was surrounded by the crowd, which was why she hadn’t seen it from the courtyard at first. She frowned.

After the original host’s family fell into poverty, she moved to this small village and no longer interacted with her former acquaintances. In ancient times, being able to travel in a carriage, especially such a large, wide one pulled by tall horses, meant the person’s identity was definitely not of low status.

Suddenly, An Yu’s heart sank. Could it be that the original host not only squandered her family’s fortune but also accumulated debt?

A bad feeling immediately enveloped her heart.

Seeing her lack of reaction, the man couldn’t help but urge, “Xiao Yu, what are you spacing out for? Go over there. Don’t keep the young lady waiting…”

“Young lady?”

An Yu precisely caught these two words from the man’s incessant chatter. Damn, could the original host be in debt to a love interest?

The corners of her mouth twitched.

Then she thought it didn’t feel right. Although the original host had dressed as a boy since childhood, she was a genuine woman. In ancient times, if this was discovered, she would be put in a pig cage. From the information she received, the original host was quite timid, so she probably wouldn’t have dared to do something like that.

She ignored the man’s rambling beside her. With a nervous heart, she walked to the carriage, took a deep breath, and said, “I am An… Xiao Yu. May I ask what business you have with me, miss?”

That was a close call, she almost slipped up. It seems she needed to adapt to her new identity as soon as possible.

The carriage door slowly opened.

An Yu… no, Xiao Yu, froze as she saw the woman’s face. The woman was wearing a long, pale-white dress, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her clear, cold eyes were like black obsidian, so beautiful it was hard to look away. Her long, ink-black hair reached her waist. The only flaw was that the woman’s figure was too thin and her complexion was pale, giving her the appearance of a sickly beauty.

But every single feature happened to be perfectly in line with Xiao Yu’s aesthetic.

The woman in the carriage saw Xiao Yu’s intense, unabashed gaze and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes, “Are you Xiao Yu?” Her voice was clear and melodious, yet distant.

“Ah? Yes…” Xiao Yu snapped back to her senses, secretly cursing herself. She was almost mesmerized by the beauty. She steadied her mind and pretended to be calm, “I am indeed Xiao Yu. May I ask what business you have with me, miss?”

Based on what the woman had just said, she probably didn’t know the original host, and Xiao Yu felt completely relieved.

As long as it wasn’t about debt, it was fine.

Song Luoning pursed her lips. Based on the person’s behavior just now, she hesitated for a moment before finally sighing. Her gaze swept over the crowd of onlookers, and she said softly, “May we talk inside?”

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