2 Chapter 1

Huang Yue Lan woke up to the sound of a horse's neigh.

"Young miss. It's cold outside the cover. Let me put your cloak on." An female attendant stoically said, helping her sit up and pulled a white fox skinned cloak over her young miss.

Yue Lan woke up looking a little tired and confused, which was why she reflexively nodded. It took some time to get her bearings, especially when she realised she was inside a horse-drawn carriage. Just as she held onto the cloak. Yue Lan noticed herself wearing a cream layered dress often seen in historical dramas. But the quality was very luxurious. With detailed stitchings of chrysanthemums into her outer layer of the same colour, creating a simple muted look with a feeling of grace. It looked very pretty.

"Where are we?" Yue Lan carefully phrased her words, still in a bit of shock.

"We are ten miles away from Hong capital gates. You've been sleeping since we left Han Qi mountain." The female attendant replied tonelessly.

"Han Qi mountain...Hong capital..." She repeated to herself as she opened the paper screened window and took a look at the outside herself.

'The names. I heard those places somewhere recently. But where?' Yue Lan thought to herself.

Yue Lan's heart quickened seeing the plains of greenery. This was the first time she saw the outside other than the park outside her hospital room. She watched in silence as she was escorted by a train of a dozen guards and female attendants. The guards seem stern and frighteningly big. The attendants all mature and expressionless as the attendant by her side. Sometimes Yue Lan would look at the female attendant, wanting to ask but cannot ask. This moment lastly all the way to Hong capital's outer gates, where a line was formed by the people outside to await for their turn. The guards asked everyone in front of the line for identification papers and asked them to step down to search the carriage if there was one.

They followed with the procedure like everyone else until their turn. Yue Lan's personal hand attendant bowed her head before stepping out the carriage.

"Here are our identification papers. Can I please ask that you give an exception to searching our young miss' carriage? She has a frail constitution and cannot bear the exertion from going outside." The female attendant politely spoke in her monotonous voice.

'So I am sick in this life as well?' Yue Lan lamented over her her circumstances.

"That can't be done. Everyone has to follow the capital's rules. Those that wish to enter must be identified and extensively searched. No exceptions." The guard firmly spoke, unchanging his tone even when he knew which family this young miss was from.

The female attendant paused for a moment before speaking. "I understand. Would it be possible then for this officer to send this token to your superior officer, Minister Rong? We will move our carriage aside and wait for him until he comes."

Huang Yue Lan was staring into the warm cup of tea that seemed to blend into dark ceramic cup in her hands, when her female attendant came back inside.

"They're only performing their duties. Why must we make it hard for them?" Yue Lan said as she moved her pair of phoenix eyes towards the girl.

"Young miss, this lowly one is wrong." The girl no older than 16, quickly kneeled to the floor in front of her.

Yue Lan was shock but hid her expressions in a flash. She pulled her servant up.

"You aren't wrong. You were also performing your duties on behalf of our household name and reputation. It's just a pity." Yue Lan comforted her, but didn't explain further.

Yue Lan could gather she came to a historical time. Even though she didn't know when, it was ancient enough that she understood vaguely the social norms. She felt pity because just like the guard and her attendant, they were more or less slaves. People of low standing like them lived to be abused by higher-ups at any given moment. Even the most principled and unyielding people of this time would still need to bow down to the more powerful to survive. Their death signed by their other person's one word. She was lucky, from the treatment she received and the well cushioned dark oak carriage it seemed she came from a wealthy household. But the more she thought, the more she felt how dangerous this foreign time and place truly is.

Galloping horses came out to the capital gates. The guards recognised the men on the horses and moved out, only to realise that their purpose was to get to the gate. Minister Rong was famous in the capital for being a man with a large sense of righteousness and was the admiration of the citizens and capital guards. This was why the guards were unyielding in the face of the trained guards and person inside the horse carriage.

Minister Rong's sense of righteousness rang firm into people's hearts. He had once even dared to punish and convict a fifth level minister's son after the son took a widow from a restaurant and took her in a tavern to rape her in broad daylight. As a result, the widow committed suicide. Not that any of this was known to Yue Lan.

"This one apologises for arriving late and has made your household's young mistress suffer." Minister Rong humbly bowed to the carriage, surprising the guards.

"It's no matter. The guards were simply performing their duties to ensure Hong capital's safety. There's no need to blame them. I have troubled Minister Rong to come all the way here and trouble you to vouch for me." Yue Lan spoke in a clear melodious voice with three points of gentleness, making the old man relax with a smile.

'There. Those guards won't be made to blame.' Yue Lan thought confidently.

"No trouble. No trouble at all. It would be an honour to escort you into Hong capital." Minister Rong said as he turned to his guards that immediately move out of the way to let the carriage through.

The carriage moved through the hustle and bustle of the road. People in the capital he many carriages coming through the main roads, so many people instinctively moved whenever they saw a carriage. Curiosity got the better of her and discreetly patted the paper window once more. There she saw the bustling loud crowds of people constantly on the move.

'Mother. Father. Big brother. I am alive like them. Don't worry. I will splendidly live with this second chance at life.' She thought and held her tears with a smile.

This smile was caught by her personal attendant who briefly had a sparkle of joy in her eyes before it was gone in a flash. Shortly after, the train of people and horses all stopped in front of large courtyard away from the bustle of people. In the vicinity were other wealthy households which made the area relatively quiet. It had the words, Serene Forest Corner written on a plaque on top of its entrance.

"We've arrived." The driver stopped and called out.

The guards had long seen the procession of people heading towards them and informed their master. The female attendant helped her out of the carriage when they all heard the large double doors open. Minister Rong and his men all saw Huang family's infamously treasured daughter come out of her carriage. Some of the young men had a look of surprise.

The treasured daughter of Huang Man Qi, was revealed to be an exquisite beauty. From the snow white cloak made with white silk and snow fox fur that showed off her youthfulness. To the black wooden hairpins that gave a feeling of humility and fitting for a scholarly clan. Her skin was white and glowed like morning water dew. A glance from her phoenix eyes could have the power to steal a man's soul away. Cherry blossomed lips. Black silky hair that lightens to bronze under the sun. For people with sharp eyes, the cloak could not hide the figure that was far more matured and alluring than the women from the famous Peach Flower Pavilion. Then there was an scent when she walked past them. It was the scent of something not quiet floral, but more akin to an refreshing plant that had a small hint of medicinal herbs. It was a scent that people wanted to smell more of and would not easily be tired of. The people that saw her all thought of the same word. Beauty. A beauty that should be hidden away.

Minister Rong in the other hand, lamented on a saying. A beauty that can cause the downfall of a nation, came to his mind. Imperial Tutor Huang would be involved in another situation he cannot control. Minister Rong could help but shake his head.

Even though Minister Rong was known to be a loud righteous minister for the people and harshly condemned criminals indiscriminately of their background. The fact that he survive political intrigue and scheming from others for 20 years showed he was in fact a very careful man. This was attributed to a fateful encounter when he was still a soldier and met a man he came to realise later to be the Huang clan's current head, Huang Man Qi. That man was the embodiment of perseverance and unyielding in the forces against him. This thought alone made Minister Rong's heart sink for the man.

The Huang clan came from a long line of scholars and teachers. Many famous ministers in history all had to thank the Huang clan in this regard. But like the people often associated to people of power, the Huang clan was constantly a target for political agenda. Three generations ago, a certain newly arisen emperor ordered a certain Huang family ancestor to become the imperial tutor. But before that order arrived, the ancestor had announced to the world that their clan will never enter politics unless they wish for the family line to end in their hands. When the emperor gave the imperial order, the Huang family refused and would rather face nine familial exterminations. After a round of chaos in politics and public outrage for the emperor, the imperial family agreed and only let the Huang clan continue in serving the country by teaching future generations.

But this was broken when it came to Huang Man Qi. Huang Man Qi is a talented man and had taught half the people that passed the imperial exam after becoming the head of the clan. But he broke family law because his young daughter, Huang Yue Lan was diagnosed to not live past her sixth year. In order to gain imperial favour and have the imperial physician come look at his daughter, Huang Man Qi yielded. He bowed his head and became the imperial tutor for the princes. The imperial physician that was sent to see her that year, saved Huang Yue Lan's life. That year he said to imperial tutor Huang that they need to send her away to Han Qi mountains for any chance to see her daughter again. Three days later, Huang Yue Lan was sent away. This away was ten years.

But no matter how Minister Rong lamented over how a great man like Huang Man Qi yielded because of his daughter and to potentially have his one weakness come back and be manipulated once more, was enough to make him suddenly wish he turned that man's daughter away. Meanwhile, the daughter stared at the words, Serene Forest Corner.

'Han Qi mountain, Hong capital and Serene Forest Corner...aren't they all from mum's book?' She finally recalled.

Quickly, she thought back to the story's historical setting. The female protagonist's entrance. The family behind Serene Forest Corner. Her mind reeled from one realisation to another.

'This means I'm in the world of my mother's creation....alright...the only person that returned from Han Qi mountains was the female protagonist, Huang Yue Lan. She was a daughter of the imperial tutor who was sent away for ten years in Han Qi mountains. She came back like I did at the start of the story, escorted by Minister Rong. Then...then she returned home. Serene Forest Corner. I am the female protagonist? Then that means...' her eyes hesitated but watched as the front courtyard entrance doors opened.

Yue Lan's eyes began to blur when she saw the people that came through the front entrance. Particular the people at the front.

"You're finally back." A women who looked exactly like her mother called to her with her signature gentle smile.