Reborn Lady: Unparalleled Daughter of Concubine

"It's on fire! The marriage sedan is on fire!"

Qin Yunuan managed to open her eyes slightly. She was not totally conscious after being drugged.

The fire was burning from under the sedan chair, accompanied by the acrid white phosphorus smell. The fire was out of control as the wind helped it burn. It looked like a fire lantern from afar.

The last thing Qin Yunuan remembered was being fed a bowl of blood bird's nest by her legal mother and carried into a ginkgo wood marriage sedan with relief sculptures covered in gold by the matchmaking woman. On the curtains of the sedan was an embroidery of a phoenix flying towards the sun. What a gorgeous sedan, or what a luxurious coffin in fact. All of this must be prepared for her by her legal mother and her sister.

All along, Qin Yunuan had never wanted to fight for anything. She knew that her status was low in the big mansion of the Grand Commandant. She was just a daughter of a mistress who had passed, with her face destroyed. In what position was her to fight for the favor of the commandant?

Qin Yunuan's greatest wish was to see her younger brother grow up safely and live a bland and peaceful life in the mansion.

However, Qin Yunuan had become a tool of the others after compromising again and again.

This time, her legal mother asked her to marry the cruel, impertinent Iron General, replacing her sister, while her sister married the crown prince on the exact same day and became the princess.

What a cruel contrast it was. One was humble as an insect, while the other was glorious as a peony.

Right before the marriage sedan was lifted out of the Grand Commandant's Mansion, her brother was having a high fever and left unattended. Her wet nurse was beaten to death by the house servants. Her two maids Tong and Maner were sold to the brothel. Even the third concubine of her father who knelt to beg for her mercy was fined three years of expenses.

After all these, her legal mother and her sister were not even willing to let her live.

The raging fire made the whole sedan crackling like popping corns.

Qin Yunuan looked at the deformed sedan frame. She could not move her body as she was intoxicated. She cried for help weakly, but her voice was drowned in the bustle fire.

Right then, a big hand reached in through the smoke, approaching her fearlessly through the fervent flame.

It was so close that Qin Yunuan could clearly see the Kylin tattoo on the muscular arm. His powerful arm hooped around Qin Yunuan's wrist as if he had been trying to test the motion of the person inside. However, Qin Yunuan had no strength at all, just like a dead person.

"Master, the fire is too great. I'm afraid she won't survive." Outside the sedan, someone was carefully testing.

"Save her!" A cold voice that made people shivers said flatly, "She's still alive."

Qin Yunuan smiled bitterly, feeling the compassion and warmth the stranger gave her. The smoke was billowing, and the suffocation swept all over her senses, making it hard for her to breathe. At the moment, all the resentment and unwillingness appeared to be so powerless.

How longing she was to have everything going all over again. If she had another life, she would definitely refuse to compromise like she had. She must fight, for herself, for her brother, for her wet nurse. She must fight!

The fire was burning stronger and stronger in front of her. Qin Yunuan's mind had gradually gone blank. She began to lose consciousness, and her breath. Vaguely, she saw the top of the sedan falling heavily on her, crushing Qin Yunuan along with her dreams for stability and her deep remorse.

It appeared to be a lifetime of torment and unconsciousness before Qin Yunuan suddenly felt her body lightened. It was so light as if only her soul and her spirit had remained, fluttering with the wind.

In the dark, it seemed that someone was calling her.

"Third Miss? Third Miss?"

Could dead people hear too?

"Third Miss? Wake up. Wake up! First Miss has already got off the carriage. Why are you asleep?"

Qin Yunuan was dragged by someone, and she yanked in her consciousness, as if she had been falling. In a panic, she opened her eyes hard.

It was dim with yellow curtains surrounding her. It seemed to be a confined space that was depressing.

"You're finally awake, Third Miss. Hurry up. You don't want to be late."

"Nurse Liao?" Qin Yunuan rubbered her eyes with some effort. She was shocked looking at the middle-aged woman with yellowish sunken cheeks. It was her wet nurse Liao, who should have been killed by her legal mother before she got married.

Qin Yunuan seemed to be doubtful. After looking at her for a long time, she threw her arms around nurse Liao's neck and cried like a child, "It's you, Liao! It's really you! I thought I'd never see you again."

"Don't say such unlucky words," nurse Liao said, "You're fourteen already but still coquettish with me. Besides, every one of the noble ladies in the capital hopes to participate in the Flower Fairy Festival in the palace, while you, my Third Miss, treat it as life and death. That's not happening."

What? Fourteen? The palace? Flower Fairy Festival?

"Isn't... isn't it the prefecture?" Qin Yunuan was stunned. "Wasn't I burnt to death in the sedan?"

"What are you saying? Third Miss." Nurse Liao whispered, "Even though the system is strict in the palace, you cannot compare it to the prefecture."

Only then did Qin Yunuan realize that the enclosed space where she was in was a gorgeously decorated carriage. Raising the carriage curtain slightly, what she saw were girls dressed up in flowery outfits. They were entering a vermilion palace gate with maids carrying their arms. On the plaque on the top of the palace gate were the characters "Rosefinch Gate" plated with gold, which was strange and familiar.

And a dozen steps away stood a young girl who was about sixteen years old. She had a pair of phoenix eyes with warped corners, delicate red lips and fine skin: a beauty indeed. She was wearing a narrow coat patterned with butterflies in flowers, covered by a cassia green silver gown, and an emerald sprinkled crepe skirt. There was a special charm in her motions, while she was talking cheerfully with two other noble ladies.

"Today...Is today February 12th of Qianyuan 13th year?" Qin Yunuan clenched her fists tightly, trying hard to hold back the emotions in her heart.

"Yes, it is, Flower Fairy Festival is on February 12th. Did you sleep too much to make you dumb? Anyways, get out of the carriage now. Don't be late." Nurse Liao eagerly said.

Quanyuan 13th year, Qianyuan 13th year... Qin Yunuan thought to herself. It all came so suddenly that she couldn't believe it, but she secretly pinched the back of her hand. "Ouch, it hurts!"

"That's right. I am dead... but, I am alive again!"

More than that, I went back to three years ago, when I went to the palace for the banquet. In the previous life, I was like an ugly duckling, contrasting my sister who was like an extremely glorious flower. And it was the very banquet that a mad cat scratched my face and ruined it. From then on, I was controlled by my legal mother and became a tool of her and my sister.

But now, everything was all over again. The heavenly arrangement was so wonderful, as always, that it had me rebirthed at the key moment when my destiny started changing.

Before she died, Qin Yunuan had told herself that if there had been one more chance for her, she would not have been as weak and avoiding as in her previous life. She would not smoothen her edges and pride again and again just for a moment of peace. She would not hide her glamor and colors just for a moment of safety.

Now that she had the opportunity to change everything, Qin Yunuan would only believe in one principle: If no one offends me, I shall not offend; if any one offends me, I shall pay back two-fold!

Having made up her mind, Qin Yunuan bit her lip secretly until she tasted blood. It drove her slightly excited, for it did not only prove that she really went back to the past, but also that a completely different life was about to begin.

Qin Yunuan set her sights on the girl again. It was someone she couldn't be more familiar with.

She was her own sister, Qin Yunzhuang.

Qin Yunuan got off the carriage, raised her eyes that had passed two lives and patted out her slightly wrinkled clothes. Before she even started talking, the two noble ladies who were chatting with Qin Yunzhuang in the distance spoke first.

"Oh, it's the third girl of the Qin's. I thought that some prince was in the carriage who let sister Qin wait for so long." A woman with round face and apricot eyes rushed to speak.

"Right. You're just a mistress' daughter. Sister Qin, with such kind heart, brings you to the Flower Fairy Festival, and yet you let her wait for you."

Huh, look. Before she even started talking, these girls had already got nasty. The sarcasm to her status of a commoner's daughter was unobstructed.

Qin Yunuan recognized the girl in white, the daughter of the Shangguan's family, Shangguan Yee. She was secretly close to her elder brother, the eldest son of the Grand Commandant, which was the reason why she deliberately approached Qin Yunzhuang. At this moment, especially, she was trying hard to prove her privilege.

How poor she was to try pleasing a man so humbly.

Qin Yunuan bowed slightly and slowly walked towards them, with a faint smile on her face. "What sister Shangguan said just now was really strange. This was apparently the carriage of the Grand Commandant's Mansion sending the female relatives to the banquet. How would there be princes? Did you suspect that my sister has secret relationships with some man?"

Shangguan Yee was shocked for a moment. That's totally not what she meant. She would never dare to say something like that to the first girl of the Grand Commandant, the sister of whom she loved.

Qin Yunzhuang pursed her lips and laughed," Oh, sister, sister Shangguan was just joking with you. Why so serious?"

Shangguan Yee quickly answered, "Yeah, yeah, it's nothing but a joke. I didn't expect you to be offended by such a small joke."

Qin Yunuan did not reply upon hearing it. Her clear and elegant smile was like a hook, making Qin Yunzhuang feel a bit uneasy.

"Sister, it's time to go." Qin Yunuan boldly faced Qin Yunzhuang's curiosity. She looked calm and decent with her slightly curved eyebrows.

Qin Yunzhuang caressed her chest secretly and thought that she must have lost her mind just now that she saw a trace of hatred and fierceness in Qin Yunuan's eyes. "How ridiculous is that? She's no more than a commoner's daughter. What hate could she have?"

The nannies in front of the palace was already urging them. Qin Yunzhuang who was in front handed over her name post and identified herself.

"Oh, it's the elder girl of Grand Commandant Qin," A fat nanny who was in the front immediately burst into a sunflower-like smile, as she looked up and down Qin Yunzhuang, "What a beauty indeed!" She couldn't help but exclaimed, "You are even more beautiful than that rumored. Go in there and wear a flower sachet," then she whispered, "Remember, girl, pick the red one. It's Hibiscus inside, which the queen likes the most."

"My father is Qin Zhi, and my name is Yunuan." Qin Yunuan was the next, and she identified herself politely.

The fat nanny screened through several pages in the list, only to see the words "Qin Yunuan" added last minute to the bottom of it. She knew that she was only a commoner's daughter, so she was a bit disdainful. She replied lazily, "Go in there and get a flower sachet."

"Thank you so much for your troubles. Yunuan wishes you good health." Qin Yunuan did not leave immediately like the other noble girls, but she showed courtesy to the nanny. Her eyes were filled with gentleness, with a hint of clarity and coldness from understanding the adult world. Even the fat nanny who had seen countless people was shocked.

Just as Qin Yunuan was passing by, the fat nanny said, seemingly inadvertently, "Oh, which one of you is careless enough to put the purple flower sachet in there? Don't you know that the Imperial Concubine Yun hates purple the most?"

Flower Fairy Festival was a feast for flower enjoyment but held in the twelfth month of the lunar year. There were no flowers in winter, so the festival was actually held to enjoy fake flowers-made of tissues and silks by maidens. Those ingenious maidens whose fake flowers were the most vivid and shining would be the queen in this competition.

Besides, there were also other activities, such as random draws of flowers and poetry singing. The winner would gain plentiful rewards from the empress. Even just a visit to the imperial palace and a look at the emperor and empress were aspirational dreams for many girls.

Nanny Liao was waiting for service outside the palace together with the maidservants. Qin Yunuan, followed by Qin Yunzhuang, with her crescent color flower sachet hanging on her waist, was walking on the palace path made of black bricks, together with two dozen maidservants. Those maidens were gossiping. To many of them, it was their first time to visit the imperial palace, so they felt so excited.

"Um, what do you think the Iron General's appearance? He wears the mask all day. I think it must be so choky to wear that."

"I think he is definitely such a brave and strong hero no matter what kind of face he has, even if he has a pockmarked face. I have heard that he is so handsome that he has to wear a mask to cover his face for not getting some trouble."

Qin Yunuan was walking aside those gossiping girls and heard their words. The word "Iron General" touched her heart. In the last life of her, she was forced to marry this person. Finally, she was burned to death before she knew the real appearance of him in the bridal sedan chair.

Though they finally did not get married, her heart was touched when hearing the name. She just woke up from the nightmare of her previous life and she still remembered the torching heat of that fire.

"Humph," Shangguan Yee heard that conversation and said in an arrogant voice, "he is just an illegitimate member of Palace Ning, inferior to the concubine's children. Nobody would care about such a menial person. I think he must be an ugly guy." She said to Qin Yunuan deliberately without any goodwill, "Sister Qin, am I right?"

Qin Yunuan knew that Shangguan Yee wanted to insult her.

"Bah," before Qin Yunuan answered, one of the gossip girls shouted, "Leng Changxi is the first-class general. He once got the head of the enemy's general and stayed clean when riding a horse in yellow sand. You, Shangguan Yee, are just jealous of him. Because your elder brother is just an idiot. I heard that he failed five times in the examination of Imperial College. In our Qi land, you can't find the second idiot like your brother."

Shangguan Yee almost cried, "humph, my elder brother looks foolish, but he has great wisdom. Your family Fang has five daughters without a son. Your family line seems to get broken."

The words of Shangguan Yee were so malicious. Qin Yunuan frowned and thought she was such as big-mouth witch who teased and even cursed her family.

The anger of Shangguan Yee did not disappear after she said that. Facing the tongue-tied girl from family Fang, she added, "And if you really admire General Leng, you can ask for marriage awarding from the empress. I wonder if you still say that he's bold and strong after you marry such a cold and violent guy."

"Forget it, sister Shangguan. Let it go." It was for a long time before Qin Yunzhuang came out to persuade Shangguan Yee. For Qin Yunzhuang herself, she also thought lightly of Leng Changxi, the illegitimate member of family Leng. Though he had great military exploit and gained focus from the emperor, he was not the authentic member of family Fang, and even could not get listed in the ancestral temple.

"Fine, fine. There are always many differences between mistress' children or illegitimate children and the children of a legal wife." Shangguan Yee squinted at Qin Yunuan and said arrogantly, "Qin, am I right?"

"I think Shangguan Yee is incorrect." A melodious female voice came and cooled the intense phenomenon like the babbling streams among mountains.

Shangguan Yee turned back and found the words came from Qin Yunuan. She disdained Qin and rolled her eyes arrogantly.

Qin Yunzhuang felt surprised at first but soon covered her emotion. She frowned, "Yunuan, don't be naughty."

"Sister, it was ShangguanYi that asked me first. If I do not answer her, it will be so impolite for me," Qin Yunuan said confirmedly. Shangguan Yee apparently was insulting Qin Yunuan, and she should not tolerate it! Qin Yunuan suddenly smiled and asked Shangguan Yee, "I am just wondering about the family background of Mr. Shangguan."

Shangguan Yee raised her head and said, "my dad was successful in the highest imperial examination and has worked as a higher-class officer in the Palace for 22 years without any error."

"Oh, so what about his father?"

Shangguan Yee felt prouder, "my grandpa Shangguan Yi was a famous Confucian scholar in the regions south of the River and had many followers."

"Yeah, that's true," Qin Yunuan nodded and sighed, "Mr. Shangguan Yi had great wisdom and delicate handwriting, and even the deceased emperor once sighed 'Mr. Shangguan in our Qi land is just like an invaluable treasure in our country'."

Qin's words made Shangguan Yee feel so happy but Qin Yunzhuang frowned. And even the girl from family Fang also felt confused. The third daughter of family Qin was retorting or flattering Shangguan Yee?

"OK, and then, what's the background of Mr. Shangguan Yi's father?" Qin Yunuan, now with cold eyes, said the words, just like a sharp knife poking to Shangguan Yee.

The little face of Shangguan Yee became pale. She gritted her teeth without a word. Through her angry and furious face, the girl from family Fang suddenly understood something.

"You must forget that, sister Shangguan. Let me tell everybody here for you," Qin Yunuan smiled, "the father of Shangguan Yi is Shangguan Cong. He was just an ordinary man who passed the imperial examination at the county level, working as a teacher. And, the father of Shangguan Cong is Shangguan Quan, a fisherman in the regions south of the River. And then the father of Shangguan Cong is Shangguan You. He was born in a noble family of Shangguan, one of the four famous families in the regions south of the River, but he was just an illegitimate member of the family, and he even could not be listed in the family pedigree."

Qin Yunuan underlined the last sentence. Actually, she just knew that from her father's wife. The wife admired Shangguan Yee and wanted to settle down the engagement of their children, so she searched for some information about family Shangguan. Qin knew this unconsciously when she sent the embroidery. The ability of remembering skills still existed.

Looking at the bad face of ShangguanYi, Qin Yunuan said in a softer voice, "so, sister Shangguan, please check your behavior before insulting others, and you will get involved with much disgrace if you keep insulting. What's the problem of a child of a mistress? What's the matter with a humble man? People don't care about the family background of heroes. The famous scholar Zhang Lian in previous dynasty, the marshal of country-establishment Meng Zhen, and now, the Iron General, they are all the heroes fighting for the Qi Land. Without their struggling, there wouldn't have the present Qi Land. Miss Shangguan, you focus much on family background, but you do not know that the peace and prosperity in the capital are given by those soldiers who have ordinary family backgrounds. Miss Shangguan, all people are born equal."

The last sentence was significant. It reminded us of the hard-won peace and underlined the family background of Shangguan Yee.

Shangguan Yee felt so urgent and furious that her eyes seemed to ooze a drop of blood. She thought Qin Yunuan was just the menial daughter of the concubine, and Qin had no right to give her a lecture. Now Shangguan Yee felt extremely outrageous!

Qin Yunzhuang pulled Shangguan Yee to stop her from keeping insulting others.

Looking at the furious face of Shangguan Yee and the admirable eyes of the girl of family Fang, she felt the pleasure of the first counter-revenge. She understood the feeling of self-protesting.

"Why do you all stop here? Come on!" The fat guide nanny was about to curse them more, but she found it was Qin Yunuan standing in the center of the crowd.

Qin Yunuan just nodded to the fat nanny with a lovely face. The fat nanny did not say anything. She thought she should not provoke the noble girls in the capital in this Flower Fairy Festival. Finally, she waved her hands to let them walk fast.

Now there was no one saying anything, and all were just walking towards the garden for the festival.

From other's gossiping, Qin Yunuan finally knew that it was not just an annual Flower Fairy Festival, and this one was also held to welcome the victorious returning of Senior General Leng Changxi from East Qin.

East Qin? Victorious returning? She felt so strange that in her previous life, Leng Chngxi would gain victory from East Qin one year later, but now he did it ahead of time. But she then thought that it was not a strange thing compared with her resurgence.

From their gossiping, it seemed that many people thought highly of Leng Changxi. He guided his troops to support the front army and then turned the whole circumstance. As soon as he and the other 100 thousand soldiers arrived, they successfully conquered the capital of east Qin. They forced the emperor to give his Imperial Jade Seal and agreed to regard Qi land as their suzerain.

It was the utmost glory of Qi land. The threat existing for 20 years of East Qin was solved by the 19- year-old young man so easily.

Through the shyness and expectation from those gossiping noble girls, it seemed that so many girls like the girl from family Fang regarded Leng Changxi as a superhero.

After they entered the garden, they found so many valuable and rare red plum. The guiding fat nanny said to them that the empress had not been to the garden yet, so they could idle around in this garden. The bored girls got excited and walked around, showing to each other and talking about everything around.

When they came to a peculiar rockery, someone shouted, "Look! There is a Persian cat!"

Qin Yunuan caught the voice and found that there was actually an idle cat lying on the tiny stone table across the rockery. It had snowy fur and looked like a lovely sticky rice ball.

However, Qin Yunuan knew that it was just not that simple. Qin Yunuan unconsciously touched her crescent-white flower sachet hanging on her waist, and then her eyes caught Qin Yunzhuang. She found the expectation and proudness in Qin Yunzhuang's eyes. Qin Yunzhuang quickly covered her face and Qin Yunuan still stayed calm and felt a little bit funny.

White cat, scratching, being disfigured, she remembered all of those scenes in her last life. In this life, those could happen again, but the lead actress was not her.

"Oh! Such a cute and lovely cat," Shangguan Yee now felt not so upset, "sister Qin, shall me bring it here and play with it?"

"It is the empress's favorite cat Shishi. I am afraid that I am too ham-handed to hurt it and annoy the empress, but Yunuan likes cats very much. You can find her to play with the cat together." Qin Yunzhuang refused the invitation and stared at Qin Yunuan.

Shangguan Yee felt unhappy when she saw Qin Yunzhuang was watching Qin Yunuan. She said with anger, "don't worry. It is just a cat, and the empress likes you, sister Qin Yunzhuang. How come she blames you!? You can just fondle it for a while, and the cat will not get hurt."

Qin Yunzhuang felt helpless. She thought that Shangguan Yee was so stupid and arrogant. Her mother said it was beneficial to get a relationship with family Shangguan, or she would not let her move around and get involved with her elder brother.

Shangguan Yee brought the cat to them. The white Persian cat was apparently not adaptable for being held by a stranger, and it kept struggling. Shangguan Yee now forgot the cat's struggle while she was so happy and proud to gain other's jealousy for holding the cat from those noble maidens.

"Sister Qin Yunzhuang, see? It is so cute!"

Qin Yunuan saw Shangguan Yee holding the cat and showing off to Qin Yunzhuang, and she just backed up toward the rockery. Just after two steps back, she saw the cat's fur getting straight and scratching crazily Qin Yunzhuang's beautiful face.

All the people got panic. Women here were screaming, and those eunuchs responsible for holding the palace lights were at a loss.

Qin Yunuan knew well the situation. She was not the stupid girl in the last life. Just now the fat nanny let Qin Yunzhuang select the ref flower sachet first at the palace gate, but Qin Yunzhuang deliberately selected the crescent white sachet together with Qin Yunuan. Qin Yunuan knew the trick. She replaced the sachet, but her act was so obvious and immature, full of loopholes.

Qin Yunzhuang could replace the sachet and did some tricks on it, so could Qin Yunuan. Just at the moment when Qin Yunzhuang pulled Shangguan Yee, Qin Yunuan took her crescent-white flower sachet back and put Qin Yunzhuang's back to her.

"Security! Don't freeze there! Help her." Shangguan Yee was so anxious. The cat scratched Qin Yunzhuang. If Qin got some serious trouble, she would have no chance to marry the boy from the mansion of Grand Commandant.

Unfortunately, the garden today was used to hold the Flower Fairy Festival. All members here were female so as to avoid the sex harassment issue. All male safeguards were dispatched to other places and the left were eunuchs without much strength. They dare not hurt Empress' baby cat. Some people got closer to help Qin Yunzhuang, but in vain.

Qin Yunuan felt happy to see that scene behind the rockery. In her last life, she was scratched by that white cat in rut, but no one came closer to help her.

Qin Yunuan was deepening into the memory of the last life. The absent-minded Qin Yunuan baked up for one step and almost fell down. She leaned the rockery aside and caught something hard. Finally, she stayed balanced.

She refreshed up and touched her chest, but only to hear a cold voice, "Is it enough? You have leaned on me for so long."

Qin Yunuan felt so surprised. That was a male's voice. Turning back, she saw cold and profound eyes. The rockery she just leaned on was turned out to be the wide and strong chest of that man.

The man was standing straight in a purple robe. He had his black hair tied up and wore a mask of black color with silver stripes. The mask was like a bat covering his face tightly. She could only see his cold eyesight, like a freezing snowflake.

Qin Yunuan got surprised by the man's eyesight and just in a flash. She recovered her calmness. She backed up and saluted to the man, "I just nearly fell down. Thanks for your holding."

Leng Changxi stayed still with his clothes waving by the wind, like a forceful pine tree lofting at the air opening. His eyes had browsed Qin Yunuan up and down.

The girl was so smart. It was she that leaned the man, but she said the man held her on his own initiative. She gained dignity and also found a reason to avoid blame from the man.

Leng Changxi just saw the whole thing at the roof just now. The little girl tried her best to dispute for herself, and he thought she was just butter-tonsiled. However, he was attracted by the girl's movement of replacing the flower sachets. He believed that her act was not so nimble but at an exact moment.

He thought she just stole something, but he then understood after he saw the crazy white cat. There must be a trick in the flow sachet. She was not an ordinary maiden due to her actions in public.

Qin Yunuan saw that Leng Changxi still had a poker face and thought the man was still angry at her. She thought it was reasonable that people always had a changeable expression. She got up her courage and said, "Please forgive me if I just now offended you..."

"You are so noisy." Leng Changxi answered but quickly closed his mouth, which seemed that he never opened his mouth when talking. He put his hands back and his long fingers were rubbing the jade ring worn in his thumb. It seemed that he was thinking about something.

Qin Yunuan was a smart girl and definitely knew what he meant. She just gave him a salute as the man did not blame her and didn't want to talk much to her. She saw the crowd got silent. Two middle-aged imperial physicians tried to get closer to Qin Yunzhuang who seemed to get heavy hurt, and even the imperial physicians came.

"Thanks for your generosity." Qin Yunuan lowered her head, "I don't bother your enjoyment of plum blossom." She was a little bit nervous and afraid his eagle-like eyes saw her inner heart.

Just at the moment, Qin Yunuan left the rockery. A voice behind her came, "Enjoyment of plum blossom?"

"Uh?" Qin Yunuan turned back quickly, only to see Leng Changxi stand there, half of his body in the shadow of the rockery, and a half in the sunshine, which was hard to perceive his mystery.

"Nothing." Leng Changxi said in the same voice, "You can leave here."

The Persian cat stirring up trouble now was held by two eunuchs. Two maidservants supported Qin Yunzhuang and let her sit on a stone bench. The imperial physician now was checking her. From the words of the physician, it seemed that Qin Yunzhuang had no more big trouble, but three bloodstains from her eyelid to chin. There would be no scar if she applied the imperial medicine Huayulu three times a day for a month.

But today, her face was really bad looking.

Scarred face, untidy hair and dirty skirt, Qin Yunzhuang now had a really bad appearance. But that was what those noble maidens wanted. If Qin Yunzhuang could not attend the feast, they might have more chances to win. Further, the feast was held not only for the annual Flower Fairy Festival but also for the victory-welcomed feast of Senior General Leng Changxi. If Qin Yunzhuang did not show up, the general then could see them more.

Each maiden had her own thoughts. Qin Yunuan perceived their secrets, and she knew that all of the maidens would be disappointed. Qin Yunzhuang was not that weak. Though Qin Yunuan put the flower sachet back, Qin YunZhuang was different from Qin Yunuan. Qin Yunuan was nothing but a daughter of a mistress, while Qin Yunzhuang was the legal daughter of her father-Grand Commandant, and besides, the empress liked her very much.

As expected, the empress soon knew that Qin Yunzhuang was scratched by the Persian Cat. She dispatched her closest nannies to look after Qin Yunzhuang and awarded the rare Huayulu, which was hard to see outside the palace, as well as white gauze for face covering.

"Sister Qin, I can accompany you to go back home for a rest. The empress will not blame us." Shangguan Yee, seemed to care much about Qin Yunzhuang, and supported her who had already tidied her hair and wore the gauze.

"Thanks, but I am fine. The feast will start soon." Qin Yunzhuang forced herself to stay. She knew that she could get supports from the empress. The gauze and the scars were nothing big deal. She could gain everything from his family, even the stars in the sky. She did not care about the gauze, disdains and Huayulu. She knew that she could be recovered within one month.

Qin Yunzhuang knew well the situation. If she showed up, even without her face exposed, she could still win in the feast only by her tricks and talents.

"Sister, are you OK?" Qin Yunuan came closer to hold the hands of Qin Yunzhuang.

Qin Yunzhuang unconsciously withdrew her hands. She replaced the flower sachet with rhizoma curculiginis which had the effect of sexual sensation. She predicted the habit of the Persian cat of the empress: drinking pure water in the morning and then had a walk in the plum garden. It was exactly the rut season of cats. With the provoking of rhizoma curculiginis, the cat must hurt Qin Yunuan.

She thought the cat was the new pet of the empress while Qin Yunuan was just the menial daughter of the concubine. If she failed to fight back against the cat, she would have her face scratched, and then she would not fear that face was more beautiful than hers. But if she managed to hurt the cat, the empress must punish her.

She would gain benefits no matter what the situation was. But now she felt painful due to the scars on her face even she had already got cured by Huayulu. She got furious when she saw the calm face of Qin Yunuan. She got rid of the hands of Qin Yunuan, "No. My face was scratched but my feet are OK. I don't need any support."

Shangguan Yee now was holding the arm of Qin Yunzhuang. When she heard Qin's words, she quickly withdrew her hands with more vicious eyes towards Qin Yunuan. "If that b*tch did not come together with me, Sister Qin would not treat me seriously."

"Sister, there's no need to do that," Qin Yunuan smiled, just like the tender peach blossom in Spring, "I remember. Before we came into the palace, you had told me that the most important thing of the maidens was not the beautiful face, but the talent, morality and virtue. Though your face got broken, you have fine virtue and politeness. You can still win if you can face it successfully."

"That's true," Qin Yunzhuang's eyesight toward Qin Yunuan changed and turned softer, but alarming, "sister, you should also perform well in the feast."