Chapter 23 Memories II

  That day, she was in the Houhuayuan of Xiangfu, accompanied by a maid to play, wearing a gorgeous pink silk skirt, hiding behind a fake mountain, the soft sunset golden light sprinkled on her body, warm and gentle.

  Xia Yan, wearing a cyan-colored shirt, walked in from the flower-patterned gate with an upright posture. She beckoned her to come over, and she hesitated for a moment before running over with small steps, holding up her skirt. Her eyebrows and eyes were curved, showing a lovely appearance. Behind her, a slender boy dressed in brocade also ran over, following closely behind her. After stopping, the two innocent faces looked at Xia Yan with slight doubts.

  A little girl walked out from behind her father, with a thin and small body, wearing tattered and shabby clothes, her dry face staring at the surroundings with a pair of bright big eyes, very pretty, her eyes lightly swept around the luxurious scene, emitting a brilliant light.

  At this time, Father lovingly stroked her head, softly calling her "Liu Er", leaning down, pulling the girl close to him, telling her that this was her younger sister, named "Zi Sa".

  As soon as the words fell, the little girl opposite smiled sweetly, her thin face scrunched up "Sister, I'm your younger sister, Father said that from now on, I'll be the Second Miss of the Xiang Mansion"

  Sister? She was taken aback, and even the little boy's dark eyes widened in surprise. Father's face was serious as he told her that there were unbearable difficulties that couldn't be revealed to Xia Ziwei about the reason for this sister's appearance.

  In short, she was indeed her own sister, Xia Zikai, the second daughter of the Xiang family...

  She listened, and after wiping away her astonished expression, she smiled slightly. She couldn't immediately elevate this person to the level of a family member, after all, there was no such family member in her past. Her mother only had one daughter, and her father didn't remarry, so where did this sister come from?

  Next, Father arranged a room for this so-called younger sister. Xia Ziwei was in the east wing bedroom, while Xia Ziyao's room was next to hers. Thus, the maidservants and matrons, fine clothes and delicious food - whatever Xia Ziwei had, Xia Ziyao didn't lack any of it.

  Xia Ziying entered the Wang Fu and remained quiet, her eyes softly calling out to Xia Ziyu 'Sister——', her gentle and weak appearance evoking affection, her inner defenses gradually softening, bit by bit accepting her.

  Slowly, she began to realize that her younger sister was not as gentle and quiet as she had imagined. Her eyes were always shining brightly, filled with a strong desire that made Xia Ziyu feel afraid.

  Beautiful and gorgeous clothes, accessories, every time the fabric store sends new goods, Xia Ziying always rushes to pick first, the pearl flowers sent by the jewelry store, intricate and beautiful patterns, Xia Ziying intentionally mentions her favorite one in front of her, and the best ones are often taken away by her, Xia Ziyu sometimes gets annoyed.

  But her sister, she can't be so petty, has to give in to her. Over time, Xia Ziying's temper got worse and worse. Many times, as soon as she walked out of the room, she would hear her loudly scolding inside, the sound of shattered porcelain hitting the floor, the piercing cries for mercy from the maids filling her ears. Another time, a young maid in her early teens was beaten until she spat up blood, almost losing her life. Later, when Father found out about this incident, he scolded Xia Ziying severely, and only then did she show some restraint.

  However, as a young lady, her birth was nobler than Xia Ziying's, and her father's doting on her had not decreased in the slightest. Everyone in the Prime Minister's residence would respectfully address her as "Big Miss Xia Ziyu", while for Second Miss Xia Ziying, the servants of the Prime Minister's residence were unclear how this master suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and when she entered the Wang residence, she was clearly a poor thing, so why did she become a master after a sudden change? But with Prime Minister Xiang around, no one dared to make a sound, so their attitude towards her was obviously slower. Therefore, compared to the past, she didn't feel much of a change.

  Then, a thing that made Xia Zili truly sad happened. Huangfu Huan, the companion she had relied on since childhood, who had given her many laughs and accompanied her growth, the young boy, the son of Minister of Revenue Huangfu Ji.

  Until Xia Ziying arrived, the two people became three playing together. For a long time, Huang Fu's heart was full of her, his joys and sorrows were all dependent on her smile, his emotions flowed like a stream only for her. At that time, Xia Ziying just quietly stood by.

  Later, Huangfu Huan, who always liked to follow her, began to intentionally or unintentionally glance at Xia Zixiao beside her. Every time Xia Zixiao heard the news of Huangfu Huan's arrival, she would carefully dress up in her room before going out.

  Two people gradually laughed and joked, he became more and more estranged from her, sometimes even treating her as if she were invisible. She was terrified and depressed in her heart, her gloomy gaze fell on the bright clothes at the corner of Xia Ziyao's clothes, and the smiling face like a flower, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Her pride, her self-esteem, was slowly trampled clean.

  As time passed, they gradually shed their childishness. Xia Ziyou wore a loose, flowing dress with a floral pattern, her skin as white as snow, crystal clear without any impurities, bright eyes and teeth, a small nose and red lips, beautiful beyond compare. Her eyebrows and eyes had a subtle, ethereal quality that seemed to transcend the mundane world. In contrast, her younger sister Xia Ziyao was already surrounded by an aura of mature femininity, every step and movement exuding charm. Huangfu Huan was like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, his beauty and elegance overflowing from every pore, his black hair and eyebrows framing a face that shone with vigor, hiding the gentle warmth he had always cherished. But suddenly, everything changed, bitter tears welling up in her eyes.

  At this time, his gaze had already shifted completely, and the deep, affectionate eyes that had once dwelled in her heart had become a thing of the past. Every time she looked at his tall back, her line of sight would stretch out vaguely, filled with sorrow, and her eyes would gradually grow dim...

  Always thought that such days would go on like this, painful and entangled.

  Half a year ago, an imperial edict arrived, with its bright yellow color and dragon patterns, announcing that the Second Young Master of the Right Prime Minister's estate, Xia Ziyao, had entered the palace as a concubine. This imperial edict came suddenly, catching even Xia Yan off guard. On the day it was announced, several hundred people from the Xia estate knelt on the ground in the courtyard paved with bluestone flags, bathed in golden sunlight.

  No one had expected that the second young lady, who had been quietly staying in the Right Chancellor's mansion, would suddenly turn from a crow into a phoenix. At the moment when she received the imperial edict, Xia Ziyu knelt on the ground and slightly raised his head to see Xia Ziyao's lips slightly curled up from the side.

  After that, Xia Ziying immediately punished several servants of the Xiangfu who didn't please her eyes, and also dealt with a few managers. Even Xia Yan didn't dare to make a sound.

  The previously sluggish servants of Xia Ziying were all nervous and on edge, like startled birds. Occasionally when the sisters met, she felt the intense and unmasked aura emanating from Xia Ziying's eyes.

  After entering the palace for half a year, she learned that Xia Ziyao had gathered three thousand favors on her body. The emperor had executed several older concubines in the palace who did not get along with her and consecutively promoted her to be his consort, noble consort, and even broke the rules to give her a title, posthumously honoring Ning Guifei, whose status in the palace was second only to that of the empress.

  The court was in an uproar, the imperial concubine, haha. What a noble status, Xia Zikai had not been in the palace for long when Huangfu Huan volunteered to lead the army to attack Xiyue Kingdom, which had been invading Muxuan Kingdom's eastern border, and guard the frontier, with yellow sand swirling and three thousand black hairs flying in the wind.

  She didn't get happiness, neither did he. Is it painful? The faint warmth that used to be deeply etched in her memory, how could it have become like this...

  A teardrop fell with a 'plop' onto the wrist, water ripples spreading out in all directions along the smooth curved surface, emitting a clear blue glow. Kalindi... Kalindi...