Chapter 2 Married into the Prince's Mansion
645 Words
After an indeterminate amount of time, voices entered her ears, accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs.
"Siwei, do you think the young lady will wake up before we reach Prince Ling's mansion?"
"Who cares? It’s already unlucky enough to be accompanying her as a dowry maid. I've long given up on expecting anything."
"What are you saying? Even though she’s an illegitimate daughter, she’s going to be Prince Ling’s concubine..."
"Heh… Concubine? Do you think we’ll have a good life following her? This Fourth Miss usually seems weak and easy to bully, but after being betrothed to Prince Ling, she suddenly thought of running away. Even after being caught, she struggled. Someone so clueless, what good can come from following her? I, as her maid, look down on her, despite her good looks."
Qin Zhaoxi could no longer pay attention to the conversation outside. She slowly lifted the red veil before her eyes, revealing a slender, fair wrist. She scrutinized it carefully, remembering that her wrist was slightly thicker, and that it had a teardrop-shaped birthmark on the back, which was now gone.
Moreover, she remembered that she had died.
Before she could finish her thoughts, the bridal sedan chair slowly came to a stop. She remained motionless, letting others guide her with a red silk ribbon into the main hall for the wedding ceremony, and then to the bridal chamber.
After everyone left, Qin Zhaoxi, sitting on the bed, finally moved. She intended to lift her bridal veil, but was stopped by a maid nearby. “Miss, this veil should be lifted by Prince Ling. If you need anything, just tell me, and I will help you.”
Siwei, on the other hand, sneered and said sarcastically, “Siyu, what are you doing? Now that the illegitimate daughter is a concubine, we can’t call her Miss anymore. Can you or I stop her from doing anything she wants?”
Ignoring them, Qin Zhaoxi lifted the veil again, her eyes wandering around the room before she walked to the dressing table. The copper mirror reflected a woman adorned in a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robe. As a concubine, her attire was a shade of red, not the bright red of a principal wife.
The reflection in the mirror had eyes that seemed like rippling water, always on the verge of tears, with delicate brows like distant mountains in an ink painting. Her lightly pursed vermilion lips portrayed a frail beauty, evoking deep pity.
After gazing at the mirror for a long time, Qin Zhaoxi gently touched the reflected face and asked, "What year is it now?"
No one responded for a while. She asked again tentatively, "How long has it been since the former Empress passed away?"
After a moment, the maid named Siyu hesitantly answered, "Is the concubine asking about the deposed Empress?"
Qin Zhaoxi barely nodded. Siyu deliberated before replying, "The deposed Empress died in the cold palace over half a year ago."
Qin Zhaoxi stopped moving. Her hollow eyes suddenly seemed to fill with life, brimming with intense hatred. She began to laugh softly, her laughter growing louder and more maniacal.
“Shi Yuyin! Xu Rong! You never expected that I, Qin Zhaoxi, would have another chance at life. Those who humiliated and harmed my family, you will all meet a terrible end. I will make you pay back a hundredfold for what you did!”
Siyu watched in fear as the delicate woman at the dressing table laughed hysterically, feeling inexplicably terrified by her sudden ferocity. She tugged at Siwei’s sleeve, “What… what’s wrong with the concubine?”
Siwei tried to pull her sleeve back, but failed. Steadying her thoughts, her voice still trembled, “Who knows what kind of shock she’s had? She might have lost her mind…”
“What should we do?” Siyu panicked.
- Writer
