Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of the Night watchman beating his drum.
Wen Qingwan suddenly opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bed of her boudoir in the Deputy Minister Mansion. Her heart skipped a beat but she did not show it.
Having spent many years in the Imperial Harem, she had long since learned to hide her emotions.
"Aahhh!"
Suddenly, a tragic scream came from outside, cutting through the night sky.
Everyone in the Wen family was alarmed, and almost simultaneously, the entire Wen residence is brightly lit.
Wen Qingwan sat up straight, and the maid on the soft couch opposite her heard the noise and spoke. "Miss, Did the noise wake you?"
"Jinlan, can you go take a look at what is happening outside?"
"Miss, would you like some water? Jinque has already gone to check it." replied the maid, Jinlan softly.
"En!"
Then there were light footsteps, followed by the sound of the door opening twice.
Two maidservants entered carrying teapots, accompanied by Jinque's excited voice.
"Miss, miss, the second miss did not sleep and rolled down from the wall in the middle of the night."
"I don't know if she was stunned silly by the fall but she sat on the ground crying and asking what year it was."
"She even asked Chuntao to get a mirror to look at her face. After seeing herself she suddenly laughed and said she would not escape the marriage and that she wanted to be the Empress."
"Escape the marriage? Didn't the second miss like the Crown prince very much? Doesn't she want to marry the Crown prince? Why would she escape the marriage?" Jinlan asked in a low voice.
"Who knows what kind of madness is in her head right now. Everyone knows that the second miss can like the Crown prince today and then say she likes the duke's heir tomorrow..."
Wen Qingwan listened to the conversation between the two girls. She now knew that besides her, the concubine born daughter, Wen Mingzhu is also reborn.
She frowned and asked softly. "Did the Master and Young Master go?"
"Miss, to answer, the master, the madam, and the two young masters all went there."
"The Madam got scared that the second miss will cry herself silly so she ordered someone to invite a physician for her."
"But the second miss later quickly calmed down and refused the physician. Then she went to the study to talk to the Master, not allowing the madam and the two young masters to follow."
"It's late at night, Jinque, go back to your room and sleep. Jinlan, you can sleep on the couch." Wen Qingwan drank half a cup of warm water and quietly instructed the maids.
"Miss, shall I go and ask around again?" Jinque asked with sparkling eyes.
"No need. If it is about me, we will know tomorrow. If it is not our business, there is no need to pay attention."
"Miss, please rest well, this servant is taking her leave." Jinque lowered her head and retreated out, feeling a bit dissappointed.
She wanted to go watch the fun, but the young miss refused, so she wouldn't go.
Seeing that the young miss is already lying in her bed, Jinlan put out the candle and went to lie down in the couch.
Wen Qingwan was not asleep. She admitted that she is strong inside but not that strong to remain indifferent even after being reborn.
She lay in her warm bed lost in thought while her maid Jinlan is fast asleep in the couch.
The dim candle light in the room is not dazzling and in the dark of the night, it made her feel at ease.
She knew Mingzhu well. Going to the study to talk to their father is nothing more than helping choose a husband for her. And knowing her, she will choose the worst and most unbearable among her many ex-husband in her previous life for her to marry.
With their parent's favoritism and her status as the Crown Prince's concubine, Wen Mingzhu could force someone to propose to her if she wanted to.
Wen Qingwan closed her eyes and recalled her past with Wen Mingzhu.
They are half-sisters born in the same year but on different days, with Wen Qingwan being born three days earlier.
Although Wen Qingwan is the legitimate daughter born by the main wife. She has not lived comfortably like Wen Mingzhu from childhood to adulthood.
Not only is she governed by the rules of her high-status household but she is also expected to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, doing them all day.
Wen Mingzhu, a concubine born daughter and is Wen patriarch's hard earned white moonlight.
The short lived white moonlight who died after giving birth to a daughter but he not only never hated their daughter, but also transferred all his love for his white moonlight to their precious daughter.
He named her Mingzhu, and spoiled her so much like a precious treasure. Not only did he put her under the name of his main wife, but she also did not need to learn so much rules.
Madam Wen only has eyes on her husband, whether it is her love for her husband or the charm of Mingzhu, she treated Mingzhu better than how she treats her own daughter.
In the eyes of her parents, Wen Mingzhu is right in everything she does and she is lively and cute without observing etiquette.
The two legitimate brothers of the Wen family also treated Mingzhu like a cherished pearl and threatened that they only recognize one sister.
As the eldest daughter, Wen Qingwan must be well-behaved and educated. She must be gentle and outstanding in everything.
As long as she slacked off even a little, she would be slapped by her own mother, beaten by her father's family law and disliked by her two legitimate brothers.
She practiced calligraphy and guqin till her hands are calloused. She cannot speak loudly, and could not show her teeth when laughing.
Wen Mingzhu on the other hand, need not care about all this things. She had fun going up trees looking for birds nest with their two brothers and even catching fishes in the river.
She could chatter aloud and laugh freely showing all her teeth and the Wen family father and sons will just think its cute.
The envious Wen Qingwan wanted to cry very much.
What made her cry even more was when Wen Mingzhu makes a mistake and she is the one who takes the blame and will be punished for it.
Although everyone saw that it was Mingzhu, everytime it was brought to the Master and Madam, it will become her fault.
Even the maids around Wen Qingwan will point at her.
When she was seven years old, Wen Qingwan also tried to learn from Wen Mingzhu and didn't want to follow the rules.
But because she has been bound by those rules since she was a child. She tried to climb trees for a long time but couldn't climb up.
After she spent all her efforts to climb the tree, her two brothers took their friends and Wen Mingzhu to go down the river to fish.
She was left alone on the tree, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, but she was beaten by her parents when she returned home.
Having beaten many times, it hurts so much. Wen Qingwan naturally gave up on making a fool of herself and devoted herself to learning to be a noble lady.
Anyone or thing she likes will eventually become Wen Mingzhu. Wen Qingwan has been forced to have no desires since she was a child.
When she was a child, she also had one or two loyal maids around her.
Any maidservant who refused to betray her would be punished until she submitted, and eventually become so frightened that she would turn against her and defect to Wen Mingzhu.
There was a little girl she picked up in the beggar's den. She refused to betray her no matter how she was punished. In the end, she was sold by her mother!
Wen Qingwan was seven years old that year. She was punished every day and was terrified. How could she have the ability to protect her maids?
After being injured many times, Wen Qingwan went to the point she didn't want to survive, but she was tough and she survived.
As the saying goes, a person without desire is strong. No one can hurt her since she was eleven.
What made her stronger was Jinlan and Jinque beside her.
These two maids were rescued by Wen Qingwan when she was eight years old on the way to the temple to help her grandmother pray for blessings.
They were only ten years old that year. According to them, they were half-sisters, but they had a good relationship.
Jinlan and Jinque not only knew martial arts, but also knew how to make words. From then on, Wen Qingwan also secretly learned martial arts from them.
Since then, her life has a clear goal. The three of them depend on each other and none of them likes Wen Mingzhu.
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