The thick wooden door of the back storeroom was slammed shut from outside, followed by the harsh clank of the iron latch being secured. The room instantly plunged into total darkness, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the dusty ventilation slats. The stench of mold, rotting hay, and rat droppings assaulted Qingyan's nose.
Instead of sitting there helplessly, Qingyan paced back and forth like a woman possessed. Her footsteps swept through the thick layer of dust covering the wooden floor.
"Think, Qingyan, think!" she muttered, smacking her forehead repeatedly. "What the hell was the detailed plot of this trash novel?!"
She stopped and tilted her head, trying to recall chapter after chapter of what she had read on her tablet.
"This Lin Qingyan character... she's the cast-off legitimate daughter. Her mother was poisoned to death by Consort Yan. Then, after being exiled to the borderlands, she was supposed to live a miserable life, slowly poisoned until she finally died and rotted away with no one caring. She was weak, timid, whiny, and completely resigned to her fate!"
Qingyan snorted loudly, then resumed pacing anxiously.
"Option one: Find a way to die quickly. Hang myself? Slam my head into the wall? Maybe if I die here, my soul will go straight back to my apartment and I'll wake up in a hospital!" Qingyan glanced at the sharp corner of the stone wall. But her feet suddenly faltered.
"But... what if I DON'T return to the real world? What if I actually die for real and my soul disappears into the afterlife?! I'd lose everything! I wouldn't be able to enjoy the wealth here. No, no way. I refuse to die like an idiot."
She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Option two: Follow the novel's plot. But hellooo?! I'd have to become some weak, obedient girl who meekly lets Consort Yan poison and bully her?! How am I supposed to put up with that?! As a doctor who's used to being decisive in the operating room, how could I pretend to be a crybaby in front of those idiots?!"
Qingyan planted her hands on her hips and stared at the cobweb-covered ceiling. The anger she'd carried over from the real world—the accusation of medical malpractice—was now tangled up with this utterly absurd situation.
"Damn it!" she shouted into the darkness. "The author of this novel is completely insane! Why write such a trashy plot?! The protagonist is an idiot, the antagonist is devious, and why the hell was I the one thrown into the body of this poor girl?! God, what did I ever do?! In the real world, I was falsely accused by a patient, and now I've been dumped in a storeroom! What kind of fate is this?!"
Meanwhile, in the grand and tranquil main residence, A-Man ran through the grounds toward the eastern courtyard, tears streaming down her face. That was Grand Madam Lin's residence—the biological grandmother of Qingyan and the most powerful person in the Lin family, who was currently in secluded retreat to pray.
"Grand Madam! Please, Grand Madam!" A-Man dropped to her knees on the cold stone floor and repeatedly knocked her forehead against it.
Two senior guards immediately blocked her with crossed spears. "Insolent! Grand Madam has already ordered that no one disturb her prayers! Leave before we drag you away!"
"Please help me, Uncle Guard! This concerns Miss Qingyan!" A-Man sobbed hysterically, clasping her hands in supplication. "Miss Qingyan has been locked in the back storeroom! She's gravely ill from poison, but Master and Consort Yan punished her anyway! Miss Qingyan could die tonight!"
"What's all this commotion outside?"
An aged yet commanding voice cut through A-Man's sobs. The carved wooden door opened, revealing an elderly woman dressed in dark silk adorned with jade. Her eyes were sharp and filled with authority. Grand Madam Lin slowly descended the steps, leaning on her wooden cane.
"Grand Madam!" A-Man crawled forward and pressed her face against Grand Madam Lin's feet. "Please forgive me for disturbing you... But please save Miss Qingyan! Consort Yan has been poisoning Miss for months! When Miss rebelled because of the pain, Master actually believed Consort Yan and locked Miss in a cold underground storeroom without food!"
Grand Madam Lin stopped in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed sharply. "What did you say? Poison? The Prime Minister locked up his own legitimate daughter for the sake of a consort?"
"I swear to God, Grand Madam! I'm not lying!" A-Man cried through her sobs. "If you don't believe me, examine Miss's body! Her lips have already turned black!"
Grand Madam Lin brought her cane down hard against the stone floor. THUD!
"How dare they cause such chaos behind my back!" Grand Madam Lin snapped, her icy tone intimidating everyone present. She looked at her senior guards. "You two, bring the key and smash open the storeroom door right now! Bring Qingyan straight to my room! If anyone dares stop you—even if it's the Prime Minister himself—tell them this is my direct order!"
"Yes, Grand Madam!"
"Thank you, Grand Madam! Thank you so much!" A-Man wiped away her tears and immediately rose to her feet, hurrying after the two imposing guards.
"Hurry! Open the door!" A-Man shouted when they reached the deserted, pitch-dark back storeroom.
One of the guards cut through the iron chain with a single slash of his sword. CLANG! The thick wooden door was shoved wide open.
"Miss! Miss Qingyan! Grand Madam has ordered that—"
A-Man's sentence cut off instantly. The relieved smile vanished from her face, replaced by a hysterical scream that shattered the night.
"MISSSSS!"
In the corner of the storeroom, Qingyan lay stiff and motionless atop the cold, dry hay. Her face was deathly pale. Beside her head was the corner of an old wooden table, stained with fresh blood that was still flowing, soaking the floor and part of her loose black hair.
A-Man collapsed to her knees beside Qingyan's body, her hands trembling violently as she tried to touch her mistress's cheek, which was growing colder by the second.
"Miss... Miss, wake up, Miss! Don't leave A-Man!" A-Man screamed hysterically as she hugged Qingyan's limp body. "Help! Uncle Guard, help! Miss is bleeding... there's so much blood! Wake up, Miss!"