"Young Miss can you please stop staring at yourself so shamelessly in the mirror?"
We all know you're incredibly beautiful." The one speaking was a young girl in an emerald green cheongsam.
Her name was Tao Hua a name she absolutely hated to death. The person who gave her this name was the one standing in front of her, the one and only ignorant and incompetent eldest daughter of the Xiao House.
It was because of this that she had to constantly wear green, making her detest the name all the more. The more she looked at the Young Miss in front of her the more annoyed she became. Inevitably it showed in her voice.
Xiao Wan heard the familiar voice and the thick layer of scorn underneath it. She who had been obsessed with the mirror couldn't keep the tears from forming in her eyes and her body from trembling slightly.
Another girl dressed in a goose-yellow cheongsam frowned becoming anxious when she saw Xiao Wan remain oddly silent with her body turned away. Why wasn't Xiao Wan yelling at Tao Hua? Did the sun suddenly rise in the West? A day didn't go by where the two weren't at each other's throats. Tao Hua was so impudent just then with her tone and remark, it was a great opportunity for Xiao Wan to yell at her.
Three years ago Xiao Yurong had sent the two girls to protect and care for Xiao Wan. One person was skilled in the healing arts while the other was skilled in martial arts. However Xiao Wan only saw them as personal servants who were there to monitor her. She lashed out at them by changing their names, one was changed to the vulgar Tao Hua and the other was changed to the slightly tacky Liu Shui. She had smiled and said that Tao Hua and Liu Shui were like a poetic metaphor of the romantic love between men and women. Having them by her side would surely bring her luck in love and attract many beautiful men to her.
Xiao Wan didn't know anything about poetry, in fact she was just an unread person who only knew how to eat, drink and be merry, spending most of her time dallying with beautiful men. She had wretched luck in love though. So it was shocking to everyone when she managed to reel in Ji Shumo with her pretty mouth and empty flattery. It was like tossing a priceless pearl in front of a pig. Make no mistake their Young Miss was the pig…
Indeed tonight the beautiful pearl that was Young Master Ji would be ruined by the overly spoiled and hedonistic Xiao Wan. The loss of Young Master Ji in the pool of eligible bachelors would surely break the hearts of many young girls.
Speaking of girls… the girl in yellow stepped forward a few steps and finally saw Xiao Wan's face reflected in the mirror. She sucked in a deep breath and knelt down by her side when she saw the mess of tears and makeup streaks that marred Xiao Wan's pretty complexion.
"Young Miss, Tao Hua is just being thoughtless. You know she likes to fuss over everything. Don't mind her." The girl kneeling on the ground didn't have the same viper tongue as Tao Hua. Instead she was a thoughtful girl with a calm and collected personality that was reflective of her name: Liu Shui. At a glance she knew something wasn't right with Xiao Wan.
Liu Shui gently tried to to coax Xiao Wan, but instead of making the other feel better it only made Xiao Wan's cries become louder and even more unrestrained. Xiao Wan repeatedly rubbed her face with her hands wiping the hot tears and snot into her makeup and smearing everything all over looking like a tearstained little kitty.
This scene really scared Tao Hua and Liu Shui as they had never seen Xiao Wan cry so bitterly before. Tao Hua bit her lip in consternation. Why was the Young Miss making such a scene? They would definitely be chastised then ruthlessly punished for this!
Liu Shui glared at Tao Hua. This is all your fault!
Tao Hua paled and could only look down at the floor while biting her lip. She spread her hands out in surrender. I'm confused too! The Young Miss doesn't normally get this emotional when provoked.
Tao Hua gnashed her teeth and was apologizing with, "Young Miss this servant was wrong. I should not have provoked Young Miss," when Xiao Wan suddenly interrupted asking, "What month is it? What year is it?"
Xiao Wan's voice came out sounding hoarse but gentle, not at all like her normal haughty tone. Liu Shui thought it sounded strange, like it was laced with pain and sorrow.
Xiao Wan was finally able to marry her beautiful and tender love after working hard to chase him for three years. This achievement earned her the envy and hate of many ladies in the capital. Just a moment ago she was giddy and choking with happiness. Why was she now suddenly suffering as though she was grieving?
Liu Shui was filled with doubt and suspicions, nonetheless she answered the question respectfully. "Answering Young Miss, today is the 26th year of xxxx, July 6th.”
"Today is really July 6th the 26th year of xxxx? Are you sure?" Xiao Wan lifted her extremely red rimmed eyes and asked one more time.
"Servant is certain." Thinking she knew what was on Xiao Wan's mind she promptly added, "Today is the day you'll wed Young Master Ji and take him as your main husband."
Today was the day she would wed Ji Shumo.
Xiao Wan was struck dumb. She pursed her rouged lips then bit them with her pearly white teeth. A strong fishy metallic taste filled her throat making her feel unwell. She looked at her ten slender fingers, tender like spring onions, pure like jade with not a knick to be found. It was as though she was never in prison scrambling and fighting for food. There were no cuts or gashes, wounds or scars. Instead what she saw were her nails perfectly crescent shaped and perfectly painted ruby red.
Her feet weren't bare and blistered or swollen and bloodied from walking through the mud under the hot sun. Instead they were shod in magnificent red boots.
Her body didn't exude the smell of rotten eggs and the sourness of unwashed flesh she'd acquired while in prison. Instead she was dressed in a traditional silky red changpao that showed off the beautiful contours of her neck and exposed a tantalizing view of her delicate clavicle.
Her lustrous inky hair was bound up with a pretty butterfly hairpin and dotted with tiny pearls. Resting atop her head was a beautiful golden head piece decorated with expensive buyaos.
The face that stared back at her was exquisite conveying elegance and luxury – her composure extraordinary.
This was the image that greeted Xiao Wan when she regained consciousness. She was in her own room and nothing was out of place. It was the time before she was sentenced. There were no traces of the ransacking that occurred when the Xiao properties were searched and their possessions confiscated. Instead there were festive decorations all around. There were even mandarin ducks embroidered on the new crimson brocade sheets.
She remembered wanting to give Ji Shumo a place to sleep comfortably and peacefully once he entered the Xiao House. To do this she had gone out of her to shop for the highest quality brocade she could find.
Thinking it was a dream she pinched herself ruthlessly and immediately made a pained expression from the pressure. That hurt…
In fact even if she hadn't asked Tao Hua and Liu Shui about the date, she could tell from the pitapita sounds of all the firecrackers. She had had only one big marriage ceremony in her life where she performed a baitang, and that had been her ceremony with Ji Shumo.
Back then her long awaited marriage to Ji Shumo had been the most exciting day of her life. However all she felt now was a strong sense of suffocation and the coldness of the blade as it slid across her neck. The scene she saw when she closed her eyes was filled with blood. All this was thanks to her good husband who kept her in his heart