The wind howled like a beast, cutting across her face so hard it felt like knives.

Evelyn Sinclair pressed herself low over the horse’s back, twisting her wrist and lashing the whip hard against the animal’s flank, desperate to shake off the men chasing her.

Whoosh!

An arrow tore through the air and punched straight into her body. Agony exploded through her in an instant. All her strength vanished. She crashed to the ground, hard, the broken shaft digging deep into flesh while the arrowhead twisted inside her, wrenching such pain from her that her vision went black at the edges.

Yet in her mind, some images stayed horribly clear: her young maid-sister, who had refused to become a bed servant, dragged away in a mangled heap of blood and flesh... and the Grand Princess smiling as she asked whether Evelyn would be willing to serve Sixth Young Master.

She had crossed into this world and landed in the lowest place a person could fall in a feudal age, a servant with no standing, no choice, no easy road ahead. But the idea of one husband and one wife was carved into her bones. And a bed servant? That was nothing but a tool, something people could push around however they liked. Of course she had refused.

This time, killers were hunting her because she had been secretly escorting evidence of a corruption case back to the capital with the Grand Princess, only for the true culprit to catch wind of it. To win herself a chance at freedom, to earn one act of mercy so she would not be handed over as some man’s concubine, she had stepped forward without hesitation, taken the evidence, and fled on horseback down the smaller road alone.

She had not expected to be driven into a dead end this quickly.

“Be sensible. Hand over the evidence, and we’ll leave your corpse in one piece!”

The assassins closed in fast. The long blade in the lead man’s hand was slick with blood, the cold gleam on it sharp and hungry as he advanced step by step.

Evelyn Sinclair dragged in ragged breaths. Her throat was thick with the taste of blood, and behind her was nothing but a sheer cliff.

Thunk!

At the very edge of despair, she faintly heard the sound of stones falling from below the cliff.

A sliver of hope flared up in her chest. With the last bit of strength she could force from her body, she shoved a huge rock over the edge. If it broke the water below, then maybe, just maybe, her chances of surviving the jump would be a little better.

She struggled to her feet, looked at the assassins, and lifted the corner of her mouth into a cold, bloody smile.

“You want the evidence? Then come down and take it!”

She sucked in one sharp breath. Before they could react, she threw herself into the abyss.

...

“Ah!”

The terrifying weightlessness of the fall yanked Evelyn Sinclair out of her dream. She snapped her eyes open and sucked in air in great gulps. Above her was an unfamiliar green gauze canopy, and the air around her was heavy with the strong scent of medicine.

Pain.

It felt as if a huge boulder had smashed straight into her body. There was not a single place on her that did not hurt down to the bone.

Rose Hawthorne, who had been keeping watch by the bedside, jolted awake at once. The moment she saw her open her eyes, surprise and delight rushed onto her face. "You're finally awake!"

"I..." Evelyn Sinclair's cracked lips moved slightly. Her voice came out hoarse, rough like it had been scraped over sandpaper. "Where... where am I?"

Rose hurriedly poured some warm water and used a small spoon to feed it to her bit by bit. "At the temple! Half a month ago, in the middle of the night, Her Highness the Grand Princess quietly sent for me and two old maids to come here and look after you."

"You broke several bones. One of the broken ribs even injured your insides. You were this close to dying! Good thing the senior monk is amazingly skilled in medicine. He dragged you back from death's door."

After drinking a few mouthfuls, the burning dryness in Evelyn's throat eased a little, and her mind cleared as well. She remembered jumping off the cliff to protect the Grand Princess and the evidence, and she asked at once, anxious, "Is the Grand Princess safe?"

"Her Highness is very well. These days she's busy dealing with those corrupt officials," Rose answered quickly, trying to calm her. "You were hurt protecting the Grand Princess, weren't you? That's why Her Highness sent word and granted you two favors!"

"First, your status has been changed to that of a commoner. Look, they even sent over your household registration papers. They're already attached to a residence in Wanliang Hutong. You're a woman with property of your own now!"

As she spoke, she opened a sandalwood box by the pillow and handed it over. Inside were Evelyn's commoner registration documents, along with the deed to the house and land.

Her eyes shone bright with envy.

"Second, the Grand Princess personally arranged for you to enter Sixth Young Master's household as a noble concubine. And she had me tell you quietly that once you bear a son or daughter, you'll be raised to the rank of secondary madam. She'll even go into the palace and seek an imperial title for you."

"What secondary madam in any family gets luck this good? Ah-Heng, you've really struck fortune this time!"

Evelyn stared at the registration paper. The two words commoner status made two flushed clouds of excitement bloom on her pale, delicate face, as if even the shabby little room had suddenly lit up.

But in the very next moment, the words noble concubine made her whole body go rigid. Her throat felt as though she had swallowed a mouthful of thick smoke. "You said... what concubine?"

Rose thought she was so overwhelmed she had gone stupid with joy, and kept chattering on. "Our Sixth Young Master is of the highest birth. He's still so young and already serves as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. If there's one regret in his life, it's that after years of marriage, he still has no child."

"The Venerable Saint Chongji himself read your fate and said you are destined for both sons and daughters, a pearl that survives ten thousand tribulations. Who could be more suitable to serve Sixth Young Master than you? And you've earned merit by protecting your master. With the Grand Princess backing you and standing up for you, who in that residence would dare look down on you in the future?"

"That wound you took was worth it!"

Worth it?

Evelyn's head spun. It felt as if an invisible hand had torn open her wounds all over again, and the pain made her curl up. She had risked her life to save her mistress in exchange for freedom, yet in the end she had only shoved herself into an even deeper cage.

Sixth Young Master Nathaniel Grayson was the Grand Princess's youngest son. He had held office in the Court of Judicial Review for less than two years, yet had already solved several long-cold cases. Capable, sharp, and with a future no one could doubt, he was by no means anything less than outstanding.

But no matter how outstanding he was, he was still another woman’s husband. Even in this day and age, when a concubine with proper papers was considered lawful, she still could not bring herself to accept it.

And besides, the Sixth Madam, Mrs. Grayson, was no gentle, virtuous lady.

Just last month, she had personally arranged for two bedchamber maids to attend Nathaniel Grayson. In only a few days, one was accused of trying to slip him an aphrodisiac and was beaten to death with rods. Not long after, it came out that the drug had actually been given by the other one, who had framed the first—and she too was beaten to death.

On the surface, it looked like two foolish bedchamber girls courting disaster. But from what Evelyn Sinclair had seen, and from all those endless household-intrigue and palace-intrigue stories she had read before, it was obvious enough: Mrs. Grayson had been pulling the strings from behind the curtain.

Even now, Evelyn could still remember the two women crying until their voices broke, begging for mercy, shouting that they were innocent—only to die in the end with blood pouring from all seven orifices. The memory still made her scalp prickle.

And she had clearly, tactfully, already turned down the Grand Princess when she was sounded out about it.

She had risked her life to save her mistress... how had that ended like this?

No!

Evelyn Sinclair struggled to get out of bed. Her whole body shook, and her voice trembled like a branch being lashed by a storm. “I won’t be some yi niang or side-room concubine. I just want to leave this place. I’ll go beg Her Highness, I’ll beg the Grand Princess to let me go...”

Just then, faint voices drifted in from outside the room.

It was Mrs. Margaret, the old nurse at the Grand Princess’s side.

Rose Hawthorne was so startled that every hair on her body seemed to stand up. She hurried over, covered Evelyn’s mouth, and pressed her voice down to a whisper. “When those above bestow favor, how can lowly slaves like us refuse it? Listen to me just this once—whatever you do, don’t say anything you shouldn’t, and don’t let it show on your face either!”

The moment her words fell, the door curtain was lifted.

Mrs. Margaret stepped in, wearing a dark blue beizi. She was one of the Grand Princess’s longtime attendants, a woman with real weight in the household.

The moment she saw Evelyn awake, she smiled. “At last, you’re awake. Her Highness has been thinking of you day and night. This old servant must offer her congratulations—now you are Sixth Young Master’s honored concubine.”

Evelyn bit down so hard on her teeth that her jaw ached. Only then did she manage to keep the cold laugh from slipping out.

Honored concubine? It was nothing more than becoming a breeding tool with no rights and no freedom.

Who would want that?

Mrs. Margaret seemed not to notice the stiffness in her expression at all.

She gave a light wave of her hand.

The young maid who had followed her stepped forward, set the brocade box in her hands onto the table, and from inside took out a gilded bowl painted with twisting floral vines.

"This is the blood bird's nest Her Highness the Grand Princess usually takes. She specifically had me bring it over so you can build your strength back. Take good care of yourself, get well and sturdy soon, and give Sixth Young Master a big healthy son early. If you do that, Her Highness will surely not treat you poorly."

Mrs. Margaret scooped up a spoonful of bird's nest and held it to Evelyn Sinclair's lips.

Then her tone shifted.

There was a faint warning tucked into it, light as a needle, but impossible to miss.

"With looks like yours, if you leave the Grand Princess's protection, what kind of ending do you think you'll have? The assassins who drove you to jump off that cliff—there are still some who slipped through the net and are out there. Staying by Sixth Young Master's side is the best road Her Highness has already laid out for you."

"You are a clever girl. You should know what it means to cherish the blessing placed before you."

****

【The bitterness only lasts for this chapter. After this, the tone gets lighter, and the heroine starts training her dog.】