Vivi woke up and found herself lying on the ground. She saw a simple house, with some firewood and straw inside.
Vivi guessed this must be a woodshed.
But before she could think more, sharp pain came from her butt. Her mind was taken over by the pain. She touched her butt, and her palm was wet.
Vivi looked at her hand and saw it was covered in fresh blood.
Seeing the blood, many strange memories suddenly came to Vivi's mind. When she calmed down, she realized she had received the memories of the original owner of this body.
With the original owner's memories, Vivi now understood that this place was a country called Sheng. It was an ancient kingdom, not much different from the ancient dynasties she knew from history books.
The only difference was that this world had four men for every one woman. Because of the many men and few women, women were more valuable here and had rights, unlike in feudal times.
The original owner was an orphan taken in by a kind old lady. The old lady treated her very well, like a granddaughter.
They lived in a remote alley. Though poor, their life was simple, full, and happy.
The old lady gave her the name Lexi, saying it was a humble name that would keep her safe until she grew up and could have a proper name from a scholar.
Sadly, the old lady died when Lexi was eight years old.
After the old lady died, Lexi lost her support. At that time, the Yongning Marquis household was hiring male servants. To survive, Lexi disguised herself as a boy and signed a contract to work as a servant there.
Since Lexi was young and looked like a boy, the manager believed it and assigned her to cleaning work.
So, Lexi spent six years in the Marquis household disguised as a boy, living carefully and quietly.
She never caused trouble, but as she grew older, her cute look became more delicate and beautiful.
This caught the attention of some men with certain tastes. In this male-heavy world, many men liked other men, and Romeo was one of them.
Romeo was the son of the manager in the outer courtyard. He used his status to bully others often. Any handsome young man was either forced by him or ended up in trouble.
One day, when Lexi was cleaning, Romeo noticed her. From then on, he kept harassing her.
Lexi never changed her attitude and never gave in. This stubbornness angered Romeo.
He began to take revenge.
Yesterday, Romeo reported to Madam Yon, the lady in charge of the Marquis household, falsely accusing Lexi of having bad intentions toward a maid named Xiao Huan.
In Sheng country, harming women was a serious crime. Since women were rare, they were protected by law. Serious crimes could lead to death.
Madam Yon called Lexi for questioning. No matter what, Lexi denied the accusation, saying she was innocent.
But Romeo had planned everything carefully, with solid evidence and witnesses. Madam Yon believed Romeo and thought Lexi was guilty of having bad intentions toward the household's women.
Lexi was beaten with thirty lashes.
After the thirty lashes, Lexi was almost dying.
This was why Vivi felt the strong pain in her butt when she woke up.
After the punishment, Madam Yon ordered Lexi locked up to wait for further punishment. So, Lexi was thrown into the woodshed to be left alone.
After learning all this, Vivi shook her head and sighed at how foolish the original owner was.
If Lexi had told the truth about being a woman, everything would have been solved easily.
But now it was useless to think more because the original owner was gone. Vivi was now inside this body.
Vivi's parents had died early in her past life. She had just managed to settle down in S city with her own small apartment and car when a sudden car accident brought her here.
The tall buildings, busy streets, and city ladies all felt like a dream now.
Suddenly, a worried voice came from outside the woodshed.
"Lexi, Madam Yon is sending you to meet the officials!"
Vivi didn't have time to feel sad. She knew this was Lexi's only friend, Zhuren's voice.
Without caring if Zhuren would notice she was not the original Lexi anymore, Vivi quickly asked for help.
"Zhuren, can you let me see Madam Yon once more? I promise, once she sees me, she will believe I am innocent and set me free."
Zhuren hesitated but thought of his best friend who was about to face the officials and possibly a deadly fate. He bit his lip and agreed.
"Okay, I will help you."
"Thank you, Zhuren. If you ever need me, Lexi will do anything for you."
Zhuren scratched his head, feeling shy from Vivi's promise.
"Lexi, I believe you. I'll wait for you to come out so we can drink together."
Listening to Zhuren's footsteps getting farther away, Vivi touched her chest.
Look, Lexi, there are still people in this world who care about you and treat you sincerely.
If you have a spirit in heaven, please bless me to get through this safely.
...
Inside the antique-style room, the beautiful lady sitting in the main seat wore splendid clothes, and the hairpin on her head kept shaking as she suddenly stood up.
"What? You say you are a girl?!"
The servants inside also stood up with their mistress and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.
"Yes, madam. If you don't believe me, you can let the maid nearby check and confirm my true identity." Vivi lay on the ground, enduring the pain in her buttocks, calmly looking up at the one who controlled her life and death.
After Madam Yon agreed to see her, Vivi was carried by Zhuren to this lady's room.
Just after calming down from surprise and sitting, Madam Yon looked at Vivi with a faint smile and threatened, "Do you know what will happen if you lie?"
"I know, but please believe me. Just let the maid check, and it will prove I speak no lies." Vivi looked at the calm and powerful Madam Yon, quickly explaining, hoping the madam would trust her.
Madam Yon gave a look to the chief maid Mingyue beside her. Mingyue soon ordered two servants to carry Vivi behind a nearby screen for identity verification.
Mingyue came out quickly and whispered into Madam Yon's ear. After listening, Madam Yon's face showed full understanding.
"Lexi," Madam Yon looked at the small figure lying below, her tone much softer, "Since what you said is true and you really are a girl, I will clear your name about the accusation of wrongdoing and restore your innocence."
"Thank you, madam."
Just when Vivi was relieved that she escaped death and would not have to see officials, Madam Yon's tone suddenly changed.
"Although the accusation was a misunderstanding, why did you disguise yourself as a boy to sneak into the Marquis's mansion? Do you have some secret purpose?"
Hearing this, Vivi quickly explained, telling her original background and the reason for dressing as a boy to enter the mansion.
"...I see." Madam Yon understood after listening and looked at the obedient figure below with a bright glint in her eyes.
"I heard your background is pitiful. How about I arrange a suitable job for a girl inside the mansion?"
"That sounds very good, thank you, madam." Vivi was naturally willing.
Romeo is the steward's son from the outer courtyard. Since he failed this time, no one knows what kind of retaliation he will take after going out. It is good to change place to avoid trouble.
"How about I transfer you to serve the heir at Ning'an Residence?" Madam Yon smiled gently, her eyes bright as she looked at Vivi.
Should she agree or not?
Vivi hesitated.
Though the lady asked with a smile, her eyes showed no room for refusal.
Sigh, under the roof, one must bow.
After thinking it through, Vivi showed a well-behaved smile and said, "It is my honor to serve the heir."
Madam Yon's smile grew wider. She called her maid and gave Vivi a treasured purple ointment.
"This ointment was given to me by the Empress Dowager when I visited the palace not long ago. They say no matter how serious the wound, after applying this ointment, no scar will be left. I don't need it here in the inner courtyard, so I give it to you."
This ointment was exactly what Vivi needed now. Without hesitation, she took it and thanked Madam Yon.
"You are a good child."
Madam Yon looked at the obedient girl in front of her, increasingly pleased. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she chuckled and asked:
"'Lexi' is really not a girl's name. May I give you a new name?"
Vivi looked at the graceful lady sitting above. Except for the brief surprise when she learned her identity, the lady behaved with constant grace and showed the manner of a noble family.
This kind of high-rank household woman was the most frightening.
However, as the lady said, Lexi is indeed not a girl's name. Using a female name will help avoid some unnecessary trouble when going out in a girl's identity…
Vivi lowered her head to hide her expression and obediently said, "I will obey you, madam."
"Hehe, such a well-behaved child. From today, you shall be called 'Malia'…"
"Malia, thank you, madam, for the name."
Madam Yon, both kind and powerful, was truly impossible to refuse.