Chapter One: Reborn as the Ancestor

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"The Dowager's luck is truly too thin—why couldn't she hold on at such a critical moment? The mother of the newly appointed Prime Minister, a noblewoman of the highest rank, enjoying such honor and prestige, and now, just as her days of fortune begin, she collapses like this."

"Don't speak nonsense. The Dowager's blessings are as boundless as the Eastern Sea—she will get better."

"But Sister Hongyu, it's been a whole day and night, and the Dowager still hasn't woken up. What if she can't make it through..."

"Shut your mouth!" The woman called Hongyu scolded in a low voice, "Are you courting death? If Madam or the others hear you, no one will be able to save you."

"I—I don't mean to curse the Dowager. I'm just afraid that we maids will have nowhere to turn. Sister Hongyu, I'm scared."

...

Hongyu let out a long sigh. Who wasn't afraid? At their age, just the right time for marriage, yet they hadn't been matched to anyone. If the Dowager passed away, let alone marriage, even as her close-serving maids, they might not keep their lives.

Behind a sandalwood screen carved with cranes and birthday wishes, Song Ci opened a pair of murky eyes, blankly staring at the plain blue canopy above her head. She listened to the conversation outside, digesting scattered fragments of the original owner's memories.

After a while, she finally moved her cracked lips and muttered a low curse.

"Damn, damn heavens."

Song Ci struggled to lift her hand. The wrinkles on it were neither fake nor glued on, but the genuine withered skin of an old woman.

She, Song Ci—a barely known actress in the entertainment industry at twenty-eight—had become an old lady on the brink of death!

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Bang.

Suddenly, a violent kick struck the door outside, followed by a booming voice.

"Is that old woman dead or not? Old woman!"

"Master!"

"Master, you can't go in!"

"Master..."

Before Song Ci could see clearly, someone rushed to her bedside, grabbed her collar with both hands, yanked her upright, and shook her fiercely. "Old woman, get up! I'm warning you, you can die if you want, but not now, and definitely not before me—do you hear me? If you do, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

"Heavens! Master, let go of the Dowager! Master!"

"Master, be gentle! The Dowager can't stand being shaken like that. Hong Tao, quickly call someone, fetch Madam!"

The old master Song flung off the two maids. "Get out of my way! Old woman, get up, stop pretending to be dead!"

Song Ci was shaken until her head spun, her mind blank, nearly unable to catch her breath.

Heaven help her—who was this brute? She had barely recovered, and now she was about to lose her breath again.

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"If you shake me again, I'll really die!" Song Ci spat through gritted teeth.

The room fell silent.

The old master Song's hands loosened as he stared, dumbfounded, at Song Ci—who, at some point, had opened her eyes to glare at him. He blurted out, "You're not dead?"

Song Ci sneered coldly, "I'm dead all right—just back from the grave!"

She truly was dead. This Song Ci was not the original, but had changed souls entirely.

The old master Song: ...

The old woman’s tongue was as sharp as ever—she must be fine.

He was just about to speak when, behind him, a sudden shriek pierced the air.

"The Dowager is awake!"

The cry of joy startled both Song Ci and the old master, making them shudder in unison. Turning to look at Hongyu, they wondered—was she shouting so loudly just because they were old and hard of hearing?