Chapter 52 sets the stage as the female protagonist [Xue Fengchun] has already entered Chang'an...
[The female lead [Xue Fengchun] has entered Chang'an. Please note, host, your current identity is the villainous supporting character [Xue Rongyue] from the opposing camp. At this moment, the original plot officially begins—]
Chapter 1: First Visit to the Xue Manor
The thin morning mist quietly dissipated, revealing the majestic mountains in the distance. Two lines of wild geese skimmed across the shimmering river, stirring up a moist spring breeze that awakened the golden bells hanging under the eaves. The brilliant sunlight flowed quietly over the pavilions and waterside terraces, while bees and butterflies tirelessly fluttered around the lush, blooming spring flowers. Everything was bathed in the bright sunshine of spring.
At 1:15 AM, at the Xue residence.
Xue Rongyue sat on the veranda, absentmindedly playing with the sachet tied to her waist. Just as the system notification sounded, Geng Weng rushed in and reported, "Madam, the general has entered the city."
Xue Rongyue calculated the distance from the city gate to the Xue residence, and only got up when the time was approaching, and went to the main gate of the Xue residence to greet him.
Willows sway gently, and the sound of horses' hooves draws near.
A majestic, imposing man in armor sat astride his horse, followed closely by two squads of guards who escorted the carriage traveling in the middle.
His dark, rugged face bore the subtle marks etched by wind and sand. General Xue had a scar on his face, worn by time, running from his lip to behind his ear. Though the scar had long since faded, it remained strikingly clear.
Sitting high on horseback, the man exuded a commanding presence, radiating an aura of power and authority.
Jingnu was clearly somewhat afraid of him. As the group approached, she lowered her head and tugged at Xue Rongyue's sleeve: "My lady, let's go back to the Princess's residence early today."
"good."
Xue Rongyue agreed and patted Jingnu's hand to appease her.
As they spoke, General Xue had already tightened the reins and stopped in front of the Xue residence. His personal guards stepped forward to take the horse, and Xue Rongyue calmly walked up to greet him, saying, "Father."
Xue Xiude glanced at Xue Rongyue with a faint expression, his brows furrowing suddenly. He was about to say something, but then his gaze swept over the servants standing in front of the mansion gate, and he swallowed his words. Just then, the carriage stopped, and a young girl dressed in a plain white dress stepped down from it.
The young girl had almond-shaped cheeks and a beautiful face, with a stunning appearance. Her hair was piled high, and she was so beautiful that it was a sight to behold. She wore a plain white dress and, although she was not adorned with a head full of pearls and jade, it did not diminish her beauty. On the contrary, every smile and frown of hers made her even more pitiful.
So this is the female lead, Xue Fengchun.
Xue Rongyue withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, her expression indifferent.
Ignoring the various gazes cast upon him, Xue Fengchun stepped forward.
She was rather frail. Standing in front of the mansion gate, she coughed twice in the wind, curtsied, and said, "Greetings, Madam Xue."
Xue Xiude frowned even more deeply, and before she could finish her curtsy, he immediately reached out to help her up: "We're all family, why bother with these formalities? Get up quickly, let's go inside."
Upon seeing this, Xue Fengchun frowned slightly, but his expression returned to normal in an instant. However, as he stood up, he glanced at Xue Rongyue almost imperceptibly, as if scrutinizing her expression.
Xue Xiude strode ahead, with Xue Rongyue and Xue Fengchun following behind. Along the way, Xue Xiude personally introduced the scenery of the mansion to Xue Fengchun, his words unusually gentle. Every time Xue Fengchun coughed, he looked worried and concerned.
At this moment, he truly resembled a father who cared for and loved his children. Unfortunately, Xue Rongyue was merely a witness to this paternal love.
Xue Xiude completely ignored her, as if this daughter he hadn't seen in so long wasn't his biological daughter at all.
The servants following behind couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment. Two of them, walking at the very back, secretly exchanged glances, their minds racing.
Only when they reached the depths of the covered walkway did Xue Xiude stop, turn his head to look at Xue Rongyue, and say his first words to his daughter: "Which courtyard have you arranged for Chun'er to stay in?"
His voice carried a veiled warning: "Don't tell your father it's the guest house."
Xue Rongyue glanced at Geng Weng, who quickly stepped forward to report: "After receiving the general's message, this servant immediately led people to clean and tidy up the Jade Courtyard, and sent skilled craftsmen to renovate it inside and out. All the utensils and items are new items taken from the storeroom."
"A jade courtyard?!"
Xue Xiude frowned and glared at Xue Rongyue: "What exactly are you up to? You arranged for your sister to live in the Jade Courtyard. Don't you know who lived there before?"
Upon hearing this, Geng Weng was startled and knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Please forgive me, General. I heard you say that you wanted to prepare the best courtyard. Looking around, there is no courtyard in the manor that is more orderly than the Jade Courtyard. So I took it upon myself to make the decision. Please forgive me, General."
Xue Rongyue sneered: "Father only said that he would clean out the best courtyard in the manor, but he did not mention that he would also take into account who had lived there before. Ignorance is no excuse. Father just brought his adopted daughter back, and he wants to punish me and the servants in the manor?"
Jingnu lowered her head and took a deep breath.
She understood, Old Man Geng understood, and Madam understood even more: this was merely a pretext for General Xue to reprimand Madam. If Madam had truly stopped her adopted daughter from living in this courtyard, General Xue would have accused her of being disobedient and disrespectful to her father, accusing her of jealousy and cruelty.
Both sides will get a scolding.
"You disobedient and unfilial brat, for every one word I say, you have a hundred more waiting to say the same!"
Xue Xiude was furious and was about to step forward to scold him when someone next to him gently tugged at his sleeve.
Glancing at the uneasy Xue Fengchun beside him, Xue Xiude's anger was instantly vented.
He couldn't stay in Chang'an for long. If he returned to the manor and immediately punished all the servants and this unfilial daughter because of Chun'er, he would inevitably make enemies for her, and his days in the manor would not be peaceful.
He swallowed his anger and, with a livid face, said to Xue Rongyue, and also to all the servants in the mansion: "Although Fengchun is my adopted daughter, she will be enshrined in the family genealogy in a few days. From then on, she will be a proper daughter of the Xue family. You must treat her like your own sister and stop acting so willful and capricious."
As soon as he said that, the whole garden fell silent.
Not to mention Jingnu, even Geng Weng couldn't help but look up at Xue Rongyue.
Once she's registered in the ancestral hall and the family genealogy, she'll no longer be an adopted daughter, but a legitimate member of the Xue family. From then on, not only the servants of the household, but also the major families in Chang'an will respectfully address her as Third Madam Xue.
Having read the original story, Xue Rongyue had anticipated this. Although she was still feeling uncontrollably annoyed upon hearing this, she managed to remain calm on the surface.
Her reaction was clearly unexpected by Xue Xiude, and it made him even more vigilant. Just as he was about to say a few more words of warning, a quick-witted servant knelt down and bowed to Xue Fengchun: "Greetings, Third Madam."
Xue Xiude was pleased with the two leaders' tact and nodded, saying, "Reward them!"
The two men became even more excited, and one of them boldly said, "General, rest assured, just as Steward Geng said, everything in Madam Xue's room is of the highest quality, except for..."
Seeing the servant boy stammering and glancing at Xue Rongyue repeatedly, Xue Xiude immediately understood and asked in a deep voice, "Besides what?"
The servant kowtowed and replied, "The wardrobes in the manor's storeroom are either poorly made or made of inferior wood. There's no time to find a carpenter to make them now. Second Mistress has several ready-made wardrobes in her private treasury, but... Granny Liu and Granny Zhang mentioned it to the maidservant by Second Mistress's side, and they were immediately beaten and sent to the country estate."
Jingnu and Geng Weng's faces both darkened.
Sure enough, Xue Xiude's anger, which he had barely managed to suppress, was reignited: "How could I have raised such a selfish and self-serving creature! You're short-sighted and vicious by nature. You wear gold and silver in your own home, yet you won't even share two wardrobes with your sister! What did those two old women say wrong that you have to punish them like this?!"
Ignoring the scolding beside her, Xue Rongyue stared intently at the servant, then suddenly smiled and said, "I remember Granny Liu is your aunt, isn't she?"
The servant's heart tightened upon hearing this: "Yes, yes."
"Punish her, and you, you forgetful lackey!"
Xue Rongyue chuckled and ordered, "Drag him away and give him forty lashes."
As soon as she finished speaking, servants rushed forward to drag the man away. The servant, not expecting Xue Rongyue to dare punish him in front of Xue Xiude, panicked and cried out, "General, General..."
Before he could finish begging for mercy, Jingnu had already pulled off the coarse cloth from his waist and swiftly gagged him.
Xue Xiude glared angrily: "As long as I am here, you have no right to be the head of this household. All of you, stop!"
Upon hearing this angry roar, the servants who were dragging people stopped in their tracks and looked at Xue Rongyue with surprise and uncertainty.
Her almond-shaped eyes hardened with undisguised coldness. Xue Rongyue stood firm, meeting Xue Xiude's shocked and furious gaze without flinching: "Father thinks this person shouldn't be hit? I am the Princess of Yong'an, personally appointed by the Emperor. For him to dare speak disrespectfully to me is to offend the majesty of the Imperial Family!"
Xue Xiude knew perfectly well that Xue Rongyue was using the past to warn him, and he was furious: "Don't try to use His Majesty to intimidate me!"
After he finished speaking, Xue Fengchun, who had been quietly observing the father and daughter's struggle for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "Godfather, it would be better for me to live outside the mansion. I won't bother you any longer."
"Don't!"
Xue Xiude immediately spoke up, angrily rebuking Xue Rongyue: "Do you have to make your father unhappy? Why can't you even tolerate a girl like Chun'er? What have you learned from your studies!"
"Godfather."
Xue Fengchun spoke up, stopping Xue Xiude from finishing his sentence.
She looked at the kneeling, trembling servant, her gentle and melodious voice like a spring breeze, yet concealing a storm: "Madam Xue is your own daughter, a county princess personally appointed by His Majesty, a legitimate daughter of the Xue family. Even the servants in your household dare to be so disrespectful to her, let alone someone like me who has just arrived."
"It would be better for me to live outside the mansion and have a few diligent and obedient servants to serve me, rather than having disputes with them in the future and putting my godfather in a difficult position."
Xue Fengchun frowned slightly: "My health has always been poor, and I can't stand their temper."
No one expected Xue Fengchun to suddenly say such a thing, his words aimed directly at the servant. Xue Xiude was first taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on. He waved his hand, and the servants immediately gagged the servant and dragged him away.
Xue Xiude said, "What you say makes sense. These servants in the manor really need to be disciplined. We can't let them become so arrogant and bully their masters."
"Don't mention living separately again. You are my daughter, so naturally you should live in the Xue residence. You must be tired from your journey. I'll have them take you to the courtyard to rest for a while."
Xue Fengchun knew when to stop and then dismissed the nanny who was serving her.
As Xue Fengchun's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Xue Xiude coldly looked at Xue Rongyue: "Come with me, I have something to ask you."
As they walked to the main hall, Xue Rongyue had just stepped across the threshold when the door was slammed shut, and guards stood watch at the entrance, preventing Jingnu from following.
Xue Xiude's gaze, sharp as a sword, pierced Xue Rongyue. He commanded in a deep voice, "Kneel down!"
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Author's Note: Spoiler Alert: The original female lead is a cunning and manipulative character!! [Let me see...]
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