Chapter 189 - Wild Ambition 5
Chapter 189 – Wild Ambition 5
Chen Yao's small courtyard, the Jiang family mansion.
"Mistress! Mistress! we have an emergency," said a petite maid dressed in brown uniform cried as she ran into the room.
The maid was none other than Lian, who was Chen Yao's maid of over 12 years. She rushed back to her mistress after receiving she had overheard the cook and housekeeper conversation while returning her mistress's empty breakfast plates. Unlike in other courtyards, there were only two maids on sight
She rushed into the house and ran straight to Chen Yao's room. Her mistress was seated at the small table next to the open windows. Chen Yao held a painting brush, moving her wrist gently as she drew the beautiful sight outside the open window.
Lian stopped a few steps away from her mistress and bowed, "mistress!", she called.
Chen Yao frowned as her hands shook and the paint dripped off the paintbrush in her hand staining her nearly completed painting on the table in front of her.
Chen Yao slapped the paintbrush on the table with force, the loud sound startled her maid Lian making her jump.
She glared at the overdramatic maid, "You had better have a good reason for all this noise. What is it!" Chen Yao shouted.
Colour drain off the maid's face as she locked eyes with her mistress, Chen Yao looked like she wanted to snuff the life out of her. She glanced down at the painting, stepping back when she saw the ink splattered across the nearly completed illustrated replica of the small yard outside the open window.
"M_mistress, sorry to disturb you. It is about the eldest young master of the Zhu family mistress. I heard the housekeeper inform the cook that madam Jiang went over to visit them." Her heartbeat increased as she saw her mistress's expression darken. She quickly blurted out, "Young master Zhu is dead!"
"What!!" Chen Yao exclaimed seating forward, eyes narrowed. "How? When? You better be telling the truth!"
"I am being honest young Miss! The story is all over the capital. Accounting to the housekeeper, a fire broke out at the minister's mansion and young master Zhu was involved."
"No no no, why! This is not how it went last time! He isn't meant to die now! Why are things changing like this, quick go check if he sent us any later" she said pacing around her small room.
"Yes young Miss", Lian replied and rushed out of the room. Chennai didn't spare her any glance, she was still focused on tbs news that was just delivered to her.
'Why did he die this early, he wasn't meant to die yet before Zhu Fengyin died. Did Zhu Fengyin not getting married to the sixth prince change everything? Why does she have to change everything! I had everything planned out in detail' she thought kicking at Chen Yao's bed. A loud sound was heard at one end of the bed as the bed fell at an end.
"Damn it, is nothing high quality in this pile of trash house" she exclaimed angrily.
"Why couldn't I be reborn into someone much better than this worthless orphan', she thought glancing around the small cramped room. It was nothing like Zhu Fengyin's room at Zhu mansion. This girl she got stuck in her body was no good, although she was the daughter of a noble family.
Chen Yao's position in the Jiang family was less than Ideal, she was only a step or two higher than that of a servant. No one paid her any mind, she was nothing more than a poor relative of madam Jian. Everything she owned was either hand me downs or rejected by Young master Jiang. When she had been reborn as a young lady from a noble family.
She had relaxed because she thought she had hit jackpot. Her reasoning had changed after less than a day, she had discovered that the situation of this young miss was worse than her previous life as a servant. The Jiang family never treated this young miss good, everything about her was sub-par.
From her clothes down to the shoes she wore, even her food was low grade. Servants at Minister Zhu's mansion are better food than she did. Even her rooms were falling apart, the faint damp smell in the house indicated that the roof leaked. Her clothes were low-quality silk, nothing like the high-quality silk she was used to wearing as Zhu Fengyin's ladies maid.
This young miss had only three maids in her courtyard and had no power in this house. Even the servants in this house bullied her, every meal and amenity sent down here was low quality. She didn't know if her rebirth was a blessing or a course to her, Ste had jumped at the rebirth pool thinking that she would get back into her body.
Who knew that nothing went as she had planned, she was surprised when instead of getting a second chance to get her revenge on Zhu Fengyin for killing her. She was stuck in this sickly young mistress's body, while some strange girl placed about in her body. All this won't have happened if Zhu Fengyin hadn't killed her, why did she have to suffer while Zhu Fengyin and whoever it was that now occupied her body enjoyed comfort and wealth.
That girl was now a princess and was married to one of the wealthiest generals, all this she had achieved while taking over her life. Chen Yao walked to the mirror, the pale sickly face with pretty common features particular to women born in the south looked at her. Chen Yao was no unique beauty, at most she looked pleasing to the eyes nothing much.
Just the sight of this unappealing face that she currently wore left a bitter taste in her mouth. She pulled away from the table and walked to the tea-table directly opposite the fallen bed. She tossed as her eye caught the falling end of the bed, "what is even good about this sickly young miss" she mattered looking away.
'It is bad enough that I have lost my beautiful face and body but now I lose a reliable partner like Zhu Faye. This girl has bad luck, how am I to make any progress with the Crown Prince. It is not like I can send him any letters at the palace', she glanced at her pale hands, "this girl has absolutely no good connection. She is so useless, why did brother Faye have to die. Why did Zhu Fengyin find out about my activities, all this happened because of Zhu Fengyin!'
Her thoughts were paused when Lian rushed back in, 'this low-class maid is so useless. Does she have to announce herself from the door? She is no good but since I just took over Chen Yao's body. I need to keep up the innocent facade set up by this young miss. It won't help to draw attention to myself, I will tolerate her incompetence for now'.
Her lips curved into a fake smile as she looked towards the door. Lian's rapid heartbeat reduced as she saw that expression, since her mistress's brush with death she had changed. Her young miss had become like a completely different person even her habits had changed. Her mistress never cared for her appearance before but now she did.
Neither did her mistress lose her temper as she did differently if she wasn't with her mistress that day. She would have suspected that her mistress was replaced but she wasn't. Lian just assumed that the near-death experience had changed how her mistress behaved. ' although her mistress was now erratic and mean. At least, she is no longer such a pushover', she thought bowing and walking closer to her mistress.
"Was there anything?" Chen Yao asked as Lian got closer. Her fake smile fell as she saw the maid sad expression, even before the maid spoke she could tell that this maid came to deliver nothing but bad news.
"There was no news Mistress" Lian replied, she stepped back as her Mistress's expression darkened. She had never seen her mistress this mad, her face was a mask of anger. She shut her eyes as she saw her mistress flip the tray of fruit beside her hands and pour out the content. She knew what to expect by now, her mistress was a thrower of recent. Her temper tantrums were as bad as Madam Jiang.
She took a step back and shut her eyes, expecting to hear the sound of ceramics hitting the wood but after a few minutes, she heard nothing. She opened one eye and saw her mistress shaking the bed behind her. Her eyes were opened fully when she heard the loud sound of one end of her bed falling apart.
"Mistress, no!" She cried rushed to her mistress. She heard a hiss as she got closer, "Young miss, are you hurt. No no?" She grabbed her mistress's arm and led her to the seat. " I will go get some medicine and ice. Hold on" she called out and ran out of the door. The sky was getting darker, she stepped back as she opened the door and a sword was held to her neck.