Her Grace the Duchess Comes from the Realm of Flowers [Literary Classics + Jian Wang 3]

Ling Qingyuan, a Wanhua disciple from Jian Wang 3, had a title famous throughout the martial world: the Flower Girl. When she opened her eyes again, she had become a thirteen-year-old orphan, dying on a nineteenth-century London dock after her servant had abandoned her and run off with all her money. She spoke no English, had no money left, and was seriously ill. Her only lifelines were an unreliable "map (gossip) channel" in her mind and an inheritance seal from the Duke of Essex tucked against her chest. With nowhere else to turn, she knocked on the door of 221B Baker Street. Facing a detective interested only in unusual cases, she presented him with her problem: "Help me inherit the dukedom." For the first time, an interest beyond murder cases lit up Holmes's gray eyes. "...Interesting." And so, Britain's youngest-ever duke, and its first female duke of East Asian descent, was born: Cecilia Louisa Ling Augustus Fitzroy. With one hand, she opened up trade routes between East and West, bringing Eastern brocade and porcelain into fashion in London and earning a place at the royal table. With the other, she secretly practiced medicine, defying convention to quietly cure rare and difficult illnesses. Her life-saving acupuncture became the highest of secrets. The gossip she occasionally "heard" always proved key to solving baffling cases. Holmes: "Your Grace, the way your mind works is the most fascinating puzzle I have ever encountered." Watson: "...Sherlock, put down your magnifying glass. She's a duchess, not a specimen!" Mycroft (smiling): "An exceptionally profitable investment." The Queen: "My dear Lia, you are such a darling." Ling Qingyuan: Thanks for asking. I'm in London, and I've become the Flower Girl Duchess. [Reader's Guide] This may not be entirely true to nineteenth-century London, though I'll do my best. There are plenty of liberties taken. A feel-good, satisfying career story. The heroine is the strongest, and her goals are to be a happy duchess, make money, and enjoy the gossip. The heroine looks like a little girl but is a formidable adult inside. There will be a romantic pairing later on. Holmes is only an important partner. A crossover with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, with cameos from characters in other classics, such as Darcy and Jane Eyre. Theme: A different way of life might bring more happiness.