4 Rebirth
She had a horrible nightmare--- a nightmare she was unable to escape.
She was humiliated a thousand times.
She was raped and tortured.
She was beaten black and blue.
She was left in the wilderness to die after being defiled.
XuanRong gasped a couple of times before she was able to calm herself. Her heart was racing as if she was running in an endless circle. Tiny beads of sweat were all over her face. She found out that her body was soaking wet and her inner garments were sticking to her skin, making her feel very uncomfortable.
She raised her left hand upward and subconsciously touched her face. She suddenly felt that something was not right.
As if...
As if she was touching a child's face. She could feel the softness of her skin, it was as tender as a new born babe. Her hands slowly traced her face with great confusion.
XuanRong raised her head and saw the familiar ceiling above her. Her gaze stiffly wondered around, trying to recall where she had seen those decorations and tapestries. Her eyes shook when a distant memory silently floated inside her mind, making her recognize the place where she was currently resting. It was the courtyard where she lived when she was sent to the suburbs to reflect and ruminate her 'shortcomings'.
The manor in Lu Shan including this courtyard was one of her mother's belongings which should have been given to her as a part of her own dowry once she reaches her marriageable age. Unfortunately, in the previous life when her mother died, the former concubine, Xiao Lou, ascended and became the Second Legal Wife, stealing everything that her mother owned, leaving her nothing...
Not even a single penny.
Since XuanRong was still young and unable to handle everything, the management of her mother's properties was given to her Stepmother. Under Xiao-Shi's[1] care, everything that her mother owned was slowly converted into her Stepmother's property. Since she loved Xiao-Shi like her own birth mother, she never asked for those properties and even wholeheartedly agreed to gift half of it to her beloved third younger sister, Xuan Fei. In her dismay, all her affections were wasted, and she was betrayed by both mother and child.
XuanRong's eyes turned misty when she remembered her birth mother, Chen Yi. She could not help but shed tears as she recalled all her happy memories together with her mother. The last thing she remembered, her mother was a beautiful and unique woman. She was the only flower of The Great General Chen's estate and many talented zhu jun[2] were trying to catch her attention.
Too bad, she fell in love and gave her heart to someone unworthy of her affection.
XuanRong wiped her tears as she tried to stop herself from reminiscing the past. The memories she had together with her mother were limited since her mother died when she was young, and Xiao-Shi was the one who basically 'raised' her.
In the entire time, XuanRong remained silent, not responding to her servant's call. The servant who was crying on the floor while kneeling was now looking at her with worry.
"XiaoJie[3]!! Does your head still hurt?? Please tell nubi[4]!! Nubi already informed Zou mama. The physician will come soon!!"
The servant immediately scooted forward when she saw that there were tears in her XiaoJie's eyes. She felt sorry for her XiaoJie.
Ever since they came here in Lu Shan, her XiaoJie was bullied endlessly and even if her XiaoJie would punish the servants, the servants would retaliate behind their backs. They would send foods that were not even fit to be eaten by pigs and they would even abandon their chores inside the courtyard, leaving her and XiaoJie to do the cleaning.
YuYing silently lamented inside her heart.
Her XiaoJie was very pitiful.
"YuYing, why are you crying like I'm already dead?"
After XuanRong sorted out her emotions, she slowly sat upward on the bed and stared at her loyal servant. She was glad to see her once again. YuYing died when she tried to protect her from the fire in her burning courtyard. She remembered the last sentence YuYing said to her before she died in her arms, "X-XiaoJie, in the next... *cough* *cough* lifetime, t-this servant is s-still... still w-willing to follow XiaoJie * cough* *cough*. This servant i-is glad.... t-to have XiaoJie as my m-mistress..."
Thinking about the past, XuanRong's eyed turned softer when she looked at YuYing.
This time, she will not let others hurt the people she cared for.
When YuYing saw that XuanRong was already conscious, she immediately wiped her tears and smiled.
"XiaoJie!! Nubi is glad that you are okay!! Xiaojie really scared Nubi just now."
XuanRong touched her head and found a huge lump of flesh at the side of her forehead. Blood could be seen dripping on her cheeks, flowing out from the small cut above her brows.
It was a horrible sight to see.
But XuanRong did not care. A wound like this was merely a small inconvenience for her.
She had experienced worse than this.
XuanRong closed her eyes. She could still remember everything that happened in her previous life.
She could hear the mocking laughter of her sister when she was disowned and her courtyard in ZhongYang was burned to ashes.
She could feel the disgusting touch of those beasts who tainted her repeatedly.
She could see the anger in the Crown Prince's eyes when he accused her for harming her little sister.
Even those deep Phoenix eyes that stared at her intensely and the pure white jade that was hanging on that man's waist were all deeply carved in her heart.
She couldn't believe that everything was just a dream.
For her, it was not a dream.
It was reality.
The pain she experienced at that cursed night and the hardship she faced for twenty-two years were definitely not a dream.
If those things were not a dream, then there was only one explanation--- she came back to life.
'I.... reincarnated?'
XuanRong once again touched her face, fearing that everything was just an illusion, that she was only dreaming while lying on the cold ground as she waited for her death.
When she looked at the bronze mirror on her right side, she saw her youthful face.
Although her face was full of blood, it could not hide her beautiful face and her pearl white skin. The face she saw in the bronze mirror was clearly younger than her previous face when she was twenty-two.
Her brows knitted when she thought of her current state. She remembered that a week after she arrived at Lu Shan, she fell from the tree she was trying to climb, to retrieve her handkerchief, since the servants wouldn't help her no matter what she said.
A sudden realization struck XuanRong. She realized that she came back to life when she was ten years old, twelve years before her final breath.
XuanRong could not explain the unfathomable feeling she felt inside her heart.
'Heh. I did not expect this.'
XuanRong inwardly sneered when she recalled the things that will happen soon.
'Indeed, the gods are truly fair. Now that I am given a second chance, I will make sure that the debts those people owed me will be reciprocated by a hundred folds.
I, XUANRONG, HAVE RETURNED.'
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[1]. 'Shi'- A suffix used after a surname to address a married woman: 'of the (Maiden surname) Clan/Family'. Can also be used in addressing someone not of personal acquaintance or concubines (since they are basically 'married' into their 'husband's' family) example- Xiao Lou: Xiao-Shi.
[2]. Gentlemen
[3] Young Miss
[4]. 'This servant' (The way female servants address themselves.)
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Edited and Proofread by: Prikkrang and Supremetobs
