ã€ŠYours, Ours, Usã€‹


 Can I Not Live Peacefully?

    Everybody says that I am wasting away my life by being a workaholic, but is it really my fault? I had once fallen in love to only be betrayed by the one I love. It is almost hard to trust a man again. I''m so jealous of those romance novels I read. Speaking of novels, I am recently reading one. It''s called ''Living Is Hard''.

    Since reading it, I have really loved the male lead character because although he is very cold and fearful, he is a very loyal man that will love only that one woman which is the female main character. However, reading this story really got me angry at the female lead because of how she kept on running away from the male lead. If I had someone that is as sincere as that, I

    *Ding*

    "Who texted me? Oh, voice message..."

    "Hey Zhao Ling! There is a meet out for the company tonight. You should come! The location is Rose Lip Outing at 10 pm."

    "These people never get tired of their outings do they?"

    I''ve only gone to 1 of the outings since working in this workplace. I am the secretary of the CEO here. Who knows how I was able to deal with someone as perfect as him and narcissistic as him, but let''s not talk about work. Today is my break. Something I haven''t had in 9 years. I am pretty sure there is something wrong with my boss''s brain, too. He does not know how to give us human beings a break, but I suppose I can say I forgive that because I have become very talented. A difference from when I was still only 20 years old.

    *Ring*

    "Xiao Ling, I know that you are busy, but you are also a woman! You are already 29 years old! If you continue that way I''ll die before I get the chance to even see my grandchildren! I''ve set up a blind date for you on Sunday at 8 pm."

    "Mom, stop setting me up blind dates. I promise I''ll find you a son-in-law soon."

    "Xiao Ling, don''t worry. This son is rich and has a good personality. Don''t you dear miss out on this date. Do you understand miss! The place is at Valencia."

    "Mom! But!"

    "No, buts!"

    She hanged up on me. "Sigh...Can I not live in peace? Who cares...I''ll just binge read this novel before the blind date. I still have about more than 12 hours anyway."

    "Wait, I should grab some snacks, too."

    Hm? At the corner of my eyeballs, I saw a bracelet on my wrist. When did I have that? I don''t remember ever owning a genuine jade bracelet. They are too expensive even with my paycheck. But I don''t believe I ever let anyone in my house for the pass days or months. So how did it get here? Sigh...Well, I suppose I should put this in a case. Later, I''ll take this to a jewelry appraiser or perhaps I should go and ask all the people I have let in my house recently and see if any of them owns this bracelet.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Huh? I feel so dizzy¡­*faints*

    *Wakes up*

    Huh? Where am I? This place doesn''t look like home. Who are those people?

    "Greetings. Starting today, we are your family from now on. We are parents, and this is your younger sister and brother. There is rule that you have to abide to upon entering this house and that is that you never bully your younger siblings, and you listen to every order. Do you understand?"

    Who wants to be your daughter? I don''t even know you!

    "Yes."

    "Good. I have arranged a marriage with the Wu clan. You''ll be a concubine to them. Be happy that a family as rich and as prosperous as them is willing to accept you as a concubine despite your lowly dirt upbringing. When you are married into the house, you must do everything you can to bring a son! Don''t disappoint me!"

    Why am I the one to do this? You have a biological daughter! And give birth to a damn son! You must be kidding. Whatever¡­ I should ignore this and instead be trying my best to go back to my time. But what is up with my tone? Why am I speaking in such a kind manner? I have always been an honest person in front of everyone (except my boss). I wanted to say, "No!", but somehow my mouth is instead doing something else. Just as is my body.

    "I understand."

    "It''s good that you understand. Go clean yourself up and head to the Wu province. Nobody wants to marry a dirty and stinking lady."

    This is violating me in modern times! Sexual harassment to be more exact. I want to cry so much right now. Never in my life have I ever expected such a thing to happen to me. If I had woken up in a bed, maybe I would have thought that this is a set up and acting, not real life, but how did I get myself in such a situation?! I was never taught to time travel between times. Boss, help me!

    Zhao Ling had only brought her maid Ling Hao with her and a few plain set of clothing with her to the mansion, or rather the province in ancient terms.

    In the travel carriage¡­

    "Hao''er, I seem to not be able to remember the things that nee Bai had told me. Please remind me. What is my name? My age?"

    "Mistress Xiu, was named Bai Xiangxiu and supposedly at the age of 16."

    "I understand, thank you."

    Ignoring the weird stare of Ling Hao, her maid, Bai Xiangxiu goes back deep into her own thoughts.

    Sigh...So being bought because I was pretty to be made into a concubine is a much better thing than being a servant, but I definitely have to find a way to survive in the Wu family while finding out how to go back to my world. Well, another addition would be how I am able to retain my looks from my world. I thought I had taken over another body like the novels instead, but yay for me! I still have my beautiful face and very proportionate yet curvy body. I am very happy at this occurrence of course! Back in the my time (the 31st century), I was deemed a beauty even though I was never in the entertainment industry, I was still quite famous and had a long line of suitors trying to get my attention. Unfortunately, my life revolved around my boss''s life. Everything was about him. My purse had all the things he needed, but I had nothing personal their at all.

    Upon arriving at the Wu province Old Madame aka Madame Wu aka Wu Zetian put the concubines in their own courtyards. (By the way, has nothing to do with the female emperor Wu Zetian.) I was put in the Winter Court. The farthest from the center of the entire province to say. If I was really someone trying to vie for attention I would had been sad for this, but this is a good thing. I won''t catch any attention and be able to survive much longer and be able to do more things being unnoticed. Being someone who reads too much web novels and watches too many dramas, you can just know that a person can die very easily in these ancient times.

 The Little Phoenix

    At first sight, the Old Madam seems very distant, but being a very skillful person, I can tell that there are reasons as to why she is so uptight. This Wu family must have a lot of history. But being so, I have already lived in this mansion for a week now and I still haven''t met my "husband" yet. However, I have no hatred towards this other than the fact that I actually like this. When we first came, the Old Madam gave each of us concubines our betrothal gifts. If I had to calculate the money to modern standards, it would be at least or about 10 thousand US dollars. Not only did she give money, we were given 2 stalks of silk to be made into clothing and some jewelry pieces.

    When I was guided to my room, I told them that although I do not wish to be rude, I like it when there is a lot of peace and quietness, so for the new people that was suppose to serve under me, I shooed them away. This was my way to make things easier. The more spies that Old Madam had on my back, the less chance I have of being able to escape and find a chance to return to my time.

    Since I had nothing to do, I told Hao''er to find me some needles and scissors. I was going to make clothing out of the silk that had been provided to me. I''m not someone who doesn''t like to share and although I know that these gifts belong exclusively to me, Hao''er is still young, only 16 years old and the fact that she is already a servant, is not really a peaceful though in my mind. The only upside is that she is a person who can catch on very fast. For 1 line of silk, I made my clothes out of and the other one went to Hao''er.

    "Hao''er, accept this as my gift to you for being my maid. I don''t know if I can say I can be the most fairest and nicest, but I can say that since you have come under my wing, I will definitely take care of you."

    "Mistress Xiu! Please! That is not needed at all! I am your maid. I will listen to your every order that you ask of me. There is no need to do this at all. Please take it back."

    "Hao''er if you say that, it will make me feel guilty. You are still very young, but you have a mature mind. I like that you are my maid, that is why I made this for you. I am not someone who can guarantee your safety, nor am I someone that accepts people easily. Hao''er, this my gift ahead of time the troubles to come in the future is all."

    "Milady, I''m not sure¡­"

    "Hao''er, just take it."

    "Since Milady has said it, then I should take it. This servant give many thanks to Mistress Xiu!"

    "Hao''er, when we are by ourselves you don''t have to call me by that name."

    Hao''er had on a face of confusion. I have always abided by the rules. Calling by the correct honorific is needed as a maid.

    "Haha¡­ Hao''er just call me Xiao Ling or Ling Ling if you want. Anything relatable to Zhao Ling. It''s my real name. I don''t like the honorific terms and nor am I someone comfortable of having been called something not by my name. Think of me as a friend, not as a master. Okay?"

    "Alright!"

    Taking a moment to look at the dress that just had been made. Hao''er was very happy. It was the first time she had such a fancy, yet simple dress. You could see the stitches of lining that went onto the dress. It look even better than the ones that the royal family had. Hao''er wondered how come the lady never made it big with such beauty and talent.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Okay. Good! Hao''er, I have a question."

    "Please ask Sis Ling."

    "How did I come to the Bai family? Where was I founded?"

    "The Bai family found you at a village. They have some relatives there and after venturing for some time in a forest, they found your body. Master Bai said that your face resembles the Bai blood a lot, so he would adopt you saying that you could be given many things that you would never have. You agreed and came to our estate. However during the travel, the Wu family had decided to select 4 wives for Prince Wu. Madam Bai was ecstatic and decided to give this to her daughter, but when she found out that it was only a concubine, she was angered at this fact. She didn''t want to go back on her words and having news that Master Bai just adopted a new daughter. She well¡­ and here we are¡­"

    "Thank you for your honesty Hao''er!"

    "Not at all, I have to thank Big Sister! Especially for this new dress! It is very pretty! Big Sis, you are very talented. Although we maids are very accustomed and has been taught to make formal attire before, your abilities goes to new levels!"

    "Haha, I see. If you ever want to learn one day, just tell me. I''ll teach you."

    "Really!"

    Ling nods her head at the little girl. This girl gives me the comfort I''ve never been able to seek. Something warm like family. It really is a pity that I came from a different time. If she was born in the same time as I and had met each other, it would have been very great. She feels like the sister I never had.

    "Hao''er, it''s time to rest, go to sleep."

    "Alright. Call me if you need me."

    "Okay."

    "Big Sister! Big Sister! Let''s play!"

    Hm? Who is it? This is not Hao''er''s voice. Once again the voice repeated.

    "Big Sister, I''m right in front of you", the unknown voice says sadly in an abandoned voice.

    Ling looks in front of her to see nothing. Then, she looks to her sides. Nothing. Then, she looked down and finally saw the child. Ling is 5''10" in height. It is quite tall for a female from her her country, but this was the main reason why she had so many company scouts come to her every day asking for her help in advertisement and stuff. The little boy was about half her height. He was very cute with his long purple hair and phoenix like eyes that are in the shade of lilac. Even his outfit is similar to his appearance, with the exception that it had some red silk thread to make patterns that resemble fire that a phoenix would spew.

    "Who are you? Why are you here? I don''t remember seeing a child here that look like you. Are you hungry or something? Do want anything?"

    "Let''s play!"

    "We can''t though. It''s very late already and children need to have their sleep."

    "I''m not a child though. I am over a thousand years old. I just look young is all. I am older than your grandma!"

    "Alright, alright. Still, we can''t play or else we''ll make too much commotion and cause everybody else to awake. Why don''t we do this instead?"

    Well, it seems he is finally thinking of something else other than playing. I would love to play with him, too, after all, look at his cute face! But the rules in this estate is as tight as an ostrich, which is why I dare not to cause a lot of commotion. Oh dear, just the thought of having a scandal like "Mistress Has Child Behind Husband''s Back!". Ugh¡­ I would probably die without even having the chance to explain myself.

    "Why don''t we do self-introductions and talk about our lives, alright?"

    "Okay. I am called Zixie. No last names. I am the phoenix that brought you here. They told me that your red string is not in your world, but another''s world. They told me my job is to protect and stay with you until you are finally successful. Once you get married to the big brother and live peacefully, my job is done and I can finally get my former self back."

    "So, you were the one that brought me here?"

    "Um-hm", he nods triumphantly.

    "Then, I suppose you already know many things about me. Am I right?"

    "Correct. From the date of your birth to your secrets."

    "Then, in which world did you take me to? I don''t remember in history there being a prominent family with the Wu name. Of course, I know of Wu Zetian, but these people are not related to her. I can tell."

    "You got transmigrated to a book. Why don''t you take a guess at which book", Zixie joyfully asks Zhao Ling with a mischievous smile.

    "LIH. I''m taking a guess for this one. So I am guessing I am in the world called ''The Lou''."

    "Your so smart!"

    Was that suppose to be a compliment?

    "So why is my red string of fate over here instead of my world where I was born in?"

    "Well, one of the gods messed up and had to fix it, so there''s your story."

    "Is there a way I can return to my world?"

    "Come to me on the same day you came here. There are also other times when you could have died in this world and be transported back to your world."

    "Okay. I''m tired. I need my rest. I can''t talk forever. If you want to stay awake the entire night, go ahead, I won''t stop you."

    When I first saw him, I thought he was a normal child, but he was different. Very different. I can just tell that it is an adult spirit stuck inside of a young boy. It doesn''t make a difference whether I treat him seriously or not because he is an adult boy. Never mind, let''s go to sleep. We can think tomorrow.

 Cultivating Ranks

    Today, is a new day! I found out this morning that Zixie can become invisible. Not only that, he can disappear into my storage realm. But, I can''t believe it, my storage never opened up and I had to always use physical bags instead! I knew about my storage being locked up and never opening that''s why I didn''t think about how he could go inside my storage, but how is this possible?

    He told me that he didn''t know about this either and just found out while I was sleeping. Zixie also said it was strange because everybody''s storage are different, but it just isn''t like mine. Mine is able to carry a capacity of infinity and living beings, while others have capacity rate and cannot carry living beings unless they own a storage bag called Howling Wind.

    But that''s impossible to own because there is only one in this whole entire world and the person who owns it is Wu Hueling. When I heard his name, I was so shocked, but what can you do. When I read the book, it said that Prince Wu was a very powerful man with many treasures. Also rich, but he is a prince after all, what do you expect. *cough cough*

    Well, at least I also learned something else. And this is how I got myself into trying to become a cultivator.

    "Xiao Ling! You can''t just do that immediately! You''ll harm yourself!"

    "*Sigh*, Zixie, you gave me a bunch of books to study and said that these were books to speed up my cultivation. I read all of them and did all of them already, you don''t need to worry."

    "This is the last position from the last book. It was the most hardest difficulty because you had to be at a certain ranking first, but I already achieved all of them over the past month."

    "I know, it''s just... I''m being cautious okay!? A normal person would take at least half a year to learn not even a half of these books. I gave you 64 books to study because I thought you would need them to cultivate. I was trying to think of a way to attract your red string of fate faster because thats what Overlord Father said. Not only that.."

    "Zixie, I thought you said you knew everything about me. I guess you didn''t know about my cultivation skills, nor do you know about the fact that my body is a different from others."

    "Of course I knew your body was different from others!"

    "Zixie, let me tell you, during my 9 years of working as a secretary for Lu Ming, I have been cultivating with his guidance. I never knew why he wanted me to learn how to cultivate. But it''s been 9 years and with that let me tell you, I have already reached the status as a saint."

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "What! That''s impossible! I mean not for me because naturally I was born with the status of holy, but you are a human! It takes at least 3 to 4 decades at least to reach that level. And even if someone was able to reach it at a young age, it was mostly due to the fact that they had the help of medicine and other things. Did you?"

    "Of course not, I did, I would have been long dead. Boss Lu didn''t want me to take them because they had horrible side affects. The only time he let me get aide was when I was stuck and almost able to reach a new breakthrough. He would give me a pill that let me go through a breakthrough with no side affects. As for the ones others eat, they die by the end."

    What Zixie said isn''t wrong. It would normally take many decades to just reach the level of a Saint.

    In the cultivating world, there are 5 ranks, with 3 levels each. The 3 levels were beginner, mid, and high. The 5 ranks were Beginner, Meridian, Advance, Saint, and Holy. There is another 3 hidden ranks that not many knows about. Immortal, Demonic, and Godly. Those 3 were close to impossible to reach, but of course, my boss, Lu Ming, is a rank of high-Godly. That''s why I could never oppose him.

    "I don''t believe you."

    "Hey, you should know better than me. If I have then, would I be standing here?"

    "No..."

    "Ling Ling, breakfast is here. Bro Xie, you should join us!"

    "Alright!"

    And with that we ate breakfast before getting disturbed by the morning call of a runner. The Madam had summon us to the hall.

    I wonder what it is? The Madam had never called for us ever since we''ve stepped into the mansion.

    With that, I got dressed and left the Winter Court. While walking, I was talking to Hao''er about daily tasks I had to get done. I wanted to tell Hao''er about the fact that I''m not from this world, but, I could never bring my mouth to open. Maybe soon, though.

    "Mistress, what do you think Madam summoned every woman in the mansion for?"

    "I have no idea. I only know that Prince Wu had come home, but I definitely don''t think it is about celebrating the fact that he''s come back from a long time battle."

    "Mistress, do you think somebody is getting punished, then?"

    "Well, that''s not a bad guess. Since ancient times, it has always happened..."

    Wait, I remember this scene from the book. The prince had just come back and had almost been fed an aphrodisiac from a maid. The maid was heavily punished in front of others with a whip until she died. The scene was described as bloody.

    Somehow, I''m quite happy that I read the book. I can at least know what to do to avoid strange situations that I don''t want to get involved in. Like getting on the Madam''s bad side. Both the Madam and Prince Wu, have a super cold personality, but the Madam is a safer option.

    Of course, I chose someone else, too. The second male lead, Shu Xienghao, the male leads best friend and a smart fellow. He''s a talented and handsome man just like Prince Wu, but he is kind man, so I''d rather run my buttocks to him. Still, I want to please the head of the house which is the Madam, so that I can live.

    "Hao''er, huh... I wanted to take a break today, but yet, it doesn''t seem like it."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Whenever I see someone from the Wu Clan, I feel so much stress build."

    "Why do you say so? As the prince''s woman, you should be happy to see him and please him."

    "Right, hehe... It''s just... Let''s just say that I wasn''t the one who wanted the marriage, nor did I want to become a daughter of a household, or become a concubine. I just wanted to live peacefully in my own little space that I had. Dammit! This is all Zixie''s fault! The next time I see that phoenix, I''m going to chop to him in half!"

    "Mistress Xiu, please lower your tone! You never know who could be around."

    I took a look the man-made pond, the sidewalk, the pagoda, and everywhere else, but saw no one and sighed a breath of relief. Hao''er is right, I shouldn''t be breaking loose outside of my court like this. I could be killed just for something like this.

    Meanwhile, Prince Wu and Shu Xienghao was walking to the main hall together. Prince Wu had picked up Shu Xienghao from the main gates.

    "Wow, Bro, I feel sad for you. Hehe, a woman with a fierce attitude."

    Prince Wu merely casts a look towards the main hall where Zhao Ling is headed. ''She doesn''t deserve to be a woman I own. Which family is she from?''

    "Let''s go! Your mother is already waiting such a long time for you."

    With that, Prince Wu left to the main hall.

 What You Would Get If You Copied Her

    Once we were in the main hall, we awaited for the prince to arrive. After he arrived and seated on his seat next to Madam and Shu Xienghao was seated next to the prince, the Madam called out, "Bring her in!"

    I knew that she was referring to the maid when she said this. I pitied the maid, but I had no sympathy or empathy towards her. She got what was coming is all. When she planned on getting the prince to drink that aphrodisiac, and failed, she should have already known that this was her punishment.

    When the guards brought in the maid, they placed her on the floor and grabbed a whip that was being handed to them by a runner.

    "Now let me tell, you all what she did, this servant by the name of Mei, tried to seduce my son, but failed, now she is merely getting what she deserves."

    After saying that sentence, the Madam motioned her hand and the guards whipped the maids body. Every whip made a new scar appear. Every whip caused everyone to see the color of scarlet appear on her body. Every whip, you could see she was in pain.

    But no one wanted to help her. They knew if they did, they would also be punished. But most of all, it would be because they did not want to have a bloody death like her. "This is a warning to all the women here. Do not ever attempt to seduce my son in such a disgusting way like her or you''ll end up even worse than her."

    Once that sentence was said, the guard cut off the girl''s head. This scene was so bloody and disgusting that every person there (except the heads of the house including the visitor) started to vomit and go pale. Many of the girls there were crying, barfing, getting sick, or just all of them at once.

    Except me. I was used to seeing blood. Although I was just a secretary, I was also Lu Ming''s personal assassin and spy. I have killed people before and seen many dead bodies before. Seeing death is not new to me. People would call horrible and cold for this, but as an assassin, we cannot let emotion get in our way and with the way I was brought up, it aided in my distant personality.

    Seeing that Hao''er was turning pale and vomiting, we left. After when Hao''er was done I asked her if she was okay. A young girl like her shouldn''t be seeing these things.

    "Mistress Xiu, do you not feel sick at all?"

    "No."

    "Are you sure? After all, all the ladies there were vomiting the whole time."

    "Hao''er, seeing death is normal for me. Seeing such bloody sights is normal for me."

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "What!? How could that be?"

    "Hao''er, you have no idea about my past. You only knew me from 2 months ago, so I want to tell you that I am someone who sees death a lot. I may not see it everyday, but I see it enough to be used to it. I am not scared about seeing others die."

    "Mistress if you are not scared about seeing others die, then why are you so pale?"

    "I am scared about what may happen to me if I got framed."

    "What do you mean? Mistress, you would most not be getting framed. You keep a low profile all the time and you never go out. Even I as your servant want to yell at you to try to do something to gain the prince''s attention."

    "Hao''er, please understand that what I am doing has nothing to do with the prince. All I am doing is trying to find a way back home. This is not my home and never will be. Hao''er, nobody in this world knows about my past. There is only one person who knows my past and is willing to bare it with me. To protect me, but that person is not here anymore."

    "Mistress, is that why?"

    "Yes."

    "Mistress, I don''t believe that the prince would punish unjustly. You have never seen his face until today. You have never sent anything to him. Not only that, you try your best to limit interactions with anybody from this place other than me. I don''t believe that the prince would punish you like that. Mistress, why don''t we start heading back, the sun is setting."

    "Alright." But under my breath and in a quiet voice, I said, "Hao''er, you don''t know yet about anything because you don''t know my full story. You don''t know that I''ve killed before. You don''t know that I''ve been on the brink of death before. You don''t know my true side. You don''t know the realities of the world yet, Hao''er. And I''m scared to tell you about my past, but yet, I don''t want to leave you behind in the unknowing. One day, one day, I''ll tell you."

    Nobody would have heard what Zhao Ling said, but Prince Wu, who was going to his court, had overheard the conversation that Zhao Ling and her maid had. He would not have had any interest, but it was the voice of the same lady who cursed in the morning. Prince Wu had thought she was going to be doing the same as the other ladies, but to his surprise, he heard something he would have never thought a lady who is from a scholar family would say.

    Then he told himself, she is different. She is either a threat or not a threat, but he was on his guards.

    With that, everybody left to their rightful quarters, while Zhao Ling is awake all the through the night.

    Huh...I can''t sleep.

    "Hao''er."

    "Yes, Sis Ling!"

    "Can you get me some paper and ink?"

    "Yes, right away! Mistress, what are you doing with it?"

    "I can''t sleep, so I''m going to write poems instead. Hao''er you should go to sleep. We can clear this up tomorrow morning."

    "Alright, I''ll do as you say."

    Now, what should I write? With a dip in the black ink, I wrote, "The blossom has withered, with rise to the sword"

    I wrote another poem, "The godly affairs has passed strife, thy born a new hero"

    After that, I wrote many more poems. After writing got boring, I started to draw instead. I drew Lu Ming in his suit. He never wore many colors, but whenever I got fun and wanted to photograph him, I would tell him to wear colors like red or blue. He looked handsome in all styles of suits, but his favorite had always been black or dark grey.

    With that, I also did another painting. It was me beside him holding hands. This was a moment I cherished in my life. On that day, he had learned about my hidden past. He held onto my hand while I was crying telling him how I hated myself. And yet, he said, "I don''t care about your past, nor do I care that you may bring danger to me. Don''t worry, I''ll protect you."

    It was the first time ever that I saw him look at me with such sincerity and passion. Overtime, I began to trust him with everything and started to rely on him. I wished for nothing more than to be by his side for helping me get through my rough patches.

    I didn''t wish to become his wife or anything. Just being able to be useful to him was more than enough. I didn''t want to wish for more. I was scared that if I prayed to god to give me more, I would lose what I had. But it didn''t matter that I didn''t get to become his wife. I never wanted to become anyway.

    I dealt with jealousy every where we went, but it didn''t matter. Because I loved as my master, brother, and family. Over the years, I would always go with him to visit his family. I never knew why they were not hostile to me like I expected. They had a longing look in their eyes. I don''t know what they were longing for, but they would always look at Lu Ming and me and then look at him again with a face that says, "Why haven''t you done it?"

    It was hard for me to understand them when it came to EQ, but when it came to IQ, I nailed it. All I know now is, I miss the Lu Family. They were like my second family.

 First Meeting As Husband And Concubine

    It''s morning and since I had nothing to do, I decided to start writing poems again. Doing calligraphy was easy because Lu Ming taught me until I was professional. Our calligraphy looked alike though. Like really alike.

    As for the art that I painted, I gave it to Hao''er and told her to hang it up in the room. My room was small, but I didn''t quite mind. I loved that it was quiet and peaceful here. There wasn''t a lot of commotion going on. This life was different from the fast-paced world of China.

    And perhaps because of the plants I was growing, the room became even smaller. The plants I grew were herbs. The herbs were helpful in many ways. They give off a fresh smell like fresh air. Whenever you inhale the scent it would help clear your mind. It also helps clear poisons that may be in the room. And if I''m ever desperate for a cure, I can just grab some from my room immediately.

    These are just precautions to keep me safe. I want to go back badly, so I have no choice but to be overly cautious. I need to last a year here and I can go back.

    Outside the Winter Court, Prince Wu was standing looking at the court.

    "It''s empty."

    "Your highness, when Concubine Xiu just came, Madame had given her the same amount of guards and maids she had given to the other concubines, but she rejected it. She said her court is small and can''t fit so many people in there. She also said that she likes the peace of the court, so the Madame should take back her people."

    "Are you dumb?"

    "Your highness, I''m not finished yet. Concubine Xiu also said that if Madame doesn''t trust her and thinks she will harm you, the Madame is more than obligated to have spies. So the Madame sent spies, but after a month, all they reported was that everyday she did things that maids did or, that she did things that the normal woman didn''t do."

    "The only suspicious thing is that she cultivates. The spies were unable to tell what her rank was, but she seemed experienced is all. The Madame had questioned her about this, but she said..."

    "What?"

    "If one day she got framed, she can run away."

    This lady is straightforward is she not. After a while, a piece of paper came flying out the gate.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Hao''er, you don''t need to chase it, I''m going to throw it away anyways."

    "But Sis Ling! It was such a good poem! Why are you throwing away such good poems? Nobody will ever get a chance to admire them again."

    "Hao''er, I can write as many poems as you want. Just ask me and I will. These are not any important poems. Besides, there are so many on my desk already that there is no need to chase one that ran away."

    "Alright." Hao''er was sad about that poem, but her lady was right, there were hundreds on her desk already.

    The piece of paper that flew was caught by Prince Wu who was about to throw it away, but didn''t after hearing what the maid said. He looked at the piece of paper and saw the poem,

    And even though it''s hard

    And I may struggle through it all,

    You may see me struggle...

    But you will NEVER see me fall

    It was such an inspiration poem, quite different from all the beauty poems. A poem fit for a uplifting someone''s mood. He thought to himself, if she has many more good poems in there and plans on throwing them away, he should keep it, he is her husband whatever they own is his.

    With that thought in mind he entered the gates. There was no one to announce that he had entered the building because there were only 2 people living in the court. The master and her servant. Upon entering the entrance he already what he wanted.

    He had only wanted the poems that were unwanted, but he saw the beauty, too. It was hard to stay away from her. He knew he should be on his guards instead of thinking of how to make her his, but she looked vulnerable in that moment for some reason.

    "Your Highness! This servant apologizes, the lady had just fell asleep."

    "In the morning?"

    "Last night, Mistress Xiu couldn''t sleep, so mistress stayed up doing poetry and art."

    "Hao''er, who''s here?"

    "Mistress Xiu, the prince is here!"

    Hearing that, Zhao Ling immediately came out of her doze. She thought the person causing commotion was Zixie, but it was the prince. In her thoughts, ''Why is he here?''

    "Your Highness, is there something this concubine can do for you?"

    "Your poems..."

    "Oh. Did you want them? I''m not sure which one you want, so you can have Shao pick one."

    "All."

    "How are you going to carry them all?"

    Prince Wu waved his hand and all the paper full of writing disappeared from her desk.

    Hehe... I actually forgot that this prince has a storage that can carry lots. Zixie even told me. Well, now that he is done with whatever he came for, hopefully he can leave now. I want to protect chastity. Not only that, I want nothing to do with the prince. I''m still trying to form a plan to get the second lead''s attention. The more I have this prince''s attention, the less planning time I have.

    "Your Highness, now that you have what you want, I''m sure you want to leave now. After all, you''re a busy man."

    "All the others send me gifts everyday trying to get my attention, but you haven''t tried one bit. I wonder why?"

    "Eh?"

    "You should know what I''m talking about. After all aren''t concubines woman who does whatever they can to get a son to live. Giving birth is something they are all proud of, yet, you give no effort. I want to know why."

    "There''s no reason. Your Highness is a busy man and seeing that the other concubines are already knocking on your door, I see no reason why I should try to attract attention when the others are already trying for me."

    "Hm?"

    "Your Highness, I''m sure you are already annoyed by the fact that they are always giving you nutrition everyday, so that''s why I didn''t give you any gifts. And I''m sure you hate fragrance bags."

    "You seem to understand my life quite well."

    "Not at all, I am merely guessing and making decisions on my own."

    "Still, you send nothing to me."

    "Your Highness, even if I did, you would have told Shao to just throw it away. It would then hurt my feelings and I would feel like I just wasted my energy on something stupid."

    "Stupid?"

    "I don''t mean it in a bad way. I am saying I would feel stupid for trying to get your attention when you don''t love me at all. Not only that, you are about to have a wife soon, so I''d rather not be a thorn."

    Prince Wu, then teleport to his room with Shao by his side.

    "She doesn''t understand me what I was trying to get at."

    You Highness, she was only saying some true things. Seriously some true things, why are you brokenhearted at things that even you know about.

 The Madames Birthday

    The prince finally left and how relieved I was. I really want nothing to do with the Wu Clan. All I want is to leave this place. Seriously, just leave this and go back to where my poor pup is waiting for me.

    "Ah! Sis Ling, I forgot to remind you."

    "What?"

    "A week from now is Madame''s birthday."

    OMG! I totally forgot because of the prince intrusion this court. Well, not that I would have remembered anyways. I was too busy thinking of plans on how to escape anyway.

    "Hao''er, where can I find wood?"

    "Sis, you can find it in the kitchen, but why do you need it?"

    "It''s the Madame''s birthday, of course I have to have it made by me. I want to show my sincerity to her."

    "Sis! I''m sure she will be very happy!"

    "I hope so..."

    We left to the kitchen to find the wood I needed.

    "Mistress, you don''t need to enter the kitchen, I can get it for you."

    "It''s okay. You don''t know which wood I want, so I can pick it by myself."

    "Alright, but please be careful."

    "Hao''er you don''t need to worry about me that much. Hehe... I''m not that fragile."

    "But Mistress, no matter how many times I think it over, I have never seen a concubine entering a kitchen. In fact they hate it. If they want something, they would order their servant to give it to them instead."

    I ignored that last sentence, because after all, I''m not from this time, nor this world. Going inside the kitchen, I got many weird looks, but its to be expected. Nobody expects to see a woman of a wealthy man in a kitchen especially when she is beautiful. The more beautiful she is, the more she is less likely to step inside of a kitchen.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Going to the wood pile, I found the perfect wood to make my present for the Madame. I''m just doing this to gain recognition from the second lead. He really liked talents, that''s how the female lead was able to attract the his attention. As long as I can present to the Madame such a perfect, he will definitely notice me.

    A week passed by like nothing because of the time I spent making the present. On the day that we were to present the presents, I was more than ecstatic. This is my second time seeing him. The first time was in an unfavorable situation, but this time, if I show off my talents, he will definitely glow his eyes for me.

    Walking to the main hall for the Madame''s birthday, I discovered that I would have to bow many times. Too many times. We the concubines already bowed 4 times before even reaching the main hall. And now, we are bowing another to an art that the emperor gave to Madame for her birthday.

    After finishing bowing to that, we were finally lead to the main hall. We were to sit in our respective seats until it was our turn to present our gifts. After presenting out gifts, we would go back to our seat and wait until the rest were done presenting their gifts.

    Once the presentations were done, the concubines would leave back to their courts. I didn''t because as long as Shu Xienghao saw my art, I would more than happy. This was the first reason why I putted so much effort into making this present. The second reason be because naturally it is the Madame''s birthday, but normally, I don''t think I would have putted so much effort.

    The prince first presented his gift. It was a tea set. The tea set was beautiful with its glass blown job. Whoever made it was a very creative and artistic person with lots of skills. Of course, I could have made it better, but it''s much better to not show all your skills to the world.

    Then, the rest of the concubines presented their gifts. I can tell that all they made sure of was that the presents were expensive and beautiful to try and gain the Madame''s favor, but they really put straight out there. I feel like the woman in these days are very, what should I say ''dumb''.

    I was finally the only one left to present. It would have been better if the female lead''s present was presented before me, but since I put so much effort into, I am hoping it will give me extra marks.

    "Bring it in!"

    Everybody presented their presents just by waving their maid forward, but this girl, she commands. What is she presenting me that needs to be carried in?

    Once the covered item was brought in, Zhao Ling grabbed the cover from the item. Removing the cover, it showed to everyone a table. Not any table though. It was a three-legged table with a fresh scent plus another scent, most likely plum blossoms. There was a golden phoenix carved into that looked so real it could come to life. There were also words carved there ''Peace, Longevity'' and was painted gold.

    Goodness, I can finally breathe. I was so nervous about this that I could have fainted any moment. I was about to go back to my seat seeing that the Madame was happy. Of course, she would be happy. Her son gave her a tea set and I gave her a very beautiful table that collaborated with each other. Who doesn''t like to show off?

    When I finally took a step Shu Xienghao stood up and asked me, "The poem here, how did you ingrave it?"

    He must be talking about the barely noticeable poem that ingraved. "I carved it in with a needle."

    "A needle would break with the pure force..."

    "When I was small a friend of mine taught me how to cultivate, I was able to use my spirituality to make the needle more than strong enough to make carving on the table."

    "What poem? Gugu, go look at the poem for me."

    "Yes, Madame. Would you like me to read it?"

    The Madame nodded at this. This young girl is definitely different from the rest. They all bought the most expensive to gift me, but hers was handmade. She has such golden hands.

    "Plants, flowers, trees, they all end up at different points, but they all blossom every season. They all wither at some point, but they lived an infinite life of prosperity and beauty, being swayed by the wind, but landing in the same spot they''ve been living for years, starting the cycle again"

    This talented young girl! To be able to make such a beautiful poem. She is clearly wishing me what she can not say out loud. You could sense the sincerity from the poem itself.

    Now that I think about it, Bai Xiangxiu has a good personality. While I was analyzing the concubines, I could see that she upon entering she purposely kept a low profile and not only that, she even took her appearance to importance, but no matter how much she tried to hide it, she is a natural beauty, so she could hide that other than make it a little tiny bit duller.

 Sneaky Female Lead

    After the presentations, it would be the official birthday banquet. The concubines were not allowed to go to the banquet and had to leave back to their court immediately after the presentations were done. Unless the Madame had let them go to the banquet, they had no right to go to any banquets. I was very happy about this because, I didn''t really want to go to the banquet anyway.

    I was waiting for Madame to wave us out, but the sign never really came. Instead they lead us to the banquet room.

    How sad I was with this occurrence. I just want to go back to my place. Why did the Madame let us go to the banquet? In the novel, the Madame had told them to go back to their courts. How did this get off the track? I want to cry right now. The longer I stay here the higher my chances of attracting enemies is.

    When all of us concubines entered, the others went to chat with the other ladies, but I have no obligation to chat, so I went to my table instead. I sat there with Hao''er for an hour. Although I was sad that I couldn''t go back to my court, I really love the food here. Although the way they served the food was very wasteful, I should say that the food is very good.

    As a person who cooks herself, I can say that these dishes can make it to 5 stars restaurant. Unfortunately, I know how to cook even better than a 5 star chef, so these dishes are on average for me. I really miss my own cooking.

    While the food kept on coming, I kept on getting pushed more and more to the edge of the table. It became so uncomfortable that I gave up on staying at the banquet any longer. I had used the excuse that I wasn''t feeling well and had to leave the banquet early. I hope the Madame won''t get mad at me for this.

    When the Madame heard Zhao Ling''s excuse to leave the party, she felt sympathy for the girl because she had no space at all at the table, but she also felt a feeling as if this girl was it.

    When I got out of the banquet hall, I breathe a sigh of relief. The tension from my shoulders lifted. I walked down the path to my own courtyard, but something caught my eyes.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    A man-wait, nope not a man... It was definitely the female lead. Definitely her, but I don''t remember seeing a detail about her sneaking in the Wu Estate. Perhaps the author of the book left out this detail? Wait, first off, why is she in a tree?

    I walked to the female lead, Ling Rui. She had on a shocked face and was scared. Perhaps scared by the fact that may call the guards on her.

    "What are you doing in a tree?"

    "Um...Um... I''m a servant in this estate and I was trying to retrieve something that I lost on this tree."

    "That was a very excuse, but I''ll let you off. I already know your true identity anyways."

    "What!? Please don''t call the guards on me."

    "I won''t, but explain to me why your in a tree from the Wu Estate."

    "Well, since you already know my true identity... I''m going to marry Prince Wu, but I heard that he is a scary man. I heard that he is cold and heartless."

    "Don''t believe in what you hear! They are just rumors."

    And two maids walked saying, "Sister, I''m still so freaked out from when the prince had the guards kill the maid in such a horrendous way."

    Ling Rui immediately froze up. "Well, I got my info. I''ll leave now."

    "Hey, don''t just go making assumptions on your own. Although, it is true that the prince is cold, that doesn''t mean he is ruthless and heartless. If he was heartless, he would have not cared about the Madame."

    "Look, your one of his concubines, so you would definitely support him, but I''m his wife-to-be and I want a man who will really love me for who I am, not because of an engagement. Today, I already made my decision."

    "Wait! You should think twice before you act!"

    (Sigh)... She just left like that. I feel so awkward now. Oh boy... I''m going to have a lot of insisting to do to that girl. I need to get on her good side anyhow. If I do that, in the future, she can help me dismiss my title of a concubine and I can be a free woman. How great would that be.

    Not too far away, Prince Wu and Shu Xienghao was chatting and taking a walk when they noticed the human on the tree. Below the tree, was the prince''s concubine.

    "What do you think? Maybe she is cheating on you. Haha... Just joking don''t take it seriously."

    "She''s not."

    "I know, I know. I can hear it as clear as you. So that person on the tree is your future wife. Doesn''t seem like. She may be talented and all, but she lacks brains. Still, I can''t someone as cold as you can have a woman who can defend you like that. You guys haven''t had that many intimate moments, yet, she is already defending you."

    "What?"

    "I''m jealous, okay? Hey, she is just a concubine, think you can give her to me?"

    "No."

    "Why not? You have so 2 other concubines waiting to warm your bed already, so give up one for me alright? I''m never going to have another chance to see a woman with brains and talents like her."

    With a grin and eyes of full of annoyance and jealousy, to his friend he says, "No, she''s mine and only mine."

    "Alright, I''ll back off."

    The commotion comes to an end and Zhao Ling leaves to her small courtyard.

 Zixie Courts Zhao Ling

    Back at the Winter Courtyard, it had become lively again.

    "Zixie, your here."

    "Of course."

    "Is it just me or does it seem like you grew?"

    "You have good eyes. Guess what? I can finally court you. I''m going to have an adult body in ten days."

    Because Zhao Ling was drinking tea at the time, what Zixie said had left her spitting her tea onto Zixie''s face.

    With a handkerchief, Zixie says with a hint of playfulness, "Your disgusting! I have never seen a girl spit tea in my face before."

    "What did you expect me to do when you just right out came and said you would court me?"

    "I was thinking you would blush."

    "Anyways, why?"

    "Why? The gods just said that your red string of fate was here. They never said that it had to be a specific person, and since I like you, of course I''m going to court you."

    "Hey, did you ever think at all that I may leave back to my world?"

    Zixie says with smiling eyes, "It''s okay, I can follow you anywhere."

    "(Sigh), did you even think that maybe when I go back, you would have no chance to court me at all?"

    "No."

    "Zixie, there is only 10 months left before I leave, once I leave, I am leaving behind the memories here to go back to where I belong in."

    "Zhao Ling, I don''t think you can just leave like that. You are a human with emotions. As long as I try, I will make you fall in love with. 10 months is all I need as long as there is no interruptions."

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "How are you so sure? And also, Zixie, I''m sure I can leave behind my memories and emotions from here. Right when I enter the entrance to my original world, the only person I can think of is Lu Ming."

    "Ling Ling, why do you care so much about him? Everytime I come to you, you are always talking about him. How great he is and how nice he is. In what way is he nice when he doesn''t allow you to go anywhere without his supervision. He is a control freak!"

    "Look! To you he may seem like an inhumane person. I know that he is a control freak, but there are reasons. He knows my past, he knows my dangerous life, he knows everything about me. Even when he knew I could eminent danger to him, he still decided to let me stay by his side."

    "But!"

    "Zixie! He protected me for 10 long years! For 10 long years, he has never had another woman by his side other than me. He makes me feel comfortable. He makes me feel important. He gives me a warmth I have never felt before. Zixie, do you even know of my past?"

    "I know everything about you... Except of when you were 7 to 19 years old. The gods made it a rule to never be spoken of. I was in hibernation when that was still happening, so I have no idea of your past. And even when I do try to grab information, nobody speaks."

    "Zixie, once you know of my past, you would abandon me like everyone else. That is something, I will tell you." (Inwardly sigh) "I''m tired, please go back."

    Outside the entrance door of the Winter Court, Prince Wu was angry. Angry and full of jealousy. What he wanted more than anything was to find out who Lu Ming was and butcher that man. She, Bai Xiangxiu, was his woman. She belonged to him, and yet, her heart was not here.

    "Leave."

    "Yes."

    Prince Wu entered and went straight to Zhao Ling.

    "I heard your conversation. You have explaining to do."

    Maybe because of his anger, he had held onto her hands to roughly and caused bruises to appear.

    "Your Highness, you''re hurting this concubine please let go." Dammit! Zhao Ling you idiot! How could I forget about the prince outside the door? (Sigh) Things are going wrong today for some reason. "Your Highness, please let go! This concubine will definitely explain! Please you''re hurting me!" Zhao Ling been feeling the pain the prince was causing because he was at high-Holy while she was only at beginner-Holy. It was a difference of only 2 levels, but just 1 level is more than enough to hurt her.

    Prince Wu was feeling guilty because of the pain and bruise he had left on the beauty, so he let her go, but he was still feeling angry.

    "Explain."

    "Zixie is a phoenix spiritual beast that I met after coming to this estate. The argument we had before... Your Highness, I can only tell you that I am not from this world. I am from a different world that is really into the future. We have electronic cars, ships, and satellites. We have high advance technology that you would never see in this world..."

    "That''s not what I want. Who is Lu Ming?"

    "He''s my master, boss, brother, and only family."

    "Do you love him?"

    "I wish... But no... 10 years ago, there was a big scar that was created in my heart. That scar left me with the ability never be able to love again. Whenever I fall in love, my heart would start hurting so badly, I want to die. The only reason why I am still living is because of Lu Ming. Without him... I would be in hell..."

    "Don''t leave..."

    "Hm?"

    "You said you were going to go back to your world. You would be able to throw away whatever you had collected here. Don''t."

    "Your Highness, you have 2 concubines with you, and a mother who cherishes you to the core. I have no one special to me other than him. Even if I did..." It was always a lie. They would betray me once they gained my trust. It took Lu Ming 10 years to get my trust.

    "Then, I''ll make you fall for me. I''ll make you mine."

    "What!?"

    "Can you tell me... About your forbidden past?"

    "Your Highness, if I told you, would you throw me away or would you say that you still want to court me?"

    "I don''t know."

    "And yet you still want to know. Your Highness, despite me having a beauty face, on the inside I am full of ugly scars that has never been healed. But only be opened again and again. I hope you won''t be mad that I can''t tell you."

    "He was able to do. So should I."

    "One day..."

    "Promise?"

    "Promise. Now, Your Highness, it is past midnight, you should go to your quarters. You can visit me in the morning when I have a refreshed mood."

    I wanted to stay longer with you, you dumb girl. Yet, you shooed me away instead. Whatever, I will definitely get revenge on you later for this.

 Prince Wus Thoughts

    She said that she has a forbidden past. That man who argued with her stated that even the gods forbid anybody to speak of the event. What happened to her that even the gods imposed such a rule? Not only that, why would the gods get involved in a human''s life?

    Since forever, the gods had never gotten involved in any kind of human activities. The heard of are mostly the cheesy story type where a female or male god fell in love with a human, but I don''t think it''s possible for that. They sent a phoenix spiritual beast to do their bidding, instead, so that is out of the question.

    Asking her is also out of the question when she had already rejected me the first time. She looked sad when she was talking about her past, though. Although she didn''t tell her entire life story, she still told me what I wanted to know at least.

    I definitely have to guard against that man name Lu Ming. Just by looking at her face, I can see that adoration and love she has for him. I can''t let anybody have her except me. She is too different and special from most women out there.

    Whether in the battlefield or in the harem, women can be as deadly as men. There is no difference, but she is different. Just seeing her sad and pitiful face makes me want to protect her. If I ever saw her cling on to me, somehow I can just predict the feeling of ethereal right now.

    I can''t let someone steal her away from me, now that I''ve known about her.

    I need to talk to mother immediately and find some way to cancel that marriage and get rid of the other 2 concubines. Not only that, I want to talk to mother about to make her fall for me. She doesn''t seem to have any feelings for me.

    "Mother."

    "Xiao Yun! You finally visit me after so long!"

    "You already saw me just not 5 hours ago."

    "You! Do you even care for your mother? You leave to defend this country for months. I only get to see my son after more than 3 months. Sometimes even 6 months. Do you even know how this old lady feels?"

    "Mother, I wanted to ask about one of my wife."

    "Ooh! Am I finally going to have a grandchild?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "If you want one, you have to help me."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Sleeping with Concubine Bei and Yui disgusts me. They wear too much of a fancy outfit everyday and too much makeup. Seeing them all I can do is try to not breathe so that I can''t smell the perfume they use everyday and their makeup."

    "So, you want Concubine Bai?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, just have her. Xiao Yun, she is already your woman the moment she stepped into this estate."

    "I know that, but I don''t want her to hate me. I overheard a conversation she had with her servant."

    "What is it?"

    "She was forced to become a concubine by her fake foster family, the Bai family. They don''t know her true age, even her real name. She doesn''t want to stay locked in a cage, but in order to return home, she needs to wait for a year."

    "I see. Xiao Yun, a way into a woman''s heart is showing how you care about her and that you really love her. There is no need to do big things like gifting her expensive things. If she really is a woman that doesn''t care for the position, then even if you do small little things for her like visit her and help her, she will start to like you overtime."

    "I see."

    "Xiao Yun, love cannot be forced. It''s good that you know that philosophy although you never cared for love before."

    "It''s not that. It''s just... She has somebody else in her heart. Not only that, from what I overheard and what she told me, I can just tell that she is someone that cannot trust easily."

    "Then, that will definitely make you job harder, but I''m sure you can definitely romanticize her!"

    "The most easiest way to get into her heart is knowing what happened when she a young girl. I heard that even the gods forbid from anybody speaking of the event."

    "It must be a heavy past then."

    "I''m not sure, but the only people who knows are the gods and one man she trusts."

    "Xiao Yun, I am sure it is heavy and sad. There was a time long ago where the gods also forbid everyone from speaking of that event. After a while, the news of what happened leaked. When it did, the world was in heavy demise. The person of that event committed suicide."

    "Then, I have to dig."

    "Xiao Yun, are you sure you want to find out about her past?"

    "If it is enough to make her trust me, then I should do it."

    "When you find out, make sure you think rationally or you will regret it. Somebody with a forbidden past, has a reason why it is forbidden."

    "I understand."

    7 days has passed since the argument and Prince Wu overhearing the argument.

    "Mistress Xiu, His Highness is here!"

    What is he doing here again?

    "Your Highness, is there something this concubine may do for you?"

    "Bring it in." Soon, the room was filled with a scent of luxurious and good food. There was lots of food, but the things that stood out to me were spinach noodles, fried mashi, and BBQ meat. I wasn''t sure how the prince had gotten these food.

    This world was ancient and the rich people didn''t really eat BBQ meat. It started becoming famous only in the future. Perhaps he tried to think of dishes that were from the future because I told him so?

    "Wow! The food tastes so great! I haven''t had these in such a long time. The last time I ate them, I got called a pig because they were the last dishes I ate after 12 bowls of rice."

    "Who?"

    "Lu Ming."

    Prince Wu had a look that he was eating vinegar and a face full of annoyance. Perhaps I shouldn''t have said that.

    "Sorry... It''s just in my entirety, he surrounds my life."

    "Hm?"

    "Since 10 years ago, to help get me to move on, he said that I had to stick to him like I was his blood vessel. We ate together, worked together, and went anywhere together. The only time I wasn''t with him was only on the day I finally got a day off of work."

    I looked at him apologetically. After all, he made effort to help make me not feel homesick. Although, I''m still scared of him and think he is cold. I don''t think he is heartless or ruthless. It''s just a nature that he thinks woman are as deadly as man. It''s what he sees everyday at war.

    "That day was also the day I fainted and came here."

    "Let''s not talk about him."

    "Okay."

 Training To Be A Housewife

    "Mother wants me to teach you how to write."

    "I already know how to write."

    "(Sigh), well it''s not feminine at all."

    What the hell! I''m sorry if I can''t write the way you want me to.

    "We''ll start tomorrow."

    "Wha-?"

    You didn''t even give me a chance to give my opinion at all you dumbass! How can you leave right when I was going to protest?

    "Mistress Xiu, the Madame has summoned you."

    What is it? Why are they calling on me so much? Can''t they just leave me be like the other concubines?

    I followed the Madame''s runner to her hall. Once I was there, I bowed so respectfully, so much that you could not see my face.

    What is that girl doing? Haha! Am I that scary?

    "Get up... Concubine Xiu, I''ve been thinking that you are my perfect candidate! I wonder if you can do something for me?"

    (Inwardly sigh) She has such a happy face, I would hate myself if I didn''t do as she said. "What does Madame want this lowly concubine do?"

    "Lately, I have been thinking about training one the concubines to be a perfect wife for my son. You guys don''t know how behave and so, he doesn''t care a bit for you concubines, but! Concubine Xiu, you are already halfway perfect, you just need some training and you will be off."

    "What does this concubine have that makes Madame say so?" Seriously, what is going on. You have 2 other ladies you could train. Why me?

    "Since you already accepted my training. Come in!"

    "Mistress Xiu, this servant will be in charge of training you to be a good house wife. You may call me Qi."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "Concubine Xiu, although this servant of mine has been divorced 2 times, I can promise you that her husband has treated her beyond well!"

    Why would I not think of that already? She is a servant of yours, of course she is talented. If I reject her offer, she would think I am being and ungrateful wench. And I already accepted her offer when she asked me.

    If I knew that was what she wanted me to do, I would have rejected! I actually got trapped. Damn, her smile. It was definitely her smile. The Madame never smiled much. I should have knew it already when she was beaming full of sunshine.

    With a forced smile, I accepted her "training", "Then, this concubine thanks Madame for her generosity."

    Going back to the Winter Court, the Aunt Qi, was more than deep into training me. The whole way back she talked about how I should dress more for the prince, how I should care for my body for the prince, how I need to learn how to embroider for the prince, and so many more things I was about to go crazy.

    When we got back, Aunt Qi, showed me how to embroider, but I think I scared her off. She was so shocked when she saw my embroidery of two mandarin birds. It was normal, but my skills has already reached top notch that whatever I embroider is so beautiful, people die for it.

    "Mistress Xiu, let''s make this into a fragrance bag."

    "Alright." She definitely is going to tell me to send this to the prince. Well, not a bad idea. I can definitely use this chance to get Prince Wu to not give me a writing class. I''m not being fearless, but honest. (Sigh) It''s scary though.

    I''ve successfully angered him 2 times since coming here already. If my honesty, kills me, what should I do?

    After finishing my fragrance bag, I felt like it was too ordinary, so I told Aunt Qi that I want to make a bookmark for the prince.

    "Why would you do that? We women usually give nutritional soups and bags for our husbands."

    "But he''s the prince and he already has 2 other concubines doing that for him already, so in order to stand out, shouldn''t I do this instead?"

    "Oh child, I''m surely dumb. Haha... You''re right. When it comes to competing, you need to stand out. His Higness loves talents, I''m sure you''ll get him to notice you."

    Haha... I don''t want him to notice me, I''m just doing this so that you can get me a good review for the Madame. For her only.

    Then, I started on the bookmark. It was made with jade and on there was a dragon carving. Normally it would be hard to make it in just one night, but who am I? I''m a skilled a woman, not the ones that just beg. There was also a poem on it.

    I then made another another bag for the bookmark. The bag had a matching embroidery to the bookmark.

    On the next day, I set to the prince''s courtyard. I''ve never gone to his courtyard before (And I wished for it to stay like that) , but I can say that, I have to say, we need to treasure the scenery.

    "Shao, may I see His Highness?"

    "Please wait, this servant needs to ask."

    "Thank you."

    He left, so I waited at the prince''s courtyard''s entrance door.

    "In 1 hour, let her come in."

    "Understood." Your Highness, didn''t you want to see her too? I don''t understand your romance techniques, Your Highness.

    "What are you doing? Didn''t you say you like her? Your way to capture a heart is really strange."

    "Punishment."

    "What did she wrong that your punishing her? I really want to know."

    "No need."

    "Whatever you say my friend." This dude... How is he going to get her like that?

    Why is Shao taking so long? It''s already been an hour.

    When I was about to think about going back and say that I''m never visiting him again, Shu Xienghao came out.

    With a smile, I greeted him, "Greeting to Scholar Shu."

    "Haha, you look good in a smile. You should always smile."

    *Blush* How can I blush just with that one sentence? I''m already owned. Wait wait wait... (Sigh) This is going nowhere with my stupid mentality right now.

    "Thank you for your compliment..."

    "A woman such as you, should be treasured."

    "Huh?"

    What is he saying? Don''t tell me he''s trying to court me? I mean he''s nice and all, but I''m not ready to get involved in a relationship, yet. Not until I find how to remove this stupid curse of a scar.

    Inside the room, Prince Wu was angry that his best friend had just flirted with his woman, but after thinking for a while, he came to regret, instead. Regret that he told his runner to let her wait outside in the cold for a whole entire hour.

    "Mistress Xiu, the prince has allowed you to come in."

    That man! I''m never coming back here and even if I do, it won''t be me, but Aunt Qi!

 I Should Give You A Present, Xiuer

    "What did you need?"

    I was fuming with anger at the fact that he told them to let me wait outside for a whole entire hour, so I placed his gifts on his table he was at and left immediately back to my court by teleportation.

    She''s definitely angry at me. Will she fall for him?

    Prince Wu looked at the two gifts that Zhao Ling left for him. There was a fragrance bag. The bag did not have the same fragrance that the other concubines gave him. It was always a smell of perfume or flowers. However, the fragrance coming out of the one Zhao Ling gave him was a refreshing smell. It smelled almost like her, yet, different. She smelled like the plum blossoms that bloomed during the spring.

    The second bag had a matching bookmark. It looked like it was a set. The poem was nice, too.

    (Sigh), she took so much effort to make these and yet, I actually let her out there instead of here.

    "Shao, what should I do for her?"

    "Your Highness, should give the mistress a present back. Your Highness, has angered mistress for two reasons, so you should not only give her presents, but also stay with her."

    That''s a good idea. I was suppose to give her a writing lesson today.

    "To Winter Court."

    At the Winter Court, "That stupid prince! I''m never going to make another present for him! I''m never seeing him again! Stupid! Idiot!"

    "Your Hi-!"

    Prince Wu immediately put a finger to his lips to tell the servant to not announce him coming to the court.

    Seeing how angry she was, he felt like he had to do more.

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    From his hand, he took out a hairpin. It was a hairpin that represented a peacock. He then proceeded to put the hairpin in Zhao Ling''s hair.

    Zhao Ling who suddenly felt that somebody had touched her, jumped far away to a corner of the room.

    "Haha! Am I that scary?"

    "Hmph!"

    "I''m sorry. I''ll makeup for you."

    "No need. Your Highness''s breaks are more important than anything else, so Your Highness should back to take his break. This concubine can''t satisfy the prince in anyway, so Your Highness should return."

    "I''m really sorry. I''ll give you a present, Xiu''er."

    "No need, and my name is not Xiu''er. It''s Zhao Ling."

    "So your real name is Zhao Ling. It''s quite a beautiful name. Who named you?"

    Dammit, you idiot! You actually blurted out your own real name. Zhao Ling calm down. Breathe in, breathe out.

    With a forced smile, I said, "Your Highness, there is no need to give me anymore presents. This hairpin is more than enough."

    "No, I''m not satisfied with that. I''ll accompany you for the day."

    "No, really, Your Highness. It''s fine. I just needed a moment to calm down."

    "If I leave you right now, I''m afraid I''ll never see you again."

    "What?" *Blush* When did he know how to flirt with girls? I''ve never heard him say such a sad romantic line.

    "Forgive me?"

    "Fine..."

    "Shao, go get paper and ink."

    "What do you need it for?"

    "Did you forget?"

    Sh*t! I forgot that he said we begin today. "You''re still going to teach me even after you angered me?"

    "The hairpin is not your only present."

    "Huh?"

    "I''m taking you out to an estate we own in the mountains. The mountain is near a town, so we can still get everything we need."

    "Really?"

    "But before that, I need to you how to write much better to copy Buddha scrolls."

    "Why? You need to accompany me with mother on her trip to the temple. Every year mother prays at the Buddhist temple."

    I forgot about that. And I can''t believe I also forgot that that''s where the female lead ran away.

    "If I do it successfully when do we get to go to the estate in the mountains?"

    "Whenever you want to go."

    "Alright!"

    If I knew all I needed to do to calm her was just take her out, I should have just done that.

    "Why do you like going so much?"

    "I always explored the world, but it was under my boss''s orders. And even when I went, he was always there to watch me to make sure I was at his sights. He ordered me to never leave his sights unless I wanted to be punished, but now I get to go out and have fun somewhere without so many rules binding me."

    A bird who doesn''t like to escape its cages, but follows its owner. A loyal bird, indeed, fits me.

    For the rest of the day, Zhao Ling and Prince Wu spent the day at the desk with the prince teaching her how to create her own personality in writing.

    The next day, Aunt Qi and Hao''er was preparing my stuff. If not for yesterday, I would have forgotten.

    "Mistress Xiu, how are the copies coming along?"

    "I''m almost done. I''ll make sure to finish it while we are traveling to the destination."

    "I''ll inform Madame."

    "Go on."

    I entered my carriage. It wasn''t the most comfortable thing I''ve ever sat on, but with my status, it is only normal. I wish I could teleport to the place instead, but I don''t know where it is. Perhaps, I can fly or jump on clouds instead? That wouldn''t be a bad idea. Whenever someone comes to my carriage, I''ll just go back in there. Aunt Qi and Hao''er can just be the ones in there. I should ask Prince Wu about it.

    But I need to find him first. Where ever he is. With my right hand, appeared a mirror. The mirror showed where Prince Wu. That was not only its functions. It is like a spy. You can hear what the people on the screen are talking about and also, nobody can sense this little device.

    It''s perfect for an assassin for me. I thought I would have no use for it anymore after coming here, but it''s still very useful.

    Prince Wu was with the Madame right now, so I''ll wait until he''s free.

 Her Past (1)

    When it was time to set off, the prince finally left Madame, and I found my chance to go talk to him. Of course, I won''t be talking to him in person. I would probably be destroying my own reputation by doing that. So I used talked to him with my spiritual powers.

    "Your Highness, is it alright if I fly or jump on clouds to follow you guys, instead?"

    "Why?"

    "The carriage is not comfortable at all. I feel like I will get a headache from at the banging my head has to do in this carriage."

    "I''ll let them change your carriage for you."

    "No, no need! Don''t worry, I''m smart. I won''t get myself in any trouble, so please?"

    "No."

    Fine, then, let me use a trick. "Your Highness, if you let me fly, I''ll go invisible and let the only person to see me be you with me sitting on your lap. If you let me jump on clouds, I promise I''ll do whatever you ask of me."

    Damn, this girl! With these choices how could I resist? But she has given me an idea, Prince Wu thought with a sinister smile. "I give you permission to do both."

    "Really!"

    "The first is flying. Hurry up."

    "Okay!" Although I feel uncomfortable that I have to sit on his lap halfway through the ride, it doesn''t really matter because I can finally go and see the scene. Not only that, I can get out of this horrible carriage.

    "Aunt Qi, Hao''er, I''m leaving to His Highness, I''ll see you guys later!"

    Feeling ecstatic, I flew right away to the prince. And I kept my promise to him. I became invisible wile letting him be the only person who can see me. And I sat on his lap.

    "Took you long enough."

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    "I didn''t want Aunt Qi or Hao''er to worry about me, so I had to them first."

    "You look pretty with a smile."

    "Eh?" *Blush* Your Highness, please stop trying to get any closer to me or I''ll die. Literally, I''m not lying.

    "Haha... You said I can ask you to do anything for me if I let you jump on clouds."

    "Yeah?"

    "I never knew you could jump on clouds."

    "Lu Ming taught me how to jump on clouds to travel. Once someone surpasses the rank as an advance-Godly, they become a god and is an immortal."

    "So, he is an immortal?"

    "Yep. He said immortals traveled by leaping on clouds. I was so fascinated by it that I begged him to teach me. You know, he once said that my fascination and curiosity is what would kill me."

    "That''s horrible."

    "But what he said is true. Say, do you want to know about my forbidden past?"

    "I do, but I don''t want to force you to tell me."

    "Your Highness, I''m not sure if I''m making the right choice or not, but I want to tell you about my past right now. I want to tell you as a warning. During the past few days that you have been visiting my court, I somehow came to start to feel something for you."

    I guess I did make progress in making her mine, but what does she mean by warning?

    "When you came over everyday to bring me my meals, stayed with me and talked to me, when you protected me from the jealousy of the other women. I felt like I was falling for that kindness. Seeing you be kind to me is not something I would have ever thought of. 10 years ago, I made a vow to never fall in love again. Yet, here I am falling for you. Even with me saying that you may think I am a fake person after saying this, do you still want to hear the story of my past?"

    "Yes."

    "It all started when I was 6 years old... My family chose to throw me away because of my scars on my body. My mother thought that it would heal overtime, that if I got the care I needed it would heal, but as I grew up, the scars never disappeared, but became more visible. I had all types of scars on my body. Burns, cuts, scrapes, bruises, and then... My face. My mom was a beauty renowned in the entire country, yet her child was ugly. Yes, my face was ugly. The face you see now is but a mask that Lu Ming had created for me."

    "What hurts most was the fact that my family had thrown me away for my appearance. I was still a talent though. I was talented. When I was born, my spiritual powers surpassed that of the highest rank. But now, my powers are nothing. My family threw inside of a forest. Can you guess what the name was?"

    "What was it?"

    "It was called ''The No Return Forest''. Do you know why it was call ''The No Return Forest''?"

    Just from the name itself, I can already tell why it was called that.

    "When I was thrown into the forest, I had thought, I don''t care if nobody wants me, I know that mother loves me. I took that illusion and made every effort to escape from the forest. After returning back to the Min House, I looked for my mother. When I found her, she told me she didn''t want me. She told me I was trash. So I made every effort again to get her to accept me. I showed her all me talents from musical to fighting, everything, but all she saw in me was a money maker."

    "Don''t tell me she made you into a-"

    "No, she sold me to the Demon King. I was sold at a high price. I think he was expecting to see a very beautiful woman with talents that could satisfy him, but when he saw me, he was pissed off and beat me up. For 2 years, any small little mistake I made, he would torture me for it. I curse the gods at that. What had I done so wrongly that I was to be punished like this. And then, my stress build up was so much that my emotions got so out of control, I became a demon myself. My scars disappeared and showed my true face."

    "Ling''er..."

    "I had beauty unrivaled of. When everyone saw my beauty, they all fought for it, but the one who won it, was the Demon King. For 5 years, he constantly chased me and when I finally gave in, I was nothing but a tool for him. I was his weapon and shield. My immortality gave him his shield and my powers gave him his weapon. My beauty was used for seducing men and women. Did you know, I did everything I could to run away, but I couldn''t?"

    "Why?"

    "Because he had cast a curse on me. A curse that if I left him, I would die, but I didn''t to die, yet. Back then, I was always thinking that my mother had loved and gave me to the Demon King because she wanted me to have a better future. After all, that''s what she told me.

 Her Past (2)

    "Well, the first half is done. Hehe... And now begins the part where you will hate me."

    "I won''t."

    "I doubt it, but here goes... Because my emotions were uncontrollable, my mentality was also uncontrollable. This caused my immense powers to start stirring up again and caused me to go back into human form. I had even more scars this time because of the times I had to shield the Demon King. The scars were not only on the outside, but also on the inside. Even now, the scars are still there."

    "What else happened when your powers went out of control?"

    "I took a start to the dark side. I killed anyone who angered me. I killed couples who were in love. I killed happy families. I killed innocent lives because I was jealous. I aided the evil side in their wars with the good side. I killed my own family. I killed my own child."

    "H-Ho-How did you come to?"

    With a fleeting smile, "One day, a god came to me and said if I lost the fight with him, I would be his slave. He said that I had been terrorizing too many people. I had lost the fight and when I did I cried so hard. I hated myself to the core for what I had done. I hated myself for my idiocy. I hated myself for so many reasons. I cried myself until I gave in to the thought of killing smile. When I was only a second away from killing myself, he said that I''m dumb for committing suicide. He said if I did, I will be on list of the most dumbest people on the world. I suppose he said that so that I would have some liveliness again. At least it worked though."

    "Don''t tell me that that man was Lu Ming."

    "It was. He helped live through everyday life. He gave me a new face. He gave me a new name. He gave me a new identity. When 5 years had passed since the day we fought, I asked him why he had helped me. Can you guess what his response was?"

    "No, I don''t know him."

    "''You looked lonely'', he said. But when he said that, somehow I couldn''t believe him. His eyes did not look like it always did when he talked to me. His eyes looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn''t want me to be hurt, so he chose to say that instead."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    "What if he wanted to say ''I love you''?"

    "Him saying that? I could never imagine it. He was always cold to me and treated me like a child."

    "You said I would hate you, but I feel even more so that you should be protected. You were wrong."

    "I guess so. I just thought you would be like everyone else."

    "Like everyone else?"

    "Lu Ming gave me a new family. After living more than long enough to be comfortable and trust each other again, I them my past, too, but they-"

    "You don''t have to explain. Just tell me more about the curse."

    "The curse... I can''t fall in love with another man other than the Demon King. I must follow everyone of his commands. I can''t kill myself."

    "If you did the opposite of those things what would be the effect?"

    "I would die a painful death and I will never have a chance to reincarnate again."

    Finished talking, I felt like a huge rock had been lifted from my shoulders. Yet, what I couldn''t believe was that the prince didn''t mind that I killed innocent people. I thought he would hate, but yet, he thinks I should be protected. Can I trust in him?

    "Your Highness, you really don''t care that I''ve killed innocent people?"

    "I''ve killed innocent ones before, too."

    "But I killed my own child. You really don''t hate me for that?"

    "No, that is the reason why I love you even further."

    "What?"

    "It seems like we were meant to be. If you had a child from another man, I think I would have killed the child myself."

    "Your Highness! That is illogical!"

    "How is it illogical? It is logical. I love you so much, I don''t want anybody to have you other than myself. I know I''m selfish, but I''m hoping you can indulge my selfishness."

    "Your Highness, you know that I may die, if fall in love in with you, right?"

    "I''ll find a way to remove the curse. I have connections that can help."

    I felt so many emotions at finding a new person to trust in that I couldn''t help, but hug this man. I was happy that I found someone else who can still love me even knowing my past.

    "Oof... Are you that happy at finding that you have a trusting husband?"

    "Yes, but I''m sad that I can''t love you."

    Prince Wu was happy hearing the yes, but immediately his eyes became murderous and blood thirsty hearing the final words of the woman in front of him. Demon King, just wait. I''ll torture you until you reach the final level of hell. I will make you feel the 100 times more painful than what Ling''er felt.

    "If you killed your child then does that mean that you''ve lost your...?"

    "Yes, but don''t worry, I''ve got it back!"

    "How?"

    "I''m a doctor, alchemist, and smart in poisons and medicine. I concocted a pill that lets you gain back your chastity. But although I''ve got it back... It''s a scar that is ingrained into my memories of which can never be removed."

    "I''ll try my best to find a way to remove that curse."

    "Mm, thank you."

    After sitting on his lap for a while, I finally remembered that I was suppose to be jumping clouds at this time. When I was about to get up, the prince grabbed my wrist and asked me in a low tone, "Where are you going?"

    "You promised me both cloud jumping and flying."

    "Well, I go back on my words. Only flying."

    "What!? That''s unfair Your Highness."

    All he gave me was a look of playfulness. He was happy with now, so I should be happy along with him. Still, I keep asking myself, how come I fell for this man in only a short month, yet, it took 6 years for Lu Ming. Somehow, I feel that I''ve been unfair to him all of a sudden. But don''t think he minds that at all. After all, he doesn''t love me, so it should be fine, that the person I love now, also reciprocates my feelings.

    After a while, I started feeling tired, so fell asleep on the prince''s chest.

    Ling''er, you said that your face is but a mask, but I''m sure even with all the scars, you have a beautiful face. A face unrivaled of. A face so beautiful, nobody has seen before.

 Stop Time For You

    After sleeping for a while, I woke up because of my alarm. I don''t have a physical alarm that makes noises to wake me up, but an alarm that uses spiritual energy to function. It is like a mental alarm clock, but not at the same time. I set this alarm to wake me up whenever someone has gone near my carriage and called out my name.

    I tried to get off of the prince, but he wouldn''t let me. He used some force to make me stuck on his chest.

    "Your Highness, it''s time for me to go back to me carriage. Madame''s servant is waiting for me there. If I don''t go back soon, Hao''er will panic."

    "Let them. Let me enjoy my bliss for awhile first."

    (Sigh), I can''t do much for you Your Highness. No matter how much I want to love you, I can''t, so I can only grant your wishes, until it is time for me to return.

    With a snap of my finger, time stop and everyone stopped moving. Everyone except me and the prince.

    "What did you do?"

    "You said you wanted to enjoy your bliss for a while. I''m merely granting you your wish."

    "You cheeky little brat. You should have done that when you first came so I had more time to satisfy myself with you."

    "Hehe...Your Highness, you never asked."

    "(Sigh), what am I going to do with you?"

    "Your Highness, do want to know something?"

    "Mm..."

    "I''ve known you for longer than you know me. At least 2 years now."

    "You''ve me for that long, yet, I never knew you until you entered my estate. Explain that to me."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "It''s simple actually. Your world is like a book that I can read everyday. While my world is the creator of that book."

    "You are practically saying you know everything about me then."

    "Yes, that''s right. I know that the reason why you came back and is able to stay for such a long is because His Majesty told you to go off on a vacation or break, when in truth he is actually fearful that you may steal his seat."

    "You are very knowledgeable."

    "Hehe! I already told you, I''m a very smart and talented woman. Except for love. I''m a sore thumb at love. I got yelled at once by Lu Ming. He said that as a woman who knows how to fall in love, I should also be able to tell when a person has fallen for me."

    "Somebody fell for you?"

    "Yes, he was the eldest prince of a rich country. I didn''t know he was trying to court me until Lu Ming said it."

    "What did that man do?"

    "Well, Lu Ming told me to cut off contact with him. I was scared to hurt the prince''s feelings so I told him that may not be able to see him for a long time because of my job."

    "Well, I hate that man Lu Ming, but I suppose I should be thankful that you had him. If you didn''t, I would never be able to have you like this."

    "Your Highness, I believe that I have indulged you more than enough so, perhaps its time to continue letting the time move along now?"

    "Wait." His Highness suddenly pressed a kiss on my forehead and I instantly blushed. Although my body was hurting because of the curse, I felt a happiness from the bottom of my heart. It was something I haven''t felt before. Maybe what I felt for Lu Ming wasn''t love, but really as family?

    After that small kiss on the forehead, I went back to my carriage and continued time. I will never be able to forget today. It was a small event, but it was a happy time of bliss for me.

    "Mistress Xiu, we''ve reached the temple."

    "Understood."

    The servant left back to the Madame and I got down from the carriage.

    "Mistress Xiu, how was your stay with the prince?"

    And from the bottom of my heart I told Hao''er, "It was very satisfying. I was finally able to lift a rock."

    Hao''er made a confused face at that sentence, but all I said was, "In the future, you will understand. All you need to know for now is that, the prince and I are very in love."

    "Really?!"

    All I gave her was a simple sweet smile as a reply.

    "I''m so happy for you Mistress Xiu! I knew one day you would get recognized."

    I would be as happy as you if only I didn''t know that I need to return back to my world. Now that I am falling for the prince, it is even more important that I find a way to go back now. If not now, then I''ll surely leave them sad.

    "Hao''er let''s make a move or they will abandon us here."

    "Yes Mistress Xiu!"

    When we first got there, we were showed to our rooms. The Wu family had brought all their concubines and had gotten 3 three rooms, but unfortunately, all the rooms were different sized. Knowing that the concubines wanted the big rooms and that I was too lazy to even talk with them, I immediately chose the small room.

    We were to go to our appointed, refresh ourselves, and then head to the temple hall for small banquet feast as a welcoming for us guests. The Wu family was not the only ones here. There was also other families like the Shu family and the female lead''s family.

    I forgot that the female lead''s family had come, too. If I didn''t forget, I would have feigned sick so that I wouldn''t have to come, unfortunately... The female lead''s mother is a problem in the ass. Her mother only cares about the position and doesn''t care to ask her daughter for opinion, but still there is another reason.

    The female lead''s mother was an underhanded b****. I remember correctly how she had made the other concubines suffer just to make sure her daughter did not have competition in the her new home. Really, all the plans were just to frame the concubines, instead. Not only that, because of the prince''s growing adoration for the female lead, the concubines suffered and even harder punishment than what you would normally suffer. It was harsh.

 Madam Lings Failed Plan

    I entered the banquet hall of the temple. It was very orderly and and fancy like other banquets that these wealthy people had, but it was not as fancy. There was not a wide variety of dishes like most feasts and everyone had to be good about not wasting food. There also more vegetarian dishes mostly because we are at a buddhist temple.

    Upon entrance, I kept a low profile and ate my food quietly. I was planning on to keep my low profile and do nothing, but then, my trained ears heard what I thought was going happen anytime soon.

    "Ling''er choose one of the concubines."

    "Why mom?"

    "Just choose one."

    "Concubine Xiu."

    Madam Ling looked at Zhao Ling discreetly and thought, "Well, she has the looks, but at least she knows who is has the highest position unlike the others. But, that doesn''t mean she safe. I must make every effort to make sure that my Ling''er doesn''t have anybody trying to steal her position."

    "Mom, what are you thinking?"

    Madam Ling called over one of her servants and whispered in the servants ear. After finishing giving instructions to the servant, she put on a face full of smiles, thinking that she had won already.

    "One down, two more to go."

    "Mom, what are you doing? Concubine Xiu is not a person with an evil mind. She''s kind."

    "Ling''er, there are fake people out there in the world. You never know if everything she says is to help you."

    "Mom, I know for sure that she is a friend. When I went to the prince''s mansion during Madam Wu''s birthday, she helped me and didn''t expose me."

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "How are you so sure? Are you sure that she didn''t tell it to anyone behind your back?"

    "Mom, she wouldn''t." Concubine Xiu, I''m so sorry! This is all my fault, if I knew mother was going to plan something and frame you, I would have chosen another concubine instead.

    I may have had a look like I wasn''t paying attention, but I heard everything she told her servant. This main wife of the Ling household is very dumb indeed. She doesn''t even know a thing about me. Does she honestly think she can just frame me like that?

    "Hao''er, can you go back to my room and give me the copied scrolls. I forgot to grab it. I have to give it to Madam."

    "Yes, please wait Mistress Xiu."

    Let us begin the play.

    3...

    2...

    1...

    I then casted a spell with nobody knowing to the servant that was coming up behind me. The spell made it look like if the servant had planned to make me be responsible for her dropping a precious small buddha statue, but made it look too obvious. The perfect way to make everyone pity the damsel in distress.

    I then pretended to groan in pain as if I was in a lot of pain. I made sure the statue had hit my head and also used another spell that made my head swell from the pain. Of course, I felt nothing at all.

    The commotion I made turned everyone''s head towards me and everybody saw the situation. Soon, everyone''s expression was of distaste towards the maid, and started whispering, "I can''t believe they won''t even let off a concubine when she already made effort to not disturb the wealthy." "Right right, horrible."

    And in secret, I made a sly smile. This smile the prince and his best friend saw. At first they thought that she was bored and just wanted to have something happen and so, created this, but when they saw how Madam Ling was speaking in such a fake tone, it was more than enough to explain the situation.

    "Bai, apologize to Concubine Xiu."

    "But Madam, I didn''t drop the statue on her. It was her! She did something to it."

    "What are you talking about? Everybody already saw you drop it on her. Do you want to tarnish your own master''s name?"

    "Of course not Madam, but-but..."

    "Apologize!"

    The servant then apologized to me, but it was as fake as it could be. Since I already got what I wanted, I should stop playing now.

    And with a fake sincere smile, "It''s okay. I''m sure you didn''t mean to do it. Not only that, I didn''t get hurt that much. I am but a mere concubine, there''s no need to apologize to me. You should only apologize to Madam Ling for this matter. I''m not that important, the reputation of your master is more important."

    "Thank you for your forgiveness."

    Hao''er then entered. "Mistress Xiu, how did you get hurt? How did you hit your head?"

    Everybody then looked at my head and once again, started whispering about how mean Madam Ling for not even giving the little girl mercy and hurt her so much.

    "Madam, may this servant be bold and ask to let Mistress Xiu rest? These are the scrolls you asked Mistress Xiu to copy for this trip."

    Well, the little girl has already had to deal with this much already without even doing anything. If I let her stay further, Yin''er is going to get mad at me. "Go ahead. Make sure to take care of your Mistress until she heals."

    "Yes, this maid understands!"

    When we reached my room, I told Hao''er the truth of what happened.

    "Sister, you did the right thing. You did nothing wrong yet they had planned to make you suffer. It was only right that you protect yourself."

    "Hao''er, is the Master free?"

    "Why Sister? Why do you want to see the Master of this temple?"

    "I''ll explain later."

    "Well, I don''t know where the master is, but I''m sure if you go to the praying room, he will appear at some point."

    "Thank you. I''ll be back by the time the moon is down."

    "Wh-?!"

    Hao''er couldn''t finish her shocked face because Zhao Ling left already. "Sigh, people who knows how to use magic is so hard to talk with. Sister please come back quickly!"

 Temple Master, Xue Liuxian

    I reached the temples praying room and started meditating. I need to hurry up and unlock the secret door by myself. Zixie said he would help me, but obviously he''s never coming back. I didn''t give him a chance at all. Seeing people hurt like this is why I I can''t say no, but when I think of the consequences, I can only say no. Zixie, I''m so sorry, but we''re just not meant to be.

    I know the master of this temple. He rarely comes out so nobody knows what he looks like, but I know he is just like me. Someone from a different world. Specifically, my world. I''ve known him for 6 years already. It was Lu Ming who introduced him to me.

    I need his help if I want to remove this curse. If I truly want to have a new identity. Something I can create myself, not this fake mask somebody else had created for me.

    All of a sudden while I was in thought, the door opened and I saw Ling Rui.

    "What are you doing here?"

    "I wanted to apologize for what my mom did. She never really cared for my opinions even when I state them. I didn''t want to marry the prince, but she kept on insisting."

    "Hey, he''s not so bad. You told me that you heard things, but how can you trust them when you haven''t even spoken to him yourself. The prince may have a cold demeanor, but that doesn''t mean he is horrible. Say, did you ever think that maybe somebody tried to tarnish his name by spreading those things?"

    "No."

    "Ling Rui, you should ask more than one question when you are thinking about the prince. He is someone trustworthy. If you married him, he would treat you will even with his gruff appearance. If he fell in love with you, he would be loyal to you and never look at another girl''s eyes."

    "How do you know all of these things? I heard that the prince never interacts with any of the women."

    "Everyday he comes to my court."

    "He must love you."

    "Hehe... He does, but I don''t."

    "Why not? You said that the prince is loyal and you even made it look like as if he could be kind to the person he loves."

    "If I could love him, I would be so happy, but there is a reason why I can''t."

    "Your his concubine, you have a right to love him already."

    "Whether concubine or not, I can''t unless I wish to die a painful death."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "Sis Ling, no matter how much you try to persuade me to marry him, I won''t. I don''t love him. Besides, I have an even better reason why I shouldn''t marry him now. He loves you."

    "Then, I won''t stop you, but in the future, don''t make trouble for me for not telling you."

    "I won''t, instead, I want to ask you if you can ask the prince to take back the offer of marrying me. My mom and dad definitely won''t make the move, instead they''ll try to secure it as much as they can."

    "There''s no need for me to tell him."

    "What?"

    "He''s outside the door already."

    "What? You knew? How come you didn''t tell me?"

    "Even if I did what would you do? You would freak out instead. That would make our conversation impassible."

    "Haha... Concubine Xiu is smart. I''m quite good at hiding my presence, yet you still found me out."

    "Scholar Shu, I''m a woman who is only two ranks lower than His Highness."

    "But we''re both higher than you, so how come you can still sense us? Logically, you shouldn''t be able to unless you were the same rank or higher."

    "I''m a lower rank, but higher at the same time. His Highness understands what I mean." I smiled towards the prince."

    "I''ll do as you say. I''m very satisfied that you also don''t want to marry me. I''ll make a plan to cancel our engagement."

    "Thank you, Your Highness!"

    "Ling''er, how come your in here? Shouldn''t you be in your room? Your not healed yet."

    "I''m waiting for someone. I made presence here known. As long as he recognizes it, he will come out. Not exactly in a peaceful way though." That man is probably still mad at me from the last time.

    All of a sudden, a strong gust a wind hit me. It wasn''t so strong that it would cause harm, but strong enough to feel like you got hit in the face.

    "Speak of the devil. Xue Liuxian, your finally here. Do you know how long I waited?"

    "Why should I care? What do you want?"

    "Come on, stop being so pissed about what happened last time. It wasn''t me who planned it anyways. It was Lu Ming who planned on giving you a prostitute as your wife."

    "Hmph! That''s why I''m still talking to you. Who are these people?"

    I pointed to each person as I said their names. "Shu Xienghao. Ling Rui. Wu Lim."

    "Friends?"

    With a serious face, I told him what I wanted. "Yes. Liuxian, I have a favor."

    "Hm?"

    I wanted to tell him, but there were outsiders in this right now.

    Seeing that Zhao Ling didn''t say anything, the outsiders left except Wu Lim.

    "Your fine with him?"

    "Yes... He... Already knows."

    "I see... What do you need?"

    "Help me remove my curse."

    "Sigh... Zhao Ling, back then I told you that if you wanted to break the curse it would be painful because your body had not full developed. And now I''m saying the same thing again. Your ocean is locked which is why it is hard to remove the curse."

    "I''m fine. I don''t care about the pain. I just need the curse to be removed. The longer it stays with me, the more I feel like dying everyday. If I died, I would feel regretful towards Lu Ming"

    "Sigh... At least let me help you to unlock your ocean first. By unlocking it, the removal of the curse would be easier."

    "How long will it take?"

    "Let''s see... I have to prepare your toxin bath, your medicine, help you with your meditation everyday. At least one month and it would be more than enough to unlock your ocean, but if anything goes wrong during the process, the risk of dying is even higher."

    "Luxian how come I didn''t know about this until now?"

    "Lu Ming told me not to use this method on you and said that there was a less painful method. Seeing that he was a person who can achieve many things, I did as he said and never told you about it. The thing is that... "

    And in a voice of disappointment, "What else did he say?"

    "I don''t think he ever planned on telling you until it was removed, but he told me that seeing you in pain would hurt him, too. Seriously, every time I talk to him about the you, he would shove PDA in my face. Do you know how irritating it is?"

    "He... Never told me these stuff." I never knew that he loved me too but kept to himself just for me. And all along I thought he just wanted to keep me in place. I had loved him so much yet, I never told him because I thought I knew he would reject me.

    "Even knowing that you may die with one wrong thing, you still want to go along with the plan?"

    "Yes. I''m determined to remove this pest from my life."

    Wu Lim grabbed my hand and looked at me with a fierce look. I knew he was angry at my choice. I knew he was sad at my choice, but I had to do something now. Since coming to the temple, I had a resolution to get rid of this curse as fast as possible.

    "Ling''er, don''t."

    "Your Highness, I must. If I don''t, one day, I''ll die a painful death for sure."

    "You''ll still go through pain. If you made a mistake in the process of this one month plan, you''ll die faster than even dying from pain. At least live longer."

    With a sad smile, I told him, "Your Highness, who said I was going to die? I''m not ready to leave this world yet. I still want to explore the world. To seek vengeance for myself. To find my true identity."