Chapter 2: Back from the Dead (Part 2)

  Qin Dai Xin suddenly opened her eyes to see a cyan-colored canopy, with a half-new and half-old rain-and-sun flower pattern, which was the same one she had brought from the Qin mansion. Her body was covered with a thin, winter-plum-patterned brocade quilt, just suitable for the early autumn season. Under the bed were placed a pair of grass-green embroidered shoes, with a flower pattern that was specially found by Yi from elsewhere. Not far away was a black-lacquered peony screen, on which several clothes were hung. In the corner was a small, four-opened, cloud-patterned cabinet, locked top and bottom, containing only some personal accessories and silver money. Outside the door with several lattice windows was the outer room, although it was closed now and she couldn't see outside, Qin Dai Xin knew there was a small passageway, which led to her usual resting place, where a large window had several lacquerware pieces, a square small table, two boxes for needlework placed under the table, and an additional headrest. She usually leaned against it, reclining on the kang...

  Qin Dai Xin withdrew her gaze, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were calm. It was as if the sudden wakefulness had never existed. How long had it been since she last dreamed of the past?

  Since she came to this world, Mo Li knew that she was facing too many problems. When she first woke up, she had a moment of dizziness, wondering if she hadn't died? But when she took a closer look, she couldn't believe her eyes: the ancient-colored window frames, the ancient-colored dresser, the copper mirror, and the copper basin. The room was fully furnished, from the tables and chairs to the screen, everything gave off an elegant and refined atmosphere. She was covered with a silk quilt embroidered with large peonies in five colors, and under the bed were a pair of embroidered shoes, which didn't seem to be the traditional Chinese bound-foot shoes.

  She was stunned at the time, and even Mo Li, who had seen many big scenes, was a little at a loss. She felt like she had made a dream, but couldn't wake up no matter what. Her body, which had clearly been shot, lay perfectly intact on the bed, with skin as white as snow, slender fingers, this absolutely wasn't her body. Mo Li had experienced too many dangers since killing for the first time at 13 years old. She had always been walking on the edge of life and death, so she was covered in scars, so no matter how hot the weather was, she would wear long sleeves and a jacket to cover herself up tightly. Because of holding guns for a long time, her hands were full of calluses, how could they be as slender and perfect as jade?

  Just as she was still confused about her current situation, the news of Third Miss's narrow escape from death had already spread throughout the Qin Manor. It seemed that Feng'er's one shot had indeed taken her life, but as for why she didn't die and instead reincarnated into a strange world, that would have to be asked of the heavens. Even if she was unwilling, she could only accept reality. So when the people from the Qin Manor came to visit her, she simply pretended to be weak and recovering from a serious illness, with a slightly dazed expression, quickly sending away those who had their own thoughts. Everyone seemed to have been deceived by her, without noticing anything out of place, no one discovered that the Qin Dai Xin lying in bed had been replaced by Mo Li. Even Ruyi, who had always been attending to her, didn't notice that there was someone else lying in bed.

  Mo Li only felt that the past was getting farther and farther away from her, and the hatred seemed to be not as unbearable as she had thought. Once a person leaves their familiar environment, many ideas will also change with it. At that time, her greatest dream was to live a peaceful life, wanting to be a free and ordinary person. Her parents' hatred followed her like a nightmare, making her bear the heavy responsibility like a mountain. But Feng Er's gunshot sent her to another space-time, allowing her to escape from her responsibilities, escape from her complicated emotions that she couldn't cut off or sort out, was all of this fate?

  In an instant, it was as if she had shed all the burdens of her past life, and her body and mind suddenly felt light. Gone were the hatred and the organization. Since heaven had given her a second chance at life in a wealthy family, if she couldn't let go of the emotional baggage of her past life, she would be doing herself an injustice. With the education and experiences she had accumulated over twenty years in her past life, couldn't she even play the role of a pampered lady who only needed to stretch out her hand for clothes and open her mouth for food? Thinking back to her past life, how much had she sacrificed in order to complete her missions and get close to her targets? The people she had been assigned to assassinate all had different backgrounds - some were high-ranking officials, others were business tycoons, and some were even leaders of underground organizations. But no matter what their background was, they would always be well-protected due to their status. If she wanted to get close to them, she needed to have perfect information about them in order to approach them based on their preferences and characteristics. For this reason, Mo Li had learned seven foreign languages and worked in dozens of professions. She had played the roles of a university professor, government official, small business owner, doctor, nurse, and even ***, each experience taking her to the brink of life and death! If she could deceive those cunning old foxes from later generations, why couldn't she fool a group of ancient people?

  This is how Mo Li slowly began to transform her role, from a ruthless killer to a wealthy young lady who was kept in the inner chambers. She told herself word by word that from today on, at this moment, she was no longer Mo Li, but Qin Dai Xin. Since then, under the pretext of recuperating from illness, she hid in her room and never went out, but actually used various methods to extract useful information about herself from the mouths of the young maidservants. Gradually, Qin Dai Xin came to understand the world she lived in.

  The country I am in is called Da Yong, and the royal surname is Murong. The current emperor ascended to the throne six years ago. It is said that the emperor loves his people like a son, and when he was still the crown prince, he had inspected the people's situation many times. Since ascending to the throne, this emperor has implemented many benevolent policies and rectified some corrupt officials within the court. Now it can be said that it is a peaceful and prosperous era with all corners of the land at peace.

  Mo Li, no. Qin Dai Xin scoffs at this, a peaceful and prosperous world? Corrupt officials can't be killed off, and corruption isn't that easy to eradicate. There's darkness everywhere that ordinary people can't see, but as long as the common folk live comfortably, they probably won't bother with it.

  In her impression, there had never been a country called Dayong, could this be the legendary civilization that once disappeared?

  Taizhou is one of the relatively affluent towns in Dayong, and the climate here can be said to have four distinct seasons. Qin Dai Xin made an estimate and felt that Taizhou's climate was similar to a northern city she had lived in before.

  And her cheap father Qin Congwen is one of the rich merchants in Taizhou. Qin Congwen is a typical ancient male chauvinist, and his romantic affairs are not to be mentioned. There are six concubines with official titles in the mansion alone.

  The grand mansion, just by watching TV dramas, you can imagine what it's like. However, the women inside are vying with each other, scheming and plotting. When these women get ruthless, they won't hesitate to shed blood either. Who says that the inner courtyard is always cleaner than the official court? These women devote their entire lives and energy to the struggles within the mansion, and the most ridiculous thing is that these struggles are often just for one man, one title. The struggles between women never lack victims, but Qin Dai Xin happens to be that victim.

  Just as I was thinking, I suddenly heard some slight movement outside the door. Before long, Ruyu came in. Seeing that she was awake, she said happily: "Miss, have you rested well? I was just about to call you!"

  "What time is it?" Qin Dai weakly asked a sentence.

  "It's time for dinner!" Ruyi deliberately lowered her voice, after all, she couldn't shout louder than the master.

  "Whatever!"

  "Yes." Ruyi responded with a soft voice, but instead of stepping forward to serve, she turned around and walked out of the room. Not long after, she came back in, followed by two little maids. The two girls greeted Qindai Xin with a bow, quickly lifted up the bed curtains, and helped Qindai Xin get dressed. Once everything was ready, they then put away the bedding again.

  Although she had been in this strange world for some time, Qin Dai's heart was still somewhat uneasy about such overly private matters.

  First, she washed her hands and had the maid servant help her wash her face and rinse her mouth. Only then was she supported to the outer room's kang by the window. Ruyi had already arranged the pillow in welcome, took over her master, and made a gesture with her eyes to the little maid, waiting for the other party to retreat before supporting Qindai Xin onto the kang.

  The dinner in front of me is just a bowl of millet porridge, three small dishes, one stir-fried dish, and two cold dishes. The clear soup has very little oil residue.

  Qin Dai's expression was calm and composed, but her heart was secretly anxious.

  Since the young lady's incident, her temperament has changed greatly, making her personal servant feel a few points of fear. The former third young lady was indeed willful and arrogant, refusing to listen to advice. But after all, it was just some temper that rich girls usually have. Although she had worried about her and been scolded, she still felt that she could bear the title of "confidante". But now, the young lady has changed so much that she can't see through her thoughts at all. Clearly nothing has changed, but why did the young lady become different after that incident?

  "What's wrong?" Qin Dai asked casually.

  Suddenly she was distracted again...

  "No." Ruyi hastily stepped forward to serve the dishes, silently reminding herself in her heart. After calming down, she said: "Miss, this dish is a bit plain. After all, it's not like at home, where the old lady has something to say, and you're allowed to be vegetarian. You can rest assured that by winter, someone from the mansion will come to pick you up."

  Qin Dai's face was expressionless as she ate with a small mouth, unable to discern her likes or dislikes.

  Ru Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, and she couldn't help but furrow her brow, knowing that she might have made another mistake. The thoughts of modern girls are unfathomable, yet she always gets stuck in the past - what can be done about it?

  Unfortunately, Yu Yi couldn't read minds and had no idea what Qin Dai was thinking.

  Qin Dai Xin clearly knew what Ruyi was thinking. She knew that she was worried about her own master, and since she woke up, everything had been different from the previous Qin Dai Xin, it was inevitable that those around her would have some doubts, she couldn't tell Ruyi that the previous Qin Dai Xin had died in that carriage accident, and this fake one came from thousands of years later? As for this too plain meal, Qin Dai Xin didn't care about it at all.