Chapter 2：The Villainess is Muddled

Imperial Daughter Gao Le's manor.

Everything was still in a luxurious bed chamber blanketed by the darkness of night. All around the room were signs of the owner's elegant and noble taste. It was tranquil and seemingly unaffected by the storm raging the capital. Even the sounds of the howling wind were muffled. Only the occasional sound of booming thunder and flashes of lightning leaked inside the room.

On the platform bed covered by gauze curtains, a young lady was showing signs of difficulty sleeping. Her brows furrowed and breaths came in short gasps. Sweat and tears ran down her face. It seemed the nightmare was too much.

Boom!

Lightning struck and the loudest thunder roared. At the same time, the lady opened her eyes. For a moment, she was dazed and looked all around her with blank eyes.

She only heard the doors opened and closed and the presence of another in the room.

"Mistress..."

The two maidservants who entered had a look of indignation and protectiveness for their master but above all was pity.

That day, the imperial decree came down conferring marriage to his Highness the ninth prince and the Bai family's fifth young miss.

Their master, imperial daughter Gao Le was about to board her carriage when she heard word of it and fainted. She hadn't woken up until now.

But who knew that when she first opened her eyes, the first to see were the tears endlessly flowing. Where was the usual dignified imperial daughter? She was clearly broken because of the decree.

The lady in the bed whose name was Yin Hua Lei silently shed tears, stubbornly refusing to let out even a sob. Her maidservants couldn't get near her nor could they also go out. For a while, the room was stifled.

Yin Hua Lei let her personal maids think whatever they wanted. Indeed, she was heartbroken but it was because of a different matter.

Since she was young, Yin Hua Lei often had strange dreams. People wearing scarce clothing, bizarre iron boxes that give off fumes, high structures where people went in and out and so on. They were interchanged with what seemed to be her future and past but she never dared accept them.

Those dreams continued to persist and by the time Yin Hua Lei was 10, she knew nobody would want to hear these kinds of atrocities. She learned how to properly shut up about these paranormal things.

It had always been a mystery to her. But tonight, she finally understood.

The dreams that plagued her to no end were visions of a different world outside this one. That world that housed alien things was actually the origin of this world.

She, Yin Hua Lei, was incarnated inside a novel! Unfortunately, she was nowhere near the female lead. Her malevolent actions towards Bai Chen Rong only proved the fact that she was the villainess who was meant to be destroyed by the protagonists.

Yin Hua Lei felt her back run cold. A long scar there felt fresh again and seemed to remind her that her path to destruction had begun long ago.

The maidservants to the side only saw their mistress' silhouette straighten up. A fair hand pushed the curtains aside. The two yatou[1] thought that indeed, a noble lady would always be noble.

Yin Hua Lei was pale and her face was damp with tears and sweat, her long jet black hair framed her stature but she stood in an imposing manner.

"Mistress, where are you going? It's still raining!" Xin Ling, the first ranked maid nearly shouted while following.

Her older sister, Xin Tao, also followed along but she saw the look in her mistress' eyes earlier and knew that Yin Hua Lei was still sane and would not do something outrageous.

Yin Hua Lei stood under the heavy rain and the dark sky. Instantly, her night dress was wet and clung to her.

Xin Tao thought of this and immediately draped a dark cloak on her miss. Both master and servants in the courtyard didn't mind the downpour.

There was almost no visibility within five steps in front but Yin Hua Lei knew that those who needed to hear would hear her.

"Listen!" She started in a not so loud tone. A sheltered young miss' voice should easily be swallowed by this rainstorm. Surprisingly, hers did not.

The people who heard her were all hidden in the shadows. Since their imperial daughter fainted this morning, they had been on edge. They knew that this imperial daughter Gao Le would need to vent her anger once she woke up. As her hidden guards, they were willing to avenge her at the cost of their lives.

Tonight, their imperial daughter's rival in love must die!

Who knew that Yin Hua Lei would say the strangest words?

"From now on, none of you will touch Bai family's fifth young miss, Bai Chen Rong!"

Xin Ling's knees trembled and looked at Yin Hua Lei in incredulity. She could not believe that her mistress would ever give up on his Highness the ninth prince.

She even recalled Yin Hua Lei saying, 'Even if that temptress is carried inside the Chang wangfu, this imperial daughter would flay her alive!'

Those words were said in private but Xin Ling would never forget the ferocious look in her mistress' eyes. The mistress must be muddled after fainting!

After saying what she wanted to say. Yin Hua Lei naturally needn't explain anything. She turned around and closed her Blazing Rain pavilion[2].

Yin Hua Lei was the daughter of the Yin clan, a martial arts family who was also the most prominent aristocrats in all of Da Xia. The princes all received tutelage from her grandfather one way or another as Duke Yin was the shifu[3] of the current Emperor on martial arts.

The ruler was very close to both her grandfather and father.

This earned her the grace of receiving the title Imperial Daughter Gao Le since birth and had always been calling Da Xia's ruler Uncle Emperor.

She was brimming with royal favor. Needless to say, she didn't lack nor she want anything.

Her only desire in life was to be Chang wangfei[4].

Having a first-class background, it was only right for her to marry a royal prince. In fact, everyone expected to see the capital's most honorable and graceful Imperial Daughter Gao Le be married to the deity Chang wang[5].

His Highness, the ninth prince Xia Yu Heng was undeniably the most gentlemanly of all the Emperor's sons. He had a kind smile, genteel features, and had a humility unlike any prince.

His kindness to the common people was well known and was even nicknamed the Gentle Prince.

This royal prince naturally deserved a lady of highest standing.

***

"Imperial daughter Gao Le has suffered." A sympathetic voice sounded like flowing dew on lotus petals.

This woke Yin Hua Lei from her trance. From the unfinished painting under her hands, she raised her eyes to the young miss in front of her.

In her deep concentration, she almost forgot that she was in the Ancient Willow restaurant.

It was as if the storm never happened last night. People were up and about on the streets of the imperial city again.

Bai Chan Yi was annoyed that the imperial daughter's thought was scattered. But she understood that the royal decree must have shocked her to this degree.

"What are your plans then, Lei jiejie[6]?" Bai Chan Yi kindly prompted and there was an evil glint in her eyes.

Normally, Yin Hua Lei would be incited by this. Bai Chan Yi would remind her of her enmity with Bai Chen Rong and she would be the knife that acted against the latter.

Yin Hua Lei's heart jolted as she realized that Bai Chan Yi always egged her to hurt the latter's own sister.

Something that she should have realized sooner.

"Bai meimei, what do you mean by plans?" Yin Hua Lei feigned ignorance and continued painting.

Under the sunlight coming from the windows, she looked like a fairy.

Chan Yi gritted her teeth. There was something fishy with the imperial daughter this morning. But she needed to keep on currying her favor. Only then could she deal with that slut, Chen Rong while also earning connections for her father at the same time.

She moved closer to Yin Hua Lei and nudged her as if they were sisters.

"Jiejie, since when did you become distant with Chan Yi? Chan Yi knows your pain and completely supports elder sister. Just say it and Chan Yi will surely do it!"

Yin Hua Lei's brush stilled. Her painting had been ruined because of Chan Yi's incessant nudging but the girl remained insensitive to her rising temper.

She flicked her sleeves and looked gentle in her actions but Chan Yi actually flew across the room and was only caught by Xin Tao who impolitely threw her to her own maid.

"E-elder sister Lei..." Chan Yi was confused how she managed to anger the imperial daughter.

Yin Hua Lei stood up, every movement was elegant. Putting on her gloves, she walked towards the stunned girl.

"Third miss Bai has long been addled. As far as this imperial daughter remembered, my mother was never pregnant after me."

Chan Yi looked like she was struck by lightning.

Yin Hua Lei's long lashes were lowered and there was a faint smile on her thin lips but Chan Yi had been with her for a long time. She could tell the murderous trace on that smile.

In front of other people, this imperial daughter was the most honorable, uncorrupted and sophisticated. Being her lackey, Chan Yi knew the horrendous things Yin Hua Lei could do.

"Cha-Chan Yi was only mistaken! Chan Yi must be punished, please forgive me!"

Bai Chan Yi who was supported by her maid immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed.

No matter what, she was the daughter of a standard third rank official. In normal situations, she would still have difficulties getting close to an imperial daughter, much less a favored one at that.

The only reason she easily befriended Yin Hua Lei was their mutual hatred of Bai Chen Rong.

Yin Hua Lei chose to ignore her.

"It's good that third miss Bai is aware." Xin Ling said and followed her mistress out.

Xin Tao settled the bill and the manager still had to pay respects before Yin Hua Lei went off.

They didn't see how Chan Yi's face nearly exploded with anger. She stared poisonously at Yin Hua Lei's back.

This stupid imperial daughter relied on her ideas to remove Chen Rong out of her way. Now that the Emperor conferred marriage, Chan Yi was of no use so she would probably be tossed aside.

If that's the case, then don't blame this girl for being impolite!

Yin Hua Lei was in the third floor of the Ancient Willow restaurant where the private rooms were. This restaurant was the best in the capital and it was normal to see noble personages here.

As she was walking down the hall, the waiters who went back and forth also bowed before her. Who knew that the pair that she currently least liked to run into was on the other end of the hall.

Yin Hua Lei had the urge to kill someone when she saw Xia Yu Heng and Bai Chen Rong down the corridor.

---

[1]丫頭 - yā tóu - servant girl, maid

[2]熾熱的雨庭院 - Chìrè de yǔ tíngyuàn - Blazing Rain courtyard

[3]師傅 - shī fu - master

[4]王妃 - wáng fēi - princess

[5]王 - wáng - lit. king but in context means prince

[6]姐姐 - Jiějiě - older sister

[7]妹妹 - Mèimei - younger sister

YHL's title Imperial Daughter is the equivalent of a junzhu which means a daughter of a prince or a princess. But the Emperor conferred this to her as sign of acknowledgment of his sworn brother's daughter, making her a member of the royal family in name.