Concubine Yuan?
Fang Jinxiu's head turned slightly.
What was she doing here?
The thought flashed through her mind when suddenly, the room lit up with the click of a lamp, illuminating Concubine Yuan seated at the table.
Concubine Yuan was removing her rain cloak, now dressed for bed. Her arrival in the rain had dampened the hem of her dress.
"I simply can't sleep no matter how hard I try. What do you plan to do?" she asked straightforwardly.
Fang Jinxiu withdrew her gaze, closed her eyes, and ignored her.
Concubine Yuan walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Are you planning to play dead in this room for the rest of your life?" she said. "You're only fourteen, you have your whole life ahead of you."
A whole life.
Did she even have a whole life left?
Fang Jinxiu continued to disregard her.
Concubine Yuan fell silent for a moment.
"Go, leave this place," she suddenly said.
Fang Jinxiu's hand, resting by her side, clenched tightly.
"This isn't Old Lady Fang's or Old Lady's decision," said Concubine Yuan with a smile, continuing, "This is my own thought."
Fang Jinxiu kept her hand clenched and still.
Concubine Yuan did not expect a response, so she simply sat cross-legged.
"I know what you're thinking. Everyone knows I don't have my own opinions; I just follow whatever Old Lady and Old Lady Fang want," she said with a smile, reaching out to pat Fang Jinxiu. "And I always end up using your fiery temper to do their bidding."
Fang Jinxiu seemed unwilling to be touched, shifting suddenly further inside.
Concubine Yuan was unfazed.
"Jinxiu," she said as she composed herself, "I'm not like you; I'm pretty useless and timid, which is why I chose to stay with the Fang Family in the first place."
Back then...
When the family was dismissing their concubines, although Jinxiu was young, she had heard about it.
They were in the prime of their youth, and the Fang Family couldn't bear to see them languish in solitude.
Many happily left with a sum of money, except for Concubine Su, who had a daughter, and Concubine Yuan.
"How wonderful the Fang Family is, so wealthy; good food, fine clothes, and a comfortable life without men, but as long as you please the Old Lady and Old Lady Fang, you could live comfortably."
"I have no other talent, just the knack for pleasing people."
"Besides, better the devil you know; if I went out and married into a new family, I'd have to please them all over again, and life might not even be as good as it was here in the Fang Family. Why waste the effort?"
"Jinxiu, you're different; you're the Fang Family's Third Miss."
Third Miss.
Fang Jinxiu's mouth twitched.
What kind of Third Miss was she?
Her very existence was an accident—or perhaps a calculation.
Whether she was born or not didn't matter.
Had she not been born, Concubine Su would not have left the Fang Family. If she was born, then there was even more reason to stay and to be trusted by the Fang Family.
Wasn't it so? It was so convenient to have her around, which is why they had her there when they poisoned Lingzhi.
In her mother's eyes, was she still her daughter?
Another hand patted her back.
Fang Jinxiu's grief and anger dissipated, and she sat up with a start, glaring angrily at Concubine Yuan.
Concubine Yuan looked at her solemnly.
"What I'm saying is, you are the Fang Family's Third Miss. It doesn't matter if no one recognizes that now, but you were once and you were raised diligently as a proper Miss."
"And you've worked hard, taking your responsibilities as a miss of the Fang Family seriously."
"You've studied reading and writing, managing accounts and planning; you recognize the money business transactions, can ride horses, and dare to deal with businessmen and apprentices."
"You're smart, witty, and skilled. Jinxiu, although these are things you learned as the Third Miss, once you've learned them, nobody can take them away, regardless of whether you're still the Third Miss. They belong to you."
Fang Jinxiu looked at her, and for the first time, her vacant eyes focused intently on Concubine Yuan.
"Jinxiu, you and I are different, I have no skills, only good at pleasing people. I have no wings and cannot fly; I can only cling to others," Concubine Yuan pressed on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, "But you are different. You have so many skills, and you are young and brave. You have wings, and you can fly. Even without the Third Miss and the Fang Family branch, even if you fall to the ground, you can still get up and fly somewhere else. I'm sure you can still make a good life."
Fang Jinxiu looked at her, the defeat in her eyes slowly deepening, twinkling with unshed tears. She lowered her gaze.
Could she still fly?
Leave here to fly?
"The family doesn't actually resent you, and you should feel it," Concubine Yuan sighed, "But with such an incident, everyone really doesn't know how to face each other. It's not about anger or resentment, it's just awkwardness."
Tears dropped onto Fang Jinxiu's knees as she gazed toward the corner of the bed, where the small bundle Fang Chengyu had given her lay.
"Jinxiu, things have already come to this, no amount of thinking can change them. Just let it go and start anew," Concubine Yuan said softly, "Not as Third Miss of the Fang Family, but as Fang Jinxiu, begin a new life."
Could starting a new life be that simple?
Fang Jinxiu stared at her knees.
"In fact, some things that seemed terribly difficult at the time, as if the sky was falling and insurmountable, they all pass eventually. Once you get through them, they have passed," Concubine Yuan said, "Look, even Chengyu is healed, who could have imagined that in the past?"
She reached out again to touch Fang Jinxiu's shoulder, giving it a firm shake.
"Listen to your Concubine, everything will pass as long as you don't give up on yourself. Nothing is insurmountable."
Fang Jinxiu raised her head to look at her.
"Why did she…" she started to speak, her voice hoarse, as if she wanted to say more, but couldn't continue, her eyes brimming with tears she fought to hold back.
She.
Concubine Yuan knew who she was referring to and sighed lightly.
"I really can't speak for her; to be honest, I don't understand," she said, "But there are many things in this world that are hard to understand, and that's not unusual."
Fang Jinxiu lowered her head.
"However," Concubine Yuan paused for a moment, "Jinxiu, at that time, she didn't need to say so much."
What?
Fang Jinxiu looked up at her.
"When the incident happened, it was already within Old Lady's control," Concubine Yuan said, looking at Fang Jinxiu, "The Old Lady asked her if she found it strange why things turned out this way, and she said she didn't understand. Because of this 'not understanding,' she said so many things to the Old Lady, explaining clear as day how everything was designed, arranged, and why it turned out like this."
So what?
Fang Jinxiu clenched her hands, looking at Concubine Yuan.
"Jinxiu, do you think she really didn't understand?" she asked.
Didn't she?
Fang Jinxiu watched Concubine Yuan's lips tremble.
"When she saw Lingzhi like that, and then heard the Old Lady asking in such a way, how could she not understand," said Concubine Yuan, "She had poison hidden in her mouth and could have taken her life right then, but instead, she asked so many whys."
So many whys?
Ever since that day, Fang Jinxiu had refused to recall the incident, but now for the first time, she recalled the events of that day.
Concubine Su had asked so many whys, seemingly astonished at how things had turned out.
Someone like her, seeing Lingzhi in that state, how could she not understand what had happened.
Fang Jinxiu looked at Concubine Yuan.
"Her whys weren't for herself; they were for you," said Concubine Yuan.
Fang Jinxiu bit her lower lip.
"To let everyone know that you are innocent, that you were used by her, that the incident had nothing to do with you," Concubine Yuan said.
Fang Jinxiu's tears suddenly surged.
"What use is that!" she cried out, "She gave birth to me, and I will always be related to her. If she really cared for me, she shouldn't have given birth to me at all."
Concubine Yuan grasped her shoulders.
"She did give birth to you, but you are not related to her," she also cried out, "You are you, an individual you, after you were born. Others may commit heinous crimes, arson, and murder, but as long as you didn't do it, it has nothing to do with you. She gave birth to you, but you don't have to bury yourself for her entire life."
Fang Jinxiu looked at her for a moment, then threw herself into her arms and sobbed loudly.
************************************************
Recommended: Zhi Zhi's new work "Mu Nanzhi"
In her past life, Li Qianxiao wanted to be devoted to the Empress Dowager Jiang Xian for her entire life.
In this life, however, Li Qian finds that pining from afar can't compare to holding a tender beauty in his arms, deciding to snatch Princess Jianan Jiang Xian first and talk later...
PS: Important things must be stated three times. This is a female lead rebirth story, this is a female lead rebirth story, this is a female lead rebirth story.