The most dissolute couple in the capital

The good news is: she outlived her husband, and now it's finally her turn to enjoy her retirement as an old lady.

The bad news is: she's going to die too.

"My parents were a loving couple; my mother must have been heartbroken that my father had to leave alone..."

Cui Qingyi heard her eldest son Zheng Boyan's voice coming from above her head, tinged with just the right amount of sob.

What the heck?

A deeply devoted couple? She married into the Zheng family of Xingyang twenty-seven years ago, became pregnant five times, miscarried twice, and gave birth to two sons and a daughter. While her mother-in-law was alive, she never missed a day of morning and evening greetings; she personally cooked her father-in-law's favorite lotus seed soup for nineteen years; she provided eight hundred taels of silver as dowry for her sister-in-law's wedding; she helped her brother-in-law with his imperial examinations three times; she never repaid the money her second wife's sisters-in-law borrowed from her; and she single-handedly raised her third wife's illegitimate daughter until her marriage…

Her husband, Zheng Wenyuan, was truly a man of great ability, rising from a compiler in the Hanlin Academy to a minister in one of the Six Ministries.

Everyone outside says that Madam Zheng is very lucky to have married a husband who is rising rapidly in his career.

But what good did she get out of it?

Should I bring her along when I drink with her, or should I bring her along when I take a beautiful concubine?

The mother-in-law, the younger brother-in-law, the second wife, and the third wife are all difficult to get along with; they're constantly bickering and sabotaging each other.

The body really can't hold up if it's depleted for too long.

"Big brother, Mother..." The youngest daughter cried, gasping for breath.

"Don't cry." Zheng Boyan's voice was low, but Cui Qingyi heard him clearly. "If Mother really passes away, we need to discuss the funeral arrangements immediately. Father's forty-seventh day memorial hasn't passed yet, so we need to hold both funerals together. We need to go and discuss it with Second Uncle..."

Cui Qingyi: ...

Cui Qingyi lay in bed, staring at the blurry bed curtains above her head, only one thought in her mind:

If she still had the strength, she could jump out of bed and slap her eldest son across the face.

As her consciousness faded, she felt pain all over her body.

This body has been hollowed out.

She deserved it in her past life. Who told her to be so self-important at the flower-viewing banquet when she was sixteen, vowing to marry into a wealthy family and showcasing her talent to catch the eye of Old Madam Zheng? Who told her to think that marrying into the Zheng family of Xingyang was the perfect match for a noblewoman? Who told her to believe the saying, "The Cui family's daughter is virtuous and talented, and is a perfect match for the Zheng family's son"?

Young people are still too young!

As darkness fell and the noise faded away, Cui Qingyi's last thought was:

In my next life, I'll never roll my hair again.

-

"Yi'er? Yi'er! What are you daydreaming about?"

A hand shook her shoulder.

Cui Qingyi suddenly looked up.

Before her eyes was a garden full of peonies, their red and pink petals piled up in abundance. The late spring breeze, carrying petals, swept across her cheeks, and the dazzling sunlight pierced through the dense foliage, falling directly onto the stone table in front of her.

Teacups were placed on the stone table, the tea soup clear and blue.

She was still holding that cup of tea in her hand.

"Qingyi? Qingyi, what's wrong?"

Someone was pushing her shoulder.

Cui Qingyi opened her eyes.

The light lashed down on me.

She squinted and saw the open sky above her, the midday sun dazzlingly bright. She sat on a stone bench, in front of her a stone table covered with a crimson tablecloth, on which were placed several plates of delicate fruits and pastries, and a cup of tea that had gone cold.

She wore a pale yellow, narrow-sleeved blouse, with a moon-white silk sash tied around her waist; her slender wrists resembled delicate bamboo shoots.

This is not her hand.

wrong.

These are her hands.

A sixteen-year-old's hand.

Cui Qingyi stood frozen in place, her ears ringing, as if a giant bell had been struck in her head.

The person who pushed her shoulder was a girl with an almond-shaped face, wearing a rose-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with several pearl hairpins in her hair, and she was looking at her with a worried expression.

This is my cousin, Cui Lingyi, who also comes from the Cui family. She is the eldest daughter of the main branch of the Qinghe Cui clan, and her father was an official who served as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. She was one of the most sought-after young ladies from prominent families in the capital.

"Your face is so pale. Should we call someone to fetch the imperial physician?" Cui Lingyi reached out to touch her forehead. "It's not hot. Why did you suddenly become so dazed?"

Cui Qingyi grabbed her wrist.

Cui Lingyi was startled: "Hey, what are you doing—"

What day is it today?

"...A flower-viewing banquet? The flower-viewing banquet at Princess Yongning's residence, haven't you been looking forward to it for days?"

Flower viewing banquet.

Princess Yongning's Residence.

Cui Qingyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

She remembered.

In her past life, it was at this very flower-viewing banquet that she caught the eye of the matriarch of the Zheng family in Xingyang, with her exquisite flower-arranging skills and impeccable manners. The seemingly kind woman smiled and took her hand, saying, "This child is composed and dignified; she's a good one."

Then she was sold.

No.

She was betrothed to Zheng Wenyuan, the eldest son of the Zheng family.

From then on, he embarked on a 27-year-long, uninterrupted path of involution, which he continued until his death.

Cui Qingyi took a deep breath.

She looked down at her flat stomach—there was no trace of having been pregnant with five children.

He touched his face—it was taut and smooth, the cheeks of a sixteen-year-old.

Feeling the heavy bun on my head, I felt like crying—it was my hair, my thick, black hair.

Waaah, everything is back.

"Qingyi?" Cui Lingyi's voice was slightly panicked. "Are you really alright?"

Cui Qingyi released her hand and slowly leaned back.

She's fine.

She simply lit an incense stick in her heart.

May Cui Qingyi from her past life rest in peace.

In this life, whoever wants to be a virtuous wife and loving mother can be one.

She, Cui Qingyi, is retiring.

The flower-viewing banquet was held in the back garden of Princess Yongning's residence, where peonies and peonies of various colors were planted among the pavilions and towers, blooming in layers and in a lively manner.

Those who came were all ladies from prominent official families in Chang'an. They gathered in small groups, some admiring flowers, others playing pitch-pot, with maids moving among them carrying fruits and snacks. Several ladies sat in the pavilion on the east side, chatting together.

Cui Qingyi glanced at it briefly before looking away.

The woman in the very center of the pavilion, dressed in a lotus-colored jacket with a white jade hairpin in her hair, is the matriarch of the Zheng family of Xingyang, Zheng Wenyuan's mother, and also her mother-in-law in her previous life—Old Madam Zheng.

Cui Qingyi withdrew her gaze, picked up her teacup, and slowly took a sip.

cold.

If everything proceeds as usual, Princess Yongning will suggest that the young ladies present showcase their talents. In her previous life, Cui Qingyi's first move was a stunning flower arrangement that amazed everyone. Coupled with her tactful and graceful demeanor, she was praised by Old Madam Zheng for the duration of half a cup of tea.

Today, Cui Qingyi can't do anything, just babbling.

Sure enough, a clear female voice came from the head of the table. Princess Yongning stood up, her smile warm, "Today, all the flowers are in full bloom. Why don't you young ladies show off your talents? I've prepared a few nice gifts as a small token of my appreciation."

A burst of cheerful applause immediately erupted from the surrounding area.

Her plan was simple—to be invisible, to let no one notice her, to quietly blend in until the banquet ended, and then go home.

Cui Lingyi quietly moved to her side, covered her lips with a round fan, and chuckled softly, "Look, what did I tell you? Your amazing flower arranging skills have finally come in handy."

Her words were laced with mischief, and her gaze subtly drifted toward the elderly Mrs. Zheng, who was being fawned over by everyone in the pavilion not far away.

Cui Lingyi was not only her cousin, but also her best friend. She was well aware of Cui Lingyi's initial plan to marry into the Zheng family, and seeing this situation, she couldn't help but tease her a few times.

Upon hearing this, Cui Qingyi sighed almost inaudibly:

"Good sister, please stop teasing me. I don't know why, but I feel so lazy today, and I just can't muster up the competitive spirit. Besides, it's more worthwhile to eat a couple of snacks than to go through the trouble of arranging a vase of flowers."

These words were both charmingly naive and outrageous, causing Cui Lingyi's hand holding the round fan to pause, her smile instantly freezing, her eyes filled with astonishment and doubt: "Qingyi, what... what nonsense are you talking about? This is the Zheng family..."

"Shh." Cui Qingyi held up a slender finger to her lips and winked playfully at her.

His eyes were calm as still water, yet they revealed a hint of cunning.

She said nothing more, but calmly picked up the white jade teacup in front of her, her gaze leisurely passing over the figures vying for attention in the pavilion, and finally landing on a wildflower in the distance that no one cared about, yet was blooming wildly.

Seeing her in this unprecedented state, Cui Lingyi had a bellyful of questions stuck in her throat, unable to utter a single word.