Chapter 2: Returning to the Age of Thirteen

Maihe couldn't believe her eyes. The person in the mirror was none other than herself, but it was her appearance from about ten years ago.

Was she dreaming? Everything felt so real. What on earth was happening? Could it be that she had traveled back in time to when she was 13 years old? It was all so unbelievable.

As Maihe was lost in thought, there was a loud crash behind her. Something had broken. Then a girl's voice rang out, clear and youthful, sounding about fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Miss, you're finally awake. It's all my fault. If I had accompanied you to the Rain Pavilion that day and stayed by your side, you wouldn't have fallen down the stairs and fainted until now." The voice, initially worried, turned into one of surprise.

Maihe slowly turned around and looked at Meier's familiar face, feeling a hint of moisture in the corners of her eyes. Was this heaven? Only in heaven could there be warmth, and Meier would be there.

Wait, Meier mentioned her falling down the stairs from the Rain Pavilion, which happened when she was 13. Was she really back to being 13 years old?

Reliving her life, many memories that she had buried deep in her heart were triggered. She vividly remembered grabbing the railing at the moment she fell down the stairs, but Su Manjing had ruthlessly kicked her in the chest, causing her to fall.

It turned out that Su Manjing had already harbored thoughts of taking her life at that time. She had been so naive to believe that there was genuine sisterly love in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Now, it seemed ridiculous to think that there could be true sisterly affection between legitimate and illegitimate daughters.

"Are you Meier?" Maihe's voice trembled with emotion.

"Miss, what's wrong with you? How could you not remember Meier?" The initially joyful expression on Meier's face froze upon hearing Maihe's words, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Could it be that Miss had damaged her brain from falling down the stairs, causing her not to recognize even her servant?

Thinking this, Meier's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Although Meier was somewhat clever, she was ultimately a simple-minded person. Seeing the expression on her face, Maihe couldn't help but want to laugh, but when she thought of Meier's fate in her previous life, she felt immense guilt and remorse. If only she had listened to Meier's advice earlier in her previous life, perhaps she wouldn't have met such a tragic end. It was her fault that Meier had suffered.

Seeing Meier on the verge of tears, Maihe quickly spoke to comfort her, "Meier, don't cry. I'm awake now, aren't I?"

Meier, the woman who had grown up with her and treated her like family, was the only source of warmth she could feel in the vast Prime Minister's Mansion.

In her previous life, she had wronged Meier! She had wronged her uncle's family and all the people who had been kind to her. Since fate had given her a second chance, she was determined to repay those she owed from her previous life.

As Meier was about to stop her tears, another woman's voice sounded from the door.

"Meier, why are you crying like this? If someone doesn't know, they'll think something's wrong with our Miss." The voice contained a hint of impatience and arrogance, indicating that the speaker was usually quite assertive.

Upon hearing this, Maihe felt a twitch in her eyelids. She raised her head and narrowed her eyes to look at the newcomer, her gaze carrying a hint of coldness. After a brief glance at Qiuhe, she averted her eyes and looked at Meier beside her.

Since when had Qiuhe started to treat her with hostility in such a subtle manner, trying to alienate all the sincere people around her?

In her previous life, her misfortune had started with Qiuhe, so in this life, she would start with Qiuhe.

When Qiuhe met Maihe's gaze, she felt a chill run down her spine. Her whole body turned cold, and it felt as if her blood was about to freeze. When did her young lady have such a sharp gaze?

She steadied herself and looked at Qiuhe again, only to see the same face as usual, without any difference.

Meier, standing next to Qiuhe, heard Qiuhe's words and quickly glanced at Qiuhe before lowering her head, full of unease, as if she was afraid that Qiuhe would start to dislike her because of Qiuhe's words.

Mei'er's expression was all seen by Zhehe, and after a long time, she calmly said, "Qiuhé, you are being insolent! When did I start to not have a say in the matters of my own courtyard? Do you still see me as your mistress?"

In the past, she had been too kind to these servants. Even when they made mistakes, she would only say a few words and never punished them severely. But now, she, who had lived for a lifetime, would not make such a foolish mistake again.

There must be clear rewards and punishments to let these servants know who the true master is, who holds the power over their lives and deaths.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Miss. If Mei'er cries like this, people will think you are ruthless to your servants." Qiuhé was momentarily startled by Zhehe's stern reprimand, but she quickly responded, "Please forgive me, I know my place. When has a servant like me ever had the right to discipline the mistress in the Prime Minister's residence?"

"Kneel down! Don't forget your place. When has it been your turn to discipline the mistress in the Prime Minister's residence?" Upon hearing this, Zhehe's eyes turned cold again, and she spoke with a chilling tone.

"I know my mistake." The icy voice pierced Qiuhé's ears, making her feel a bone-chilling coldness and a tightness in her chest. She quickly knelt down and apologized. She couldn't understand why Zhehe suddenly turned against her. Wasn't Zhehe always the one who listened to her the most?

Mei'er, standing beside Zhehe, also trembled and instinctively wanted to kneel down. Zhehe quickly reached out and pulled her up, giving her a comforting look, signaling her not to be afraid.

"Now that you know your mistake, go and do your work. Remember to make me a cup of lotus leaf tea." After speaking, Zhehe gave Qiuhé a cold glance. In this lifetime, she was determined to make those who had hurt her in her previous life suffer. "Su Manjing, Yu Hongyang, you just wait. I will not let you off this time."

As Qiuhé knelt on the ground, she felt a shiver run through her body. Unconsciously, she wanted to look up at Zhehe, but when their eyes met, she felt a chill enveloping her. Unable to break free, she felt panicked and tremblingly said, "Yes, I will go now." She couldn't tell if it was her own illusion, but she felt that Zhehe's mention of "Qiuhé tea" sounded so much like "lotus leaf" tea.

After leaving the room, Qiuhé spat on the ground and muttered to herself, "Wait until Lady Min is firmly established as the mistress and the second miss becomes the legitimate daughter. Let's see how arrogant you can be without the protection of the mistress."

However, Qiuhé did not know that everything she did at that moment was being observed by someone. Her easy and comfortable life was about to be overturned from that moment on.