Chapter 2: Song Yin Xin’s Debut Into Society

Three days later and it was time for the emperor's birthday banquet, which was also the night of Yin Xin's coming out. Her debut into society, which she has been forced to stay out of until now by her family. Not that Yin Xin minded, since no one knows anything about her besides that she's disfigured and a trash at the four arts, which could be to her advantage.

At this time, Lin Miao Xian was helping Song Yin Xin to dress up and prepare for the banquet.

"Xiaojie, would you like this flower hair piece or dangling gems hair piece?" Lin Miao Xian held up two hair pieces to present to Yin Xin to choose. Yin Xin shook her head at both of them and instead went to the side of the vanity and knocked in a pattern, creating strange sounds. After a while, the hidden mechanism opened, revealing a long, small locked box. Yin Xin carefully took out the box as if it contained a precious treasure. Lin Miao Xian knew what was inside the box and kept silent as she watched her young miss take out what was in the box.

Yin Xin took out a plain white jade hair piece with a single almost transparent petal surrounded by tiny jingling bells, jingling with the slightest of movement. This was her mother's favorite hair piece, something her mother got from her late maternal grandmother. It could almost be said to be a family heirloom but for the daughters of the family for it has been passed down from her grandmother to her mother to her.

"I'll be wearing this tonight," Yin Xin said softly in a nonchalant tone as always, however, when she spoke of this hairpiece, she couldn't help but to bend her voice. Sensing that her xiaojie didn't want to speak of this anymore, Lin Miao Xian immediately went into action, taking the hair piece and gently pushing Yin Xin onto a chair and started to do her xiaojie's hair.

"Your hair is so beautiful, miss," Lin Miao Xian said as she brushed Yin Xin's hair, amazed each time she touched her xiaojie's hair. Lin Miao Xian wasn't exaggerating when she said that Song Yin Xin's hair was beautiful, and not only beautiful but smooth and soft to the touch. Lin. Miao Xian could only touch her hair then Yin Xin's to compare, and the contrast was clearly noticeable.

"I am done." Lin Miao Xian stepped back to admire her work and nodded in satisfaction. "Xiaojie truly looks like a goddess," Lin Miao Xian nodded at her own words. Song Yin Xin opened a drawer and took out a veil and used it to cover half of her face.

Xin Yin's appearance was truly breathtakingly beautiful, it could be said that she is the number one beauty in the entire Feng empire. However, the skin mask she wears makes her look disfigured, ruining her appearance. Yin Xin had her own reasons for disguising herself as disfigured.

With Lin Miao Xian's help, Song Yin Xin got up from her chair and double checked her appearance in a hand mirror. She slowly reached up and touched her face—her disfigured face. Her finger traveled around, gently touching every fake scar on her face and feeling the realness of it while the scars deceived her eyes. Coldness emitted from Yin Xin as a cruel and bloodthirsty smile raised itself up on her lips. Lin Miao Xian already knew what her xiaojie was thinking or rather scheming about in her mind.

"Xiaojie, it is time to go. We would not want to be late," Lin Miao Xian said, her voice light yet her eyes held coldness and emptiness. Song Yin Xin chuckled lightly for she knew what Lin Miao was implying.

"Yes, yes. We would not want to be late and ruin everyone's mood," Yin Xin said, walking out of her room and towards the direction of General mansion's front gates. There, two carriages were prepared. One was a majestic blue with fine strong horses to pull it, the coachman was dresses finely while the other was a dull and faded blue with two seemingly weak and exhaustedly old horses to pull it, the coachman seemed like someone who was new to driving a carriage as he shook nervously. One behind the other, the difference was clearly seen as bright as day. Fury clouded Lin Miao Xian's mind. How dare they! She thought as her fingernails dug into her palms in surpassed anger. She tried to think about her xiaojie's welfare and the given order to not do anything, in order to get ahold of herself.

The General and the rest seeing that Song Yin Xin had arrived decided to leave first.

"At least they waited," Lin Miao muttered in her heart hatefully. "At least. Humph!" She stomped her foot, causing the ground to shake slightly, barely noticeable. However, Yin Xin shoot a cold glaze at Lin Miao causing her to tremble as she looked down nervously.

"I-I'm sorry, young miss. Nubi knows her wrong, she will never do it again. Nubi is sorry," Lin Miao's knees shook as she felt her master's pressure upon her, crashing her even though she wasn't even using a third of her powers. Song Yin Xin seeing her friend like this relented and took off her pressure from her, allowing her to breathe again. Yin Xin knew that she was hard on her, but that was the only way she knew how to make sure she's capable of surviving in this cruel world.

"It's fine. As long as you understand," Yin Xin said while entering the shabby carriage. "Come on, Xian'er. Or we'll be late."

"Y-Yes, Miss." Lin Miao hurriedly trailed after Yin Xin into the carriage.

～^•^～

At the entrance to the banquet, the two eunuchs were surprised at what they saw but they immediately regained their noble posture. Bowing respectfully they said, "Welcoming General Song and his family." Seeing how respectful the eunuchs were to him surprised Song Ge Gao, nevertheless he nodded at them. In reality, the two eunuchs weren't bowing respectfully to General Song but to their master, Song Yin Xin. Even though they were spies disguised as eunuchs planted in the Royal Palace, they will not forget to greet their master. It is a subordinate's duty to always be mindful of their behavior and to always show their respect to their master, no matter where or when.

Yin Xin nodded at them, her gesture to tell them to get up was barely noticeable. However, since the two spy eunuchs are great martial artists, they with their keen eyesight saw it and straightened up.

"Please come in," the two eunuchs both gestured to the opening door, welcoming them.

"Welcoming General Song!" One of the eunuchs announced. Stepping into the banquet hall, it was filled with elegance and the place radiants a joyful vibe, as it should for it was the Emperor's birthday. Yin Xin after entering went directly to her seat, where she sat with her family, and Lin Miao stood behind Yin Xin ready to do anything that she orders.

Soon after, the Emperor of Feng arrived along with the Empress, royal concubines, and the princes. And with their arrival the banquet began. During the serving of the meal and everyone was in high spirits, someone suddenly noticed that there was an unknown person in General Song's family she had never seen before.

"Hey look, there's an additional member to General Song's family tonight." Someone pointed out as she whispered this into another's ear. That person nodded their head, almost eager to gossip.

"I heard that she is General Song's di daughter who is not favored, she was even forbidden to step out of the household. This truly shows how unfavoured she is," she whispered back to her friend softly, as not to be heard.

"Well I heard that she was not just unfavoured but a complete trash. Trash at the four womanly arts, of course she wasn't going to be favoured," this woman, however, her voice was not kept low but was somewhat loud on purpose so that others could hear. And others did hear, and started whispering amongst themselves, even some of the officials started chatting about it. So Yin Xin naturally would hear of it, especially with her keen ears.

"I heard that she's also disfigured," someone gossiped.

"Well that must be true. Look, she's even wearing a veil to cover it up," someone said pointing at Yin Xin's veiled face.

Some of the servants here who were serving was actually Yin Xin's subordinates and hearing how people insulted their beloved leader made them angry. One of the maids who was near a gossiping lady dressed in lovely cotton pink with an overly makeup caked face purposely bumped into her hard enough that she fell onto the person in front of her, causing both of them to crash onto the floor. The maid quickly and sneakily left the scene, no one noticed her as she went to serve others with a tray of cookies and a wine jar. However, Yin Xin noticed her and when the maid turned to her, Yin Xin gave her a pleased nod of the head causing the maid's mood to skyrocket. The other servants were cheering internally at what one of their comrades did, each time they passed by that maid, they would praise her and tell her what a good job she did.

The two women on the ground groaned in pain, the servant they each brought with them hurriedly helped them up. The woman who got pushed was Chen Diyang, a concubine of an official. She was furious as she turned to see who had pushed her but found no one. She wanted to scream in frustration, however, she held it in for she was not at home but in the Emperor's birthday banquet. No matter how angry or frustrated she is, she doesn't want to be sentenced for her rash and disrespectful behavior in the Emperor's birthday banquet. However, she just couldn't swallow this bitter pill of anger. She had to take it out on someone and make them swallow it instead. Her maid beside her shook slightly as she felt her mistress's mood turn worse, she knew that she's going to have a horrible beating tonight.