The Number One Treacherous Minister [Rebirth] - Chapter 2

Yuan Jing stared at herself in the mirror. It was still the same face brimming with a sense of justice, still just as innocent—and stupid! Whenever she saw that face, memories of her previous life would surface, filling her with such intense hatred that her features twisted and her eyes became bloodshot. If she had not heard that familiar voice outside the door, she might have tried to strangle the version of herself in the mirror.

In her previous life, that familiar voice had inspired both intense hatred and profound fear in her. Yet at the very end, it had also been the source of a fleeting moment of warmth. When she saw that stern face with its deeply furrowed brows, tears nearly spilled from her eyes. She turned her head aside and forced herself to calm down. Seeing her react this way wounded Yuan Ye deeply. Although he was already accustomed to Yuan Jing greeting him with such a cold expression, his heart still ached.

“Father.” Yuan Jing suppressed the grief in her heart and gave him a bitter smile, grateful that she could see Yuan Ye again.

“Mm. Your injury hasn’t even healed, yet you’re already preoccupied with looking in the mirror. What kind of behavior is this? Hurry back to bed!” Yuan Ye reprimanded her. Yuan Jing glanced at the mirror again and suddenly realized that she looked quite similar to Yuan Ye, except his features were not as delicately androgynous as hers.

“Father, I’m committing this face to memory—this weak, ignorant face. I’m going to make sure she becomes a thing of the past.” Yuan Jing touched her reflection’s face and spoke in a chilling voice.

Yuan Ye froze. His brows knitted together, but they quickly relaxed again.

Yuan Ye had three children: his eldest son, Yuan Li; his “second son,” Yuan Jing; and his youngest daughter, Yuan Mixue. His eldest son had been born to his principal wife and was already nineteen, yet he remained idle and accomplished nothing, spending every day outside committing all manner of misdeeds. If he had not had a highly respected marquis for a maternal grandfather, Yuan Ye would have thrown him out long ago. Yuan Jing had been born to the woman Yuan Ye loved most, but unfortunately, she was not a son. To protect her and ensure she could survive in this world that belonged to men, he had no choice but to disguise her as a man. His youngest daughter had also been born to his principal wife. She was only twelve this year, four years younger than Yuan Jing, but was far more mature and levelheaded. Yuan Ye had always doted greatly upon her.

Yuan Jing did not know where her mother had gone. All she knew was that the woman had left the Yuan family after giving birth to her. From the time Yuan Jing became old enough to understand things, she stopped asking about her mother’s whereabouts. Even by the time she died, she still did not know where her mother was.

“Rest well.” After saying this, Yuan Ye left.

Hua Rui entered and looked at Yuan Jing before cautiously asking, “Second Young Master, would you like your meal now?”

Yuan Jing returned to her senses and gazed through the window at the glow of the setting sun. “No. Help me outside for a walk.”

“But, Second Young Master, your injury…”

“Let it hurt. Only when my body hurts can it ease some of the pain in my heart.”

Hua Rui did not understand what she meant, but since Yuan Jing had made the request, she would simply do as she asked. Supporting Yuan Jing, she slowly helped her out of the courtyard and along the winding corridor. The pain from Yuan Jing’s leg injury left a sheen of sweat across her forehead. Although her face was pale, her gaze grew increasingly sharp and menacing. Her grip tightened until it felt as though she intended to crush Hua Rui’s wrist. If Hua Rui had not possessed considerable martial arts skill, she probably would have been wailing to the heavens in agony by now.

“Second Young Master, let’s go back!” Hua Rui urged. It was not because Yuan Jing’s grip was hurting her wrist, but because she could sense the vicious aura emanating from her. Although Hua Rui had not known much about Yuan Jing before coming here, she had heard that Yuan Jing was passionate and kindhearted. Could being shot by an arrow have completely transformed her personality?

“No. Let me sit for a while.” Yuan Jing leaned against the railing and slowly sat down on the bench beside it. After resting for a while, she stood again. This time, however, she did not squeeze Hua Rui’s wrist, and Hua Rui could no longer sense that vicious aura around her.

Yuan Jing remained silent for a long time, prompting Hua Rui to ask curiously, “Second Young Master, what are you thinking about?”

Yuan Jing emerged from her memories and smiled faintly. “I was thinking that Zhang Jinhou seems to visit brothels quite often in search of pleasure. Are places like that really so enticing? Once my injury heals, I should go and have a look myself!”

“Second Young Master, you…”

Although Yuan Jing’s identity was a secret, several people trusted by Yuan Ye knew the truth. The steward was one, Yuan Jing’s wet nurse was another, and Physician Liu, an old family friend of the Yuans, was the third. Aside from them, only Hua Rui knew. However, Hua Rui had been ordered to protect Yuan Jing and was naturally required to keep the matter strictly confidential. If Yuan Jing had not learned Hua Rui’s true identity in her previous life, as well as the fact that Hua Rui possessed some medical knowledge, she would not have understood what Hua Rui’s hesitant words implied.

“To help me recover more quickly, please go and invite Uncle Liu here.”

Yuan Jing had been shot in the left thigh, but the arrowhead had not penetrated very deeply. Yuan Jing had always been afraid of pain, and the incident left a psychological shadow over her. Even when she was physically capable of walking normally, she constantly felt as though her left leg hurt, causing her to walk with a slight limp. In this life, she could not wait to recover as quickly as possible. Then she would cast Zhang Jinhou, the man responsible for reducing her to this state, into an abyss from which he could never return. Yes, she no longer wanted to be the Yuan Jing who fancied herself kind and righteous. She would exact merciless revenge upon everyone who had ever made her taste despair!

Physician Liu had originally intended to say a few more things to Yuan Jing, but when he saw her expression, he found that there was only one thing he could say. “With Second Young Master’s determination, this injury will heal very quickly.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Liu.” Yuan Jing concealed the savage hostility that had been baring its fangs and claws only moments before and spoke with remarkable calm.

Physician Liu instinctively felt that something was wrong with this abrupt change in her temperament. Ultimately, however, all his misgivings were dispelled by that single “Uncle Liu.” The Yuan Jing before him was still the same Yuan Jing.

Whenever Yuan Jing thought about how Physician Liu and his family had been implicated by the Yuan family in her previous life, guilt filled her heart. In this life, she could not allow herself to drag Physician Liu down with them again. But if she did not want to implicate him, her only option was to eliminate every obstacle. She possessed four more years of memories than anyone else and knew many important things that had yet to happen. Now that she had been given the chance to live again, she intended to make full use of those resources.

With Yuan Jing’s determination, Physician Liu’s treatments, and Hua Rui’s care, her injury healed extremely quickly. After only half a month, she could get out of bed. Following another half month of recuperation, she could walk normally, just as she had before. After experiencing life and death, even that piercing, heart-wrenching pain no longer seemed worth caring about.

By the time she appeared before Yuan Ye again, a full month had passed since his visit to her room. The moment Yuan Jing sat down at the dining table, she felt several inscrutable gazes fall upon her. A woman’s shrill voice rang out coolly. “It’s been over a month, and you’ve finally decided to come out. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought you’d died in your room!”

Yuan Jing did not even need to look to know that the voice belonged to Yuan Ye’s principal wife—the woman who had continued cursing Yuan Jing even moments before her death. Yuan Jing truly could not understand how the renowned Marquis Lu had managed to raise such a bitter and spiteful daughter. She raised her head, her expression betraying nothing, and replied, “Indeed. If not for Uncle Liu’s miraculous medical skills, I might not have died, but I certainly wouldn’t have been far from becoming a cripple.”

Everyone stared at Yuan Jing as though trying to bore holes through her face. Since when had Yuan Jing ever spoken so calmly to the First Madam?! Even if her words still carried a strong scent of gunpowder. In the past, she would not even eat at the same table as the woman, yet now she was rather affectionately placing food into both Yuan Ye’s and the First Madam’s bowls.

“Did that arrow damage your brain?!” The jeering voice was every bit as unpleasant as that of her elder brother before their execution, when he had bitterly blamed Yuan Jing for implicating him.

“Rather than having an arrow damage my brain, I think I’d prefer to follow your example, Elder Brother, and drink myself into a decadent stupor at Wenxiang House.”

“You!”

“That’s enough from both of you!” Yuan Ye promptly exerted his authority as head of the family, preventing the two from continuing their quarrel. Yuan Jing had initially given him the impression that her temperament had changed drastically, but judging by this, she had not changed at all. She still loved arguing with Yuan Li as much as ever, though her words had become rather sharper.

Yuan Jing picked up her bowl and chopsticks. Suddenly, a piece of meat appeared in her bowl. Turning her head, she saw the twelve-year-old girl beside her looking at her with a perfectly composed expression. The corners of Yuan Jing’s lips lifted slightly at this heartwarming gesture.

The girl before her reminded Yuan Jing of her previous life once again. In that life, her younger sister, Yuan Mixue, had been an extraordinarily precocious child. Although younger than Yuan Jing, she was far more sensible, and the older she grew, the more captivatingly beautiful she became. As Yuan Ye rose higher and higher through the official ranks, increasing numbers of powerful families offered advantageous marriage matches. However, with the family’s interests in mind, Yuan Ye ultimately married Yuan Mixue to the future emperor, who was currently still the Prince of Qi, during the year she underwent her coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen.

The mere thought of the Prince of Qi made Yuan Jing’s eyes turn red. Her heart overflowed with rage and hatred that had nowhere to go.

The Prince of Qi was an ambitious schemer. With Yuan Ye’s help, he successfully framed the Crown Prince for using witchcraft to curse the emperor, causing the Crown Prince to be deposed. The Prince of Qi then reaped all the benefits, became the new Crown Prince, and ascended the throne after the emperor’s sudden death. He had always coveted Yuan Mixue’s beauty, repeatedly promising to grant her the supreme splendor and wealth enjoyed by the mother of the nation. In the end, to bind the Prince of Qi firmly to the Yuan family’s cause, Yuan Ye sent Yuan Mixue into the palace, where she was appointed empress. After the Yuan family’s property was confiscated, Yuan Mixue was also stripped of her position as empress. As for whether she had been executed along with the others, Yuan Jing had no way of knowing.

“Jing’er!” Yuan Ye called her several times before Yuan Jing finally pulled herself out of that mire. She looked at him. “Father, what is it?”

“Why is your face so pale? Is your leg injury acting up again?” Yuan Ye asked.

She shook her head. “No. My mind wandered.”

After the meal, Yuan Jing followed Yuan Ye to his study. Yuan Ye looked rather surprised. “Jing’er, is something the matter?”

Yuan Jing was still silently calculating the dates. When she suddenly heard Yuan Ye’s question, she instinctively answered, “Nothing!” She regretted it as soon as the word left her mouth and quickly corrected herself. “Actually, there is something. Father, I want to discuss the construction of Fengtian Pavilion for His Majesty.”

Yuan Ye froze, then nervously glanced around. Only after confirming that no one else was nearby did he lead Yuan Jing into the study. He paced back and forth for a while before asking, “What Fengtian Pavilion?”

Yuan Jing smacked her forehead. She had been so focused on calculating the date construction began on Fengtian Pavilion that she had failed to calculate the correct date on which the imperial edict was issued.