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Clouds Drunk and the Moon Slightly Sleeping (Revised Edition) Volume One: When We Met, We Were All Joyful - A Time Travel

Time travel

"Ouch!" My whole body felt like it had been run over; it ached all over, and even lifting my arm was too weak. Could it be that I experienced sleep paralysis last night?

I tried to open my eyes, but my upper eyelids felt incredibly heavy. "Fat... Fatty..." I heard my own voice, hoarse and strained, as if it had been run over. Oh God, what happened? It felt like I'd lost half my life after just one sleep. Did Fatty beat me up while I was asleep? I started gritting my teeth. Did that brat really want to get rid of me and become my parents' only child? Or was she upset that I named our new pet dog after her?

Anyway, this feeling is really unpleasant. How come I'm practically dying, and there's no one around to care, comfort, or keep me company? Haven't my parents and Fatty noticed I haven't gotten out of bed yet? Or is it still dark? I strained with all my might and finally managed to open my eyes a crack. So bright! Sunlight is streaming in through the window. Oh no, the sun's already so high, and I'm still in bed. Looks like I'm going to be late again. Wait—

Oh my god! What's with that...that window? It has a carved wooden frame, seemingly covered with a layer of light purple paper. Looking out from the open window, it looks like a park. I looked around in surprise at my surroundings: a carved wooden bed, purple gauze curtains, a purple silk quilt, a mahogany dressing table, and what appeared to be a bronze mirror... "Ah!" I wanted to scream, but only a hoarse, broken groan came out.

Oh my god, could it be... could it be that I've time-traveled too? The pain in my body couldn't hide the excitement in my heart. Good heavens, the sisters on Jinjiang were right, time travel really does exist! Hahaha...

Before I could even burst out laughing, a green figure rushed through the door and leaped onto my bed with incredible accuracy, pinning me down. Ouch! My laughter instantly turned into a groan. Damn it, was this some kind of murder attempt?!

A trembling voice sounded beside me, and a delicate face with tears streaming down her face came into view.

"Miss... Miss, you're really awake? You're really awake? I just got to the door and when I heard your voice I thought I misheard, 555..." The green figure flew to the door again and shouted happily, "Miss is awake! Miss is awake!"

I stared blankly at the person laughing and crying, listening to her repeatedly call me "Miss." Good heavens, was she referring to me? The world is so strange. Just a moment ago I was a pure, 26-year-old white-collar worker from the 21st century, never having been in a relationship, and the next second I'm in this place that seems ancient, but I don't know which dynasty it belongs to, working as a prostitute. "Miss"? Working as a prostitute? It all felt so awkward. If Fatty knew about this, he'd laugh himself to death. Five thousand years of culture is truly amazing; the same word can have completely different meanings in different eras.

Oh well, at least I've transmigrated, which is something I never dared to dream of. I'll just have to bear this little thing.

After a flurry of people coming and going, everyone was in disarray and scrambling to get things done, my room finally returned to quiet.

Although my body was still aching and weak, my spirits were actually quite good. The man who looked like a doctor said I'd recover in a couple of days. I didn't recognize any of the people coming and going, so I just glanced at them, not saying a word, regardless of their crying or laughing. Given my current physical condition, such a reaction wasn't surprising.

Based on the experiences of those who have gone before, faking amnesia seems like the safest option for me in my current situation. But I also really want to forge my own path. Okay, I'll sound out that girl first, and then decide whether or not to fake amnesia.

"Um...who..." I said to the green-clad maid standing to the side, who was still sobbing with red eyes. Judging from her appearance, she must be my maid.

Hearing me speak, the girl tried to pounce on me again, and I almost fainted from fright. Luckily, she stepped back halfway, turned around and went to the table, poured a full glass of water, then helped me up and held the water to my lips.

I just didn't know her name and wanted to ask her some questions, but she thought I wanted water. Well, my throat has been dry and sore ever since I woke up, and my voice sounds like a duck. I'll drink some water to soothe it.

Seeing that I obediently finished drinking, the maid helped me lie down. Before I could even speak, she suddenly knelt down in front of my bed, and when she looked up, her face was covered in tears again. Good heavens, what happened now? I looked at her, but she wouldn't look at me, only focused on her own tears and snot, her voice choked with sobs: "Miss, Cui'er begs you, please don't do such foolish things again. No matter what difficulties you face, Cui'er and Hong'er will stay by your side and help you through them. We only beg you, Miss, don't abandon Cui'er and Hong'er, don't do such foolish things." She then buried her face in her hands on the edge of the bed and cried uncontrollably, looking utterly heartbroken. It made my heart ache a little. Ah, I'm just too chivalrous; I can't bear to see beautiful women suffer in front of me.

Her name is Cui'er? Did I do something stupid? No way, could it be that the original owner of this body committed suicide, which is why I was able to transmigrate here? Cui'er seems really heartbroken. What trouble has this young lady encountered? Forced marriage? That shouldn't be the case. Weren't marriages always arranged by parents and matchmakers? No, if marriage required this kind of agonizing thought, this young lady probably already had someone she loved, maybe even a secret engagement. Could this so-called "stupid thing" be a suicide pact? 555… So touching!

"Miss, Miss, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Miss, don't scare Cui'er." Cui'er waved her hand frantically in front of my eyes, finally bringing me back to my senses.

"Uh, Cui'er, um... why would I do something stupid?" I asked embarrassedly, hoping she wouldn't suspect anything. "I feel dizzy, and I can't remember some things."

“It’s understandable that Miss doesn’t want to remember these things.” I didn’t expect that the girl not only didn’t suspect anything, but also made an excuse for me. What a kind person she is. “Young Master is sick and bedridden. In a couple of days, it will be the day when Young Master becomes the new prime minister. So Master wants Miss to dress up as a man and attend court in place of Young Master. Miss refused, so… so she jumped into the lake.”

What?! My mind went completely blank, and a sense of foreboding filled my chest. If the young master was sick, he could have just taken sick leave. Why make this young lady go into battle? And even if she had to go into battle, it's a rare opportunity for a woman to attend court. Did the original owner of this body really need to jump into the lake for that? Is it even feasible for her to disguise herself as a man? Isn't that damned master worried about being exposed and having his entire family executed? Ugh, how do they portray things on TV? Am I going to become Meng Lijun (a character from a popular TV drama)?

During these two days of recuperation, I learned most of what I wanted to know from the kind and pure Cui'er. That girl was very open and honest, and just because she thought I had been traumatized and didn't want to recall my saddest memories, she kindly helped me remember. So I no longer needed to pretend to be weak or have amnesia.

As for Hong'er, whom I've never met, Cui'er said that because she didn't take good care of me, her mistress, she was punished according to the family rules—a severe beating and three days of confinement in the woodshed. Cui'er, however, escaped this fate because she had to stay and take care of me. Alas, poor children. It seems that if I ever decide to run away, I'll have to take them with me, otherwise they'll surely both perish because of my disappearance.

Sighing deeply to myself, why am I so unlucky!

For a while, I was glued to my laptop, reading time-travel novels day and night, feeling a mix of envy and jealousy towards the heroines who seemed to find happiness in every new world they transmigrated to. Then, yesterday, I woke up to find myself in another time and space. I was about to thank God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for making my dream come true, when I discovered that the body I'd transmigrated into—Yun Yue, the twin sister of Yun Feng, the prime minister of the Longyao Kingdom—was actually a miserable person whose head could be on the verge of being severed at any moment.

The story goes something like this: Yun Yue has a twin brother, Yun Feng, who was recently appointed Prime Minister by the Emperor of Longyao Kingdom. He rose three ranks from a fourth-rank scholar to become the Prime Minister, second only to the Emperor, and all this for a mere eighteen-year-old boy—what a glorious achievement! However, fate is unpredictable. Just days before his official appointment, Yun Feng suddenly fell seriously ill and showed no signs of recovery. His father, Yun Yue's father (the "Master" Cui'er refers to), desperate to ensure the family's future wealth and status, devised the terrible idea of having Yun Yue take his brother's place in the prime ministership. When Yun Yue refused, his father relentlessly pressured him, ultimately driving Yun Yue to attempt suicide by jumping into a lake, nearly losing his life.

The truth is, she really did lose her life, otherwise why would I be here? But only heaven, earth, she, and I know this. Poor Yunyue, she was driven to her death by her father. But Yunyue, don't worry, from now on, I, Lin Qianqian, will suffer for you. I will teach that old man Yun a lesson. Rest in peace, Amen!

By the way, if you ask me which dynasty and which region Longyao Kingdom is from, I'm sorry, I don't know. All I know is that I can communicate in both language and script here, but I've wasted all the historical knowledge I painstakingly acquired and lost the chance to become a prophet. Actually, I should be secretly pleased; compared to being thrown into a place where I couldn't understand either Turkic or Mongol languages, this place is practically paradise.

I casually analyzed my current situation. From the time I jumped into the lake, developed a high fever, and woke up the next day, three days have passed, and Old Man Yun hasn't shown up once. He seems to be busy with something more important than my life or death. It seems my daughter is unloved by both parents; otherwise, why would he insist on sending her to her death? Taking office in place of her brother is a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor, and could easily lead to the execution of her entire family. Looking at Old Man Yun's heartless demeanor, unless I want to escape through death, I have no choice but to cooperate with him. I don't have the courage to jump into the lake. Since that's the case, I'll face the challenge head-on!

However, even now, as a soul from a thousand years ago, tasked with such a great mission as serving in place of my brother, I still trembled. I truly don't know when I might slip up in court and be executed. Amitabha! I can't tell Old Man Yun that I'm not his daughter, but merely a wandering ghost from another time and space; I'm afraid I'd be burned at the stake as a monster before I could even finish speaking.

I heard from Cui'er that there are still two days before I go to court. I'll use these two days to have a good talk with Old Man Yun and learn more about the things that the Prime Minister of Longyao Kingdom must know.

Sigh, I have to admire my own adaptability. It seems I haven't felt any worry, fear, or anxiety since the first day I arrived here. Looks like those time-travel novels I read before were quite effective. Hehe.

Clouds Drunk and the Moon Slightly Sleeping (Revised Edition) Volume One: When We Met, We Were All Joyful at the Cloud Mansion

Chapter word count: 3893 Last updated: 08-12-20 15:46

Yunfu

Seeing my father wasn't easy. He seemed busier than I, the soon-to-be prime minister. It wasn't until after dinner that he finally had time to "summon" me. I don't know if it was because he finally remembered his daughter who had attempted suicide, or if it was a result of my previous request to Uncle Zhang De, the head steward of the Yun family.

I followed Zhang De all the way to Donglin Garden. Donglin Garden was where the head of the Yun family, Old Man Yun, lived. There was no mistress; after Yun Yue's mother passed away, Old Man Yun never remarried or took a concubine, which was quite surprising. It was rather laughable that this cold-blooded man was so devoted to his child's mother. After a while, we arrived at the door of the study. Zhang De lightly knocked on the half-closed door, gesturing for me to enter, then closed the door, bowed, and withdrew.

The study was slightly dark. A man sat at the desk in the center, his back to the window. His face was backlit and hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see his features or expression. But I knew he was Yunyue's father. Although I had no good impression of him, and even the thought of him putting his daughter in danger for wealth and status made me break out in a cold sweat, I could only resign myself to my fate and give a slight bow, saying respectfully, "Father."

"Hmm." The person sitting down did not get up, their voice low. "How are you feeling?"

Is this concern? Why does your voice sound so cold? I can feign indifference too, humph. So I replied emotionlessly, "Father, Yue'er is fine now. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"That's good. You've learned your lesson after doing something foolish once, haven't you? Even if you don't take care of your own body, you should at least think about your brother!"

Brother? What does this have to do with Yun Feng? I suddenly felt a cold sweat break out on my back. Good heavens, is this old man Yun trying to use Yun Feng to threaten and control me?

"Yes, Yue'er understands." She lowered her head, seemingly sincere, but inwardly she sneered: Threatening his daughter with his son's life to do something that could cost him his own—what a "competent" father! If I ever get caught and executed, I'll drag him down with me to the afterlife.

"There are some court matters that Yue'er doesn't understand, and I hope Father can take some time to enlighten her. Yue'er doesn't want to make a mistake." As soon as she finished speaking, a shadow flashed before my eyes. I looked up, startled, and managed to hold back a step. The person sitting there had somehow moved in front of me. He didn't resemble Yun Yue (perhaps Yun Yue looked like her mother), a thin, middle-aged man with a fairly handsome face, yet he exuded a serious, profound, and cold aura. A sense of unease crept into my heart; I instinctively disliked dealing with such a person.

I lowered my head, remaining silent, feeling his gaze fixed on me, sharp and cold, as if he could see right through me. After a while, a cold, deep voice sounded: "Alright, I'll arrange for Zhang De to teach you. Remember, don't do anything foolish again."

I looked up, and he was still staring at me, as if scrutinizing me. After a long while, he seemed to sigh softly, his expression softening slightly, and his voice no longer as cold as before. He slowly said, "Forget it, we'll talk about those things later. You can go now."