Wu Caiwei smiled shyly, "Thank you, Miss, for the reminder." She quickly entered the eastern room and lay down on the bed, beginning to absorb the memories of the original owner.
After an unknown amount of time, she opened her eyes again. She didn't know what to say. Had she ever heard of a young lady who would die to save her maid? If she hadn't received the original owner's memories, she truly wouldn't have believed such a foolish person could exist in the world.
The young lady in the courtyard was her mistress, named Lin Ziyou, also a tragic figure. Her father, Master Lin, currently held a fourth-rank official position.
Master Lin had been raised by his widowed mother during his youth, and life had been difficult. Fortunately, his father had the foresight to arrange a betrothal for him before he was born. His fiancée's family was headed by a scholar who ran a private school.
His mother approached the other family. Scholar Zhou reluctantly accepted him, thinking of him as his future son-in-law and subconsciously showing him some care. He studied under his future father-in-law for a full seven years without paying any tuition.
When it was time for him to take the imperial examinations, the Lin family couldn't afford the travel expenses.
The only person they could rely on was Scholar Zhou. Under the repeated pleas of Master Lin and his mother, he finally relented and used his savings to send him to the imperial examinations. As expected, he achieved the top rank.
To tie the Zhou family to their side, Mother Lin quickly went to propose marriage. In fact, Scholar Zhou had wanted to break the engagement at the time. Although the young man was a good student, he was too ambitious, and Scholar Zhou feared that if the young man succeeded, he would look down on his daughter.
However, it was no use against his daughter's willingness. Furthermore, the Lin family and their son were extremely sincere at the time. Finally, Scholar Zhou gritted his teeth and married his daughter away.
After the marriage, he regretted it. The Lin family was truly destitute. To lessen his daughter's hardship, he always brought back as much as he could whenever he returned.
Even the money for his examination to become a provincial scholar was scraped together by the Zhou family. As expected, he was once again the top scholar. At the same time, Lin Ziyou was born, truly a double blessing.
On the day of the celebratory banquet, many merchants sent gifts, and their financial difficulties were somewhat alleviated. He then participated in the jinshi examination and became the third-ranked scholar.
With his outstanding appearance and courteous demeanor, he was quickly favored by an official's daughter.
From his classmates' experiences, he knew that no matter how talented you were, without connections in the court or money, it was as difficult as reaching the heavens to get promoted. Thus, he tightly grasped the olive branch extended to him.
To avoid being accused of ingratitude, he eventually demoted his wife to a concubine and married the official's daughter, who was now Madam Lin. Lin Zijin was then born, and the sisters were only a little over a year apart.
When the news arrived, Lin Ziyou's mother was deeply saddened for a long time, feeling as though her world had collapsed and she had fallen to the lowest point in her life. Unexpectedly, Master Lin, to appease Madam Lin, bought a house in their hometown and arranged for the mother and daughter to live separately, forbidding her from ever entering the Lin family's doors again.
Thus, the mother and daughter lived in their hometown. Although their lives were no different from being a widow, with the care of the Zhou family, they lived peacefully.
However, Lin Ziyou's mother had married Master Lin wholeheartedly because of love back then. After all her efforts, she ended up with nothing. Unable to accept this reality, she had been dispirited for years and died of illness a year ago. She had stayed in their hometown to observe the mourning period.
This year, during the imperial selection, Master Lin suddenly remembered that his original wife was an unparalleled beauty, and he himself was handsome and dashing. Their daughter should have been attractive, so he had the idea of casting a wide net.
That day, more than a dozen people from the Lin mansion, along with two carriages, headed south.
Lin Ziyou was thus brought into the Lin family. Without even meeting the masters of the mansion, she was sent to the palace.
Dong'er vaguely knew that she had parents and a good family background. She remembered being served by maids and servants when she was young. In her memory, a chaotic event occurred, after which her living environment changed. Unable to adapt immediately, she fell ill. A human trafficker sold her to several families, but no one bought her. Seeing that she was dying, they didn't want to spend money on her treatment and simply abandoned her on the roadside.
Lin Ziyou and her mother, passing by, saw her pitiful state and brought her home, calling for a doctor to treat her. It took them immense effort to save her life. From then on, she was assigned to be a companion maid by Lin Ziyou's side. They grew up together, not like sisters, but better than sisters.
In the original owner's past life, she had watched helplessly as Lin Ziyou took the blame for her and was beaten to death. Late at night, whenever she thought of this, her heart ached, and hatred festered. She was determined to avenge her, but alas, she died before she could accomplish anything.
The original owner's request was simple: to ensure Lin Ziyou's lifelong happiness and well-being. If possible, she also wanted to find her biological parents, see if they loved her, and how they were living. If their love was mutual, she would filial to them. If they had long forgotten her, or favored other children, she would pretend they didn't exist.
This request was relatively simple for Wu Caiwei. Of course, if circumstances permitted, she also wanted to avenge the original owner and Lin Ziyou, ensuring that those who had harmed them received their just deserts.
With these thoughts clear in her mind, she calmly walked out and saw Lin Ziyou sitting comfortably by the table, sipping tea. She slowly approached her.
Upon seeing her, Lin Ziyou exclaimed, "Didn't I tell you to go back and rest? Why are you out again?"
"I couldn't sleep, I wanted to chat with you." Wu Caiwei smiled at her. From the original owner's memories, this girl was indeed beautiful and kind-hearted, and she didn't deserve such an end.
"Chat about what?" Lin Ziyou immediately raised her head with interest, listening attentively.
Looking at her bright smile, Wu Caiwei blinked, her heart deeply moved, and a strong desire to protect her surged. She said seriously, "Of course, we're talking about how we're going to live from now on. Do you, Miss, want to enter the palace or not?"
"Actually, I'm very conflicted too. We've been in the palace for a few days, and life here is both oppressive and boring. The rules are numerous, and it's not as free as outside. Moreover, with three thousand beauties in the harem, I don't think I can compete with others. If I don't enter the palace, how can I survive in the Lin mansion? Who would pay attention to me?" Lin Ziyou calmly expressed her true thoughts. Sometimes she hated and resented, but afterward, life had to go on, so what was the point?
Wu Caiwei understood immediately. Deep down, she didn't want to enter the palace, but thinking of her mother's death and their years of suffering, she was unwilling to accept it.
"What are your thoughts? Do you want to survive in the deep palace with me, or go back and face their disdain?" Lin Ziyou asked. After thinking for a moment, before Wu Caiwei could answer, she said resignedly, "What's the use of us talking about this here? We're already in the palace; whether to stay or leave isn't up to us."
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