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.

It was her wedding day and this nanny was shouting 'terrible' in the streets? She had to be doing it on purpose...

Han Yunxi prepared to lift the window curtains and see what was the matter but she stopped to reconsider. A new bride would be forgoing etiquette if she showed her face to the public before to her husband. Wouldn't the ancients drown her in spittle if she did such a thing? She gave up the idea to instead listen quietly. It was obvious that the commotion had attracted quite a few spectators.

"Aiya, it's wrong, we've picked the wrong path! At the fork back then we should've turned right, but we went left!" The wedding nanny seemed on the verge of tears as she shouted.

"And here I had thought something serious happened with all your fuss. This road leads to the Duke of Qin's residence, too."

"Yes, yes. Nanny Wang, you're always so muddled-headed. How could you say such unlucky words on the wedding day? Weren't you the one who took us on left path before?"

As the sedan-chair bearers spoke in turn, Wedding Nanny Wang stomped her feet and cried out, "I am muddle-headed! Bad news! Taking this path means traveling for two more hours, which means the new bride will miss the auspicious hour[1]!"

When these words came out, the entire group fell silent.

Auspicious hours were something that not only the ancients, but even contemporary people took seriously. It was a long while before a sedan-bearer asked, "Then...should we turn back and take the right path?"

"What are you saying?" the wedding nanny gave a vicious stomp, her thick layer of rouge and powder ended up splitting a crack from her temper. "A new bride can never turn back[2] or retrace roads she's already traveled. Are you cursing her to be divorced and returned to her home?"

Hearing this, the sedan-bearer grew speechless.

Han Yunxi rolled her eyes within the covered sedan. This matchmaker obviously wanted to make her late on purpose. The Duke of Qin's household hadn't sent anyone to escort her and the bridegroom wasn't even here, only this wedding nanny.

They hadn't even crossed the threshold of the bridegroom's door and here was the woman with a show of force. To miss the auspicious hour meant that the Duke of Qin's household could blame her for all the unlucky things that happened in their future. Han Yunxi wished she could alight from the sedan chair and refuse the marriage, shaking off her husband entirely. But, she knew with her background that there were jackals and wolves in the bridegroom's house and tigers and leopards in her own. Since assuming the identity of this ugly, good-for-nothing miss of the Han family, she couldn't afford to be rash. She could only take it step by step. In any case, it was the empress dowager who offered her as a bride and the emperor who ordered the marriage. She'd like to see the Duke of Qin's residence dare and try anything against her.

The matchmaker discussed things with the sedan bearers for a while before deciding they could only hurry along ahead. The four sedan-bearers ran for their lives, violently jolting Han Yunxi inside. But they still missed the auspicious time and were a full hour late.

The Duke of Qin's residence had their dignified doors shut tightly. Even the side gates were closed, though the entrance was surrounded by a crowd of city residents long gathered to gossip and discuss amongst themselves.

"I heard Han Yunxi's extremely ugly, no wonder the Duke of Qin isn't even willing to show his face."

"Heheh, even the world's top beauties want to marry into the Qin duke's house, what's Han Yunxi worth? I'm betting that even if she enters, she'll stay alone in an empty bedchamber for the rest of her life."

"Still, that woman's got some nerve showing up an hour late. Yowch, I waited so long my face started hurting!"

—

If this was the Han Yunxi of the past, wouldn't she have cried herself to death upon hearing these words? Unfortunately, the current Han Yunxi was nothing like that shrinking violet, self-abasing woman who had long given up. Ignoring the difficulties, she felt the tumor growth on her face while peeking outside the curtains. The front gates of the Duke of Qin's residence were deserted, and there were no wedding decorations anywhere. If it wasn't for the bridal sedan chair resting at the entrance, no one would know this household was getting a bride today.

Such a cold and cheerless scene was a clear message to Han Yunxi that she wasn't welcome, that they didn't even want her here. Nanny Wang was currently knocking on the door, her movements very light. A while passed, but there was no reaction from the main gates. A side door opened, and an old gatekeeper stood just inside the entrance with no intentions to come out.

Nanny Wang ran hastily over, assuming a professional air as she smiled and laughed joyously. "The new bride is here! The new bride is here!"

Who knew that old servant would only shoot them a few glances before speaking disdainfully, "The grand imperial concubine has orders. Since you've missed the auspicious hour, come back tomorrow!"

When he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a pah!

-o-

[1] auspicious hours (吉时) －jishi, lucky hours in the day where good fortune follows certain deeds. Also applies to days, months, seasons, etc.

[2] a new bride can never turn back – women being carried off to their grooms' families needed to keep going forward. Turning back was equal to being rejected for marriage, which could lose a lot of face for the bride's family and ruin her future prospects.

Stillness and silence settled around them, though occasionally there would come bursts of loud laughter. This was probably Tianning Country's first time seeing a new bride being told to come back tomorrow, it would likely never happen again in the past or future!

The crowd was laughing. Even in the group of people that had delivered the bride, there were a few who couldn't resist a snicker. It really was the first time something like this had happened. Inside the bridal sedan, the calm, composed Han Yunxi finally narrowed her eyes. The Duke of Qin's household had really gone too far!

Nanny Wang was crestfallen as she returned, sighing and disappointed. "Aiya, how unlucky. I've been a wedding nanny for so many years but I've never seen something like this! Let's hurry up and go, quickly, go back!"

Yet just as the sedan bearers lifted her carriage, Han Yunxi spoke up.

"Hold it!"

Eh...who talked?

The crowd stilled and looked around, but couldn't find the speaker.

"Nanny Wang, I'd like to trouble you to ask at what time tomorrow we should arrive?" When Han Yunxi spoke again, her quiet tone was filled with a dignity that was hard to cross. Though her voice wasn't very loud, the crowd could clearly hear her.

In one second, all the onlookers turned disbelieving gazes towards the bridal sedan chair. Were these words really from Han Yunxi? Shouldn't she be secretly crying in such a situation? She actually dared to speak out, and so loudly as well?

"Nanny Wang, what are you dawdling for? Do you want this Miss to pile responsibility on you for taking us down the wrong path?" Han Yunxi's voice suddenly turned stern.

Nanny Wang hadn't expected this and was frightened. It had been the grand imperial concubine[1] who'd ordered her to take the wrong path. Of course the Duke of Qin's household wouldn't investigate the matter, but she couldn't bear the responsibility if the Han family did. If that happened, the grand imperial concubine wouldn't protect her at all.

How did this meek Han Yunxi suddenly turn so fierce?

Nanny Wang couldn't attend to too many details at once, but hastily replied, "Yes, yes! Eldest Miss, please wait a moment."

Knockknockknock! This time she pounded on the door none too gently. It was still the same old gatekeeper that opened them. "What are you doing? Don't you understand that we want you to come back tomorrow?"

"The bride asked what time tomorrow! Please trouble the grand imperial concubine with our question," Nanny Wang entreated kindly.

The old gatekeeper was astonished. This new bride was somewhat interesting. "All right, wait a while."

—

Within a pavilion in the back gardens of the duke's residence, Grand Imperial Concubine Yi[2] and a few royally appointed wives were playing mahjong. She'd totally set aside the issue of her new daughter-in-law. After the current emperor took his throne, the wives left behind by the previous emperor were all put to death or set to watch his tomb. Only the wives under Grand Concubine Yi were left untouched. Even the empress dowager had to yield a bit before her. Three years ago, she'd felt it was oppressive living in the palace and moved to her son's house instead.

A maidservant approached, lowering her head to speak by her ear. "Mistress, the new bride is asking what time tomorrow she should arrive?"

Grand Concubine Yi's hand stiffened in the middle of her play, whirling her head around. "Who did you say was asking?"

"The...the new bride," the maidservant replied in a low voice.

"What nerve!" Grand Concubine Yi was bewildered, but more engrossed in playing mahjong than the matter at hand. Casually she replied, "At Yǐ[3] hour, like before."

So what if she'd asked about the hour? When tomorrow came, they'd make her late again.

—

"Yǐ hour," Nanny Wang reported to the bridal sedan.

No one expected that Han Yunxi would reply with the three icy words: "Stay and wait." Quite a few people around them had sensed that something was off about this young Miss Han.

"What?" Nanny Wang raised her voice abruptly. "A new bride can't be like this. We can't block someone's gates, right? They'll laugh at us! No, this is no good, there's no such logic! What kind of person comes to a family's doorstep and waits to get married?"

"You're the one who said that we can't turn back. What now, you want to curse me to be divorced and returned to my home?" Han Yunxi asked coldly.

Weren't these Nanny Wang's own words?

"Those who can't wait can leave. If you can't get your wages after returning to the Han house, don't come looking for me." Han Yunxi reminded them helpfully.

The hired help looked at each other, not expecting the new bride to be so fierce. None dared to leave, but all sat down in place to wait with her together. Seeing that no one was backing her up, Nanny Wang could only settle down by the sedan chair. She had the irresistible urge to lift the hanging door curtains and see the new bride for herself. Was she really as ugly as the rumors said? And as cowardly and self-abasing? They didn't switch her with someone else, right?

After a moment's hesitation, Nanny Wang nervously reached out a hand...

-o-

[1] Grand Imperial Concubine (太妃) －taifei, in this case it refers to the concubine of the previous emperor and the mother of the Duke of Qin (Long Feiye). Will be referred to as "Grand Concubine Yi."

[2] Yi (宜) －surname of #1. Yi means "suitable, appropriate, fitting", or a negative version of "should, ought to."

[3] hour of Yǐ (已时) －yishi, which in Chinese time rests between 9~11AM.