Upon opening her eyes, she instinctively looked towards the window beside her bed, wondering what time it was. If it was still early, she would go back to sleep. But... wait a minute? There was no window beside the bed!
Shu Yao sat up abruptly in bed, looking around. Where was the window? It was gone.
But upon looking around, she realized she wasn't sleeping in her own room at all. Where was she? Squinting to see clearly... Good heavens? She was sleeping in the guest room! How did she end up sleeping here?
Startled, she quickly got out of bed and looked at the window on the other side of the bed. It was already bright daylight, and the dazzling sunlight shone in through the cracks in the window. Judging from the shadow of the flowerpot, it was already close to noon.
What happened? Why did she inexplicably end up sleeping in the guest room? And why didn't she wake up until late morning?
Where is Chunlu? Didn't they notice she wasn't sleeping at Biyue Residence? They didn't even come out to look for her. It's outrageous!
She went back, put on her embroidered shoes, and straightened her clothes…wait, why are these clothes old? It seems she hasn't worn such coarse clothes since the day she became Huo Jingsha's concubine, let alone after marrying him. Her doubts grew stronger, and filled with confusion, she hurriedly left the guest room. The Huo residence was as usual; the servants were busy preparing lunch, and the backyard was empty, with no one noticing her.
On her way to Biyue Residence, she kept wondering: Was her husband handling matters in the study? And what about Xiaobao? Was he playing in the room?
Huo Jingsha should not be in the manor at this time. Perhaps she should go and see Xiaobao first, and then have the servant prepare a carriage to send some food to her husband in the office, so that he won't have Yue Ping cook plain noodles for him again.
"Madam, where are you going?" a maid called out to her.
But Shu Yao had never seen this face before.
"I'm going to look for Xiaobao. Is he in his own yard with his wet nurse?"
"Oh...you're looking for the young master? He was taken out to play by our young mistress..."
"Your young mistress?" Young mistress, young madam—those were the terms the servants always used to address her. Why were they using them to address someone else now? This made her feel increasingly uneasy!
"Well, the wet nurse said that the young master's clothes are all too short and need to be remade. The master also had the same idea, so he instructed the servant to prepare the carriage and let the young mistress, as the mother, personally lead the young master out. It's a rare trip out, so I guess he'll definitely have lunch outside before returning."
Shu Yao was shocked! The mother? Xiao Bao was her son, she was the mother, so who was the woman who took her son away?
"Tell me, who is your young mistress? And who am I?" she asked, her face pale.
The maid looked surprised. "You...you are the madam, and the young mistress...the young mistress is Yuefang, didn't you know?"
Shu Yao was stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Yuefang? When did she become the young mistress of the Huo family? She's just an insignificant concubine in the backyard."
This is absurd! Absolutely absurd! How could everything around her be different after she woke up? No way! She had to find someone to get to the bottom of this.
But the maidservant wouldn't let her go, pulling her back and saying, "Madam, given your status, you shouldn't be running around in the courtyard, especially now that your master isn't home. I think you should stay in the guest room."
Shu Yao was practically dizzy. She flung the maid's hand off her sleeve and said sharply, "Didn't you call me Madam just now? Since we're both Madams of the Huo family, why can't I walk around freely?"
“You’re wrong!” the maid retorted. “Yuefang is the young mistress of our Huo family, not you.”
"What...what did you say?"
“Your husband passed away long ago. You came to the manor as a guest at the invitation of our young mistress. Moreover, the young mistress was married into the manor with great ceremony and proper rites. How could she be a concubine in the backyard?”
"How is this possible?" Shu Yao jumped up in shock. Yue Fang, the concubine who was originally disliked in the backyard, had become the legitimate Mrs. Huo, while she, the real wife, had become an outsider?
Good heavens, could it be that she has been reborn again? Starting a completely different life? But that's not right, she doesn't remember when she died, and she remembers the scene of each rebirth very clearly, which is completely different from this time.
"What's wrong? You look so pale!" The maid kindly stepped forward to help her, but the person in front of her looked so pale that she seemed about to faint at any moment.
Upon hearing such shocking news, it's no wonder Shu Yao's expression was anything but pleasant. "Where is my husband?"
"Your husband died, didn't he? He died while he was out apprehending criminals with the lord. Even we servants know about it."
She gritted her teeth and sighed helplessly, "Where is your Lord Huo?" This girl must be new here, blind and unaware of her identity, which is why she made such a blunder.
"The master has also gone out."
"Where did he go?" Since waking up, everything had been shrouded in mystery, leaving her completely bewildered. She felt lost in a fog, unable to find her way or distinguish between illusion and reality. She needed someone to ask her what had happened yesterday.
"Uh... Your Excellency has been summoned to the palace by the Emperor."
She's been summoned by the Emperor, so she probably won't be back until evening. "Where's Chunlu? And Xia Hong, Qiu Yue, and Dong Xue? Aren't any of them in the manor?" This girl doesn't know who she is. Chunlu needs to teach her properly, lest she mistake her identity for a concubine and treat her like a proper wife.
"These four are the young mistress's head maids. When the young mistress goes out of the manor, they will naturally go with her. If you need anything, just tell me." The maid said enthusiastically.
“They all went out, and they even took my son with them. Why didn’t they ask me first?” Shu Yao was a little unhappy. “Go to the company and tell Xu Chang to come back. Tell him I need to see him urgently.”
"Lord Xu Chang? Ah...isn't he right behind you?" The maid pointed behind her.
Shu Yao quickly turned her head and saw the person she was looking for right behind her. She was so happy that she almost jumped up. "Xu Chang!" It's better to arrive early than at the right time. Then she asked bluntly, "What's going on? How come she doesn't know who I am? When she was bought, didn't you explain to her who Madam Huo is in the manor?"
"Madam, may I ask what she said wrong?" Xu Chang asked politely, bowing slightly to her with a serious and rigid demeanor.
"She said Yuefang was Mrs. Huo, and I was just a guest staying temporarily."
Xu Chang looked puzzled. "Then she wasn't wrong, so why is Madam angry?"
Shu Yao gasped, letting out a soft breath, "Xu Chang, even you... even you don't recognize me? My God!"
She covered her face in despair, not knowing what had happened.
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