When Huiqing awoke, the strong scent of sandalwood candles entered her nose. She slowly looked around in a daze, trying to take in everything. Her mind was beyond muddled. It felt as if someone had messed with her memories, locking them away in a place she couldn't find no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't remember anything, except for an unknown voice calling her name. Her head was ringing, and the area around her was extremely unfamiliar.
"Xu Ying, get up immediately!"
Just as she was adjusting to her new surroundings, an unpleasant voice rang out, startling Huiqing to look towards the person it belonged to. It was a middle aged woman dressed in extravagant clothing, her lips tainted with a red rouge that frowned unwelcomely at her. There was a faint yellow light surrounding her.
"Huh! To think an illegitimate brat like you would be stupid enough to not bow when meeting the lady of the house?! What are you waiting for, get on your knees!" The woman demanded. Her furious eyes glared through Huiqing, hostility and aggression being the only emotion shown on her face.
It was then that Huiqing realized the person named "Xu Ying" was her, and she knelt respectfully.
When she was staring at the lady just now, memories came flooding in about her identity, and she now knew that she was the illegitimate daughter of the Xu family's manor. The woman yelling at her was Wei Tung-Mei, the official wife of the general. She became Xu Ying's step-mother after the death of He Wenqian, Xu Ying's mother and General Xu's most beloved concubine.
According to her memories, General Xu had sent Xu Ying to be raised by his main wife after his concubine's passing during childbirth. Heartbroken by the loss of his lover, the general subconsciously blamed his innocent daughter for He Wenqian's death and turned a blind eye to the bullying she suffered under Wei Tung-Mei's care. It wasn't until recently that he remembered she existed, when the royal family proposed a marriage to the general's manor.
"Looks like the rat is forgetting her place since she will be getting married to a prince very soon." Wei Tung-Mei snickered.
However, Huiqing could guess that there was something wrong with this marriage. Not to mention her status as an illegitimate daughter, this body was only twelve this year, how could it be possible to get married to a prince? She seemed to recall that the prince she was betrothed to was still a ten year old child.
"Marrying a crippled and unfavored prince, are you not happy?" Wei Tung-Mei continued. Her expression turned more and more twisted as she spoke, unable to hide her joy. Despite being the wife of a prestigious general's household, her body was infertile so she was unable to birth an heir. This made her extremely hateful towards the concubines who became pregnant with the general's children, especially the late He Wenqian. Since the wench was dead, she could only vent her anger onto that vixen's daughter.
"There have been many rumors spreading that the young and foolish prince has gone through several attempted assassinations already. Who knows, you may be marrying a dead body."
While she laughed at Xu Ying's fate, Huiqing was currently going through her own memories. There were not a lot since most of it had been erased, but she remembered that her duty after taking over this body was connected to this prince. To make it easier for her, she knew that she was not truly a human, and that coming here was a trial of some sort.
It appeared that she also possessed a mysterious power that couldn't be seen by the naked eye, judging by the faint yellow light that covered Wei Tung-Mei.
But.. a trial for what exactly? The more she tried to think, the more her headache became severe. There was a voice in her head telling her that her questions would be solved if she met the prince.
"Little bastard, are you listening?" Wei Tung-Mei's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Oh.. ah, yes. Hui… Xu Ying is grateful to mother and the general for blessing her with this marriage." Huiqing bowed her head. Wei Tung-Mei was satisfied and smirked.
Huiqing wanted to get more information about the prince, so she asked weakly, "Is.. is the prince's condition as bad as they say?"
Wei Tung-Mei couldn't wait to gloat at Xu Ying's misery, so she quickly replied, "Ha! Of course! It would be stupid to even call him a prince with the way those scoundrels treat him. He is despised and unwanted, and even the palace servants look down on him. Since there are rumors that his slut of a mother went behind his back, the Emperor refuses to acknowledge nor protect him from the vicious harem that wants to get rid of another hindrance to the throne."
"Honestly, I don't quite understand why the Emperor proposed a marriage to our manor for that worthless prince! It is clearly an insult to the Xu family." Wei Tung-Mei crossed her arms and added, "If you are to marry him, then no one will be able to protect you."
For a moment, Huiqing suspected that a look of worry flashed her eyes. It was immediately replaced by a haughty look as she proclaimed, "However, since I have a generous heart, I've requested that the general reject the marriage. Are you elated? Hmph! Are you? Don't become too happy now, it is only that if you are to die so easily at the palace, then who will I vent my anger on!"
Huiqing was baffled. Her first impression was that Wei Tung-Mei was an evil step-mother, yet it doesn't seem to be the case? A wicked woman would be hurrying to send her off to a cruel and cold palace, not try and annul the arrangement.
If she remembered correctly, though Xu Ying had endured verbal harassment here and there, she had always been treated as an official member of the general's household. She was respected and never harmed physically. Even the clothing she currently wore were on par with what the legitimate daughter of a manor would wear.
It was just that the general refused to look at her, and Wei Tung-Mei always liked to act as if she were bullying her for some unknown reason.
"Um.. madam.." Upon seeing Wei Tung-Mei's glare at hearing this form of addressment, Huiqing quickly changed her words, "M..mother, uhm, will you go back and tell the general that I accept this marriage?"
Wei Tung-Mei's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. A series of incoherent words escaped her lips, "Wha… AH?! WHAT?! Why, why are you suddenly like this! It isn't supposed to be like this, ah!" Wei Tung-Mei's confusion overwhelmed herself. The composed and feisty woman from before was completely gone.
Suspiciously, she looked at Huiqing.
"Xu Ying, you… you haven't gone crazy now, have you?" Her face paled. "We cannot allow a mentally ill girl to marry a prince. Absolutely not!" Though it seemed she was trying to convince herself, not others.