The Fourth Lady novel Chapter 2

The cold endlessly spread through out her body.....

As if seeing her son, her daughter already suffering the same kind of pain, she struggled with all her might, yet she found that she couldn't do anything. She couldn't let Qilian Qingyi that evil wench harm her children....

Minning, Minjing, please forgive your mother for not being able to protect you forever.....

"Young miss....young miss..."

She heard a pleading call nearby, it seems as if it's been many years since she'd been called in such a manner. How long was it ago? A year, two years, or even longer?

She married Weisheng Junyan at 13, and by 15 she'd became the Empress, ruling over the expansive six palaces. Since then, she has yet to be called in such an intimate manner.

"Zizhu, could it be that young miss had another bad dream." Another silvery voice rang, clearly hearing the worry and concern showing through the tone.

Who is Zizhu? She never had a servant by her side go by that name. The servants she had by her side were all once handpicked by her mother for her. Until her last moments, she'd never thought that Yizhu would betray her, even going as far as to suggest turning her into a human swine for other's to toy with.

The throbbing sensation from her arm made Qingyan suddenly open her eyes. She stared at the white bed curtains hanging before her eyes as a faint scent of plum blossoms invaded her nose. Before she could even open her mouth, she heard a voice, "Young miss, what's wrong?"

Qingyan lifted her head to look towards the young girl wearing a light blue dress, her hair was done in a double bun, common for servant girls. That worrying appearance of hers was quite heartwarming.

She didn't reply to the servant girl, but rather looked at her hands. For many years she'd helped Weisheng Junyan read through court documents. She had also once practiced martial arts for many years, causing her hands become rough. This pair of tender and delicate hands were not her's. Staring at her hands she suddenly called out, "Bring me a mirror."

While looking at Qingyan, the young girl next to her that was wearing an aqua colored dress, quickly handed a bronze mirror to her. She looked up to the maiden reflected in the mirror, a pair of peach blossom shaped eyes, two brows hanging like willow leaves, face colored like peach blossoms, skin smooth like cream, and a red dot* on her forehead between her brows. If you take away that faint trace of paleness, she could be considered a first class beauty.

(*TN: Similar to a bindi, it's a type of beauty mark, usually applied through cosmetics)

'Bam'

The bronze mirror in Qingyan's hand shattered in response, this was simply not her body. In other words she was reborn in another's body, this was what the ancient text referred to as 'reincarnating into someone else's body'*.

(*TN: More literal translation of this idiom would be borrowing a corpse to call back the soul)

"Young miss." Seeing Qingyan's state, Zizhu softly called to her.

Qingyan looked to the shattered mirror on the ground and looked to Zizhu replying, "My hand slipped for a moment."

"Young miss, that wasn't what I meant." Zizhu instantly kneeled as she looked at Qingyan, "I hope young miss won't blame me."

Zizhu's submissive manner seemed as if she'd firmly believed that Qingyan would explode in anger the next second.

Zizhu was the eldest of the four servant girls, she clearly knew in her heart that Qingyan's innate nature wasn't bad, but due to being on the receiving end of the Second Madam* provocation, did she become that arrogant and rude, considering everyone beneath her.

(*TN: The second ranking wife of a household for example like her father's younger brother's lawful wife; wives are usually ranked by their husband's seniority)

Seeing Zizhu kneeling, the other three servants in the room also kneeled.

"I hope young miss will forgive us."

Looking at the four servant girls kneeling on the floor, Qingyan seemingly understood something, she had always treated her own servants generously, even now it was still the same, "I didn't have the intention of blaming anyone, there's no need for this."