Chapter Two: Qianxue, the Illegitimate Sister

"Second Miss, my lady has only just awakened and is still very weak. She is resting now and truly cannot receive visitors. Please, come again tomorrow." It was Green Bamboo's voice.

Immediately, a shrill and arrogant voice snapped, "Wretched maid, who do you think you are, daring to stop me? Do you want to be beaten to death? Move aside this instant!" As soon as the words fell, there was a sharp sound—a slap. Clearly, Green Bamboo had been struck.

Shen Qianmo frowned, a surge of inexplicable disgust rising within her. The Second Miss of the Duke’s household, Shen Qianxue, born of Madam Cui, was indulged by both Duke Shen and her mother. She was a typical spoiled and willful young lady, infamous for her arrogance. The original owner of Shen Qianmo’s body had suffered many losses at her hands, both openly and in secret, simply because she was soft and easily bullied, always swallowing her grievances silently.

She set down her bowl of porridge and signaled to Nurse Xu to let Shen Qianxue in. Green Bamboo was too straightforward and would surely be at a disadvantage. Understanding her meaning, Nurse Xu carefully tied a gauze veil over her face to conceal her scars, then raised her voice, "Green Bamboo, let the Second Miss in."

Shen Qianxue snorted coldly and strutted into the room. At once, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of medicine, waved an embroidered handkerchief dramatically, and said in a piercing voice, "Oh, Big Sister, you are truly fortunate! Not even such a great fire could kill you, and yet you’ve awakened so quickly!"

Her words were outrageous, and Green Bamboo could not contain herself, about to argue back when Nurse Xu caught her arm, shaking her head silently, signaling her to stay calm. Then she moved closer to Shen Qianmo, taking up a protective stance.

Shen Qianmo glanced indifferently at Shen Qianxue. About fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a pink blouse and skirt, her hair adorned with jeweled hairpins and her body draped in pearls, she was beautiful, lively, and charming. But her proud posture and air of superiority revealed her as nothing more than a thoroughly spoiled young lady.

Searching the original owner’s memories, Shen Qianmo found that her timid predecessor had suffered greatly at Shen Qianxue’s hands, so much so that even the sound of her voice would send her into a panic.

With this in mind, she looked up and swept a cold gaze over Shen Qianxue. The latter, seeing Shen Qianmo’s veiled face and icy eyes, was momentarily stunned. Was this really the same Shen Qianmo who used to cower and tremble at the sight of her?

Shen Qianmo, unwilling to stoop to bickering with a child, remained at ease, sitting on the bed and calmly eating her porridge. "As you can see, I am not dead yet. If you’ve satisfied your curiosity, then leave. The doctor says I need rest."

"Shen Qianmo! I came here out of kindness, and you dare drive me away? You really don’t know what’s good for you!" Shen Qianxue snapped. "I heard you were disfigured, so I came specially to see for myself." She stared at Shen Qianmo’s face, a look of gloating mischief plain on her own.

Shen Qianmo merely frowned, ignoring her. For someone like Shen Qianxue, she had no obligation to be polite.

Infuriated by being completely disregarded, Shen Qianxue grew even angrier. Had Shen Qianmo still been as timid as before, perhaps she wouldn’t be so upset, but today Shen Qianmo was nothing like she expected—so calm that it made her uneasy. In a few steps, she rushed to the bedside, reaching out to snatch the veil from Shen Qianmo’s face.

Shen Qianmo sighed inwardly. This girl truly was troublesome—refusing to leave and clearly determined to make things difficult.

As she reached for her, Shen Qianmo instinctively raised her hand and gripped Shen Qianxue’s wrist tightly. Caught off guard, Shen Qianxue stumbled and fell against the bed. Shen Qianmo swiftly pulled a golden hairpin from her own hair and pressed it against Shen Qianxue’s cheek, her voice icy. "Second Sister, if you keep misbehaving, my hand might slip. What do you think would happen then?"

The cold metal against her face made Shen Qianxue blanch with fear. She stammered, "You… how dare you! Let go of me!"

Shen Qianmo arched an eyebrow, a slight smile curving her lips, but her hand did not move. She faced her steadily, calm and unflinching. Having trained in self-defense, she was not worried about handling an unruly girl.

Shen Qianxue was so furious she nearly choked. Never before had she suffered like this at Shen Qianmo’s hands; she was used to seeing tears, not defiance. She turned her glare on her two maids, who hesitated anxiously behind her. "You two useless girls, help me, now!"

Shen Qianmo’s swift movement had stunned the maids, unaccustomed as they were to seeing their young mistress so assertive. Only at Shen Qianxue’s shout did they recover, but as they moved to help, Nurse Xu and Green Bamboo immediately stepped in, blocking their way.

Both maids, having long endured Shen Qianxue’s arrogance, relished seeing her thwarted for once. Though surprised by their lady’s newfound decisiveness and composure, they felt nothing but relief and pride. No matter how Shen Qianmo changed, she was still their lady, the one they were bound to protect with their lives.

Shen Qianxue glared at Shen Qianmo, her beautiful eyes nearly spitting fire.

From her elevated position, Shen Qianmo looked down at her coolly. "Second Sister, I am not well today. If you do not leave now, my hand might lose its strength, and then I can’t guarantee your face will remain unscathed. Surely you don’t want your face to end up like mine."

Though arrogant and willful, Shen Qianxue was not a fool. Her face was more important to her than her pride, and so, swallowing her resentment, she left with a look of barely contained fury. Inwardly, she vowed that this score would not be forgotten.

Shen Qianmo leaned back against the headboard, breathing heavily. This body was still too weak—had it been her original self, she would never be so exhausted by such a small effort.

Green Bamboo and Nurse Xu both heaved sighs of relief, their eyes shining with new admiration. Green Bamboo, in particular, was thrilled—her lady had finally stood up to Shen Qianxue without suffering for it. At last, they no longer had to endure the bullying!

Nurse Xu, more than anything, felt comforted. This ordeal by fire had made her lady stronger. If her departed mistress could see her now, surely she would bless her with peace and happiness.

Against a spoiled and headstrong girl like Shen Qianxue, the only way to deal with her was as one would a dissection: swift, precise, and without hesitation, Shen Qianmo mused as she finished her bowl of porridge.

Just as she was about to go out into the courtyard, feeling a little more energetic, another visitor arrived.