My transformation into a beautiful girl started with a hemorrhage.

Although Hui had previously overestimated herself and attacked him, Xia Yuxuan did not hate her for it. Instead, it aroused his desire to conquer her. He felt that there was nothing wrong with a woman being a little fierce and individualistic. It was more exciting to conquer her, no, to train her. He always believed that there were no women who could not be trained, only incompetent men.

He placed Hui in his harem villa so that Hui could become familiar with the environment where she would live for the rest of her life.

Ziyan thought Hui was just shy, so she advised, "Miss, please don't be shy. In the backyard of the Prince's mansion, a young lady's modesty is the most useless thing."

Everything must be done to please the prince. As long as you can secure a place in his heart and obtain a title, you'll have no worries about wealth and honor for life. If the young lady can also be ambitious and give birth to a son or daughter, that will be a great honor for the family, guaranteeing her wealth and prosperity for generations to come.

Ziyan and Qiyue knew that, as maids sent to serve Hui, they would become Hui's personal maids in the future, sharing both honor and disgrace, if nothing unexpected happened. Therefore, for their own future, they naturally wanted Hui to have the highest possible status among the prince's women.

"Stop talking, I—" Hui wanted to explain, but after thinking about her situation, she figured it would be pointless to explain, so she stopped talking.

However, seeing this, Ziyan thought that Hui had not yet come to terms with it, so she kept saying, "Miss, don't be discouraged. The prince has not yet married or taken any concubines. He only has some maids. You still have a chance."

The concubines and other such things that Ziyan mentioned refer to the harem system of the Xia Dynasty princes.

The Xia Dynasty still practiced a system of one husband and multiple concubines. In Xia Yuxuan's harem, apart from the only first-rank princess who was a "wife", all the other women were concubines.

However, as a member of the royal family, Xia Yuxuan had many different types of concubines.

In addition to the principal wife, two secondary wives of the second rank and four concubines of the third rank can also be appointed.

Below the concubines and imperial consorts were the ladies-in-waiting (姬), whose number was unlimited, but they no longer had a rank recognized by the court and were not considered noblewomen of the court.

Below the concubine is the head concubine, and there is no limit to the number of them.

Below the concubines are the lowest-ranking concubines, whose number is unlimited.

It is worth noting that from the concubines onwards, the lower-ranking concubines were merely playthings without any official status; while the maidservants were no different from servants. For example, Xia Yuxuan had slept with Ziyan and Qiyue, but did not give them any official status, so in the Prince's mansion, they were maidservants.

As for the last concubine, she was of even lower status than maids like Ziyan and Qiyue, belonging to the category of female slaves. Of course, although she was a female slave, she was still the prince's private slave.

Qi Yue chimed in, adding, "Furthermore, when His Highness instructed us to take good care of the young lady, it was the first time we had ever seen His Highness value a woman so much. Therefore, the young lady must have a place in His Highness's heart."

Hui could no longer bear the two maids' incessant nagging about how to actively please Xia Yuxuan and how to use her advantages to capture his heart among the many beauties in the harem...

Hui couldn't take it anymore and decisively changed the subject: "Did your prince say where I can't go?"

Qi Yue thought for a moment and replied, "The prince didn't say."

'He didn't say, probably because he's convinced he can't escape.'

Hui guessed that the area must be heavily guarded, and that she was dressed so indecently that she wouldn't even dare to see anyone.

Ziyan also asked considerately, "Would you like to go for a walk, young lady?"

"Well, that's fine too."

Upon hearing Ziyan's suggestion, Huizhen felt a bit stiff all over and needed to move around. Besides, the weather outside was nice, with a clear sky and bright sunshine.

"Then this servant will style your hair with a pretty ornament, Miss. Do you have any favorite ornaments?" Qiyue suggested from the side.

Hui glanced at her long, black hair that cascaded casually down her waist and said, "You decide what to do with it, keep it simple!"

"As ordered!"

Qiyue helped Hui sit at the dressing table and quickly styled her hair into a simple cloud-like bun, then loosely inserted a hibiscus stone hairpin with twin begonia blossoms on it.

"Does the young lady like it?"

Hui looked at herself in the bronze mirror, then got up and walked around. As she walked, her hair swayed like clouds, adding three parts languidness and seven parts charm, captivating everyone's heart.

Hui no longer wanted to dwell on the alluring hairstyle Qiyue had given her; mentioning it would probably only invite another round of "meticulous instruction."

He could only say helplessly, "That's fine then."

Soon, everything was ready, and they were about to leave.

However, they happened to run into three beautiful young women walking towards them.

Chapter 204 Humiliation

The three women looked to be only 16 or 7 years old, especially the one in the middle who was the most beautiful. However, they were all wearing extremely thin and transparent white gauze, with hems that resembled modern lace pajamas, fluttering at the edges.

When Hui saw the three women, only two words flashed through her mind: "Disgusting!"

In fact, Hui didn't know that she wasn't much better off herself. Her plain white silk cloud-shaped skirt made of silkworm ice silk, paired with a pink bodice underneath, made her exude the essence of a girl.

The woman walking in the middle saw Hui and immediately said with ill intent, "You must be the woman the prince brought back from outside yesterday. This is the first time this year that the prince has added a younger sister to the backyard of the palace."

At this point, the woman glanced at Hui and continued, "Look closely, you're not much better, especially with that flat body of yours, you're practically a bean sprout! Even the prince would probably find it too hard to hold you."

After she finished speaking, she chuckled, and the two women beside her laughed along with her.

Hui was completely baffled.

"you--"

"What do you mean 'we'? You should call me 'sister'. You have no manners or upbringing at all. Are you some kind of country bumpkin?" the woman on the left mocked.

Hui laughed in exasperation; she finally understood that she had been drawn into the legendary power struggle within the imperial harem.

However, Hui didn't want to "outwit" Xia Yuxuan's women; it would only lower her own IQ.

Hui replied dismissively, "Alright, sisters! Now, can you let me through?"

However, the other party clearly did not want to let Hui go.

The woman in the middle blocked Hui, who was about to pass them, saying, "What 'sister'? Don't you know to add your name? I am your sister Liuyan, the one on the left is your sister Chunlan, and the one on the right is your sister Qiuju."

"Oh, and then?" Hui asked directly after hearing this.

"And then? Then of course you have to kneel down and pay your respects to each of us. Don't you even know this basic etiquette?" Liu Yan continued sarcastically, especially when she saw Hui's face gradually darken, she felt even more delighted.

At this moment, Hui Mei narrowed her eyes slightly, looked up at Liu Yan's eyes, and asked meaningfully, "What if I don't want to?"

Hui already harbored resentment towards Xia Yuxuan. She accepted that she couldn't beat him, but even Xia Yuxuan's woman wanted to ride roughshod over her? Ha! Did he really think she was made of clay and had no temper? Gradually, the indifference towards life that Hui had before her amnesia began to resurface.

"No?" Upon hearing this, Liu Yan and the other two showed no anger, but rather a smug smile.

Liu Yan declared triumphantly to Hui, "If you dare disobey, as your older sister, we will naturally teach you the rules of the Prince's Mansion."

Hui raised an eyebrow: "You want to make a move?"

After Hui finished speaking, she had already secretly prepared to take action.

If it really came down to a fight, Hui was not afraid at all. Although she was currently suffering from internal injuries and unable to use her internal energy, she still had the physical qualities of a second-rate martial artist. Even under such circumstances, Hui was absolutely confident that she could bring these three people to the ground within three breaths and kill them within ten breaths, relying solely on her own limbs, bones, and muscles.

Liu Yan, Chun Lan, and Qiu Ju were completely unaware of the power contained within Hui's petite body, which was shorter than theirs.

They are now leaping frantically on the edge of death.

Liu Yan puffed out her proud chest, her eyes filled with hostility as she looked at Hui. With a smirk, she threatened, "What, you dare to resist! Let me tell you, if you think that by secretly reporting to the Prince, he will punish us, you are sorely mistaken! Today I will tell you the truth: in the Prince's backyard, I, Liu Yan, am the Prince's most beloved woman. A vixen like you who thinks that flirting with the Prince will win his favor is a fool's dream."

When Ziyan and Qiyue saw that Hui didn't even know how to be tolerant and directly confronted the prince's concubine without giving an inch, they were both annoyed that their master didn't know how to behave and worried that if the situation continued to worsen, they, the servants, would be the ones to suffer in the end.

As expected, the two sides are now at loggerheads and about to take direct action.

Ziyan and Qiyue knew that it was time for them to step up.

The two stepped forward, stood in front of Hui, and blocked the way between Hui and Liuyan.

Then, she bowed her head and apologized softly to Liuyan and the other two girls: "Miss Liuyan, Miss Chunlan, Miss Qiuju, my mistress is new here and does not know the rules. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize to you."

After Ziyan and Qiyue finished speaking, they maintained their bowing posture.

Looking at Ziyan and Qiyue, Liuyan felt a surge of anger. She considered herself Xia Yuxuan's favorite concubine, but even so, she only had one maid.

Now, seeing Hui, this newcomer, being served by two maids, and the prince even giving her the snow-white silk cloud-shaped dress woven from celestial silkworm ice silk, she realized that she had begged Xia Yuxuan countless times, but he had never given her this dress. Now, seeing the dress that she had longed for so much on Hui, her jealousy was instantly ignited.

Snapped!

A slap suddenly rang out.

Liu Yan slapped Zi Yan across the face, scolding, "What lowly creatures! How dare you interrupt your masters' conversation? Today, I'll teach you the rules of the Prince's Mansion."

Liu Yan was about to continue fanning with his hand.

At this time,

Something truly astonishing happened.

Instead of dodging, Ziyan turned back to her already swollen face and slightly raised her head so that Liuyan could continue slapping her face.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Liu Yan slapped her back, but not satisfied, she continued slapping her left and right, repeatedly striking Zi Yan's already swollen face...

Liu Yan did this on purpose to disgust Hui.

The Prince's mansion had strict rules. If a servant laid a hand on his master, no matter the reason, he would be executed. In contrast, the master could do whatever he wanted to his servants. Even if he killed a servant for no reason, he would only have a bad reputation, but there would be no real punishment.

So she didn't bring her maids with her when she came to cause trouble today, because they wouldn't be a fighting force. Instead, she brought two concubines who accompanied her. Servants can't lay a hand on their masters, but masters can fight each other. Although they might be punished afterward, it's nothing serious.

Ziyan and Qiyue naturally knew this, which is why they stepped forward to vent Liuyan's anger, ensuring that Hui only suffered verbal abuse without any physical harm. They understood the meaning behind Xia Yuxuan's words, "Take good care of Hui." If Hui were to suffer any injury while they remained unscathed, the consequence would be that they would be severely harmed—literally, completely stripped of their skin.

So even though they are being beaten and insulted by Liuyan, they are actually quite happy, because if simply being slapped can resolve the conflict, it is far better than they expected.

They were prepared to "sacrifice," but all of this was based on the premise that Hye-jin was just an ordinary woman.

Only about ten seconds had passed since Liu Yan started making her move, and Hui had already recovered from her initial confusion.

The way he looked at Liuyan was as if he were looking at a dead person.

Chapter 205 Counterattack

Liu Yan made her move again.

but,

Boom!

Hui grabbed Liu Yan's arm as she swung it down. Liu Yan instinctively tried to shake her arm off Hui, but she felt as if her hand was clamped in an iron clamp and she couldn't move it at all.

"What are you doing? Let go!"

Liu Yan struggled in vain and began to scold Hui.

Hui didn't speak, but just looked at her calmly, and then began to increase the pressure of her palm.

gradually,

Liu Yan's expression changed, her previous ease and comfort vanished. The excruciating pain from the compression of her arms and forelimbs was driving her crazy. She had no time to care about anything else, only struggling frantically: "You, let go! Let go now!"

Chunlan and Qiuju, standing behind Liuyan, did not notice her unusual behavior and continued to threaten Hui fiercely: "Get your filthy hands off her! Miss Liuyan is the prince's favorite concubine. If anything happens to her, you'll be in big trouble."