1 Escape from slavery
◎It doesn't represent anything.◎
The whispers in the Xie family these days always revolve around one sentence - that girl named Ciying is very lucky.
Even though the masters of the Xie Mansion had ordered not to discuss the matter anymore, rumors were rampant and curiosity killed the cat, so this was indeed a "funny" worth mentioning - the second young lady died suddenly of illness, and the stepmother was so devastated that she became ill with worry and actually mistook the servant who had served her daughter since childhood for her deceased daughter.
The head of the Xie family couldn't bear to see his wife in a trance every day due to missing their daughter, so he decided to go along with it. He waved his hand and cancelled the slave's status with the government, implying that he would adopt her as his daughter. His words only tried to comfort his stepmother who was in a trance.
In this way, the Xie family, a century-old family known for its strict etiquette and integrity, did an absurd thing, and as a result, a "fake lady" appeared in the noble family. Rumors continued to spread, and people in Chang'an City had more topics to talk about after dinner for at least half a year.
In a secluded courtyard of the Xie Mansion, Ci Ying knelt before a yellow pear coffin, silently burning paper. The flames illuminated her pale, beautiful face. She wore a graceful, simple white dress, and a single silver hairpin adorned her hair. Deathly silence crept over her face like a crackling flame, exploding into a white expanse in the midday light.
Unmarried women were not allowed to be buried in the ancestral tomb, even the only legitimate daughter of the Xie family. The Xie family chose a burial site for her on a high slope a mile east of the ancestral tomb, believing that she would be able to see her family at a glance a hundred years from now. In accordance with her lifelong interests, countless peach trees were planted around the site on the day the site was chosen.
Ci Ying gently stroked the coffin. She had been sold to the Xie Mansion at the age of six. On her first day there, she happened to see the mistress and her daughter selecting a personal maid. Ci Ying had never asked the daughter why she had chosen her so immediately, but for the past eight years, the daughter had always smiled softly, "I just happened to pick the dirtiest one in the crowd..."
In order to avoid alerting the stepmother and letting her know something was wrong, the funeral was kept very simple. Now, on the day of the burial, there were only a few people in the funeral procession. According to etiquette, Ciying's current status was sensitive, and as an outsider, she could not go with him.
Looking at the people in front of the coffin, Ci Ying lowered her eyes and stepped forward to stuff the purse one by one. Inside was most of the silver she had saved over the years. She whispered "Thank you for your help" every time she handed one.
After everything was done, when the funeral procession was about to leave, Ci Ying still asked, "Did the head of the family say who will send the young lady off?" Etiquette was there, and although it was difficult for the head of the family to go, some of the other elders in the mansion should go.
A man who was caught up at the end of the team whispered, "We've only told the eldest son and the second uncle to go. Miss, please stay. If you delay any longer, you'll miss the time."
Ci Ying paused, watching the coffin being carried out of the yard. The suona, gongs, and drums echoed, as bleak as the withered yellow leaves of autumn. She looked up at the sky, her eyes stinging with sunlight. It was a bright, sunny day, and counting on her fingers, she realized spring hadn't even ended yet, yet she was still shivering from the cold.
When he returned to the courtyard and told Ru Zhen about the young lady's burial, Ru Zhen wiped her eyes red with a handkerchief. A tear hung in her eye, about to fall, and she said in surprise: "The eldest son is back? I heard from my father a few days ago that the eldest son might not be able to come back this time. The imperial examination will be in February next year, and the academy..."
As she spoke, Ru Zhen looked at Ci Ying opposite her with her watery almond-shaped eyes.
Ci Ying was startled, her hand gently tapping her knee beneath her white shirt. Ru Zhen was a family-born child, so she was always better informed than she was. Ci Ying wanted to say something, but looking at Ru Zhen across from her, she found herself speechless.
After the young lady passed away, the courtyard was deserted. Ru Zhen was dressed in mourning, but she had an overly delicate pearl flower on her head. It looked like the one that the young lady had given her as a gift on her birthday. Upon closer inspection, it was found to be the real one, and Ru Zhen had taken it away at some point.
Ci Ying sighed softly in her heart, stroked Ru Zhen's head, and gently pulled out the pearl flower. The sharp silver hairpin pressed against the palm of Ci Ying's hand, and the sharp pain made her raise her hand and touch Ru Zhen's head.
Ci Ying spoke softly and slowly to Ru Zhen, "As a brother, I should come back to see you off."
"That's right. The academy can't stop the young master. However, the young master in the mansion is usually the most distant from the young lady. I don't know if it is the head of the family's intention." Ru Zhen leaned on Ci Ying's shoulder and responded slowly.
The spring sunshine shines into the towering blue-white walls of the Xie family, which is known as a century-old family, shines into the small bridge and flowing water reflected in the rockery stream, and shines on Ci Ying and Ru Zhen who are instinctively hugging each other for warmth in a remote courtyard. The light entangles the two people's clasped hands.
Later, when the two people thought of the sunshine that day, they always felt that it was bright, like a sharp knife.
After resting for a while, Ci Ying got up and prepared to go to the lady's yard to do what she needed to do every day - play the role of a lady when the lady was "awake".
Ru Zhen stood up and walked to Ci Ying. The bronze mirror reflected Ru Zhen's face leaning over Ci Ying's shoulder, but it was only for a moment. Ru Zhen took the wooden comb from Ci Ying's hand and said with a smile: "Let me do it. I was also responsible for dressing up the young lady in the past. What kind of bun would look more like her..."
A quarter of an hour later, Ci Ying looked into the bronze mirror. She was the only figure left in the mirror. Ru Zhen was selecting clothes beside her. "Even with similar makeup on, she still doesn't look alike. How could Madam have made a mistake? Did the head of the family simply have the young lady's clothes brought here? Ci Ying—" As she spoke, Ru Zhen gestured at a piece of clothing, her whole person becoming more graceful. "Does it look alike?"
"Not like it." Ci Ying shook her head.
Half an hour later, Qingshuangwan.
Ci Ying held the medicine bowl and fed the medicine to his wife lying on the hospital bed.
The lady looked at her gently and said, "A Su's hair is very beautiful today. Did Ru Zhen do it for you?"
A'Su is the young lady's nickname. Her full name is Xie Suwei. She has not yet reached the age to take a courtesy name, so people who are close to her will call her by the middle character "Su".
Ciying imitated the lady's usual tone and skillfully scooped up some medicine with a white jade spoon. She blew it cool carefully and then brought it to the lady's mouth.
After taking a bowl of medicine, the lady's face was already showing signs of fatigue. At Ciying's signal, the imperial physician hurried forward to take her pulse. Calming incense had been burning in the room, and Ciying felt a sense of unease in the air. She suspected that the lady, confined to the hospital room all day, must have felt the same way, so she raised her hand and touched the window frame.
She originally just wanted to open a corner of the window to let in some fresh air, but before she could use any strength, she was quietly held down by an unfamiliar maid.
The maid was elegantly dressed and had a haughty expression. Although it was her first time meeting her, Ci Ying could already guess her identity; she must have been a servant of the master. Another maid, Chun Tao, who had met the master several times, approached Ci Ying and leaned over to whisper, "The second young lady is here with me."
After leaving the room, Chuntao slowly straightened her bent back. Ciying followed behind Chuntao in silence.
Chuntao led her all the way to the master's study, pushed open one door, two doors, all the way to the innermost one, turned around the corridor, and a screen painted with light green orchids cast some mottled shadows on the floor of the study. The figure sitting in front of the desk was the master of the house.
Chuntao walked silently behind the screen, leaned over and whispered something in the master's ear.
Although there was only a screen between them, Ciying didn't hear a single word. This was the first time she had seen the head of the family since her mistress fell ill and recognized the wrong person. Previously, Chuntao had always been her intermediary.
The incense burning in the room was precious and elegant, lingering at the tip of Ciying's nose. Ciying did not dare to look up at the figure behind the screen. She knelt down and saluted properly. Her movements were so proper that no one could find any fault with them.
The study fell into silence for a moment. Ci Ying buried her head in her folded hands. She had not heard the master's order to get up. But even with her head down, she could still feel a cold gaze fixed on her from top to bottom.
Ci Ying's eyes trembled. The rumors circulating within the mansion, and even outside, weren't entirely true. It was true that the mistress was devastated after the young lady's death, that she had mistaken her for the young lady, and that the head of the household had her impersonate the young lady. But the claims of her being released from slavery and adopted as a daughter were completely untrue.
"Did Suwei give you the name Ciying?" After a while, a majestic and elegant male voice finally sounded in the study, accompanied by the sound of flipping a book. It seemed like a question, but in fact it did not ask Ciying to answer. The next sentence was fixed on the last page of the book.
"I'm from Dingyang, Anhuai. Your father, Lin Runsheng, was a scholar from the countryside who gained some fame in the 12th year of the Yuanfeng reign. Your mother, An Panjuan, was an embroiderer. There were seven people in our family. In the sixth month of the 13th year of the Yuanfeng reign, Dingyang was hit by a flood. This young man traded a bag of rice with your parents, and then sold you to the Xie family."
Xie Qingzheng stopped talking and took his hand away from the file.
"Yes." Ci Ying still maintained the posture of kneeling, as if the life that was casually described by the majestic male voice was not her life.
It wasn't until she emerged from the study, passing through door after door, that Ci Ying finally felt the box in her hand. A gust of wind blew, and on that spring evening, a chill ran through her body. Only then did she realize her clothes were soaked with sweat. This time, Chun Tao only walked her to the door, and compared to her previous arrogance, her eyes now held a more serious look.
Ci Ying didn't dare to collapse until she returned to the courtyard. She closed the door and staggered to sit on the soft couch. The box in her hand fell to the ground, revealing the contents.
Ru Zhen, who had followed them all the way, picked it up and looked at it, and was shocked: "The master really helped you escape from slavery! Ciying!"
Ru Zhen's cheers were in stark contrast to Ci Ying's silence at the moment. Ru Zhen happily turned around a few times with the book of expulsion before she noticed Ci Ying's silence and that her body was trembling.
Ru Zhen carefully placed the thin piece of paper in her hand back into the wooden box, then held Ci Ying's hand and asked carefully, "What's wrong, Ci Ying? Isn't this a happy news? It's been circulating for so long that I thought it was fake. It turns out that the head of the family really helped you get rid of your membership."
Ci Ying looked at Ru Zhen, who was cautious but couldn't help but feel happy for her. She didn't know how to explain everything that had happened today. She gently closed the wooden box. Facing Ru Zhen's worried eyes, she shook her head and said, "No, I'm just too happy..."
Ru Zhen showed an expression that said "That's right", and Ci Ying hugged Ru Zhen like a piece of ice hugging its sun. But even though Ru Zhen's joy was so obvious, Ci Ying's fingers were still trembling slightly.
She knew that if she made a mistake in the study, or said a wrong word, she would not be able to return home today, and might even implicate Ru Zhen. The mistress's mistaken recognition was not her escape ticket, nor was it her ladder to success, but a bottomless trap.
That thin piece of book means nothing.
The half-hour-long scrutiny was an invisible warning to her, telling her that in the face of such great power, her life was just a few lines on a file, and her letter of dismissal was just a thin piece of paper. She must not harbor even the slightest dissent.
【Author’s words】
6000+ words updated daily, with occasional updates, welcome to join us~
My dear babies, I have pre-collected the crematorium "Is the Immortal Lord at the crematorium today?" Please add it to your collection [starry eyes]~
————Pre-collected copy————
Zhixiao is a mountain ghost, born in Qionghua Mountain which has been uninhabited for thousands of years.
It was a beautiful spring day, and she found a young man covered in blood on the roadside.
The young man was handsome, like a god from heaven. However, the god had lost his memory and was lame, so he could not escape from Qionghua Mountain, which was full of barriers.
Later, she carried the young man on her back through the four seasons of Qionghua Mountain and made a promise of eternal marriage under the sacred tree.
Life should have passed in such a dull manner, but on a frosty and snowy winter day, the young man regained his memory.
Zhixiao began to realize that the young man was truly a god from heaven.
His eyes were cold. He first thanked her, then apologized, and finally said that he was leaving this mountain full of barriers. He didn't directly say whether he wanted her or not, but it seemed that he didn't want her anymore.
He said that he practiced the way of ruthlessness and would not be involved in love in this life.
He said that they were just like friends and getting married was just a joke.
He said that they would say goodbye at that time, and those cultivations and treasures would be considered as gifts of thanks.
She stared blankly at his back as he left and whispered goodbye.
She was heartbroken for three days, her face pale and she vomited blood. Her former joy was gone. So she left the mountain. The area below was bustling, and she met many friends, and she also met him again.
When the gentle young man she had just met was on her left, and the young demon king she had saved in the past was on her right, and they both proposed to her, she looked up and saw the immortal king's ashen face.
So, can people who practice the ruthless way also get angry?
She blinked, took the marriage certificate with a smile, and thought to herself -
But what does that have to do with her?
Chirp~[Cat's Paw]
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