Chapter 409: Chapter 409

"Fifth Sister, Fifth Sister?"

It was spring, with a gentle breeze carrying the faint scent of apricot blossoms. The moment An Ning snapped back to attention, she heard a pleasant female voice beside her ear.

Before her eyes was a rather exquisitely decorated pavilion. Including the body she now inhabited, three young maidens dressed in boudoir attire were seated within. Each possessed remarkable looks, and as they chatted idly, they continued to arrange the flower branches in their hands.

Scattered across the stone table were freshly cut flower branches of various colors. Before each of the girls were a few vases holding arrangements that had just taken shape.

Clearly, they were working with the same types of flowers, yet the feeling each arrangement before the three girls conveyed was completely different.

The eldest sister's was dignified and exquisite, the arrangement exceptionally orderly. Another girl's featured bright, vivid colors for every flower and leaf, yet none overshadowed the others, possessing its own dazzling brilliance—clearly a great deal of effort had been invested.

The arrangement before An Ning, however, was noticeably much more natural and casual. Large camellias intertwined with pure white magnolias, appearing somewhat haphazard and disordered, yet the way the branches and leaves stretched out held a certain natural charm.

This assessment seemed detailed, but in reality, it took only a blink of an eye. Combined with this body's subconscious reactions, An Ning swiftly responded. She lazily yawned, and her slightly reddened peach blossom eyes naturally took on a hazy, sleepy look.

Sure enough, she heard another person opposite her chuckle.

The girl deliberately emphasized the word "again." She then snorted with another laugh.

"Can't blame Tutor Xie for always punishing you. Anyone who saw that utterly clumsy needlework of a certain someone would probably be furious for a long time."

To embroider an orchid looking like a dog's tail grass... never mind the tutor, even a Buddha would be furious enough to ascend to heaven on the spot.

As if recalling something particularly amusing, the young woman before her couldn't help but raise her handkerchief to cover her slightly upturned lips.

"Hmph, you only know how to criticize me! Third Sister, you must have practiced calligraphy in your room for a long time yesterday too!"

An Ning's gaze swept over the other girl's somewhat stiff hand. Even through her drowsy, sleep-deprived haze, it couldn't stop her sharp-tongued retort.

She even managed to sneak in a glare at the end.

As expected, upon hearing this, the fingers of the girl opposite holding the handkerchief stiffened for an instant. Her beautiful, lotus-like face also unconsciously took on a clear expression of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Alright, you two. You're sisters from the same family. What kind of example is it to bicker all day long?"

The one speaking now was the eldest sister who had first called out to An Ning, as dignified and gentle as ever.

Despite her young age, she naturally carried a certain stately grace of an elder.

Although her words said this, there wasn't much blame in Zhou Yun's tone. Clearly, regarding these two younger sisters who had been "at odds" since childhood, this Eldest Miss Zhou was already quite accustomed to their antics.

Secretly suppressing the smile about to spread across her lips, this eldest sister quickly shifted her gaze to An Ning, who was visibly struggling to stay awake.

"Alright, since Fifth Sister is tired, you should head back early to rest!"

Then, she looked towards the maids standing nearby, her voice gentle yet not lacking seriousness.

"It rained early this morning. The paths probably haven't been cleared yet. When you return later, all of you remember to be careful. Don't let anyone slip and fall."

Thanks to her good hearing, even after walking out of the pavilion, An Ning could still hear the not-too-light, not-too-heavy complaints coming from within.

"Hmph, she sure left briskly. After all this time, she's barely finished half of the tutor's assigned work!"

Despite saying this, Third Miss Zhou had already skillfully picked up the "work-in-progress" that An Ning had left behind. Of course, she couldn't help but grumble.

"Eldest Sister, just you wait and see. With Fifth Sister's 'skill,' even if we try to imitate it, capturing the essence will be difficult. We're definitely going to be found out by the tutor later."

"Alright, Third Sister. It's just a bit of casual effort anyway. It's not like we have anything else to do today..."

With the careful support of a little maid, after changing into comfortable clothes and removing the dampness from the journey back, An Ning finally lay down skillfully on the original owner's fragrant and soft little bed.

Only after all the maids had withdrawn did An Ning slowly let out a sigh of relief.

It seems no problems arose.

That was a close call at that moment!

Complaining aside, the most urgent task now was to quickly receive the original owner's memories. She didn't have the nerves for another scare like that.

Thinking this, An Ning immediately closed her eyes. Soon, within the darkness, the memories of the original owner's short seventeen years surfaced in her mind.

Zhou Ying, childhood name A-Ning, a young lady from a declining Earl's household.

The mansion the original owner resided in was named the Changping Earl's Manor. Zhou Ying was the third daughter of the main branch, born of a concubine. Including the two elder sisters from the second branch, she ranked fifth within the household.

Although the Changping Earl's Manor was now in decline, it was still an Earl's household with some remaining foundation. Additionally, the original owner's birth mother was favored. The principal wife, though strict, usually didn't make things too difficult for these children born of concubines in daily life.

Clothed in fine silks and fed with delicacies, occasionally bickering and playing with her sisters in the boudoir, her days could be considered comfortable.

However, the upheaval occurred several months later. The reigning emperor's mourning period had just ended. Coinciding with the imperial palace's lack of abundant offspring, in response to the Empress Dowager's decree, it was decided to reopen the imperial selection to choose daughters of official families to enter the palace and serve.

Unsurprisingly, this news was undoubtedly a tremendous boon for the gradually declining Changping Earl's Manor, which was on the verge of being pushed out of the court's center, or more precisely, for An Ning's birth father, the Changping Earl.

Especially since the three sisters of the main branch in this generation were all considered beauties.

The eldest young lady just now had a face like a peony, dignified and graceful.

The Second Miss Zhou was as radiant as peach and plum blossoms, the most clever and quick-witted since childhood. Even though her birth mother wasn't favored, it didn't hinder Second Miss's own efforts. Relying on her beauty and talent, she gained quite a bit of the family head's affection.

The youngest, An Ning, though young, was full of spirit. Even with all her laziness and dislike for studying, people only found her clever and adorable.

After careful consideration, the household soon selected the more cautious and thorough legitimate eldest daughter, that is, Eldest Miss Zhou, to enter the palace.

Yet, it was from this point that things took a sharp turn for the worse. In short, three years later, when the original owner learned of her eldest sister's news again, it was that Eldest Miss Zhou had conspired to harm the imperial heir, implicating the entire family...

Of course, that was the official story. Behind the scenes, some whispered that the reason the current emperor was so severe was not because she had harmed the imperial heir, but because of the more serious crime of defiling the imperial harem.

Defiling the imperial harem—in this era where imperial authority reigned supreme, what a grave crime this was. Regardless of its truth, the final result was that the entire Earl's household, along with a host of relatives, were all demoted and exiled.

The original young lady was only seventeen at the time, pampered since childhood. How could she endure such things? Naturally, she soon lost her life.

But... defiling the imperial harem?

Recalling the gentle and thorough Eldest Miss Zhou from earlier, An Ning couldn't help but slowly raise a question mark in her mind.

But for now, this wasn't the time to consider that. If she remembered correctly, the decree for the imperial selection should be arriving soon, right?

Lying on the large bed with its faint sweet fragrance, An Ning couldn't help but frown slightly in thought.

Within her spiritual sea, a certain system couldn't help but poke its head out.

"Isn't this easy? Just prevent your eldest sister from entering the palace, that's all. It's still early anyway. Wouldn't falling seriously ill be a perfect way to miss it?"

Shooting the other an exasperated glance, An Ning said irritably,

"If I remember correctly, when the Earl's household met with disaster, the original owner was already seventeen, right? Seventeen years old, this age, in ancient times, yet her marriage had been delayed without being settled. What do you think the reason for that was?"