The Three-Life Stone

Three years passed in a flash.

Xia Jin was so low-key that everyone almost forgot that there was a county lady living here. Tao Hong and others were no longer curious about whether Xia Jin had a husband, and just hoped that their lives would continue in peace.

Qinghuan felt otherwise. She always felt that her sister Ajin was good in every way. Besides, the prince would come over from time to time, and who knows, he might introduce a good man to her one day. No matter what her sister Ajin was like in the past, someone would hold her in the palm of their hand and love her dearly in the future.

Every time Qinghuan expressed his opinions to his brother, Qinghe listened silently. He thought it was fine to go on like this. He would silently protect Xia Jin until he was old to repay the kindness.

This year, Xia Jin was twenty years old and Bei Ming Mo was twenty-three. Five years had passed without them realizing it.

More people were persuading that the palace should have a mistress, but Bei Ming Mo was not interested and nothing was done about it. Some people also speculated whether Bei Ming Mo had a physical illness, but he was a prince after all, so this speculation was also left unresolved.

One summer evening, Xia Jin and Qing Huan took a walk to digest their food. The lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom and the air was fragrant.

"Sister Ajin, it's late at night and the dew is heavy. Shall we go back early?" Qinghuan said as she tightened her clothes.

"The lotus breeze brings fragrance, and the bamboo dew drops make clear sounds. I want to stay a little longer." Xia Jin said, and suddenly she felt dizzy and was about to faint.

Qinghuan quickly helped Xia Jin sit on the stone bench next to her, but Xia Jin didn't seem to be feeling better and fell into a deep sleep. Qinghuan had no choice but to support Xia Jin and walk back as she couldn't bear to see her catch a cold.

The girl's strength was limited, and she was out of breath after walking a few steps. She was so anxious that she almost cried. If she had known, she would have asked her brother to come with her. What should she do now? Just as she was thinking about it, someone came over.

"What's going on?" Si Yu came over and asked.

"Sister Ajin...the county princess suddenly fainted...I don't know what happened." Qinghuan replied with sobs.

Bei Mingmo came over and picked up Xia Jin and rushed to the mansion.

"Your Highness, the lady is fine." The court doctor said tremblingly.

"Then why is she unconscious?" Bei Ming Mo asked coldly.

"This... this may be due to overwork..." The court doctor was still thinking of a reason when he was interrupted by Bei Ming Mo.

"absurd."

The court doctor knelt down with his head bowed low but did not dare to say another word.

Bei Ming Mo was worried, so he took the note to find the imperial physician. After a few hours, the imperial physician said that Xia Jin was fine and would be fine after a few days of rest. Bei Ming Mo felt relieved, but his brows were still furrowed. He didn't even realize how worried he was.

Xia Jin was lying on the bed, very quietly. Bei Mingmo would always try to feel if she was breathing through her nose to make sure she was still alive. After she reacted, he would go about his own business.

Qing Huan was still hesitating whether to ask her brother to help pick up Xia Jin when she heard Si Yu coming over to convey Bei Ming Mo's intention: "Your wife is not in good health right now and is not suitable for moving around. Just stay here and be at ease."

So Qing Huan sent someone back to greet her, packed some clothes, and settled down on the bed in the side room of the palace, accompanying Xia Jin day and night. No one would have thought that it would be three days later when she woke up.

Xia Jin was indeed fine, she was just trapped in a dream and couldn't wake up.

Xia Jin was still in a daze when she saw a nanny teaching someone with a ruler.

"Women have four virtues: one is virtue, two is speech, three is appearance, and four is work. When a husband talks about virtue, it does not mean she is exceptionally intelligent; when a husband talks about speech, it does not mean she is eloquent; when a husband talks about appearance, it does not mean she is beautiful; when a husband talks about work, it does not mean she is skilled..."

"Women are those who submit to others. Gentleness and servility are the nature of serving others; purity and steadfastness are the integrity of one's conduct. As for the four virtues, they are especially important to know. Women's virtues are to be calm and upright, women's words are to be concise and gentle, women's work is to be thorough and prudent, and women's appearance is to be leisurely and elegant. If the four virtues are complete, even if one is clumsy in talent and stupid in nature, poor in family and ugly in appearance, it cannot hinder one's virtue. Without the four virtues, even if one is extraordinary in ability and wisdom, or has a noble and beautiful appearance, it cannot hide one's evil..."

One after another, powerful words came into Xia Jin's ears.

"Who? Who is talking?" Xia Jin looked blankly at the flashing images around her, but no one paid any attention to her.

When I opened my eyes and regained consciousness, I found myself standing aside and practicing walking, while a nanny was scolding me with a ruler.

"Keep your feet pointed forward, don't lean to one side, relax your shoulders, adjust your breathing, and walk in small steps."

"What are you daydreaming about? Women shouldn't look around when walking..." The nanny hit Xia Jin's leg with a ruler. Xia Jin screamed in pain, only to find that her body did not react, as if she did not feel any pain. She adapted to the current situation with a little embarrassment.

"Have you really learned the old ways? Your earrings are hitting your cheeks, and the hairpin on your head is shaking too much. How do you look like a lady?" The nanny tapped Xia Jin on the leg again without any courtesy. This time, Xia Jin did not make any move and continued to walk in small steps.

The nanny's expression softened. She poured some water into the bowl on the table, picked it up, placed it on Xia Jin's head, and continued to say something.

In a flash, Xia Jin arrived at another city wall. In the building opposite, Bei Mingmo was drinking tea and talking with some people.

In a flash, her soul floated back to the Marquis' Mansion, and the sound of conversation came from inside.

"Master, are you going to let that little bitch out just like that?"

"He disguised himself so that no one would recognize him. Even if he went directly to the palace, no one would know who he was."

"How can you just stand outside and look at other men like this?"

"You are too superficial. This girl is very similar in age to my daughter, and she is alone and very easy to control. Now she thinks that we are training her as a young lady so that she can have a relationship with the prince in the future. Her behavior is also improving rapidly." When the master said this, he seemed to see Xia Jin studying hard and how excited she was every time she came back from outside, and he smiled unfathomably.

"It's just an empty dream, but it has such an effect, why not do it?" The master continued without even looking at the manager who was reporting next to him.

"Master, you are far-sighted. This is just a dream. I will send someone to watch over it and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"No, she has learned the rules for so many days, she won't make any mistakes. Even if she knows that she will have to go to the palace in the end and face the benefactor who adopted her, if she knows the consequences, she will go obediently."

"The master really has good intentions for the young lady." The steward sighed.

Next, Xia Jin came to the river again. Before she could come to her senses from being amazed at the conspiracy of the Marquis' Mansion, she could only watch this body walking and kicking stones in her body. She could feel the sadness of this person.

"Bei Ming Mo, after this farewell, we will never see each other again in this life."

"Bei Ming Mo, it turns out that it was all my wishful thinking. We never started, and there will never be a beginning."

"Bei Ming Mo, it turns out that I am just a chess piece to help the young lady enter the palace. I am just a chess piece of the Marquis's Mansion. I am not a young lady at all. It's just that the young lady eloped with her lover and needed someone to enter the palace for her."

"Bei Ming Mo, my heart hurts so much..."

"Bei Ming Mo, I once had a dream, a dream of being by your pillow."

"Bei Ming Mo, you probably don't remember me, right?"

"Bei Ming Mo, you probably don't even know me, right?"

"Bei Ming Mo...you may not even know that there was someone who loved you, very much." Xia Jin listened to the woman's mumbling and didn't know if it was the woman's tears or her heart that was aching. When she came to her senses, she was already in tears.

The woman pulled out a plain hairpin from her head and was in a daze for a long time, and Xia Jin also fell into deep sorrow.