Lin Xi dies suddenly while reading in bed and transmigrates into a newborn baby in the Fu Cha family of the Qing Dynasty, named Fu Cha Xi Lin. She is born with a congenital deficiency, barely surviving childbirth. Her father, Fu Cha Ma Qi, a powerful official, immediately sends her to a hot spring villa with Imperial Physician Jiang to recuperate, fearing the harsh capital cold will kill her. At the villa, she struggles with feeding and health but gradually stabilizes. For three years, she stays there, occasionally visiting the Fu Cha mansion in summers. When she is five, she convinces her parents to let her travel to Jiangnan, where she thrives in the warm climate. She spends the next decade exploring regions like Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, starting a successful Suzhou embroidery clothing business using her family’s resources. She also learns basic medicine from Imperial Physician Jiang, who becomes a lifelong retainer. Her family dotes on her, and she lives a carefree life, avoiding the capital’s social circles.At fifteen, Xi Lin returns to the capital for her coming-of-age ceremony. The cold climate causes her to fall ill, but she quickly recovers. She listens to gossip about the Fourth Prince Yin Zhen’s scandal with Ulanara Rouze, a married woman, and realizes she has entered the world of the television series Empresses in the Palace. Determined to protect her family from political fallout, she subtly advises her father to distance himself from the Eighth Prince and remain neutral, ensuring their safety under the future emperor. Her coming-of-age ceremony is a grand event, attended by many nobles, with rewards sent from the palace. However, her weak constitution causes her to faint from exhaustion during the event, cementing her reputation as a frail lady. During the banquet, she meets Rouze and is captivated by her beauty and elegance. Later, while leading a group of noble ladies through the garden to her room, she accidentally stumbles upon a secret encounter where Yin Zhen and Rouze are embracing. The other ladies lower their heads, but Xi Lin is frozen, realizing she must navigate this dangerous situation without provoking the Fourth Prince’s ire. Her father’s influence offers some protection, but the incident forces her to confront the political intrigues she tried to avoid, marking a turning point from her leisurely life.
