"Mother, in your opinion, if we were to choose a concubine-in-waiting, would Tian Yao or Bi Xi be more suitable?"
Hearing someone call her name, Tian Yao suddenly opened her eyes.
What greeted her were two women in ancient costumes looking at her.
"Tian Yao is already sixteen. She's beautiful and would be a good mother. But Bi Xi is well - educated and more capable of sharing the burdens of the heir apparent."
Heir apparent?
Looking around at the antique tea - room, with wisps of green smoke and the soothing aroma of tea, Tian Yao suddenly realized.
She had time - traveled! And she had landed in the novel she was reading before she fell asleep!
Tian Yao was annoyed.
Time - travel was one thing, but why did she have to be the cannon - fodder female supporting character?
She was even just a concubine - in - waiting who only appeared in a few chapters and gave birth to the male lead's child!
In the book, she was a maid beside the Dowager Lady of the Yongyi Marquis. She and the female lead, Bi Xi, were both being groomed as concubine - in - waiting.
The original her was jealous that Bi Xi was chosen to serve the heir apparent, He Huai Bi. She repeatedly tried to seduce the male lead and framed the female lead, only to be counter - attacked in the end. She ended up in a brothel, with a tragic fate and died in childbirth.
The women speaking above were the Lady of the Yongyi Marquis and the Dowager Lady.
Tian Yao's heart suddenly tightened, and it felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
According to the plot of the original book, the Dowager Lady had noticed her beauty and wanted to give her to the heir apparent as a concubine - in - waiting to teach Bi Xi a lesson.
The original fool didn't realize this was a plan to flatter and then ruin her. She thought it was a blessing from heaven and fell right into the trap!
"Bi Xi is a good girl, but in terms of appearance, Tian Yao is more beautiful. Maybe she'll be more to Huai Bi's liking."
The Dowager Lady's voice was not loud, but it carried more authority.
This fateful plot had finally arrived!
Tian Yao was startled. Ignoring the ancient etiquette, she knelt down with a "thud".
"This maid has a hidden illness. I'm afraid I'm not fit to serve the heir apparent. Please forgive me, Lady and Dowager Lady!"
Her voice was originally soft and tender. Now, with just the right amount of tremor, it sounded both panicked and sincere.
"Oh? A hidden illness?" The Lady of the Marquis put down her teacup, her voice rising subtly. "Every maid is examined when she enters the marquis's mansion. You've always been in good health. How come I've never heard of any illness of yours?"
Tian Yao was panicked inside. She knew this was a test.
Having read countless ancient romance novels, she had some ideas.
The ancients were very particular about buying maids. If the illness was too minor, it wouldn't change her fate. If it was too serious, she might be punished and driven out. Anyway, Tian Yao had to come up with a reasonable excuse to avoid being given to the male lead as a concubine - in - waiting.
Tian Yao thought carefully. Finally, a blush crossed her face as she said hesitantly, "My Lady, this maid... has excessive body hair. I'm afraid it will offend the heir apparent."
Excessive body hair?
All the women in the room frowned.
The Dowager Lady looked at Tian Yao, whose skin was as white as porcelain, for a few more times, and twirled her Buddhist beads.
"It's just a minor thing. You can just remove it."
Tian Yao looked sincere and obedient, still shy. "This maid does remove it every day. But the heir apparent is a noble person. In front of a noble person, this maid doesn't dare to overreach."
"You're a clever one."
The Lady of the Marquis replied casually. After that, they continued their conversation without mentioning her again.
Tian Yao's matter wasn't a big deal, but as she had thought, if she didn't say it, they could just pretend not to notice. But since she had said it in public, as a mother and a grandmother, they couldn't force a woman with an unseemly physical condition on their own relative.
It was okay if the excessive body hair was on the visible parts of the body. They were more worried about the parts under the clothes.
They just wanted Huai Bi to be more aware of women, not to be obsessed with them.
The matter of the concubine - in - waiting naturally came to an end.
Tian Yao let out a sigh of relief and returned behind the screen. A group of maids were standing there, including the other person mentioned just now - the female lead of the novel, Bi Xi.
Bi Xi was elegant and refined. She was wearing a moon - white ruffled skirt embroidered with lotus flowers and a hanging cloud hairpin. She gave Tian Yao a cold look.
"Do you know you've missed the chance to change your fate?"
Tian Yao blinked and pretended to be innocent.
"Sister Bi Xi is joking. Tian Yao has only been in the mansion for a short time. I'm already content to serve the Dowager Lady well. I don't have any thoughts about changing my fate."
Hearing this, Bi Xi smiled.
"Best if it's so."
After the morning tea - offering ceremony, Tian Yao left the hall. She let out a long breath and walked towards the back garden.
The marquis's mansion was deep, with pavilions and waterside terraces, all exquisitely built.
But Tian Yao had no mood to appreciate them. Her mind was full of plans for the future.
Since she was here, she had to make the best of it. Now that she had time - traveled, she had to find a good future for this body.
Bi Xi had the protection of the female lead's halo. Fighting against her was just asking for trouble.
He Huai Bi, the heir apparent and the male lead, was also out of the question. He seemed like a gentle gentleman, but in fact, he was cold - hearted. Concubines were just playthings to him. She couldn't count on him.
If she wanted to survive, she'd better stay away from these two.
But she couldn't just leave the marquis's mansion. As a modern person, she didn't know how to make a living yet. She couldn't be too hasty.
Under such circumstances, who in the back yard could she rely on to live a quiet life?
Tian Yao was in a daze when suddenly there was a dull sound behind the rockery, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.
She stopped in her tracks and held her breath.
"This subordinate was careless for a moment. Please spare my life, my Lord..."
In the pavilion, a man dressed as a servant was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood. In front of him sat a man in black clothes with black hair.
At this moment, he was leaning on a wheelchair, his fingertips gently tapping on the armrest, looking very relaxed.
That wheelchair...
Tian Yao gasped and instantly realized who this person was.
He Ci Yuan, the eldest son of the Yongyi Marquis. Although he was the eldest son, he didn't inherit the title because his mother was of unknown origin. He was a "bastard".
Back then, when the Yongyi Marquis went to war, he brought He Ci Yuan back directly.
So the people in the marquis's mansion didn't like him.
But even so, they didn't dare to underestimate him, because He Ci Yuan was truly terrifying.
A prodigy and a martial arts genius.
At the age of fifteen, he went to war with his father. He could fight against a hundred and had captured countless cities.
Later, when the marquis died in battle, he returned to the marquis's mansion with both legs disabled.
He was cruel and blood - thirsty, and everyone in the mansion tried to avoid him.
A chill ran through Tian Yao's body. She subconsciously took a step back, but her foot stepped on a pebble. She stumbled and fell forward clumsily.
"Who's there!"
Tian Yao tried to get up, but her hands and feet wouldn't listen to her.
The sound of the wheelchair rolling on the pebble - paved path came closer and closer.
A pair of black boots stopped right in front of her. The cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread were a bit dazzling in the morning light.
Tian Yao looked up tremblingly and met a pair of pitch - black eyes.
The man in front of her had deep features and extremely pale lips. Although he had a heavenly - like appearance, his cold eyes made him look sinister and intimidating.
"Look up."
Tian Yao timidly raised her face and happened to meet his eyes.
Summer had just passed, but there was still a bit of summer heat in the air.
Tian Yao was afraid of the heat. As she walked, half of her clothes were soaked with sweat.
Her thin summer dress showed off her exquisite figure. She was just the right size, neither too fat nor too thin.