Chapter 1: Surprise, she’s getting married
21st century, Eastern Sea City’s high-ranked private hospital, Department Head’s office.
Thunk went the thick stack of medical reports on the table. Department Head Lin’s complexion was ashen and he was beside himself with rage.
“Han Yunxi[1]! Mr. Li is one of Soaring Cloud Conglomerate’s directors that possesses 40% of our hospital’s equity shares. You have to treat his poison first!”
Faced with the man’s wrath, Han Yunxi stuck both hands in the pockets of her doctor’s coat, completely calm. “Department Head Lin, I’m very sorry, but Mr. Li’s been afflicted with a slow-acting snake venom. Unless it’s a critical situation, I won’t let him cut to the front of the line.”
She was a fresh and pure beauty, with large eyes and two dimples. Despite her youth, her astounding talent with acupuncture had made her well-known in the traditional Chinese medicine circles as a seldom-seen detoxification expert. Whether it was a chemistry-based poison or endotoxins within the body, eliminating either counted amongst her strong points.
“You! Get it straight woman! This is Soaring Cloud Conglomerate!” the department head was indignant enough to slam the table and rise to his feet in anger.
“Department Head, I’ll say it again. Mr. Li’s condition isn’t urgent. No matter who it is, before a doctor, everyone is…” Before Han Yunxi could finish, she was interrupted.
“Enough, don’t talk to me about equality in a doctor’s eyes. There are only differences between men and women. Han Yunxi, let me tell you, arrange to treat his poison immediately or else you can leave the medical community today!”
A warning? He thought that’d scare her, but her face was as calm as ever.
“Department Head Lin, there’s no difference between men and women for me either, only people I will or won’t help. I’m not helping Mr. Li, so please find someone better qualified!”
When she finished, she gave a polite smile and turned to leave. That thin and delicate body was graceful and unhurried, with a beautiful tranquility that revealed her lofty, unyielding character. But as Han Yunxi opened the door, Department Head Lin suddenly exploded with fury.
“Han Yunxi, how dare you talk to me like this! I’m telling you to stop!”
So speaking, he heaved a thick stack of medical reports towards her skull. Seized with shock, Han Yunxi felt a trickling warmth trailing down the back of her head. A little stunned, she turned to look back, but before she could catch sight of Department Head Lin, her entire body collapsed…
3,000 Years Ago, Country of Tianning
Han Yunxi woke up groggily inside a bridal sedan chair, hearing the jubilant sounds of celebration around her. Someone was playing the suona and beating the drums, and a veil of darkness shrouded her eyes.
What was going on?
Han Yunxi removed the thing on her head, glanced at it and sucked in a cold breath. Wasn’t this a bridal veil? Examining herself from head to toe, she discovered she was dressed in a phoenix coronet and an embroidered tasseled cape, just like a bride on her way to get married…Ridiculous!
The sedan chair rocked and bumped, giving Han Yunxi a headache as foreign memories began pouring into her brain. Somehow (but undoubtedly), she had time-traveled and was now being married off!
The original owner of this body was the daughter of the Han family matriarch in the country of Tianning. This daughter’s name was also Han Yunxi. Because her mother had once used her medical skills to save the previous empress (now the empress dowager), she had been betrothed to the seventh prince (now the Duke of Qin, Long Feiye[2]). Her mother’s deed had been praised far and wide as a well known story, sharply elevating the Han family’s social status.
But, who knew that Han Yunxi’s birth would kill her mother, or that she’d grow to be a useless, ugly girl who didn’t have any medical skills? The proposed marriage to the Duke of Qin was delayed again and again until it became a taboo topic. Yet, just in the last few days, the Duke of Qin had offended the emperor, who then commanded the wedding take place before the month was over.
Today was her wedding day.
This Duke of Qin, Long Feiye, had been bestowed his title in his youth. He was the only prince left after the struggles for the imperial throne, not more than a little over 20 years old. Yet, within the royal hierarchy, he was the Imperial Uncle, which qualified him as the most important person in Tianning Country short of the emperor himself.
The Duke of Qin lived in the southern part of the capital while the Han family resided in the north. The bridal sedan chair had to travel through the entire city to reach its destination. Even if the Duke of Qin didn’t show his face, her trip still caused a sensation in the city.
While Han Yunxi was digesting this information, the joyful music outside her sedan chair abruptly stopped as the old wedding nanny[3] cried out, “Terrible, terrible! This is a big problem!”
-o-
[1] Han Yunxi (韩芸汐) －our protagonist. The Han Yunxi of the past is from a family of skilled medical practitioners. Han is just a surname. Yun means to “rue” (regret), Xi means “tide during the night, nighttide.”
[2] Long Feiye (龙非夜) －the Duke of Qin, formerly the seventh prince of the previous emperor. Long is “dragon”, fei is “run counter to, be not”, ye is “night”.
[3] old wedding nanny (喜婆) －xipo, an older woman in charge of walking alongside the bride’s carriage and bringing her to her new home, usually the matchmaker or similar. In this case, the nanny was probably hired by the groom’s family.