Chapter 5: Making an Enemy 1

She beckoned to the maidservant standing with her head bowed by the bedside, firing off questions like a rapid succession of cannons: "What is your name? Where is this? Who was that man just now? And what is my relationship to him?"

The maidservant was stunned at first; though she did not know why she was being asked such things, she answered honestly nonetheless.

Thus, in the shortest amount of time, Hong Yue figured out the sequence of events: the owner of this body was named Liu Qinghua, the princess consort newly wed to Prince Jing today, who had simply been unable to endure the insults of a side consort and had committed suicide in a fit of rage.

No wonder there was such an intense, dull pain in her forehead. Just how much grievance had she suffered to actually crash into a pillar to end her own life?

However, compared to the questions in her heart, the most important thing right now was to see what she looked like.

Supported by the maidservant, Hong Yue propped herself up and staggered off the bed to look in a mirror. In the bronze mirror, a delicate and beautiful face was reflected, with a pair of phoenix eyes that looked like autumn waters.

She leaned closer to the bronze mirror to take a careful look. Faintly visible on her slightly swollen cheeks were the marks of a palm. She frowned in astonishment, thinking to herself that this bride was truly quite tragic; looking at this slap mark, that side consort must surely hate this bride to her very bones.

Her gaze stopped on the gruesome wound on her forehead. She couldn't help but reach out with her cardamom-colored fingernails to touch it, and she couldn't help but gasp: "Hiss, it hurts—"

*Sister, what kind of grievance was so unbearable that you had to kill yourself by crashing into a pillar on your wedding day? But your life wasn't meant to end, because you ran into me.*

Staring fixedly at the figure in the bronze mirror, a flash of brilliance swept through her phoenix eyes: *From this day forward, I will live well in your stead. I will certainly not let the tragedy repeat itself.*

Since the phenomenon of transmigration had truly happened to her, Hong Yue readily accepted the fact that she would continue to live under the name of Liu Qinghua.

Anyway, to her, a name was nothing more than a code; beyond that, it held no meaning.

The urgent matter at hand was to understand the specific circumstances of this dynasty to avoid causing trouble due to ignorance.

She called the maidservant over and asked, "Can you find me a book? I'm bored and want to read something, preferably a book that records history from the founding of the dynasty."

"Please wait a moment, Wangfei. This servant will go get it for you immediately."

Although being addressed as Wangfei still felt a bit awkward psychologically, she knew clearly in her heart that the person known as Hong Yue no longer existed in this world; her current identity was the Princess Consort, Liu Qinghua.

She cleared her throat and waved her hand with a smile, feeling somewhat like she was acting in a period drama, and said, "Go on!"

Soon, the maidservant brought two thin booklets, and on the tray, there were also two peeled hard-boiled eggs.

"These eggs can be applied to the face to reduce swelling; this servant specifically brought two for you." The maidservant handed the books to Liu Qinghua and said respectfully, "Wangfei, please read in peace. This servant will apply the eggs to your face and will not disturb you."

Seeing how young, clever, and bright she appeared, Liu Qinghua took the books with a smile and asked, "What is your name?"

"Replying to Wangfei, this servant is Lv Luo."

"That's a lovely name. In the future, if no one else is present, let's dispense with all the formalities. I'm not used to them."

Having said that, she lowered her head and leaned against the couch to focus on her reading.

Lv Luo bowed in agreement, yet she did not dare to truly overstep the rules. With a humble attitude, she carefully rubbed the eggs back and forth against the Princess's slightly swollen cheeks.

She couldn't help but gaze at the Princess, who was focused on her reading, marveling inwardly that even with injuries on her face, her exquisite beauty could not be concealed.

However, a doubt lingered in Lv Luo's heart: looking at the Princess's quiet and leisurely manner while reading, it seemed as though the person who had just violently crashed into a pillar to commit suicide was not her. Could there truly be such a tolerant and magnanimous person in this world?

Sensing her fervent gaze, Liu Qinghua put down her book, turned her head, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"