Chapter 1: Reborn in Ancient Times

  In the spring of 2013, Xi Yuan Cemetery.

  Tang Ruocui, holding an umbrella, glanced at the crowd standing around the tomb, these people of all shapes and sizes were her foster mother's students, and today was the day of her foster mother's burial.

  After the funeral, people gradually dispersed. The biological daughter of the adoptive mother, Ning Pu Zhen, was led away by her husband Wang Xun, weeping.

  Only she was left in front of the tomb.

  The rain continued to fall without stopping, the raindrops monotonously splashing on the ground, always the same, never-ending.

  A vagrant with a dirty woven bag was watching her from five meters away, his whole body drenched by the rain. Qing Sang knew he had set his sights on the fresh flowers and fruits in front of the grave, and once she left, they would become his spoils.

  Ruo Ling Chao Na Liu beckoned him over with a wave of his hand, indicating for him to come over.

  When the vagrant approached, Ruo Ling handed him a plate of fruit and said: "Take these, but don't take those 'flowers', they won't sell for much money!"

  The vagrant nodded and took over the plate, pouring all the fruit into a woven bag, then returned the plate to Ruo Ling.

  He looked at him, his long hair to the neck was wet by the rain, and stuck to his scalp and face. Even the flushing of the rain could not wash away the dirt on his face, it can be seen that he had not taken good care of himself for several days.

  The vagabond walked away, taking out an apple from his woven bag and savoring it. Suddenly, he turned around and gave Ruo Ling a meaningful smile, revealing his surprisingly white teeth, which left her stunned. How could such a dirty vagabond have such clean and good teeth?

  "Sister, what's wrong? Why are you holding a plate?"

  "Nothing much, I just gave a plate of fruit to that vagrant. Rongrong, how did you get here?" asked Yuqing.

  "I was worried about you, so I took a leave to come and see you. Teacher Xiaoning has passed away, don't be too sad, at least she can reunite with Teacher Danning down there," said Rongrong.

  Yue Lian smiled, yes, they reunited in another world. Yue Lian's adoptive parents both had the surname Ning and were university professors. So everyone was used to calling her adoptive father Da Ning Laoshi (Teacher) and her adoptive mother Xiao Ning Laoshi (Teacher). They were a loving couple when they were alive. In the few years since her adoptive father passed away, her adoptive mother also became depressed and unhappy.

  Rong Rong is her younger sister who grew up with her in the orphanage.

  "Sister, you're just too kind-hearted. Why did you give the fruit to that vagrant?" Rongrong complained.

  "Mother loved flowers before she passed away, so it's good to use these fruits to exchange for more flowers in front of her tomb. Besides, that person is indeed pitiful," said Ronglian.

  "Alas... how do you know he won't come back and sell these 'flowers' again? Here, sis, I bought this cow's milk on the way, look at how tired you've been these past few days. Don't even know how to take care of yourself." Rongrong said as she tore open the packaging of the straw, wanting to insert it into the cow's milk.

  Liang smiled and said, "Thank you. Our orphanage director always says that treating others with sincerity will get them to treat us sincerely in return, right? I believe he won't come back again."

  Rong Rong listened and her face became uneasy, her hand holding the straw slightly trembling.

  Ruo Ling put down the plate in her hand and took over the cow's milk to drink.

  Drinking the "milk" prepared by Rongrong, Ruoling felt warm and no matter how she was deceived and hurt, at least she still had Rongrong who was like a sister to her and her best friend Ye'er.

  "You..." The milk bottle fell to the ground with a loud crash, Ruo Ling covered her stomach, looking at Rong Rong in shock, the severe pain caused her to collapse to the ground, and the umbrella fell aside.

  "Sister, don't blame me, I had no choice but to do this, or Wang Xun would have exposed me..." Rongrong knelt before her, wailing in anguish.

  Wang Xun... you can't even tolerate me! A crystal tear dropped from Ruo Ling's face, mixed with the rainwater and fell into the plate she had just put on the ground.

  His consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and everything in front of him disappeared.

  In the spring of the 23rd year of Hongjing, in the mansion of Pu Jiannian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

  Thirteen-year-old Pu Qing Sang, the third young lady of the Pu Manor, was gazing at the wisteria vines on the artificial hill that had already sprouted tender buds and sighing. Even though it had been five years since she transmigrated and was reborn, everything before her eyes still seemed like a dream.

  Yes, Tang Ruoling has been reborn for five years.

  Her current identity is Pu Qing Sang, the third 'daughter' of Pu Ji Nian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the Xuan Dynasty.

  Pu Ji inherited the title of "High School Champion" in his weak and crowned year, married Liu Shi, the daughter of the current prime minister. After that, he stepped on the clouds, shook straight up, and at the age of establishment, he was already appointed as the Minister of Household Department, in charge of the household registration, economy, finance and other affairs of the Xuan Dynasty, with a rank of Zheng San Pin.

  The road to success was smooth for Pu Jinyan, but his descendants were not prosperous. His wife, Liu, gave birth to two daughters, Qingyu, who is now 17 years old, and Qingbi, who is now 16 years old, and then she did not give birth again.

  Liu's virtuous and gentle, upholding the doctrine that having no offspring is unfilial, so she took charge of giving Xiangyun, a maid who came with her dowry, to Pu Jiannian as his concubine. Unfortunately, Xiangyun didn't live up to expectations, and after more than a year, there was still no news of her bearing children. In desperation, Liu again brought in Zhengshi, the young daughter of a wealthy merchant family from the capital, as a concubine. Little did she know that Zhengshi was frail and fell ill every other day after arriving, becoming a walking medicine jar, let alone the matter of continuing the family line.

  Liu's family didn't want to bring in one by one the women from outside to add trouble for themselves, but they were all not worthy. In the end, after listening to Mother-in-law Pu Mo's advice, she also felt that it was good to raise a rough and simple life, which added a fourth house to her husband, Wang Shi, the daughter of the owner of Wangjiazhuang in the countryside, who is also the mother of Qing Sang.

  Wang's family finally had a son after having two daughters, Qing Sang and Qing He. The son, Jia Bao, is now three years old.

  The whole family was overjoyed, and Grandma took charge and gave him a small name, Jia Bao. His formal name would be given later when he started school.

  When Ruo Ling arrived in this world, the body she was in was only eight years old. It is said that the original owner of this body and Er Jie Qing Bi fought over a black ebony hairpin and fell into the Lotus Flower Pond, sleeping for three days before waking up. After waking up, Ruo Ling became Qing Sang, or more accurately, Qing Sang became Ruo Ling.

  I had thought that I was already past the age of 30 and considered an old leftover woman. Originally, I was preparing to get married on National Day, but it was ruined by Rongrong, who is like a younger sister to me. Not only did she change my plans, but also changed the trajectory of my fate.

  Qingsang thought of past life affairs, his heart was like a knife cut, and he felt more depressed and hard to calm down.

  "Has Sanmei's body been a bit better recently?" Just as she was lost in thought, she heard a gentle and soft female voice behind her. Turning around, it was her elder sister Pu Qingyu.

  Qing 'Yu' wore a lotus red skirt today, with a light gray brocade jacket outside, her black hair was coiled into two buns on top of her head, adorned with two peach blossom-shaped hairpins, the bright colors matched perfectly with the beautiful spring day.

  Qing Sang got up and replied, "I asked Dr. Lang to take a look yesterday, and there's nothing serious." A few days ago, with the alternating cold of spring, Qing Sang caught a cold and lay in bed for a few days, eating bitter medicine that made her miserable. If it were the 21st century, this minor cold would be cured by drinking a few packets of Ban Lan Gen.

  "In the spring, the weather is unpredictable, so you must take care of yourself, sister." Qingyu took over Qingsang's hand and felt that her palm was icy cold. Seeing that Qingsang only wore a thin dress with half sleeves, she frowned and asked: "Where is Xuepen? She's not taking good care of you either. You've just recovered from illness, and now you're catching a chill again."

  Qing Sang's eyes flashed with emotion. In this family, the eldest sister was the most gentle and considerate, so when she traveled through to this place, the first person she got along well with was Qing 'Yu'.

  "My mother had just bought some fabric for me and He Er, I told Xue Pan to bring it over." Qing Sang pulled Qing Yu along and they sat down together on the small stone bench in the flower garden.

  "You, why don't you go pick some that suit your taste. In two more years, you'll be wearing a hairpin, you should learn to dress yourself up." Qing Yu said as she took down an ornament from her own head and put it on Qing Sang's undecorated bun, "Look, with some color, you look even more lovely."

  Qing Sang smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, elder sister, for the 'flower' hairpin. This is the pink crystal peach 'flower' hairpin that mother bought from Zhen Bao Zhai two days ago."

  "It's true, Mother went to her father's house two days ago and on the way back saw this pair of peach blossom hairpins at Zhen Bao shop. She thought they were suitable for the occasion, so she bought them for me." Qing Yu smiled as she looked at Qing Sang, this younger sister had become more gentle and pleasant since she was eight years old, no longer as wild and mischievous as before.

  Qing Sang, the original owner of this body, was indeed not a thrifty lamp. She liked to be competitive and often clashed with her second sister Qing Bi. Although Qing Bi's temper was also not good, she was still the legitimate daughter, and her maternal grandfather was the current prime minister. The old lady and father couldn't help but indulge her, while Qing Sang was born out of wedlock, and her mother's family background wasn't impressive. Her own temperament wasn't likable either, so she became someone that everyone disliked.

  At that time, Qingbi was also at fault for falling into the water. As the old saying goes, "One palm can't make a sound." Unexpectedly, before Qingbi could even utter a word of blame, Qing Sang woke up from her daze and hadn't yet figured out what was happening when she was summoned by Old Lady to receive a scolding, being told that "Girls from small families are just not well-mannered, raised like country bumpkins." Qing Sang, who had just crossed over into this world in a daze, thought that the old lady sitting on the couch wasn't even her own grandmother.

  However, she soon figured out the situation from her personal maid Xue Pan. The identity of a concubine was a problem, but the personality of the original owner of this body was also a big problem.

  Qing Sang's past life loved to study classical literature, and her foster parents were from a family of scholars, teaching her Go and painting, so in this life, she was not afraid of being inferior to others in terms of talent.

  As for getting along with people, Qing Sang's past life experiences helped her a great deal. As an orphan, she had to make a living too early, so she developed a gentle and quiet temperament, which was added to her exceptional intelligence and the experience of thirty years from her previous life, making her even more able to observe people's words and expressions, and guess their thoughts.

  So, after a good scolding from Old Lady Qing, the newly awakened Qing Sang made up her mind to change her poor situation in this household.

  After careful consideration, comprehensive analysis and the use of tailored measures, soon everyone else was taken down except for Pu Jinyan and Pu Qingbi.

  Just as Qing Sang was worried about how to change Pu Ji's impression of her, a game of Go unexpectedly helped her.

  I still remember that day, Qingbi was eager to play chess with Qingsang. This Qingbi's other skills were average, but his chess skills were excellent, every time he would use this to provoke Qingsang, every time he had to win, and every time he would get praised by the elders at home. Now Qingsang is deeply loved by everyone, Qingbi felt uncomfortable in his heart, so he used his old trick again.

  Qing Sang sneered inwardly, she had started learning Go at the age of five and although not a master, was an amateur sixth dan, more than enough to deal with a child. Sure enough, Qing Bi was defeated by Qing Sang without leaving any pieces behind.

  At that time, the two were busy playing chess and didn't notice that Pu Jinyan had been standing beside them watching for a long time.

  Qingbi lost, couldn't believe it, and only said that Qing Sang was lucky, shouting to come again. As a result, the next five games were all defeated, and Qingbi, who had always been proud and arrogant, suddenly felt ashamed and angry, pushed the chessboard away, and stormed off. If it were the old Qing Sang, they would have fought long ago, but now Qing Sang stood aside and said calmly: "Victory and defeat are common in war, Second Sister, why be so upset?"

  "Spoken well!" Pu Jiannian finally believed that Qing Sang had indeed changed his 'nature', not only was he polite and courteous, but his learning had also made great progress. It seems that the old lady's and madam's words were not in vain.

  Pu Jiannian is actually not as serious as he appears on the surface, but rather has a kind fatherly air, rarely scolding his children, and loves talent extremely. Even if it's his daughter, he hopes she will be talented. As an official and the head of a large household, his words and actions must set an example, so he doesn't speak or laugh casually in daily life.

  Qingbi saw that it was her father, twisted her body and coquettishly said that Qing Sang was unlearned and relied on clever tricks to win. Qing Sang lowered her head without refuting, she wanted to see how Pu Jiannian would judge after all.

  Only then did Pu Jiannian angrily shout: "Your father has been watching you play chess for a long time, and it's clear that your skills are not 'refined', far inferior to your sister in terms of technique, and even more so in terms of style. I punish you to copy the 'Female Precepts' fifty times, and you're not allowed to eat until you finish writing." After saying this, he took Qing Sang away.

  Qing Sang didn't think Pu Jiayuan would help her, and even scolded Qing Bi. She was so 'moved' that she shed tears. Pu Jiayuan saw Qing Sang's tear-stained face and thought she had been wronged, so he gently wiped away her tears. From then on, the father-daughter relationship greatly improved.

  Qing Sang, not being a person of this world, was not bound by the teachings of filial piety and saw Pu Jiayuan as not so serious after all. He often called out "Dad, Dad" and frequently asked questions while holding books. Pu Jiayuan, seeing that Qing Sang did not treat him with reserve, and her sweet words along with her eagerness to learn, naturally grew more fond of her. Qing Sang had a liking for classical literature from her past life, and with the foundation she had built over the years, she was able to recite poetry and compose verses on par with Pu Jiayuan, which made him dote on her even more. When Pu Jiayuan punished Qing Bi, the news reached Old Lady's ears, and she only said lightly, "Although the punishment was a bit heavy, Bi'er should also reflect on herself." As for Liu Shi, she had no objections to this. From then on, Qing Sang truly stood firm in the Pu manor and settled down.

  For the past five years, except for being occasionally ridiculed by her second sister Qingbi with cold words and sarcasm, Qingsang's days in the Pu manor have been getting better and better. Therefore, Qingsang is extremely satisfied with everything as it is now.

  At this time, Qing Sang was chatting with his elder sister Qing Yu very happily.

  Suddenly, a book boy named Xi Mo, who was serving beside Pu Ji Nian, came running in, panting and saying that the master had summoned the two young ladies to the front hall for an important matter.

  The two of them heard this and looked at each other, then stood up together and went to the front hall.