Another Chance

Chapter 3.

In a beautiful courtyard inlaid with Jade and precious marbles, with a large lake having expensive Koi fishes, with different exotic flowers adorning everywhere giving a nice scent this winter, there were maids crying all surrounding a young girl laying down.It was obvious she was just rescued from the lake due to her drenched clothes and her pale countenance had her skin a bit blue tinted because of the cold.

Her body however was stiff and not moving like how a person breathing should be.

The mamas* and maids were panicking at this sight.

The killing of their nine familial generations was not enough to offset their sins of the death of the Prime Minister's Di* daughter.

After trying many resuscitating techniques to no avail,many of the younger maids burst into wails causing the courtyard to become noisy.

They weren't admonished by the older maids for they were also tearing up silently knowing their deaths were not far from them.

"Why is there much noise in my courtyard?".

Like magic, all the maids all turned quickly to see a five year old baby doll questioning them.

"My lady!" "My lady!" "First young Miss!"

The personal maid of the lady ran up to the girl checking if everything was ok with her. Apart from being wet and cold, the mistress was ok. She sprang in action immediately.

"Quick tell the kitchen to prepare a bowl of cold medicine and chicken soup tell them to use the leftover ginseng from yesterday, you! Get the mistress mink fur coat! You! Get charcoal from the storage into the brazier and the mistress' kang! Quickly hurry!"

These commands woke all the shocked maids who quickly sprung into action and fled into different directions thanking their ancestors the young miss was ok.

The maid gently directed her lady to her private quarters where she was stripped and soaked in hot water.

The young miss signaled to her personal maid who nodded and took the hint

"You're all dismissed,I will serve the mistress myself".

They all bowed and silently filed out

"You too Bai Song Mi"

"Yes young mistress" she bowed and left the room, closing the door gently.

As the personal maid of the young mistress, the benefits she got were many, a few of them being that she was given the title of maid of the first rank. Another being that she had the privilege of having a surname*, and after the mistress' marriage she may also be married to a noble of a lower rank if the mistress wished.

Bai Shen Ting's pov:

After Bai Song Mi left, tears slowly pooled in my eyes and I started sobbing.

I turned to my left from the pool and spied a glass mirror. It was an expensive one I got from the palace to celebrate my hundredth day of birth. It was a gift from one of the foreign people. It was not like the typical bronze but rather it was clear and to the back of it, was coated in gold and tiny little rocks they called diamonds. It was a rather large full body length mirror.

I stood up from the pool to stand in front of the mirror.

The mirror showed a small and petite child who was not riddled with scars, mottled flesh and abuse. I turned and covered my nakedness with a robe hanging from the door.

Yes this young mistress is Bai Shen Ting, the beautiful Di daughter of the Prime Minister, only the soul was not of a youthful, naive and naughty five year old no. It was that of an abused, angry and vengeful thirty year old woman.

"I'm back"

All the candles went off after the utterance of that statement.

Once again I started laughing only, this time no tears were shed.

Outside the bathing pool room,all the maids looked at each other in dismay and fear. What was wrong with the young miss? She was laughing and then crying and then laughing again.

"Song Mi!"

The call shocked them out of their thoughts. Song Mi quickly entered the pool room and attended to the young miss.

After Bai Shen Ting was done bathing, she was escorted to her room where maids were waiting. On arrival they immediately started their work of patting her dry, and drying her long hair whilst also dressing her in her night robe.

A box was wheeled over by a maid and opened to show numerous bottles and after choosing with Song Mi, the oil fragrance was opened and lathered all over her hair.

When they were done, Song Mi asked if the lady was ready to eat, after getting an affirmative nod, she escorted the lady to her dining room where her meal was already waiting for her.

Today's dishes consisted mainly of soups and vegetables. Whilst sipping, Shen Ting remembered she had not seen her parents or her brother since the incident.

"Song Mi, where is my family?"

"Replying to the miss, the master and the fū ren* went to the temple with the young lord"

Bai Shen Ting remembered, this was the time that she pulled a stunt that caused her household funds to be reduced and confined to her courtyard for six months as punishment.

And if her calculations were right, the second household would be getting restless by now because of the temple's prophecy about her brother bringing immense wealth and honor to their household.

Rumors had spread round from the temple to the capital about the prophecy the Abbott* from the monastery had declared for her brother.

After her meal, she was given lemon water to wash her hand and mint tea to rinse her mouth.

A maid entered her room and bowed to the lady

"Greetings to the young miss, the second concubine of the master requests for an audience".

I smiled and gestured for the maid to let her in.

I remembered this incident.

"This concubine greets the young miss "

An overdressed woman walked in and bowed. With her appearance, you'll think it was the King she was going to visit. A pungent scent wafted from the concubine probably from drenching the whole perfume bottle all over.

Shen Ting looked at the first concubine and grimaced internally. She decked herself to the maximum for a mere informal visit.

"You may rise"

Du Shao Lian rose and smiled.

Shen Ting mentally eyerolled. She already knew what this woman was here for and frankly,she was tired of it all.

"Oh Ting'er, why are you still here? I thought you all were going to pray at the temple for three days''

Truly Du Shao Lian is a good actress. You would think she was feeling anger for me not going alongside my family.

Shen Ting kept mum and sipped from her tea.

Seeing this Du Shao Lian was internally furious at this brat who did not deign a response to her

'If it wasn't for your mother's family, who does this brat think she is?'.

But after eyeing her posture, her beauty and her demeanor, she found nothing lacking much to her displeasure.

'no! I have to do something about this, Lan'er and Lian'er cannot be overshadowed by this brat!'

Shen Ting looked at the quiet concubine contemplating. Du Shao Lian summoned courage to speak "Ting'er, maybe you should keep calm and not be too mad at your parents for they only want what is good for you".

She knew her plan would work, this young miss was precocious so she won't tolerate anyone telling her her wrongs, she would soon flare up and be sent into a frenzy.

"Oh?"

Bai Shen Ting looked up from her cup .

Du Shao Lian continued to fan the flames,

"Yes Ting'er, your parents know you were wrong in breaking the Ming's dynasty vase that was a gift by your grandfather from the deceased king".

Du Shao Lian burned with envy, Madam Bai, the lady of the house, Bai Shen Ting's mother was a very influential woman. Her grandfather followed the previous king to war and won victoriously, getting five blank imperial edicts, dukedom,gold mines, salt farms, textile farms and hundreds of shops all over the country. And that was for only the wealth in Da Liang, they had mines and other businesses in several kingdoms. Nobody knew the full extent of their wealth.

Their family's wealth rivaled that of kingdoms.

When Madam Bai was sixteen years of age, right before her marriage to the prime minister, she was given a noble lady title of the third rank. This title was not like a typical woman's title. It was one that can be passed through generations to each female. Meaning that this brat, as the only daughter of Madame Bai already had a title to her name.

Many noble families fight for her hand in marriage just for her title alone, not to mention the wealthy dowry and connections that came with her.

"Song Mi"

"Yes young mistress"

"Tell me, what is the etiquette of a concubine when she approaches the Di daughter?"

"Young Miss, when a concubine meets the Di daughter,she would perform all necessary curtsy and greetings and when asked, the concubine would sit and would not speak unless she is asked too or spoken to first.The concubine would also not refer to herself in "I" but she would refer to herself in the manner of "this concubine",also maintaining all respect during conversations and refer to the Di daughter in the manner of "young miss".

Song Mi was happy at this moment. This rude concubine would be put to her place finally.

Bai Shen Ting nodded and looked at the concubine

"You know your wrongs, Song Mi!, Get a mama to escort the concubine to the ancestral hall. She is to fast and reflect there for three days".

"Young miss!!"

"Young miss forgive my mistress she was just worried about you feeling lonely on your own"

Du Shao Lian's maid tried to intercede for her.

"If you're so worried about your mistress,you should accompany her then, together you're both to dry fast and reflect. Mamas, take them away!"

The mamas took the duo away amidst the noise and protest they were making.

Bai Shen Ting knew for her age that was a bit too harsh. But why should she act nice?. In her past life after what the concubine insinuated she hastily took a carriage to get to the temple.

And by "accident", the carriage happened to be the one that had a faulty wheel. Nothing happened to her, but her older brother trying to save her, broke one of his legs becoming a cripple and got a marring scar across his face that never healed.

The news spread across the capital about how unruly she was, and how unlucky her brother was thereby contradicting his prophecy.

That was killing two birds with a stone for the concubine.

Shen Ting further ordered Song Mi to station guards at the entrance of the temple so that no one would try to smuggle food in. She wanted the concubine to starve and lose a bit of flesh.

Mamas*- older women tasked with nursing and teaching the ladies and lords of a household who were sometimes their wet nurses.

fū ren *-lady madam

Abbott*- Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men.

A/N: Hello lovelies. Don't forget to like, comment and refer my story to everyone you know.