Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Did she say... useless??
Concubine Lu's shock after hearing her daughter speak was interrupted by the arrival of the Master.
As he took the empty seat at the upper end of the hall, the wives quickly paid their respects before sitting again. "Greetings, Master."
Ignoring her painful backside, Yingyue slowly examined her supposed father's features. Master Jiang was only in his early forties and was an average-looking man - there was nothing special about him except for his air of authority. She knew that men in the ancient times were often split into two categories: the scholars and the military men.
This man was quite tall but average in build as if he had practised swordsmanship but not occupationally - that must mean that he was a scholar...
She found that he had a tough and serious expression; his brows were wrinkled together and his face was obviously aged by time and stress. Since he seemed wealthy and had a demanding presence, he must be holding a powerful position...
Hmph, but this was still the man who beat his 10 year old daughter to near death over a simple hairpin. No matter how powerful, he was still heartless to that point.
Remembering this, Yingyue's eyes turned into dark orbs that emitted a dangerous aura. In that moment, if anyone had dared to look straight into them, they would have been instantly frozen by the coldness.
Only one person in the hall had noticed this brief expression before it swiftly changed back into the mask of a timid cat. How interesting... the woman hid her smile behind her long sleeves.
"Yi'er. Yan'er. Yue'er. I hope you girls have been learning properly this month so that you won't disappoint me." Hmm, Madam Jiang had called her daughter Yi'er before, so it seems that the other one must be Yan'er...
The Master continued, "As usual, you will be able to choose between the four arts: qin [1], qi [2], shu [3] and hua [4]. You should choose the one that you have learnt best within the last month. At the last test, I said that anyone who delivers a poor performance this time will be punished." While saying this, he directly looked at Yingyue who bowed her head as if in shame. Ha! 'Poor performance' was never part of her vocabulary...
She still felt a sense of injustice towards the young girl... the old Yingyue must have been mistreated before she transmigrated. From now on, she would make sure that both her mother and her could never be harassed again.
She felt her mother's warm hands hold hers reassuringly. "Yue'er, don't worry. This month, mother has taught you some calligraphy, so you can just show your father some of the simple characters."
Seeing her daughter still stare absentmindedly, she assumed that Yingyue was nervous. "Ignore the others, Yue'er. They can call you useless, but even if you don't have much talent, Mother still believes in you. Mother just wants you to be happy. Try a little harder, alright?"
"En." Yingyue's heart was warmed by her mother's words. It was a blessing that she had been born into this strange world with a mother that cared about her daughter so much. However, there was something in her words that struck her.
Did she say... useless?? She thought that this Yingyue was simply a little untalented, so she had been bullied... but they even called this child useless? In her previous life, she had been a genius surgeon who was also talented in the arts and music.
'Useless' was a word that she had never once in her life been subject to, yet here, her reputation was useless? How did she, a renowned talent, been demoted to this useless girl... what a headache...
While Yingyue was absorbed in her thinking, she did not see an older woman approaching the upper seat until she had passed right in front of her. The hall became completely silent, and looking up, Yingyue was entranced.
Each of the woman's footsteps were graceful, not making a single sound as she glided. Her face was as serene as the rippling water of a lake. She neither showed any expression nor exuded coldness, maintaining a mysterious aura.
When she reached the end, she silently sat to the Master's right, opposite the main wife.
"This is Madam Cha, from the palace. She will supervise these monthly tests from now on. It will be her word as to whether or not your performance is up to standard. Make sure you do not embarrass me..." The Master's voice and eyes were filled with respect as he spoke about the woman.
However, apart from the respect, there was another underlying feeling that Yingyue had picked up... greed.
Although normal people would not have been able to sense it, Yingyue had seen this look too many times in her previous life. It was not uncommon for people to look at her with that filthy look of greed.
Those people who did nothing in their life to deserve anything - they all wanted to take her money, her position, and some of their greedy looks had even become lust.
Remembering the feeling of those slimy eyes touching her body, it sent a shiver down her aching back; in her previous life, she had known well that the spotlight and fame she had could only bring trouble. Luckily for her, the money she earned was not for nothing. She had chosen a trained bodyguard and invested in learning mixed martial arts. Day and night, she trained around her work schedule, until even the bodyguard could not beat her...
Reverting her eyes back to her 'father', she saw that the expression was still on his face. However, this was not just the look of lust that she could feel. Yingyue couldn't discern as to why he might be feeling greed at this time - it didn't seem like he had much to gain from her...
It seems that if she wanted to survive here, she would have to do some research to understand just what kind of world she was living in.
Turning his eyes away from Madam Cha, the Master's expression quickly changed to that of pride as he looked upon his little daughter. "Yi'er. You are the oldest, so you will go first. What have you prepared for today?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Gentle_Breeze
Gentle_Breeze The four arts (四藝, siyi) are the four main academic and artistic accomplishments in Ancient China. They include qin, qi, shu, and hua.
[1] - qin (琴): zither (7-stringed instrument)
[2] - qi (棋): strategy game of Go
[3] - shu (書): calligraphy
[4] - hua (畫): painting
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