Step into Peril

Author: Tong Hua / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Over the past ten years, have you ever been moved by a love story? Have you ever cried for a love story? A romance for all ages that touches the hearts of all women. With a decade of silence in the romance genre, it sweeps back with overwhelming emotion, demanding the single tear of love buried deep in your heart. Ruo Xi is a stubborn and willful woman, bickering with the prince and fighting with the, even the Kangxi Emperor laughed and called her the "Dedicated Thirteen". Such a woman was originally a white-collar office worker in a bustling city, but after a misstep, she traveled through the tunnel of time. She enters the turbulent court with her insight into the Qing history. She knows she shouldn’t get involved in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, but her heart can’t help it, because there’s someone she loves, and there’s Kangxi who loves her—what kind of future will Kangxi arrange for Ruo Xi? How will Ruo Xi face her future path? What choices will she make? Will history change because of her, or will it continue to push her forward? In the end, will Ruo Xi choose the gentle and elegant 8th Prince, the cold but passionate 4th Prince, or someone unexpected? Stay tuned for the conclusion of A Step into the Past, and see Tong Hua bring you a different world of romance.
It’s the height of summer. Unlike the fresh green of early spring, when you know the good times are just beginning, so bright and cheerful, the green before me is heavy—perhaps because I know the splendor is at its end, and the days to come will only decline. Already the tenth day in ancient times, yet I still feel like it’s a dream—just waiting for me to wake up and find myself still facing a pile of financial reports instead of the year Kangxi 43: still a single white-collar office worker Zhang Xiaowen at the age of 25, not this Manchu girl who isn’t even fourteen yet. Ten days ago, I fell from a ladder while changing a lightbulb and woke up lying in the bed of the previous occupant of this body. The maids said I fell from the attic stairs and was unconscious for a day and a night. As for my "illness" after waking up, the doctor said it was due to shock and that with proper rest and care, I would recover gradually.
"Second Miss, shall we go back? Although it’s past noon, the heat in the ground is still intense. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet." Qiao Hui, the maidservant accompanying my sister, beside me.
"Alright! Sister’s prayers must be finished by now." I turned and followed Qiao Hui.
Now I’m named Malte, Ruo Xi. And this sister, Ruo Lan, is the concubine of the 8th Prince Yanzhi of the Qing Dynasty, a figure of some renown in Qing history. However, the 8th Prince hasn’t been enfeoffed as a prince yet, just a Doro Bator, and there’s no need to avoid mentioning Yongzheng’s name, so he should be called Yanzhi.
Sister’s personality, if you say it nicely, is gentle and virtuous; if you say it bluntly, she’s weak and unassertive. She spends half the day praying. I guess she’s not favored—during the ten days I’ve been here, I’ve never heard the 8th Prince visit. However, from these ten days, she’s been extremely kind to her sister, from diet to clothing, meticulous in every detail, afraid I’d be uncomfortable. I sighed inwardly. If I can’t go back, then in this time period, only she can rely on. But thinking about the 8th Prince’s future fate, I felt she wasn’t someone I could truly count on. But that was something far in the future; right now, I didn’t have time to worry about it.
When I returned to the room, sister had indeed finished her prayers and was sitting at the table eating snacks. Seeing me enter, she said with a hint of reproach, "You shouldn’t have gone out in the heat."
I sat beside her and smiled, "What’s so precious about it? Besides, I took a walk outside, and it actually made me feel lighter."
She glanced at my complexion and said, "You do look a bit better, but the sun is still scorching. Don’t go out again."
I casually replied, "Understood."
Qiao Hui brought a basin and knelt to serve me wash my hands. I smiled inwardly, thinking, "Understood, but whether I follow through is another matter."
Qiao Hui wiped my hands with a handkerchief and picked out some amber-colored ointment to apply to my hands. The scent was sweet, but I didn’t know what it was made of.
After finishing, I was about to pick some snacks when I suddenly felt strange. I looked up and noticed sister had been watching me the entire time. My heart skipped a beat, and I looked back at her with a questioning gaze. She suddenly laughed, "You used to be such a wild child, never taking your father’s words to heart. A fall made you so gentle and refined!"
I sighed in relief and, looking down at the snacks, asked with a smile, "Does sister actually hope I stay like this?"
Sister picked a favorite for me and handed it over, saying, "In half a year, it’ll be time for the selection of concubines, and you should start learning some proper etiquette. How can you just loaf around all day?"
A piece of the got stuck in my throat, and I coughed loudly. Sister quickly handed me water, and Qiao Hui helped me pat my back. After drinking several mouthfuls, I finally recovered.
Feigning indifference, I asked sister, "Last time you mentioned, father was stationed in the northwest. I only arrived here three months ago. Could it be because of the concubine selection that he sent me here?"
"Yes! Father said our mother passed away young, and you wouldn’t listen to the mistress’s advice. The more he managed you, the more chaotic things became. He thought you might listen to me a bit, so he sent you here to teach you some proper rules."
For the past few days, I’ve eaten my meals and then gone for walks, which is the only exercise I can think of. Though simple, it’s been quite effective. I’m gradually feeling more at home in this body, unlike the first few days when I always felt weak and unsteady.
I also tried to persuade Qiao Hui to take me to the attic where Ruo Xi fell. Standing on the upper floor, I had the urge to jump down a few times. Maybe if I just opened my eyes again, I’d return to the modern world. But I was more afraid of not going back, ending up disabled or brain-damaged. After all, how could such a thing happen so easily twice? Wouldn’t history be all mixed up then? Let nature take its course!
After Qiao Hui accompanied me for a long walk, we were both tired. Behind the rockery, there was a relatively flat stone. Qiao Hui spread a cloth for me to sit on and pulled me to sit beside her. The sun had just set, and the stone was still warm. A gentle breeze on my face brought a coolness that was particularly comfortable.
I half-raised my face and looked up at the sky. The sky was darkening, the blue fading but still crystal clear, looking so low as if I could reach it with a stretch of my hand. I sighed inwardly. This truly was ancient times. The only time I’d seen a similar sky while studying in Beijing was on Ling Mountain.
Just as I was reflecting, I heard Qiao Hui say, "Second Miss, you’ve really changed."
She’d been saying this for the past few days. I’d gone from being nervous to not caring much anymore. Still looking at the sky, I asked, "Where have I changed?"
"You used to be so talkative and restless. Father called you a ‘wild horse colt’! Before you fell, you often urged the mistress to pray less, and we were glad to finally have someone to advise her. But now you don’t mention it anymore."
I turned to look at Qiao Hui, but she lowered her head at the slightest contact.
After thinking for a moment, I said, "Sister is doing well like this."
Qiao Hui lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly, "Well? It’s been five years. The new maids who arrived later already have their own!"
I didn’t know how to explain it to her—should I tell her about the 8th Prince’s tragic fate, that the closer she gets to him now, the more hurt she’ll be? I sighed and said, "Staying away from those matters might not be all bad for sister. She’s at peace now, content with what she has. I don’t see anything wrong with it."
Qiao Hui looked up at me for a moment, as if trying to see if I was being sincere. In the end, she turned away and said, "But what about the people in the house?"
I interrupted her, "Look up at the sky. Look at such a beautiful sky. You’ll forget all your worries."
She seemed taken aback and looked up at the sky for a moment, then at me, still wanting to say something. I kept my head half-raised, staring at the sky motionlessly. She finally swallowed her words and joined me, gazing blankly at the sky.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the side of the rockery. Two people emerged. The one in front was shorter and slightly plump, laughing as he said to the one behind, "This little girl is interesting! A girl of thirteen or fourteen, talking like she’s seen the world! So mature for her age!"
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