The Double

The wind caused the windows to bang loudly, and a maid reached out to close them. Inside the room, on the floor, there were bronze green oxen, their bellies filled with weighty chunks of ice.

In Yanjing, the heat of summer always arrived early. Ice had to be transported from cellars a hundred miles away, with a small piece costing ten taels of silver. Not to mention an intact block as large as a stone platter, and needless to say, in each corner of the room stood four identical green oxen.

The room was cool and fresh. Sitting on the couch near the small table was a beautiful woman, idly supporting her chin with one hand while looking at the account book in front of her. Beside this woman was a delicate and lovely girl around thirteen or fourteen years old, eating rock candy curd mixed with crushed ice, casually flipping through a pile of invitations as high as a small mountain. Two maids stood quietly behind them, gently fanning them.

"The rain's coming down so hard…" The pretty young girl said, looking out the window, somewhat distracted.

The beautiful woman glanced at her and said, "Eat less cold food, so you won't lose your appetite when your father comes back tonight." After speaking, she instructed the maid by her side, "Ruyi, take away the curd. The tea has turned cold, bring a pot of hot fragrant tea."

Although the young girl was somewhat dissatisfied, she didn't say anything. Ruyi put down her fan, bent down to pick up the curd from the table, and just as she was about to leave, a nanny wearing a silk garment walked in from outside. The nanny didn't greet Ruyi, but went straight to the beautiful woman's side, clearly on urgent business.

Ruyi paused for a moment, carrying the curd and cold tea out, faintly hearing voices coming from behind her.

"...they say the illness is quite serious... heard that Miss Jiang the Third had a huge fight with Venerable Master Jing'an about her marriage..."

"Her health is poor, she's been bedridden..."

"The physician said she won't survive the summer, should we tell the Master..."

There was silence in the room for a while before the gentle voice of the beautiful woman arose, "The Master has been very busy with his official duties recently, such trivial matters shouldn't trouble him. I'll speak to him myself when he has a moment to spare."

Then the young girl's unique coy voice followed, "Who cares about her, she should look at herself and know her place. She dares to cling to any family."

"Let's not talk about this," the woman changed the subject, "I heard the wife of the new top scholar passed away a few days ago, and we need to pay a visit to offer condolences tomorrow." Her voice sounded very sympathetic, "Such a young age to pass away, truly a pitiable person indeed."

Truly a pitiable person indeed. Ruyi thought to herself, continuing on without stopping, holding the silver plate towards the kitchen.

The lady in the room was the second wife of the current Grand Secretary Jiang Yuanbai, Ji Shuran. The girl was his own daughter, Miss Jiang the Third, Jiang Youyao.

As for the one they mentioned "might not survive the summer," that should be Miss Jiang the Second, Jiang Li.

Five years ago, due to a mistake, Miss Jiang the Second was sent to the temple to learn manners. For five years, it seemed as if the Jiang family had no such person. Now, Ji Shuran ruled the household, and the only legitimate daughter left in the Jiangs was Jiang Youyao. The legitimate and direct daughter of the Chief Minister was about to pass away this summer, yet no one in the entire mansion was aware.

Even if they were aware, it seemed nothing would change.

Sighing in her heart, Ruyi glanced at the tea in her hand, which had cooled. What could be done? The former wife had passed, and Miss Jiang the Second bore such an unsympathetic reputation.

Such is the way of the world, when the person is gone, the tea turns cold.

...

Songhe Temple on Green City Mountain was a famous temple.

Although the mountain road was rugged, the mountain boasted deep and elegant pine-studded landscapes, lush woods and towering bamboo, creating a beautiful scene. Especially since Venerable Master Tongming, the head of the temple, was well-known far and wide. It was said that prayers at Songhe Temple were very effective, so many people did not hesitate to traverse mountains and rivers to the temple, just to offer half an hour of prayer.

Not far from Helin Temple, there was a small temple. Compared to the endless stream of pilgrims at Helin Temple, this one seemed deserted and almost devoid of people.

After a night of rain, the mountain wind grew colder; in a room near the woodshed of the temple, the sound of a woman's sobbing could be heard continuously.

"Miss… what will become of you?"

Xue Fangfei had barely opened her eyes when she was assaulted by the noisy commotion around her. She struggled to move her fingers and felt as though her body was unbearably heavy. With another move, she suddenly realized that it wasn't her body that was heavy, but the quilt covering her was too heavy.

The cotton quilt, originally quite thin, had become cold and heavy due to dampness, making it extremely uncomfortable lying on top of her. She threw off the quilt, feeling much more comfortable in her chest, and slowly sat up.

The crying by her side abruptly ceased, and in the dim candlelight from the table, a face filled with barely concealed joy came into view. She exclaimed, "Miss is awake!"

Miss?

Xue Fangfei was taken aback as she assessed the person before her. The girl was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, with swollen eyes that resembled peach pits, and although charming, the sight of her emaciated appearance was pitiable. She was dressed in an ill-fitting dark blue cotton garment with not a single piece of jewelry on her body, looking at Xue Fangfei with a silly grin.

Calling her Miss—could this girl be a maid? But even the maids by her side in Tongxiang before her marriage were never dressed so poorly.

Xue Fangfei snapped back to reality with a jolt. No, the point was, she didn't remember having such a maid. After she married into Yanjing, of the four maids who attended her personally, two were later married off. The remaining two were almost killed by Shen Yurong's biological mother on the day of the feast, but Xue Fangfei's desperate pleas saved their lives, and they were let go. Those who served her afterward were likely spies for Princess Yongning.

Princess Yongning! Suddenly, a flurry of images flashed before her eyes, and Xue Fangfei remembered—she had been strangled to death by Princess Yongning's servant during an altercation. Could it be she hadn't died? How could that be? Princess Yongning, known for eradicating her enemies root and branch, would never leave her alive.

Could it be… she had been saved? By Shen Yurong? Or someone else?

Xue Fangfei stared straight at the young maid without uttering a word. The maid's silly smile stopped, and now looking a bit scared, she whispered, "Miss? Miss?"

"Who are you?" Xue Fangfei asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, she paused, sensing that something was amiss, but she could not remember what exactly was bothering her.

The maid became even more anxious as she said, "Miss, I'm Tonger!"

Tonger? Xue Fangfei couldn't recall anyone by that name.

"Miss," Tonger looked as if she was about to cry, "Miss, I know you are upset. How could Miss Jiang the Second take away the marriage that your mother arranged for you when she was alive? How could the family of the Heir of Marquis Ningyuan do such a treacherous and vile deed? And there's also Lord Jiang—Miss, I know you resent Lord Jiang, but you mustn't give up on everything because of that. If not for your own sake, think of your late mother. Seeing you like this from the heavens, she would be utterly heartbroken!"

Xue Fangfei watched the maid cry up a storm, completely baffled as to what this had to do with Marquis of Ningyuan. Xue Fangfei knew of the Heir of Marquis Ningyuan. Shen Ruyun, the younger sister of Shen Yurong and her sister-in-law, was deeply enamored with him—a renowned handsome man in Yanjing City. But what did that have to do with her?

The maid was still lost in her tears when a sudden thunderbolt outside lit up the room, revealing the decrepit cold house, the cold blankets, and even Xue Fangfei herself.

And then, Xue Fangfei realized something was wrong.

This voice... soft and tender, though weary, carried the unique sweet and mellow tone of a young girl.

This wasn't her voice.

"Who am I?" Xue Fangfei asked.

Tonger paused.

"Who am I?" Xue Fangfei asked again.

"What are you saying?" Tonger thought she was expressing dissatisfaction and immediately replied, "You are the legitimate daughter of the current Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet, Lord Jiang, the Second Miss of the Jiang Family." She added, "A genuine lady of noble birth, the Chief Minister's Daughter!"

The Jiang Family, the Chief Minister's Daughter, Miss Jiang the Second, Jiang Li.

Xue Fangfei closed her eyes.

She had become Jiang Li.