Chapter 4: Her memories

the morning arrives and the sun peeking through her room. The bird is chirping outside her window. She opens her eyes to find out that she is inside her comfortable room. Ni Qing stretches her hand and rolls around on her nice bed. It has been a long time for her to sleep on a nice clean bed.

"Miss… Miss… are you waking up already?" Xiao Nie asked her young miss from outside the door.

"Yes… what happened?" she sat down and see her loyal maid is coming inside the room with a basin for her to wash her faces.

"Miss Ni Lang is going to enter the palace soon. We hear that the palanquin will arrive at the Mansion. We have to be ready in the hall when Miss Ni Lang gives the last bow to Master and Madame Ni… Quickly Miss… I will prepare your new outfit after you wash your face and brush your teeth," Xiao Nie is giving orders to her miss.

Ni Qing never argues with the instruction from her loyal maid as she takes care of all her necessity. She does exactly as instruct from washing her face and brushing her teeth until change into her new dress. This dress made by her sister reflects her sisterhood love. The dress made in her favourite colour, peach. It will compliment her light skin with her long silky dark hair. Xiao Nie makes half of her hair into a beautiful braid shape with half of her long dark hair loose to her back.

Xiao Nie is putting her the peach blossom hair accessories before do Ni Qing light make up with a pink rouge and lips paper. This time, Xiao Nie is really happy to use all of the newest make up from the vendor for her missus as she has to left this at the mansion. They have to leave all the girl stuff at the mansion and lives as a monk in the barrack with the soldier. They have to live with the military rules and sometimes rougher live when her miss is going on an expedition.

"How long it will take you to draw on my face?"

"Miss… you are a girl who needs to dress. How about if the young general got other women because you do not put makeup and dress?" Xiao Nie is starting to nag to her miss.

"It means he did not love me… why should we torture ourselves and sacrificing for man? If they love us, then they have to accept us," Ni Qing is telling her loyal maid while pinching her nose. She wears her mothers jade bangle on her hand. The only legacy left by her birth mother. She wears it everywhere even to the war with Lin Yue.

Ni Lang already uses her red wedding dragon robe sent by the Imperial Palace for her wedding dress. She sat on one of the wooden chairs in the family room. Her delicate face is wearing exquisite makeup with red lips rouge and pink rouge on her cheek. She wears an expensive gold and pearl head centre to show as the consort of Crown prince.

Madame Ni is crying her eyes out to see her daughter ready to get married to the Palace. She born from her womb and it makes her more sentimental with this marriage. Her only daughter is going into the Palace.

"Lang… You have to be strong and manage the crown prince palace nicely. I hear about the Chu family daughter that going to marry the crown prince as his concubine. You have to tame her and make sure she knows her place. Remember you are the consort, and she is the concubine," Madame Ni is giving her some advice.

"We still can visit her inside the Palace. You do not have to worry like you will not see her again," Master Ni is trying to comfort his wife.

The general Ni and his family come to the family room include the famous General Lin with his son, General Lin Yue. The Ni family actually is a patriot family, but Master Ni body is not as strong as his younger brother. It makes him a scholar and dedicates his life to managing the Ni family name in the government office. His father leaves behind the patriarch under his care because his younger brother is dedicating his life to the war.

The Ni Mansion is becoming so lively where Ni Cheng and Lin Yue are talking together on the corner table. Lin Yue eyes can move from Ni Qing with her beautiful outfit which scheming his brain out of his head. She mesmerizes every young man inside the room whilst she does not wear any expensive or exquisite jewel on her body. She manages to steal every bachelor attention.

She put her hand together on her left waist and put down one of the legs to give respect to her parent. She stands up and goes next to Ni Sheng and Lin Yue. They are talking together while Ni Shi looks from her place with envy. she can not believe that Ni Qing is going to have her betrothal with the handsome general Lin Yue.

she is the perfect candidate to marry into the General Lin household with her father position as one of the general. She is the only daughter in his family when her mother always gets miscarriage. Ni Shi can not let Ni Qing snatch her position as General Lin Yue fiancée, even though there is not talking about marriage. She walks toward Lin Yue and Ni Qing table.

"Hey, Jie jie… this is the first time I have seen you in your dress and put on makeup. Are you trying to find a husband on this occasion so you can follow Jie Jie Lang step to marry into prestigious family?" Ni Shi is opening her venomous mouth to humiliate Ni Qing in front of Lin Yue. She does not think about the consequences to trap Ni Qing to humiliation.