Chapter Sixty-Three: The Evil Father Wants to Kill Me

Dawn had barely broken, yet the world outside was already abuzz with noise. As soon as Su Jingluo opened her eyes, she wondered if she had transmigrated again. The shabby little courtyard and the dilapidated house she had once known were gone without a trace.

Instead, she lay beneath a silk quilt edged with gold thread, surrounded by gauzy canopies spun from the finest silkworm silk. The room was furnished with tables and chairs made of precious nanmu wood inlaid with gold, and even the bronze mirror gleamed with a gilded frame. The windows were covered in translucent, ethereal silkworm-gauze that kept the room warm and bright; sunlight poured in, making everything seem dreamlike.

Yet, as Su Jingluo lay in bed taking in her surroundings, she felt no joy. If she had transmigrated again, she might never see Yunbai anymore—what was she to do?

“Your Ladyship, you’re awake! Does your head hurt?” came Ruihuan’s familiar voice. Su Jingluo was instantly energized, sitting up in bed with the agility of a startled carp.

Oh heavens, her head throbbed dully. The wine from last night’s imperial banquet was nothing to boast of; drink too much, and it left one with a splitting headache and a blank memory. She could recall raising cup after cup, but everything else was a haze.

“What’s with this room? Did we transmigrate together?” Su Jingluo looked around again at the extravagance that surrounded her.

“What transmigration? Your Ladyship, this is the Loft of Tranquil Radiance—the very place His Highness mentioned before. It took ages to prepare, and everything here is newly decorated. All brand-new furnishings! You should step out to the courtyard later—there’s an abundance of rare and wondrous plants, all exceedingly beautiful. And now you’ll live close to His Highness, only a wall apart.” Ruihuan’s excitement spilled over as she listed the many marvels of their new abode.

“Wait, Xiao Jingxuan lives next door?” At once, Su Jingluo’s enthusiasm for the place evaporated. It felt as though she had moved right under a surveillance camera—eating, drinking, and sleeping all within his line of sight.

“Yes, that’s right. His Highness is just next door,” Ruihuan replied, a little puzzled by Su Jingluo’s reaction.

“Oh, my head… Let me rest a bit. By the way, tell me—did I make a scene after drinking last night?” After all, back in her modern life, Su Jingluo had been notorious for her drunken antics; get enough liquor in her, and even three or four strong men couldn’t restrain her.

“Not at all, Your Ladyship. You were the very image of dignity last night! Can you hear all that commotion outside? The wives of the generals and the noblewomen of the court are all here to deliver gifts.” Ruihuan was still basking in the reflected glory of her mistress’s triumphant evening.

“Dignity? Gifts? Why? What happened?” Su Jingluo truly couldn’t remember a thing.

Putting down the copper basin she’d been using, Ruihuan launched into a vivid and embellished retelling of Su Jingluo’s grand declarations the previous night—how she had raised her voice, bold and unyielding, and moved the hearts of all present.

When the tale was done, Su Jingluo collapsed back onto the bed, burying her face under the quilt, her hips jutting up as she muffled her voice in the covers.

“I wish I were dead. How mortifying! Why didn’t I just drink myself to death?” She was wracked with regret, unable to fathom what had possessed her to drink so much.

“You really don’t remember, Your Ladyship? I thought you were magnificent! You should’ve seen it—every general had tears in his eyes as he raised his cup to you.” Ruihuan recounted the scene once more, her enthusiasm undimmed.

“Stop, stop, enough. Whoever comes today, don’t let them in. Pretend I’m dead,” Su Jingluo whimpered, curling herself into a ball under the quilt, wishing she could simply suffocate.

At that moment, a child’s panicked voice rang out, “Mother, Mother, the bad father wants to kill me!” Yunbai burst through the door, crying for help.

Su Jingluo, who had been contemplating her own demise, flung off the quilt in an instant. Seeing Yunbai dash in, she immediately shielded him behind her.

And right on his heels came Xiao Jingxuan, seething with anger.