"Third Young Madam, please wake up..."
"What should we do?"
"Where is the doctor? Why isn't he here yet?"
...
Bai Suihe's head was splitting. People kept calling out in her ears. They said three women were enough to put on a show, so the babble of seven or eight was absolute torture.
In her daze, it felt as if someone checked her pulse and poured medicine down her throat before she finally drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, she immediately sensed something was wrong. She wasn't lying on the expensive latex mattress she had bought from Thailand; the bed felt rather hard and uncomfortable. Opening her eyes, she saw faint candlelight, dancing gauzes, swaying tassels, and antique bed curtains that startled her into blinking rapidly.
She closed her eyes and opened them, closed and opened them again... Pinching herself hard, she almost cried out in pain. At the critical moment, she reached up and clamped a hand over her own mouth.
This wasn't her apartment at all. She remembered locking the doors and windows tightly before going to bed. It was impossible for anyone to possess the ability to silently move her to another location. There was only one possibility left—she had time-traveled.
She quietly propped herself up. Before she could make a sound, a head suddenly popped up.
"Third Young Madam, you're awake."
Bai Suihe gasped heavily in fright. Biting her tongue, she asked, "You scared me to death! What time is it now?"
"This servant is guilty. Please punish me, Third Young Madam," Dongmei said as she dropped to her knees. She felt extremely remorseful. Her young lady had just woken up, and her sudden voice must have been truly startling.
"It's fine. Get up," Bai Suihe said softly, asking again, "What time is it?"
"To answer the Third Young Madam, it's already midnight," Dongmei replied respectfully, glancing at the moonlight outside.
So it was between eleven at night and one in the morning. Having mentally converted the time, Bai Suihe fell back onto the bed. She rubbed her forehead as waves of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind, but these memories made her feel suffocated.
She felt a bit envious of those who time-traveled into the bodies of little peasant girls. Even though that path was poor and bitter, there was still hope. Unlike her. Although she had transmigrated into a wealthy family, the entire household was about to be raided and exiled, and she had a bun in the oven.
"Third Young Madam, does your head hurt?" The noise in the inner chamber quickly attracted the maid keeping watch outside. Another senior maid, Chunxiang, lifted the curtain and walked in. "The doctor is waiting outside. Should we have him come in and take a look?"
Bai Suihe waved her hand dismissively. Dongmei and Chunxiang were the original owner's dowry maids and her trusted confidants in the manor. She needed to sort out her thoughts carefully and couldn't afford to let any flaws show in front of them.
"What did the doctor say earlier?"
"Third Young Madam, the doctor said you fainted because you were overly exhausted," Dongmei and Chunxiang hastily knelt to congratulate her. "But don't worry, the little master in your womb is completely fine."
Bai Suihe touched her stomach. There was indeed a little life inside. The fetus seemed to have a telepathic connection with her, giving a slight kick at that very moment. "Let me rest for a bit. Pour me a cup of water."
Dongmei bowed, quickly left, and returned with a cup of warm water. "Third Young Madam, here is your water."
Bai Suihe took two sips before waving them off. "Both of you, go out. Let me have some peace and quiet."
Dongmei and Chunxiang exchanged worried glances but respectfully withdrew. Left alone in the room, she finally had a moment to sift through the original owner's memories.
She had actually transmigrated into an ancient romance novel about exile, becoming the cannon-fodder wife of the villain who died early in the story. The female lead of the book was her husband's eldest brother's legitimate daughter. During the exile, due to the female lead's actions, she would be implicated and die, resulting in the death of both her and her unborn child. To avenge her and their unborn child, her husband would turn completely evil and start opposing the male and female leads. In the end, the female lead proved to be one step ahead, and their branch of the family met its ultimate demise.
The reason she fainted today was because she was standing in attendance to serve her mother-in-law. Ever since she married into the family, she had rarely been spared from this rule. Even though her mother-in-law came from a humble background, she insisted on mimicking the strict customs of aristocratic families. The endless rules and restrictions were suffocating.
Bai Suihe rubbed her temples. The thought of her newly acquired husband made her head ache even more. She had been single for thirty years, yet here she was, instantly thrust into married life. But wait, she had fainted—so where was that sudden husband of hers? Oh, right. He seemed to have been sent out to inspect the family's businesses. Each trip usually lasted ten days to half a month, so he should be returning in about three to five days.
Thinking about facing an unknown life starting tomorrow, Bai Suihe silently cheered herself on, deciding to make the best of it since she was already here. Now, she needed to figure out if she had any ways to save her own life when she inevitably clashed with the female lead.
As for cozying up to and relying on the female lead, Bai Suihe didn't even consider it. Most of the people around the female lead ended up as cannon fodder, and she had no desire to dig her own grave. Besides, siding with the villain wasn't too bad. As the saying went in the book 'Strive and Encourage Yourself', "Struggling against heaven is endless joy, struggling against earth is endless joy, struggling against humanity is endless joy." This had always been her golden rule. Even if she couldn't do anything to the female lead, she was determined to find a way to forge her own path in this world.
As she pondered, her eyelids grew heavy again. Unable to care about anything else, she fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, it was still pitch black outside. Although the people outside were trying their best to tread lightly, she could still hear the sounds of footsteps.
Bai Suihe accepted her situation well. Since she was here, she would make the best of it. Besides, she was over ten years younger now, which could be considered a win.
Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. The true age of this body was only eighteen, and she was already pregnant... She had never been in a relationship, but she wasn't an ignorant little girl either. However, in modern terms, this body was barely an adult. Even if she wasn't killed by the female lead, she would still have to face the immense dangers of giving birth in ancient times. Moreover, being sent into exile while heavily pregnant was practically a death sentence.
She instantly tensed up. This matter required careful long-term planning. It would be best if she could escape this quagmire as soon as possible.
An amicable divorce was absolutely impossible. In this dynasty, she had never heard of any couple separating peacefully; there was only unilateral repudiation by the husband. Furthermore, women who were cast out would be branded with numerous crimes, leaving them with no way out but death. Not to mention, according to the original owner's memories, her sudden husband was actually quite a decent person.
"Third Young Madam, are you awake?" Chunxiang asked softly from outside. "It's time to go to the main courtyard to pay respects."
"Come in," Bai Suihe said.
As soon as she spoke, Chunxiang led a few maids in, carrying toiletries, dresses, and jewelry. Drawing on the memories in her mind, Bai Suihe sat up and allowed them to serve her.
She inwardly cursed countless times. They were merely the household of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, yet they tried to impose rules on par with royal nobles.
"After I fainted yesterday, what did the Old Madam say?" Bai Suihe asked, feeling that she had zero human rights. She had to pay respects even while pregnant, not to mention she had literally passed out the day before. Looking at the reflection in the bronze mirror, she realized the person staring back looked exactly like her high school self...
"The Old Madam had Nanny Zhou deliver some tonics," Dongmei said, her face filled with indignation. "But there was no other message, nor did she excuse you from your daily morning and evening greetings, Third Young Madam."
All three young masters were born to the Old Madam. Even if it was natural for parents to have favorites just as fingers were of unequal lengths, her partiality was simply too extreme. As daughters-in-law, the First Young Madam and Second Young Madam never had to stand in attendance every day like this.