The sky was on the cusp of dawn, not yet fully bright.
The outline of Ningguo Manor loomed faintly in the hazy morning mist.
The lanterns within the manor still glowed, but their light was so weak it seemed they might flicker out any moment.

"Madam, Madam, Madam, please wake up!
You were having a nightmare again!"

Shen Ning opened her eyes.
Seeing her maid Qing Zhu calling her awake, she seemed not yet fully pulled from the dream.
Dazed for a moment, she asked wearily, "What time is it?"

This body hadn’t slept well for days on end.
Her head throbbed as if it might split.

"It’s nearly the second quarter of the Mao hour."

"I’ll rest a bit longer."

Shen Ning closed her eyes.
"Tell the eldest young madam there’s no need to pay respects for now."

"Yes!"

The bed curtains were lowered.
Darkness spread once more across the bed.
Yet Shen Ning found sleep elusive.

Two days ago, when she first arrived, hearing the names of Ningguo Manor and the neighboring Rongguo Manor, she knew she was in trouble.
Sure enough, she was as she feared—she was Jia Xu’s wife, the one who died in childbirth from bearing a daughter.

The critical issue was the little Xiachun spring in her womb, already over six months along.
Now, whether she wanted to or not, she had to give birth.

Hiss~
By the normal timeline of A Tale of the Red Mansions, she didn’t have many months left to live.

Though the book didn’t specify when Jia Zhen and Jia Xichun’s springtime mother died,
Xichun was taken to Rongguo Manor at a tender age, which surely meant her original body was gone.

Childbirth at an advanced age carried great risks even in modern times.
How much more so in this ancient era?

No, tomorrow she’d find a royal physician to check her pulse.
And seek out a few renowned doctors.

Though the eventual fates of Ningguo and Rongguo manors were grim,
even if she did nothing, she still had a decade or more of good days ahead.

Shen Ning exhaled long and slow, then inhaled deeply.
As she soothed her body, she reached out to soothe the child in her belly.

The little one might’ve been kicking or punching.
Her belly tightened, and now and then a small bulge appeared.

Shen Ning’s hand instinctively chased the little bulge.
The baby inside seemed to sense it, gently nudging again where her palm rested.

Oh my~
A peculiar feeling flowed through her heart—warm, comforting, alive…

Shen Ning stilled for a moment.

Was this what it meant to be bound by blood?

She savored the fetal movements slowly.
Until the little one grew tired and quieted, her hand still encircled her rounded belly,
as if cradling the world’s most precious treasure.

This was her baby now.

The thought brought a sudden, overwhelming sadness and reluctance.

"…Rest assured, I’ll raise your daughter well.
I won’t let her grow up alone, bitter, or so disheartened she flees to a nunnery."

Having received the original’s memories for two days,
Shen Ning knew her greatest worry was the little daughter in her womb.
"From now on, she’s my daughter.
As for the rest of the Jia family… I’ll help where I can."

The Jia family’s downfall seemed due to a lack of worthy heirs, extravagance, and indulgence.
But in truth, it was a matter of political alignment.

Yet this issue couldn’t be entirely blamed on the choices of the Jia family’s leaders.

The Jia family rose through military merit.
Holding military power naturally drew the emperor’s suspicion.
By the time the titles passed to Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan,
though they remained trusted by the emperor,
both planned better futures for the next generation to ensure the family’s prosperity.

The third generation of the Jia family had no military men.

Jia Xu passed the imperial exams at a young age.
Jia She wasn’t suited for study.
Even if they inherited titles, they wouldn’t hold their ancestors’ military power.

Though these brothers couldn’t match their forebears’ prowess,
preserving the glory of Ningguo and Rongguo manors shouldn’t have been an issue.

The trouble stemmed from the disgraced former crown prince, later Prince Yizhong.

When he fell, everyone around him suffered.

Shen Ning’s natal family was thus ruined, as was Jia Xu.
To avoid further trouble, he even relinquished his title to his son and became a Taoist priest.

Though Jia She inherited the title, he couldn’t even reside in the main courtyard.

Was this solely the result of Matriarch Jia’s power plays and balancing acts?
The root cause was that those above didn’t want the Jia family to thrive.

Jia Zheng was a glaring example.
Studious from youth, he should’ve followed Jia Xu’s path through the exams.
But after Jia Daishan’s death, the emperor directly granted him a minor post,
no exam required—an apparent act of imperial grace.
In reality, it cut off the third generation’s path through the exams and blocked Jia Zheng’s rise.

An official who rose through backdoors couldn’t thrive in the scholar-official bureaucracy.

Indeed, he achieved little in his life.
Even when later appointed as an education commissioner, it was a lateral move, not a promotion.

Those above were meddling with the Jia family’s transition,
letting them waste away, ensuring they’d never rise again.

The later confiscation of their property was merely a matter of course.

If the two families had kept to themselves, living quietly,
they might’ve avoided further reckoning.
But from Matriarch Jia to Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen, they all still struggled to rise.

Thinking of the eventual outcome, Shen Ning sighed inwardly again.
"And the Shen family—if I live well, the fourth generation will return."

Her natal family was exiled to their ancestral home,
barred from office for three generations—from her father to her brothers to her nephews.
If she couldn’t live long, she wouldn’t see the fourth generation’s nephews.

Without her as their aunt, the struggling Shen family youths might not reconnect with the Jia family.

"I’ll watch over and care for them all."

As her words fell, the throbbing pain in Shen Ning’s head and the oppressive discomfort in her body eased.

Had the original… departed?
Shen Ning touched her belly.
The child inside seemed to sense something, stirring slightly.

"Be good, we’ll be a happy little child."

If she died, the baby would face a life unloved by her father, ignored by her brother, and dependent on others.

"I’ll eat well, and you’ll grow strong."

If she had the chance, she’d give that eldest son a beating.

And scold that Jia Xu, hiding in his Taoist temple, thinking himself free of all worries.

She was frail and weak; beating that eldest son to death was impossible.
She’d have to rely on Jia Xu.

The head of Ningguo Manor could be mediocre or incompetent,
but he couldn’t drag the entire manor into infamy or commit such shameless, beastly acts.

The gold-embroidered bed curtains let in a sliver of light.
The sky was gradually brightening.

Shen Ning drifted into a hazy sleep.
This time, there were no dreams, no unease.

Ningguo Manor awoke.
People bustled in and out through the back gate, a scene of busy activity.

Only the main courtyard remained quiet.
The sweeping maids tiptoed as they worked.
Under the eaves, a row of maids stood silently,
holding copper basins, towels, scented soap, and pots of hot water—
replacing the water pot after pot until the self-chiming clock rang out.
At the third quarter of the Si hour, a faint sound came from the inner room.

Shen Ning woke from her sleep, feeling unusually refreshed.

The door opened, and everyone straightened, filing in.

Qing Zhu, in a grey-green jacket and skirt, moved lightly, her face bright with a cheerful smile.
"Look at Madam’s complexion—much better today!"

"That was a good sleep."

Shen Ning let the maids attend to her.
"Ask the young master to invite Manager Chen from Rejuvenation Hall to check on what I need to be mindful of."

If it were up to her, she’d summon the entire Imperial Medical Academy and every famed doctor in the capital.
But after her family’s downfall, the original had cut ties with the academy.
These past years, she’d relied on Manager Chen Yansheng from Rejuvenation Hall.
Perhaps it was his auspicious name, but while ailing, she’d somehow conceived.

"Yes!"

Qing Ping and Qing Zhu exchanged a glance, hurrying out.

Chapter 1: 1. Hold Steady

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