Chapter 4: Who's fooling who part.2

The General's Mansion was in a mess. The prince's guards forbade everyone from leaving the manor and all of them were gathered outside the first miss' room. Wangxin was confused why Tianfeng was concerned of that girl.

'Women brings trouble wherever you go... tsk'

Meanwhile Concubine Lan didn't expect this to happen, her plan was just to push her daughter to marry the prince so she can govern this manor. Who knew that the prince is actually concerned with that brat!

Yuxian who was beside her mother looked at the guards. Someday the prince would protect her like this but before that she has to get rid of that bitch first so she can only have the prince.

On the other side…

Qianghua already bandaged her wrist while the prince stood there and spoke to one of his guards.

"Has anyone acted suspicious? Did you gathered all of the people in the manor?" Tianfeng asked.

The guard nodded and spoke "From the madams to the maids and servants everyone is here as for General Feng he is returning from the palace as we speak." Tianfeng nodded and dismissed the guard and looked at Qianghua, who was biting the cloth wrapped tightly around her wound as if securing it, he was sure he saw that mischievous gaze when he sniffed the bowl.

'So she knew and planned this all along…'

Tianfeng smirked and walked towards her. Qianghua was immediately on guard and she had already positioned her body to fight.

Tianfeng noticed this. Qianghua realized this and dropped her guard down a bit. Her habits from her previous lives are coming back to her. Her memories of her modern life was clearer than day before it was just fragments now it like a hole in her mimd and heart has been filled up.

She felt flushed all of a sudden and looked up, just as she did this Tianfeng's face was already bent down and looking at her because of this her lips grazed against Tianfeng's. They were shocked even Hwei-ru and the second prince who were quietly watching. Both of them were quick to react and turned their heads the opposite way.

'Why?! Why is he my first kiss?! This life and the previous life all my first belonged to him! Oh god why~?'

'This woman!'

An awkward silence surround the room.

'Young miss' first kiss!'

'I guess my brother has a first for everything'

Wangxin was outside wondering why the room was so quiet so he happily entered the room. "Hey! I have gathered all of… them… huh?" Wangxin noticed that Tianfeng was as red as a tomato and Qianghua had her back acing him but he can clearly see her red ears.

'Something happened!' Wangxin looked at Hwei-ru who was flustered and the second prince who was grinning at the side. 'Definitely!'

He can gossip about it later now the matter at hand…

"I have gathered all of the people in the manor and the General is coming here as we speak…" Tianfeng nodded and cleared his throat and was about to speak when Qianghua beat him to it.

"Hwei-ru prepare my outdoor robe I will be personally catching that rat"

Everyone looked at her as if she was crazy. 'Rat…?'

Qianghua stood up shakily but she had the blood of a warrior this minor flaw is nothing. 'God… I really should start planning my escape… ASAP'

Hwei-ru took her young miss' determination and she was encouraged to do so. Qianghua sighed.

'I must eliminate my enemies in this place first… no wait that'd be a waste of my time…' Qianghua was angry. Why was she reincarnated in this world?

'I'll be talking to the God of light tonight… I can just ask him to change my life and done!'

But what change exactly? As she thought about this she is currently putting her robe on. Hwei-ru fixed her hair a bit while the men waited for her. As they exited Qianghua's room Yuxian noticed that Qianghua was covering her hand and her robe had blood stain on it.

'Heh… now time for the play'

Concubine Lan also saw this and she gave Yuxian a slight push as if encouraging her. Yuxian felt this and nodded.

"Sister! What happened to you?! I heard you were poisoned! Who dare do such a thing?" Qianghua looked at her indifferently. 'This kid has got some great talent in acting'. She sighed and was about to speak but…

"Poisoned? Then what is that on sister's arm? It seems like its bleeding, I think she's harming herself to catch everyone's attention in such a time when the princes' are here." Qianghua noticed this voice and her eyes became cold. Everyone flinched even the person who spoke.

Qianghua had an aura around her but she was staring at the person who spoke.

Lan Yuixie

Ah… how could she forget that face? That same face helped Imperial Concubine Zhen kill her son during her last life. She was fisting her hand tightly and exhaled heavily.

"Shut up." It was only one word but it was cold and it carried a dangerous tone "You're too dumb for this situation just go back to your room and rest." It was an insult and a warning but to everyone listening it was a great humiliation.

Lan Yuxian was always studying and practicing the ideals of a woman so naturally she was ignorant to situation like this but to be called dumb infront of many people… it's a great humiliation indeed.

But some people took her words and all of them spoke their thoughts.

"I guess the first miss really like the crown prince but to go this far… tsk"

"I heard she was saved by the crown prince last time maybe she's plotting this now to secure her position as fiancé…"

"Maybe she's desperate for his attention"

Qianghua heard this before but it still infuriates her but she has to remain her cool. She waved her hand calling for Hwei-ru "Bring me a chair a good show is about to start, don't forget to bring some tea." The princes' looked at her shocked.

"How are you so calm about this? They're slandering you and ruining your reputation!" Wangxin could't believe this girl. Qianghua looked at him and raised a brow.

"If I were to be aggressive to prove my innocence that would make them feel that it is all true… and besides…" Qianghua looked at the two-face sisters. "I haven't seen this good show in my life… it really is fun to gamble life…" Qianghua had a look in her eyes and the people felt chills down their spine.

Tianfeng admired the spine ths woman has and now he's anticipating the so called play.

"Sister, Yuixie was just joking but it is odd that you have an injury in your hand maybe…"

Qianghua raised her hand to stop Yuxian from speaking. She's developing a headache with all this talking and her legs are shaking that it is hard to stand anymore. Tianfeng noticed this and wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Everyone took notice of this and was shocked. Qianghua was flustered for a moment but sighed in relief. Yuxian saw this and gritted her teeth.

'This bitch…!'

"Sister we are just worried about you especially since his highness the crown prince is here and…"

"So you're saying that if the crown prince wasn't here you wouldn't be concern for me at all?" Yuxian was taken aback by her words.

"Sister… what do you mean..?" Qianghua felt that she was getting stupid only by speaking with her luckily her chair has arrived, she sat down first and crossed her legs. A habit she had when she was empress. Young ladies shouldn't be sitting like this but she was not one to follow the rules.

"Such ignorance should be treated sister or you'll end up getting fooled" She said this casually but the air around the place was eerie and to add the first miss' current behavior… it's creepy!

Just as the tea arrived the General also came rushing in. "Who dared poison my daughter?! I'd like to see who dared! I'll feed you to the Orcs!" General Feng shouted and huffed he saw his first daughter with a bleeding arm sitting in a chair. "Daughter! Wha… what is this?!"

Qianghua looked at the General. He reminded her of her previous life. The general was an honest man and was only good at war so he was naïve on some parts and that was how he governs his own house. He was ignorant he was easy to manipulate. In her last life he died during battle and it left the manor at the hands of Concubine Lan but at that time I was already in the palace enjoying my life while the men in the family sacrificed themselves.

This time I won't let that happen!

"Father…" Qianghua acted pitiful and hugged her father but winced when her hands started to throb in pain. The General looked at his pitiful daughter. "I have already sent someone to get the Imperial physician for now let us find the culprit! Tell me who sent you the poison, do you recognized that person's face?"

Qianghua smirked internally. "No one came inside my room except concubine mother and the maid who bought my medicine…" Everyone flinched at those words and looked at each other and whispered.

"Maybe it was the maid or Concubine Lan…"

"Concubine Lan must've schemed this knowing her position maybe she wants to climb the social ladder with this. How cruel."

Concubine was sweating bullets but she felt rage. She needs to fix her reputation or her daughter won't be noticed by the princes.

"My Lord I just bought the medicine to Qiang'er but I didn't poison it Qiang'er was fine when we left!"

"Father! Maybe sister poisoned herself I heard she sent her maid out to buy herbs using her identification plate!"

Everyone was in a mess. Some was siding with the first miss and some were at Concubine Lan's side but the General had enough.

"Silence!" He shouted. He looked at his daughter who was calm and drinking tea and to his concubine and daughters who were crying. He felt a throbbing pain in his head. 'I'd rather join a war than this women issues, but this is my daughter were talking about…' He thought.

Qianghua felt that it was the right time and placed her tea cup back with a 'clang'.

"Since father is having a hard time to judge I believe it's time for me to bring out the truth…" Qianghua stood up and she saw the Imperial physician running towards her. 'Perfect.' The physician bowed before the higher people infront of him and introduced himself.

"Imperial physician Zhu greets His highnesses, General Feng and first miss Feng." He looked at Qianghua's wound and draw out some blood. Qianghua flinched but kept her cool.

A few minutes later...

"Indeed first miss is poisoned, her blood flow is unstable and I can see the discomfort first miss is in may I know what you drank or ate before you felt this." Qianghua waved her hand and Hwei-ru bought the two bowls from earlier although the other one was broken there was still atleast half a bowl of medicine left, she didn't drank all of it after all.

The physician sniffed both medicine and nodded his head surpressing how shock he is. The amount of aphrodisiac on the broken bowl was too much that he was dizzy from the smell. However…

"The lady is indeed poisoned if it weren't for the young miss biting herself she would have been suffering right now." Concubine Lan felt helpless if they found out that she was the mastermind of this…

Yuxie was ignorant and she always spoke bluntly without thinking twice and seeing her mother's troubled expression she knew she was part of this but she can't be embarrassed along her mother infront of the princes.

"Then what bowl caused the poison? The other bowl is empty and sister seemed to finish it all and seeing her condition now it must have been because of that. It's clear that my mother bought the first bowl but seeing at the bowl's shattered state sister must've threw it away and is trying to slander my mother! Father you can't let this matter go! My mother is innocent!" Yuxie spoke but the physician looked at her in disdain.

"Ignorant! It seems that the first miss is only the smart one in this household no offence General Feng." General feng could only nod. Qianghua smirked. The insult made Yuxie flustered.

"The second bowl is not poisoned it is actually a medicine for cold." Concubine Lan was shocked, she can say it was that bowl that she gave Qianghua but her daughter interfered and lost her chance. "Since this young miss said that your mother bought the first bowl then your mother poisoned the first miss!"

Gasps can be heard and everyone looked at the mother and daughter pair in disdain.

"To think Concubine Lan did it! Is she not aware of the consequences?"

"Her daughters are like her, slandering the first miss like this when clearly the first miss is the one who is hurt. Such cruel people!"

Yuxian couldn't bear the humiliation and looked at her first sister. "Sister mother is clearly innocent mother looked after you when we were kids someone is framing my mother! Maybe it's the maid who gave you the bowl!"

Qianghua already thought of this, they would make the maid the scapegoat but she was quicker. She knew the maid was bribed so she threatened the maid and told her to leave the manor.

The maid? She already left but it is odd don't you think? A maid can't buy this type of poison even if they save their salary for a year and I remembered that maid only entered the mansion two months ago so…" Qianghua looked at Concubine Lan and smirked. "I guess it was a rich person who tried to poison me and have been waiting for an opportunity to do so maybe my fall at the lake was not an accident too."

Yuxian felt that her sister changed before Qianghua tolerated their insults and would only stay silent but now…

Qianghua thought to drag the crown prince in this but she can't have any debts with this man other than saving her from the lake or else she would likely be pushed to marry him sooner.

General Feng was silent but he was analyzing the situation. Her first daughter was poisoned and the one who did it was her favored concubine and his daughters. He was angry that he pointed at the mother and daughter pair and angrily shouted.

"Lock them up in their courtyard no one is allowed to go in or out, it seems that I have spoiled the three of you so much from now own you will be grounded for a month and you will do the chores yourselves. The Lily courtyard's maids and servant will be confiscated. Someone drag them away!"

Concubine Lan was shocked she tried to walk towards general Feng but she was already in the hands of the guards and they were being dragged away.

"My lord! I'm innocent! My Lord!"

Qianghua and General Feng both sighed. Qianghua noticed Tianfeng staring at her she couldn't help but smirk.

'Once I change my fate tonight I'll be free to do what I want to do…'

Tianfeng stared at Qianghua, although her hand is bleeding he felt dazzled by her appearance she looked like a princess with a strong personality. He took her smirk as a smile and thought. 'She would look better if she smiled naturally…'

Wangxin had enough drama for today and seeing his smile struck friend he grinned and dragged him away. "It was nice meeting you first Miss Feng we will be returning now no need to see us out." Wangxin continued to drag Tianfeng who later then realized he was being dragged away.

"Hey! Let go!"

Tianmin sighed and bowed at Genereal Feng. "We shall take our leave General Feng no need to see us out and I hope Miss Feng will recover well." Tianmin left after the General nodded. He took one glance at Qianghua and saw her looking at him. He smiled and waved his hands farewell and turned to walk away.