Chapter One: The Mysterious Transmigration

“Riiiiing… riiiiing…”
A string of alarms dragged Rong Jiu out of her dreams. Irritated beyond measure, she slammed the endlessly vibrating clock off her bedside table, closed her eyes, and tried to return to sleep.

Five minutes later…

Rong Jiu’s eyes flew open. Instinctively, she leapt out of bed, snatched up the clock, and saw that it was already 9:10.

“Oh my god, I’m late!” she shrieked.

In a fluster, she rummaged through her wardrobe, grabbed whatever clothes came to hand, and changed in a flash. Three minutes more sufficed for a whirlwind of washing and makeup—a speed worthy of a Guinness World Record.

As the saying goes, when misfortune strikes, it never comes alone.

Rong Jiu finally managed to wheel her bicycle out the door, only to see a raging storm outside, rain and wind whipping wildly. Swallowing her frustration, she wheeled the bike back inside, snatched up an umbrella, and hurried out into the downpour.

Today, she had an important meeting—she had to be there by 9:30, or her year’s bonus would be lost. The thought of her bonus revived her spirit. She kicked off her high heels and dashed barefoot through the rain.

She was just about to catch up to the bus idling ahead. Yelling for the driver to wait, she quickened her pace.

But fate had other plans. Someone with no sense of public decency had tossed a banana peel onto the street. Rong Jiu’s luck held—she stepped on it. Worse yet, beside her, a manhole cover was missing.

With a look of utter despair, Rong Jiu made a spectacular tumble straight into the open sewer.

“Ouch!”

The jarring impact made her feel as if her insides were being torn apart. Clutching her aching waist, she muttered curses, “Who the hell just throws banana peels around? And who leaves manhole covers open?”

After a long moment, she managed to stand, bracing her back. She cleared her throat, about to shout for help, when—thud! Someone, perhaps equally lacking in sense, tossed a stone down, striking her squarely on the forehead.

“Ah—!”

With a scream, Rong Jiu blacked out completely. In a daze, she thought she heard voices above.

“Big brother, I think I hear something down there.”

“I heard it too.”

“Could it be Xiao Jiu?”

“Let’s go down and check.”

“All right.”

…

“Hiss—” Rong Jiu shifted drowsily, pain lancing through her nerves, snapping her mind utterly awake. She rolled over and sucked in a breath.

God, it hurt!

“Damn, since when did the hospital get such an antique makeover?”

Rong Jiu stared, wide-eyed, at the elegant, old-fashioned decor, utterly stunned.

“Wow, not bad at all. I wonder which hospital this is!”

Just as she was craning her neck to take in the surroundings, the door opened. A young woman in ethnic dress entered. Despite Rong Jiu’s education, she couldn’t identify the costume’s origins.

“This hospital is top notch—even the nurses are in historical costume. Impressive!” Rong Jiu gave a thumbs-up.

“Princess, you’re awake!” The girl’s face lit up with excitement.

“Princess? Is that how you address patients here?” Rong Jiu asked, puzzled.

“What hospital? Princess, what are you talking about? This is your bedchamber—don’t you remember?”

The girl seemed startled, quickly reaching to feel Rong Jiu’s forehead, then examining her closely. “No fever… why are you talking nonsense?”

“What nonsense? Is this really not a hospital?” Rong Jiu pressed, her confusion mounting.

“Amu doesn’t understand what you mean, Princess. Please don’t scare me.” The girl—Amu—looked about to cry, clutching Rong Jiu’s hand.

Rong Jiu studied Amu’s anxious expression. It didn’t seem faked. Besides, if this really were a hospital, why would anyone bother lying to her?

“So, what show are you filming here? Who am I supposed to be playing?” Rong Jiu’s eyes widened with curiosity.

If this wasn’t a hospital, it had to be a film set. Given her looks, perhaps someone had fished her out of the sewer, saw she was presentable, and decided to cast her.

“What show? Princess, why are you talking such nonsense?” Amu bit her lip, wondering what game her princess was playing.

Not a show, not a hospital?

Rong Jiu lay there, staring at the blue veiled canopy overhead. Could she be dead? But if she were, why did everything still hurt so much?

Could she have transmigrated? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, but the vivid reality around her seemed to confirm it: she had crossed into another world.

But was it her body that had crossed, or just her soul? The more she wondered, the more her excitement grew.

Amu, seeing Rong Jiu’s blank and dazed expression, began to cry. “Princess, I’m Amu, don’t you remember me?”

“Amu?” Rong Jiu frowned, looking at the unfamiliar girl, and shook her head.

Amu burst into tears outright.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry! I haven’t done anything to you!” Rong Jiu panicked. If someone saw, it would seem as if she’d bullied the poor girl.

“What’s going on?” As Rong Jiu’s head threatened to split, several more people entered.

She glanced up—and nearly choked. What sort of ethereal, beautiful men were these? She swallowed hard.

“Second Prince, Fourth Prince, the princess has been speaking nonsense since waking and doesn’t recognize me,” Amu sobbed, seeing them as her saviors.

“What happened?” The Second Prince strode to the bed, frowning, and took Rong Jiu’s hand. “Xiao Jiu, look at me—do you remember who I am?”

Rong Jiu gazed at the handsome man, sneaking a peek at his hand holding hers, her heart fluttering wildly and her cheeks flushing.

Oh my god, a handsome man is holding my hand! Is this finally my lucky day?

“Xiao Jiu? Xiao Jiu?” The Second Prince, seeing her dazed look, was clearly worried.

“Ah, yes.” She snapped back to herself, realizing her loss of composure. Clearing her throat, she asked with feigned formality, “May I ask this hero’s honorable name?”

“Xiao Jiu, don’t you remember? I’m your second brother!” he said, voice trembling as he shook her by the shoulders.

Second… brother?

A bucket of cold water seemed to pour over Rong Jiu, her smile freezing. Such a handsome man—her brother?

“Xiao Jiu, look at me. I’m your fourth brother!” The Fourth Prince, equally anxious, stepped forward.

Another bucket of ice water—her face fell. Was there no justice left in this world? One was bad enough, but now two? Her heart ached.

“Um… are you sure you’ve got the right person? Maybe I just look like your sister,” Rong Jiu ventured.

Perhaps she’d been mistaken for someone else, just like in those dramas. If so, she still stood a chance! But which of these two was the better catch?

“Amu, go fetch the physician. Our little sister truly isn’t herself,” the Fourth Prince ordered, frowning deeply.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Amu hurried out and soon returned with an elderly court physician.

After examining Rong Jiu’s pulse, the old man sighed.

“Physician Huang, what’s wrong with our sister?” the Fourth Prince pressed, worrying she might have some serious illness.

“Please, speak plainly—you’re killing us with suspense!” the Second Prince urged.

Rong Jiu herself was nervous—what if this old man diagnosed her with something terminal?

“The princess’s pulse is steady; she has only minor external injuries. If what you say is true, this old minister suspects the princess has lost her memory,” Physician Huang said gravely, stroking his beard.

“Amnesia?” The Second and Fourth Princes exchanged glances.

“Other than amnesia, I can think of no other reason for Her Highness’s behavior,” the physician declared.

“Well, maybe you really have the wrong person. I’m not your princess—perhaps I just look like her,” Rong Jiu said awkwardly.

“Impossible. Our princess has a birthmark on her left shoulder, a mole behind her right ear, and a scar on her right pinky. You have all these. There can’t be two people in the world with identical looks and identical marks,” Amu insisted.

Rong Jiu swallowed. She did have a birthmark on her left shoulder and a scar on her right pinky. As for a mole behind her ear, she didn’t know, but this was all too coincidental.

It seemed she truly had transmigrated—and become a princess!

It was like winning the lottery—no, better!

…

After a day of frantic confusion, Rong Jiu gradually adjusted to her new reality. Her current body was that of a fourteen-year-old girl, a pampered princess with three dashing elder brothers and a sister of rare beauty.

In her old life, family had been almost inconsequential. Here, her siblings made her feel a warmth and closeness she’d never known.

Curiously, this body’s owner was also named Rong Jiu, and though younger, looked very much as she herself had as a child. Was it fate or mere coincidence?

That night, Rong Jiu lay in bed grinning, her smile never fading for a moment.

“Amu, tell me about myself,” she asked, watching as Amu wiped her hands.

“Of course, Princess. What would you like to know?” Amu smiled, having finally accepted her princess’s amnesia.

In truth, she was still struggling to adapt to her princess’s complete transformation, especially with all the strange things she now said.

“Well… everything, and be thorough,” Rong Jiu said eagerly, propping her head on her hands.

“Yes, Princess.”