Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

168 She understood its meaning too late Part I

“Miss, First Furen is almost here.”

“Help me dress.”

“Yes, miss.”

Soon, Bai Yu came out of her Jiu Yu Residence in a white dress with only one decoration in her hair: a white jade hairpin. She should not be dressing too extravagantly during the time of mourning. Still, her swollen eyes, which were a result of crying, needed to be covered up by cosmetics.

“Yu-er, you’re still sick. You should not be outside like this.” Bai Han walked to help support his eldest daughter, who came out to the front gate with a pale face. Bai Yu had fainted and only just woken up, yet she insisted on being here to welcome her mother back to uphold the tradition.

“Father, do not worry. I feel much better now.” Bai Yu smiled at her father, who was hugging her, not caring that they were under the gaze of everyone in the mansion and the crowd outside, who were waiting to witness the return of a major family’s Furen.

“Sister might be adept at magic, but a lady’s heart is too fragile to handle the cruelty on the battlefield. But at least I can rest assured now that Sister has returned home safe and sound.” It was Bai Yue who still had the mind to mock her sickness at a time like this.

Luckily, she assumed that Bai Yu fell ill as a result of her accompanying the army and not the coup that happened at the dawn of today. Someone was twisting the story of what had happened. Everyone else must also be having the same thoughts as Bai Yue regarding her sickness.

“Thank you, sister.” Bai Yu cordially smiled. She was not in the mood to bicker with her sister or act in a soap opera scene for the crowd. Her mental condition was not too much better than her physical one.

.....

Seeing Bai Yu’s reply, the other Furens did not think to mock her further. Silence fell on the Bai household, the same silence that was covering Da Yang right now.

The emperor, Ouyang Hongxian, passed away at dawn. Da Yang’s citizens were in sorrow. The courtiers did not dare make a move. The throne had changed hands without any of them expecting it.

“Greetings to First Furen.”

The Yue family’s horse carriage stopped in front of Bai Mansion’s gate in silence. Yue Mei stepped down from the carriage, as graceful as one could expect from a woman of her birth. Other than Bai Han, everyone in the Bai family curtsied to Yue Mei in unison.

“Yu-er.” As soon as she saw her daughter, Yue Mei went to embrace Bai Yu, her face full of worry.

“I hurried back here after hearing that you fainted while in the palace…”

“Mei-er.” Bai Han called his wife’s name to stop her before worrying would make her carelessly mention things that should not be revealed to the public. “You must be tired. Let’s head in and take a rest first.”

There were too many people here. They should continue their conversation inside.

“Yes, husband.” Yue Mei nodded, understood. She gently supported Bai Yu to walk in through the gate with her. “Come, my dear child.”

Bai Han ordered everyone who had come to welcome Yue Mei back to return to their duties. That also included other Furens who were told to stay in their own buildings.

“Hua-er.”

Bai Hua was stopped by her father before she could go back to her Jiu Hua building. “Yes, father.”

“Are you alright?”

Bai Han rarely talked to Bai Hua since any friendly interaction with this daughter would always irritate Yue Mei. However, Bai Yu was not the only one who had witnessed the event that occurred within the royal palace at dawn. Bai Hua was there as well.

Bai Han received a report from his eldest son early in the morning, together with Bai Yu’s unconscious body. And when she woke up, she wept until she fainted once more. As for Bai Hua, who had come back together, he had yet to speak to her.

“I am fine, father,” Bai Hua answered with her usual smile.

This daughter of his was strong as well. “Then that’s good.” Bai Han studied his third daughter carefully. She was considerably stronger than before and had turned out to be as stubborn as her older sister, Bai Yu. His two daughters had changed so much that Bai Han could no longer guess their thoughts.

Seeing that Bai Hua was fine, as she claimed to be, Bai Han waved his hand to let her go. The senior chancellor had a day off since the morning meeting was canceled as a result of the event that had greatly altered the Ouyang dynasty. Bai Han headed toward the main building, where his wife and daughter were waiting for him.

The picture of Bai Yu and Yue Mei drinking tea while talking in the once lonely main building brought a smile to his lips. Though Da Yang was in silent turmoil, a smile easily came to his face when he saw them. It felt as if he would soon have his family back.

“So what happened, Yu-er?” When Bai Han came, Yue Mei did not wait any longer. She immediately asked about the news of the coup that the royal court had announced.

Taizi’s coup was arrested by the court at dawn. The situation was resolved by Ouyang Feilong’s troop and Ouyang Mingxian’s army, who had hurried back from the border. Though the two princes had returned in time to prevent casualties among the citizens, they could not save the emperor.

The emperor was killed by Taizi during the coup. This was what the court told all of Da Yang. There were no other rumors. Everyone understood that Ouyang Hongxian met his end at Ouyang Yongxian’s hands. The name ‘Yue Nan’ was not uttered by anyone who had witnessed the scene.

Even Bai Hua, who arrived together with Ouyang Mingxian and was there at the same time, insisted that it was Ouyang Yongxian who had poisoned his father before thrusting his sword into the emperor’s heart.

As for Bai Yu, after she saw Yue Nan stabbed into Ouyang Hongxian’s chest, Yue Nan’s silver magic could no longer hold Ouyang Feilong’s golden magic back. Golden light burst out and filled the main palace. Before the shockwave could reach her, Ouyang Feilong’s embrace protected her from the explosion.

Bai Yu’s eyes closed as consciousness slipped away from her. She fainted and was sent back to Bai Mansion together with Bai Hua. When she woke up, the news of Taizi’s coup was already twisted into what everyone knew.

Bai Yu tried to tell her parents about how she had appeared at the palace. Only a few witnesses and her parents knew this. Still, she did not speak about the person who killed the emperor. Everything she said followed the same story that those in Da Yang were told. The only addition was the secret passage she and Ouyang Feilong had used.

Bai Yu had woken up in the late morning of today, not long before her mother’s return. Right now, she did not have the courage to reveal everything to them. What she saw was not a simple or trivial matter that she could decide whom she would or would not tell. There was only one person who could rid her of this confusion. At this moment, she wanted to meet Ouyang Feilong the most.

Bai Yu was almost entirely confident that Ouyang Feilong was the person who had obscured the truth. He was the only one, other than the Empress Dowager, who could make a decision on such a significant matter in the palace.

“Miss, Miss Xu has asked to see you.”

“Where is she?”

“At the gazebo near the water.”

“Let’s go.”