My transformation into a beautiful girl started with a hemorrhage.

Ziyan's voice rang out from the side.

Hui was also attracted by the ancient art that realistically reproduced the natural environment in the garden, and replied, "Well, lead the way."

The “xuan” that Ziyan mentioned refers to a long corridor with windows and a threshold, a very open place specifically used for viewing.

The Listening to the Rain Pavilion was built by the water to listen to the sound of rain hitting the pond on rainy days. Through a small path, Hui came to a winding corridor with the words "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" written at the entrance.

At this time, there were already some women strolling in the corridor, but when they saw Hui's arrival, they all showed disgust and kept their distance from her.

Seeing this, Qi Yue whispered an explanation: "Madam, someone in the manor has spread the rumor that you are the daughter of a country bumpkin, possessing only brute strength and lacking any education, truly a rustic village girl, so, so..."

"No need to say anything more, I understand."

Hui understood what was going on, but she didn't intend to explain herself. Instead, she felt that this was good, as she could enjoy some peace and quiet without Xia Yuxuan's women bothering her.

Hui strolled through Tingyu Pavilion. After walking for a while, she saw five women gathered together, chatting and laughing.

All the women Xia Yuxuan took into his harem were beautiful. Not only the women in the harem, but even the maids who did odd jobs would be pretty girls from modest families if they were outside.

Of the five women, the one in the middle wearing pink gauze was the most outstanding, like a phoenix among cranes, shining with a brilliance different from the others.

The woman's skin was as white as snow, and the thin, sheer white gauze skirt prescribed for the backyard perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. What was most captivating about her were her large, bright eyes, like a clear, tranquil pool, which exuded an elegant and refined air as she looked around.

Upon seeing this woman, Hui immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

'Looks familiar! But who does he resemble?'

Hui thought about it carefully, but couldn't remember.

However, Hui didn't force herself to remember, since she had no intention of getting along with them.

However, as Hui got closer, she overheard what they were talking about.

To the left of the woman in pink gauze, a woman in white gauze asked her, "Miss Liuying, do you really think that famous courtesan Yu Youwei from Jiangnan is so stunningly beautiful?! That she even inspired the brilliant scholar Lin Gongzi to write 'One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation' in praise of her!"

The woman on the right chimed in, "Yes, Young Master Lin even confessed to her directly, 'If only life were as beautiful as our first meeting!' It's truly unimaginable that someone as talented as Young Master Lin would say such a thing. Could Yu Youwei really be as the rumors say, a celestial being descended to earth?"

A woman nearby added, "Because of these two timeless masterpieces, Yu Youwei, a mere courtesan, is now worth a fortune and is practically impossible to meet. Countless romantic and talented men in the capital are willing to go bankrupt to redeem her, but she won't even grant them a single meeting!"

The last woman said, "However, in the end, the one who is truly remarkable is not Yu Youwei, but the mysterious Young Master Lin. I wonder which family he belongs to, a great talent who became famous overnight. Now, which of Young Master Lin's masterpieces isn't a household name, and isn't sung by countless dancers and singers?"

The woman in pink gauze, named Liuying, changed her expression and scolded, "Miaoning, what nonsense are you talking about! As the prince's concubines, we should know our place. How can we openly praise other men in public!"

Upon hearing this, Miao Ning turned pale and said, "Miss Liu Ying is right to reprimand me. I was just speaking carelessly and didn't mean to praise any other men. Please don't take it to heart."

Miao Ning harbored no hatred towards Liu Ying; on the contrary, she was genuinely grateful to her. In ancient times, virtue was the foundation of a woman's character. As concubines of a prince, they openly praised other men. If someone with ulterior motives heard this and spread it, they could easily be charged with the serious crime of "not upholding virtue."

Although the person they were talking about today was the talented Young Master Lin in their hearts, not Yu Youwei, who was not a prostitute.

However, while they were supposed to uphold traditional virtues, they also wanted to discuss the topic of "Young Master Lin." So what could they do?

Therefore, when they talked about Young Master Lin, they did so by indirectly mentioning Yu Youwei, without directly saying anything about him. In this way, they successfully avoided the requirements of female virtue.

After the woman named Miao Ning finished reflecting on her actions, the other women all expressed their understanding.

They were a small group, so naturally they wouldn't cause trouble for Miao Ning.

However, still shaken, Miao Ning began to observe her surroundings to see if anyone had heard what she had just said. She turned her head and saw Hui walking towards her. As for the others, they had not heard her.

Miao Ning's expression changed, but when she saw that the person who came was Hui, she relaxed again, because the rumor in the manor was that the girl who woke up was a country girl with some looks, who did not know anything about poetry and songs, and was despised by everyone in the manor.

Who would believe what such a person says?

Chapter 212 Fireflies

"Oh, isn't this the new girl? What brings you here? Has someone upset you again?"

Miao Ning made a veiled sarcastic remark about Hui, but it had no effect because Hui couldn't understand her meaning at all.

However, the woman in the pink veil, Ziyan, immediately turned her head, first glancing at Hui with surprise, and then carefully looking her up and down. At this moment, she seemed to have figured something out, and her eyes turned to hatred as she looked at Hui.

Hui was puzzled at this moment, not understanding why someone she didn't even know hated her so much.

Ziyan quickly whispered to Hui'er, "The woman in the pink gauze dress is called Liuying. She is the most favored concubine in the Prince's mansion and also Liuyan's older sister."

"Your favorite?" Hui asked, puzzled. "Xia Yu, uh, isn't Liu Yan the prince's favorite?"

"Yes! The prince always summons both of them to serve him in bed, so they are the prince's favorite concubines."

"I see."

After listening to Ziyan's account and marveling at Xia Yuxuan's absurdity, Hui also remembered what had caused the feeling of familiarity she had felt earlier.

Upon closer inspection, Liu Ying realized that her appearance was indeed very similar to Liu Yan's.

However, the two are still very different. Although Liuyan is arrogant, she exudes the innocence and carefree nature of a young girl, while Liuying now has more of a mature and charming woman.

However, even knowing that she was Liuyan's older sister, Hui didn't have any thoughts about it, because a gaze can't kill, so she could just look if she wanted to.

Of course, if someone comes looking for trouble, just fight them back.

Don't cause trouble, just ignore it.

Having made up her mind, Hui tried to pretend she didn't see them and walked past them alone.

However, Liu Ying would not let Hui off so easily. As Hui passed by her, she sternly rebuked her: "Stop! Don't you know basic manners? As a newcomer to the manor, don't you even greet us older sisters?"

To be honest, the stern yet clear and sharp shout, unique to women, made Hui pause for a moment because of its unexpectedness, and then Hui continued on her way.

Judging from their stance, they intend to continue ignoring us completely.

Everyone present, including Ziyan and Qiyue, was stunned.

Especially Ziyan and Qiyue, although they knew that their mistress was very... very individualistic, this completely ignoring attitude was simply offending others to death.

So, Qi Yue tried to smooth things over for Hui, salvaging the situation as much as she could: "My lady's name is simply 'Hui,' so you can just call her Madam Hui, Miss Liu Ying. Madam is in a bad mood today and may have been too engrossed in her thoughts to hear you calling her."

"Hui!?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ying was stunned for a moment. Wasn't this the title of Consort Hui?

However, upon further reflection, she realized that it was probably just the prince's quirky taste. Having served Xia Yuxuan for three years, Liu Ying understood that Xia Yuxuan had some strange preferences, so she stopped worrying about the meaning of the character "慧".

Seeing that Hui still ignored her, Liu Ying's disgust for Hui deepened.

Previously, her younger sister Liuyan's hand bone was broken by Hui. When she heard the news, she felt heartbroken that her frail sister had to endure the pain of a broken bone, and she hated Hui to the core, vowing to make Hui pay the price.

After visiting her sister, she immediately went to Xia Yuxuan's study and knelt silently outside for the entire afternoon.

She didn't say anything, not why she was kneeling there, nor did she say anything pointless like seeking justice for her sister; she just knelt there quietly.

In the sweltering heat of August, a slender woman knelt under the blazing sun for an entire afternoon.

Just when Liu Ying was parched and about to lose consciousness, she finally heard Xia Yuxuan say, "Go back."

Having served Xia Yuxuan for three years, Liu Ying naturally understood the meaning behind Xia Yuxuan's words. This indicated that the prince had agreed to handle the matter, which meant that the culprit, Hui, would be punished.

So, despite her physical and mental exhaustion, she went back.

That night, she indeed heard her maids say that a new girl was kneeling in the Scarlet Smoke Palace, and later she heard a woman's heart-wrenching cries...

Upon hearing this news, although she was exhausted both physically and mentally today, she felt incredibly happy and joyful, which led her to enjoy the flowers and water at Yilan Garden.

However, she never expected to encounter Hui here, Hui completely unharmed.

At this moment, she finally understood what the maid meant by the woman's heart-wrenching voice that night!

She hated, hated that the woman in front of her had used seductive and despicable means to seduce the prince!

But just as Hui thought, a look can't kill.

Liu Ying glared at Hui resentfully, but in the end, she was only furious inside.

Of course, she wanted to slap Hui's flirtatious face in front of men, but then she remembered her younger sister who was still lying in bed and couldn't get up.

She knew that appearances could be deceiving. The seemingly delicate woman in front of her was actually a rough and uncouth woman raised by a country bumpkin, and she possessed immense strength.

She... dared not lay a hand on Hui.

Just as Liuying was considering how to take revenge on Hui.

A deep male voice rang out from behind:

"Hui'er, Ying'er, what are you doing?"

The person who arrived was Xia Yuxuan.

The women turned their heads to look and saw Xia Yuxuan in plain clothes, followed by Granny Liu and several maids. The lead maid was holding an exquisite wooden box, the contents of which were unknown.

The women immediately bowed and greeted him: "Your Highness!"

"Be flat!"

Xia Yuxuan said something.

Hui also stood up, but turned her head away from him. After the tense argument last night, Hui couldn't pretend nothing had happened in front of him.

Xia Yuxuan seemed not to have noticed Hui's actions. He stopped two steps in front of Hui and smiled at her, saying, "It seems that Hui'er has recovered well and even has the leisure to travel and enjoy the scenery."

Xia Yuxuan originally planned to go to Xunyan Pavilion to plant the highly poisonous Corrosive Heart Ointment on Hui, but unexpectedly encountered Hui here.

So he asked her with concern. In his view, although he was going to plant a deadly poison in Hui, it did not mean that he had given up on her. As long as Hui completed the mission well, he would naturally cure her of the poison. At that time, Hui would still be his woman.

He didn't think that what he did would deeply hurt a woman's heart, because even when he forcibly aborted a concubine's four-month-old baby, the woman cried her heart out, saying things like she hated herself the most...

As a result, a few days later, they were still trying their best to please and flatter him.

Therefore, in Xia Yuxuan's view, it was just a matter of planting poison in Hui'er's body as a safety net, and Hui'er wouldn't take it to heart afterward.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness," Hui said perfunctorily.

Xia Yuxuan wasn't angry; in his view, it was just Hui'er being a little temperamental.

What was meant to be a casual greeting between the two took on a different meaning to outsiders, especially since the backyard was filled with the sound of a woman screaming from the Scarlet Smoke Palace last night.

Immediately, everyone glanced at Hui with a somewhat strange look.

Chapter 213 Embarrassment

Hui also noticed the strange looks from the other women, but she just felt... baffled.

At this moment, Liu Ying was most jealous of Hui. She felt that Hui was showing off in front of her, showing off Xia Yuxuan's favor towards her.

However, she didn't dare to lash out in front of Xia Yuxuan and just endured it.