"Turn around and let me have a look at your face."
"Hmm?"
On the bed, Lan Miao let out a faint hum. Her soft body had already melted like a puddle of water, wrapped tightly in the man's strong embrace, too weak to move.
The sound of the wind and rain outside the window mingled with the secretive gasps, washing away all traces.
Half - asleep and half - awake, Lan Miao obediently raised her eyes. The man's breath was hot and domineering. His voice was blurred as he whispered something next to her flushed ear. After she understood what he said, her whole body stiffened.
A cold wind blew, and the window rattled.
Lan Miao was suddenly startled.
When she opened her eyes again, the world was covered in frost.
—
The world spun around her.
She felt dizzy.
Two drops of sweat slid down from Lan Miao's forehead, almost blurring her vision.
She hadn't slept well because of that fragmented dream last night.
Early this morning, she was called by her mother - in - law to stand for the rules.
Lan Miao was dressed in plain clothes without any hairpins. She knelt straight - backed in front of the ancestral hall of the Marquis Mansion.
The maids and servants passing by took no notice of her kneeling there. The fierce sunlight outside formed a sharp contrast with the dead - silent coolness inside the ancestral hall.
Grandma Wen was sitting inside, holding a string of Buddhist beads and mumbling something.
Suddenly, Nanny Li walked out of the ancestral hall with two maids. They were carrying a large wooden basin and rudely placed it on the ground in front of Lan Miao. The splashing water got into Lan Miao's eyes.
"Madam, you haven't learned the rules well. The old lady thinks just kneeling isn't enough. Please sort out these two kinds of broken jade beads."
Lan Miao frowned, wiped the water from the corner of her eye, and looked closely.
In the wooden basin were two kinds of mixed red and white jade beads, smaller than mung beans. They were all broken and looked extremely sharp. If she really knelt down and sorted them out, the fingers she used for jade carving would be ruined.
Sorting the jade beads was meaningless, and so was the punishment of kneeling.
The so - called "learning the rules" was just a way for the old lady to torture her.
Since her husband died accidentally five years ago, Grandma Wen, unable to vent her grief and pain, blamed Lan Miao, believing that this inauspicious woman had caused the death of her son. She could only feel better by tormenting Lan Miao, especially in the months approaching her husband's memorial day.
For the sake of her daughter, Lan Miao could only endure.
This kind of unjust punishment of kneeling had become a common occurrence. As a widow, Lan Miao had nowhere to complain. As long as no one died, her useless natal family wouldn't care about such small things.
Lan Miao silently raised her eyes, and something flashed through her mind quickly.
Nanny Li sneered contemptuously. What could a widow like her do to resist?
"The old lady said that if Madam doesn't want to sort these jade beads, she is disrespecting her mother - in - law. She has to read the following words out loud a hundred times here—"
"I'm an inauspicious person. I caused the death of my husband and father - in - law. I deserve to be cut into pieces and go to hell after death. I'm an inauspicious person. I have no respect for my elders and my conduct is despicable..."
Wasn't this forcing her to humiliate herself?
Lan Miao was silent.
A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
So there was such a way to humiliate people in the world.
She thought that as long as she endured and tried her best, after the pain and time passed, the old lady would understand her. After all, the old lady was just a woman who had lost her husband and son...
Lan Miao tightened her lips. After a while, she reached out her hand to touch the shiny fragments of jade beads in the wooden basin.
Nanny Li's face darkened immediately. In fact, the old lady wanted Lan Miao to read those words more, forcing her to humiliate herself and even commit suicide...
Anyway, no one would help her. Let's see how long she could endure.
Unexpectedly, before Lan Miao's hand touched the fragments, a shrill voice sounded, accompanied by several chaotic footsteps coming from not far away.
"Wait."
Lan Miao looked back in confusion.
— It was Mrs. You's voice.
Since Lan Miao's husband and the old marquis died together in the border area five years ago, the title of the Marquis of Yongyi Mansion had been inherited by the second master Wen Hongxin. His wife, Mrs. You, was the legitimate marquis's wife, while Lan Miao's position as the "first madam" had become rather awkward.
Mrs. You came over in a hurry, her skirt fluttering.
She glanced at Lan Miao kneeling on the ground and snorted, "Oh, still kneeling. Don't let her do this for now. I have something to say to the old lady..."
Mrs. You said the second half of the sentence to Nanny Li.
Nanny Li frowned and nodded, then led Mrs. You into the ancestral hall.
Inside the ancestral hall, when the old lady saw Mrs. You coming in, she opened her eyes, put away the Buddhist beads in her hand, and her face darkened. No one knew what Mrs. You said to the old lady. Their complex looks were fixed on Lan Miao at the same time, full of disgust and displeasure.
Then they started talking again.
Being far away, Lan Miao only heard a few words, something like "... jade pendant... enter the palace, the Empress Dowager... can't be replaced... deceive the emperor...". She also heard her own name. It seemed that the matter was related to her.
The next moment, Nanny Li walked out of the ancestral hall, blocking her sight. Nanny Li pointed at her impatiently, "Madam, don't think that just because the marquis's wife is here, you can slack off. Hurry up and sort these beads."
"If you don't learn the rules well, we'll have to ask the young miss to come and learn them for you."
Lan Miao felt colder and colder inside. Xue'er?
No.
She struggled to stand up, staggering.
Seeing that she dared to move, Nanny Li pressed her shoulder down fiercely with one hand, trying to force her to kneel down again, and raised the other hand to slap her...
Lan Miao fainted.
There was a scream from inside the ancestral hall.
In her blurred vision, Lan Miao saw a small figure running towards her, and then she lost consciousness.
—
I don't know how much time had passed.
Lan Miao opened her eyes weakly. There was an anxious and childish voice in her ear.
"Mother, don't die. I'll fight them all..."
Silly child, what can you fight against?
She knew it was Xue'er. She gently reached out her hand, and their palms, one big and one small, touched. Lan Miao felt a warm feeling in her heart. When she came to her senses, she saw Xue'er standing beside the bed, holding a bowl of medicine. Her hair was tied up in two twin buns with a red string. She was delicate and cute, but her eyes were red.
"Mother, you're awake?"
Xue'er was overjoyed.
"Mother is fine. Don't worry. With your little strength, who can you fight against?"
Lan Miao scraped Xue'er's little nose and looked around. She found that she was back in her bedroom.
"Mother, drink the medicine first. The doctor said you suffered from heatstroke."
Xue'er was only four years old. Holding a bowl bigger than her hand, she looked at Lan Miao seriously.
"Okay..."
Lan Miao quickly took the bowl. She remembered the scene before she fainted and felt a pang in her heart. She carefully checked if Xue'er was injured anywhere. "Did you go to see Grandma?"
"I haven't seen her yet. Grandma told me to leave. Xue'er knows Grandma doesn't like me. Every time Xue'er wants to get close to Grandma, she just shakes me off. But—"
Xue'er winked playfully. "The more she does this, the more Xue'er will pester her. I'll also take Qingzhi with me. Then everyone will know that Grandma bullies children."
Lan Miao couldn't help laughing.
She pressed her forehead against Xue'er's and felt that her temperature was no longer so hot. Although she wanted to say that Xue'er's actions couldn't shake the old lady, seeing her daughter so innocent, Lan Miao didn't have the heart to dampen her spirits.
"Xue'er's cold is almost better. Mother doesn't have to stay up with me at night... Qingzhi wants my rattan ball. Hehe, I'm going to make a bet with her..."
Lan Miao listened to Xue'er's chatter while drinking the medicine.
Seeing that Xue'er wasn't affected by these things, she felt much better. But just after she finished drinking the medicine, a figure flashed in from outside. "Sister - in - law, you're awake. Since it's just heatstroke, rest well and then come with me to the palace."
The palace?
Lan Miao felt dizzy. Her first reaction was to refuse, but thinking of the old lady's increasingly excessive actions, she calmed down. She first called Shuangxi to take Xue'er out to play, and then said to Mrs. You, "Tell me first. What's going on?"
Mrs. You showed an unusual kind expression.
"You know that everyone in the capital loves jade. Some time ago, the mandarin duck purple jade pendant you carved was presented to the palace by the mansion and got into the hands of the Empress Dowager. Today, the palace sent a message that the Empress Dowager specifically wants to meet the jade carver of this jade pendant. Hurry up and come with me."
Lan Miao frowned slightly.
Her voice was faint but her tone was a bit heavy.
"That mandarin duck purple jade pendant was a teacher - apprenticeship gift for Xue'er. I wanted to ask a famous master to come to the mansion to teach her through the marquis. Why was it suddenly presented to the palace by you?"
"The whole Marquis Mansion needs to be taken care of. As a member of the Marquis Mansion, you should contribute to it. It's just a jade pendant. Maybe the Empress Dowager will reward you if she likes it." Mrs. You said angrily.
"If it's really a reward, why would the jade carver be called into the palace? I've said before that the jade carved by my hands won't enter the palace. Can't you understand human speech?"
Lan Miao put down the bowl heavily.
Mrs. You was stunned. Lan Miao, a widow, usually lived a simple life, either raising her child or carving jade. She had never shown any temper even when the old lady tortured her. Why was she so scary now?
Why was Lan Miao so resistant to the palace?
Mrs. You was choked by her words. Before she could say anything, Lan Miao took a deep breath and said calmly.
"If the Empress Dowager's intention is to punish, then I'll bear the punishment. If it's a reward, you won't be able to find anyone to replace me. Since I have to go, I can go to the palace with you. But you have to leave your green - smoke jade brush washer with me as compensation for that mandarin duck purple jade pendant. If I come back safely from the palace, I'll use that brush washer to invite a teacher for Xue'er in person."