All that met the eye was a raging inferno. The wood crackled and popped as it burned, and the thick, acrid smell of smoke filled the air. The ground was littered with the gruesome corpses of men, women, and children. A bandit with blood - red eyes raised a glinting silver dagger and stabbed it into the tiny body of a child under five. The child's eyes bulged in terror before collapsing into a pool of blood.
Everything was so horribly real. A little girl with two braids, as delicate as a jade carving, trembled all over as she watched the horrifying scenes unfold. Big tears streamed down her face like strings of beads, but she couldn't even let out a single cry.
Suddenly, a black - clothed man charged towards the little girl with a dagger in hand...
"No!" Mei Qingxue jolted upright in bed. Her slender chest heaved violently, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. It took a while for her agitated emotions to gradually subside.
Out of habit, Mei Qingxue looked around. What came into view was a four - paneled screen as tall as one and a half people, painted with bright red peonies. Under the wooden window was a large dressing table carved with an orchid - patterned hollow design. On the table was a jewelry box carved with pear - wood patterns.
After seeing that the furniture and layout remained the same, Mei Qingxue let out a soft sigh and murmured, "So I'm still in this place. It's good that I didn't change places. Otherwise, it would be really troublesome to adapt to a new environment."
She had just been woken up by a nightmare. This nightmare had been repeating in her mind ever since she took over this body. At first, she didn't find it particularly terrifying, but after having it so many times, she realized how tormenting it was.
Looking at the bright sky outside, Mei Qingxue thought that she had truly become much luckier in this life. She could sleep until she woke up naturally and had servants to attend to her. Such a life was something she couldn't even dream of in her previous life.
However, she was a bit annoyed that there was a character in her name that sounded like "bad luck" in Chinese. In her previous life, her name was Bai Luomei, and in this life, it was Mei Qingxue. She just couldn't seem to escape the bad - luck connotations associated with this character, so she was a bit dissatisfied with her current name.
Oh well, Mei Qingxue it is. It does sound rather poetic.
"Has the young miss woken up?" Just as Mei Qingxue was thinking about whether to go back to sleep, Yue Ru, a young maid in a green dress with twin buns, lifted the blue silk curtain and walked in with a basin of water.
Mei Qingxue sighed inwardly. This girl's ears were getting sharper and sharper. There was no way she could go back to sleep now. She stretched out her slender little hand and gently tapped the edge of the bed three times in a very regular rhythm.
Yue Ru understood the signal. After putting down the basin of water, she walked around the screen. "The young miss woke up a quarter of an hour earlier than usual today." Yue Ru was a very cute little maid with a round face and an endearing little tiger - tooth. She had been serving the previous owner of this body since Mei Qingxue took over. After observing her for some time, Mei Qingxue knew that this little maid was trustworthy.
Mei Qingxue knew that the girl was teasing her, but she just smiled and nodded. Life as a mute was really not easy!
"Miss, you must be so eager to go with the eldest young master to see the rare treasures he brought back from the bordering small country that's why you woke up so early today, right?" Yue Ru knew Mei Qingxue's good - natured temper, so she dared to say such things. If it were another master, discussing the master's affairs privately could be a serious offense!
Hearing this, a gentle look flashed across Mei Qingxue's jade - like face. Her "brother" truly cherished her like a precious gem. The warm feeling of being loved had filled her heart, erasing all her previous grievances.
She still remembered the first time she saw her "brother." She was completely stunned by his celestial beauty. She really wanted to thank the King of Hell for allowing her to be reincarnated into this body.
The father of this body was the prime minister of the current dynasty, the mother was a wealthy merchant's daughter, and the brother was a bodyguard of the emperor. There was no bullying from an older sister or step - mother. This kind of treatment was rarer than winning a five - million - dollar lottery!
The only drawback was that she couldn't speak. In fact, she could talk, but the previous owner of this body had been scared mute. To avoid being exposed, she had to continue pretending to be a mute. She had taken over this body when the girl was six years old, and it had been five years. She hadn't even stepped out of the prime minister's mansion once. She had been so well - behaved!
She reached out her little hand and tapped Yue Ru on the forehead as a punishment. This girl thought she could tease her just because she had a good temper! But actually, the girl wasn't wrong. She was really looking forward to what her brother had brought back for her.
Apart from being extremely powerful, there was another thing about the prime minister that all men couldn't understand and all women envied. That was, the prime minister had only one official wife and no concubines. Even the two maids - in - waiting from years ago had been sent to a distant estate more than a decade ago. So there was no intrigue between the main wife and concubines in the prime minister's mansion. Of course, there were still women who wanted to climb into her father's and brother's beds, but these budding desires were always nipped in the bud by her beautiful mother.
Today, Yue Ru had prepared a light - blue silk dress embroidered with butterfly orchids for Mei Qingxue. A snow - white belt tightened her slender waist, which was barely a handful. At the age of eleven, her figure already had a charming and alluring grace. Her long, flowing black hair was simply tied up with a blue silk ribbon at the back. Under her smooth forehead were a pair of delicate eyebrows. Her autumn - water - like eyes were full of charm as they fluttered. Her straight nose was above a small, bright - red cherry - like mouth.
"The young miss is becoming more and more beautiful!" Yue Ru stared blankly at Mei Qingxue and couldn't help but sigh again. This girl sighed every time she helped her change clothes and do her hair. Mei Qingxue was used to it.
Mei Qingxue gently touched her face, which had been hers for five years. She had lived ten lives, but in the previous nine lives, she had never had such a beautiful face. When she grew up, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she would be stunningly beautiful.
"Has the young miss woken up?"
"Miss, I think the eldest young master is even more impatient than you!"
Mei Qingxue stood up and walked towards the side hall. As soon as she entered, she saw a man in white as elegant as jade standing in the room. On closer inspection, she found that they had many similar facial features, but the man had a more masculine air.
The man, Mei Qingxue's current brother Mei Haoxuan, stepped forward to greet her as soon as he saw her come in. The smile on his lips widened even more.
"Did I wake my little sister up?" When Mei Haoxuan said this, there was a hint of annoyance between his eyebrows, as if it was a great pity that Mei Qingxue had slept one minute less.
Mei Qingxue was deeply touched. This brother really doted on her like a rare treasure. A beautiful smile bloomed on her face. She gently shook her head and stepped forward to affectionately hold Mei Haoxuan's arm.
Seeing this, Mei Haoxuan's star - like eyes were filled with doting. His slender fingers gently scraped the tip of Mei Qingxue's straight nose.
"After we have breakfast with mother and father, brother will take you to see those new and interesting things. How about that?" Mei Haoxuan looked at Mei Qingxue's smiling side - face, and a deep sense of guilt flashed in the bottom of his eyes. If he had protected his little sister well back then, Mei Qingxue would now be like a normal young lady from a noble family, with her own friends and social circle.
But because of that incident, his beloved little sister could no longer speak. His parents and he were afraid that she would be laughed at if she went out, so they had always protected her tightly, preventing her from getting hurt again. But her life must have lost a lot of fun, too.
As soon as Mei Qingxue heard Mei Haoxuan mention the unknown good things, her big eyes instantly lit up. It seemed that she wouldn't be so bored for a while!
The two walked hand in hand towards the Zhenyu Courtyard of Prime Minister Mei Zhenguo.
The beautiful scenery along the way in the prime minister's mansion always caught Mei Qingxue's eye. Although she had seen it many times, when she passed by the large garden in the prime minister's mansion, she almost thought she had entered a primeval forest. The tall trees and exotic flowers and plants were all to her liking. Thinking that she could live a carefree life as a "parasite" here for the rest of her life wasn't such a bad thing!
Prime Minister Mei Zhenguo had just returned from the morning court session. He and his wife Xia Ruolan were sitting upright on the chairs in the dining hall, waiting for their children to come.
"Haoxuan pays respects to mother and father."
Following Mei Haoxuan's greeting, Mei Qingxue also curtsied.
"Get up quickly. Xue'er is up much earlier today. Did you hear that your brother brought you something fun and got so impatient?" Xia Ruolan, wearing a dark - red front - buttoned luxurious dress, looked only in her twenties although she was in her thirties. It was obvious that she took good care of herself. Standing next to Xia Ruolan, Mei Qingxue and her mother looked as if they were carved from the same mold.
Her eyes were gentle yet shrewd. When she saw Mei Haoxuan, a hint of pride flashed in the bottom of her eyes, but when she saw Mei Qingxue, her eyes were filled with pity.
As soon as Mei Qingxue saw her mother's expression, she knew what was on her mind. She sighed silently. From now on, they would be her closest relatives in this world. She didn't want them to live in guilt because of the previous "her".
Mei Qingxue smiled, showing a row of cute little teeth. There were also two faint dimples at the corners of her mouth.
"Alright, I'm hungry. Quickly serve breakfast." Mei Zhenguo, who had already changed out of his court clothes and into a front - buttoned long robe with a black background embroidered with flying clouds, had not said a word, but his sharp, leopard - like eyes softened a bit when he saw Mei Qingxue and Mei Haoxuan. His voice was deep and resonant, making people not dare to act rashly in front of him.
"Yes, serve breakfast."
Mei Haoxuan led Mei Qingxue to sit down below Mei Zhenguo. Soon, the breakfast was served one after another.