The descriptions in the novel were one thing, but seeing it all for yourself was something else entirely!
In this era, the Da Cheng Empire was vast, prosperous, and peaceful. As its capital city, Lin'an's splendor was a matter of course.
The moment Song Lianhe stepped onto the street, her attention was captured by the various hawkers' calls and curious little trinkets. She dragged Shuang Ye from one end of the street to the other, determined to try every delicious snack! If she saw something she liked, she bought it without a second thought!
The original owner of this body was a General's daughter—the heir of a powerful official and a wealthy family. Song Lianhe was determined to make up for the regret of her previous life, where she'd worked herself to death only to die before she could spend any of her hard-earned money.
"Miss, try this! These are pan-fried buns from Zhao Ji. They're the best in all of Ling'an City!"
"Mmm, delicious!"
Song Lianhe continued to stroll, munching on a bun as she went.
Although she had the original owner's memories, they felt like a movie—a whirlwind of fleeting images. How could that compare to experiencing it all for herself?
As the two of them were browsing, they noticed a commotion up ahead.
Song Lianhe loved a good spectacle, so she pulled Shuang Ye along and squeezed into the crowd of onlookers to watch the drama unfold.
The commotion was over a young beggar, about ten years old, dressed in tattered rags. He was surrounded by a group of people.
Song Lianhe immediately spotted a familiar face among them.
It was Zhuang Qiaoyue, the daughter of the Minister of Industry.
She was a good friend of Song Xilan's and had previously stood up for her at a birthday banquet.
Zhuang Qiaoyue held a scented handkerchief, her brow furrowed in disgust. "Make him hand it over, and I won't bother reporting him to the authorities."
Her maidservant snapped, "Did you hear that? Our lady is being merciful! Just hand over what you stole, and she won't press the matter!"
The young beggar bit his lip, his eyes turning red. "It wasn't me. I didn't steal anything..."
"Still trying to talk your way out of it!"
One of the retainers kicked the young beggar. With a cry of "AH!", the boy collapsed to the ground.
Song Lianhe furrowed her brow. 'This scene...'
She suddenly recalled a plot point from the novel: Zhuang Qiaoyue publicly flogging the young beggar, who is then rescued by the heroine and follows her loyally ever after.
The young beggar would go on to display an astonishing talent for Taming Horses. He would later help Zhou Junlin train warhorses, making the Da Cheng cavalry unstoppable and earning great merit for his service.
As for the young beggar, he eventually fell in love with the heroine, who pretended not to notice. Zhou Junlin even grew secretly jealous of him, but the heroine explained that she only saw the boy as a younger brother—and that's all he could ever be.
Later, the young beggar took a fatal arrow for the heroine and was quietly written out of the story.
It was a tragic end, and Song Lianhe felt he'd gotten a raw deal. 'Of all the people to fall for, why did it have to be the heroine?' Even after his death, the book only mentioned him once more in passing—a fleeting moment of sadness the heroine felt upon seeing the warhorses.
But in the very next moment, the male lead would appear, and the heroine would happily throw herself back into his embrace...
According to the novel, the heroine—Song Xilan—should be making her entrance any second now!
Song Lianhe narrowed her beautiful eyes. Looking up, she saw it—sure enough, the General Mansion's carriage was approaching from around the corner.
The carriage stopped due to the commotion, and a maidservant named Man Yue helped Song Xilan alight...
"You little brat! I see you won't learn until you're taught a lesson the hard way!"
After giving the boy another vicious kick, the retainer raised a horsewhip without another word. The young beggar curled into a ball on the ground, covering his head and squeezing his eyes shut, his body trembling uncontrollably.
But the vicious lash he braced for never fell.
Trembling, the young beggar opened his eyes...
Standing over him, a strikingly beautiful woman had caught the retainer's wrist in a cold grip.
The young beggar stared at her, stunned. Through the dappled evening sunlight, her face was bathed in a soft glow, so beautiful she looked like a fairy.
Song Lianhe suddenly lifted her leg and sent the retainer flying with a powerful kick.
"Song Lianhe?!"
Seeing who it was, Zhuang Qiaoyue became incensed. "How dare you harm one of my people?"
Song Lianhe tossed the whip aside, dusted off her hands, and stepped in front of the young beggar. "You're the one who hurt my person first."
The moment the words left her mouth, not only Zhuang Qiaoyue, but even the young beggar himself, was stunned into silence.
He gazed in disbelief at the Fairy Sister before him. This was the first time anyone had ever stood in front of him, the first time anyone had ever stood up for him.
Shuang Ye cautiously sidled up to her. "Miss," she whispered, "since when was he one of your people?"
Song Lianhe replied in a low voice, "Just now."
By this time, Song Xilan had made her way over, supported by her maid. When she saw Song Lianhe, a flicker of disgust flashed in her eyes.
She deliberately ignored Song Lianhe, walking straight to Zhuang Qiaoyue's side. "Qiaoyue, what's going on?"