Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

"…Time flies by, and the cherries turn red, and the banana leaves turn green."

It is already the end of winter, and the wintersweets in the yard are in bloom, filling the air with fragrance from far and near.

On such a morning, with the sun shining warmly, a little girl dressed in a jade-colored satin jacket embroidered with silver plum blossoms, a white pleated cotton skirt, and a white fox fur cape, was standing under the porch with a white rabbit fur muff in her arms, reciting her lessons facing the plum blossom fragrance in the yard.

Sitting next to her was a nanny who was about fifty years old and as chubby as the little girl. She had a smile on her face and pride in her eyes. She stared at the little girl intently.

And just behind the little girl, through the doors and windows, in a corner of the large palace, there were two charcoal basins, two tables, and two armchairs.

A young woman was standing at the table practicing calligraphy.

Another middle-aged female official in palace dress, holding a book in one hand, read while secretly supervising the young woman: "Shoulders and elbows should be lowered! Why don't you tilt your shoulders when you practice martial arts?!"

"Aunt, can't I just sit and write like He Ke?" The young woman protested. Her voice was crisp and crisp, and she acted coquettishly in a way that was so sweet that it made people's hearts soften.

But the middle-aged female official said sternly: "Are you competing with an eight-year-old in strength?! You can swing a stick and whip, but you can't even hold a small brush?!"

The young woman pursed her lips in grievance.

"If you say any more, you will be punished by doing twenty rabbit hops in the corridor in front of the main hall!" A smile flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged female official.

That was what the young woman used to punish the little girl.

Every time she punished someone, the young woman would put her hands on her hips and yell, "Punishment!"

The little girl started to put her hands on her head to make rabbit ears, and then jumped forward with her feet. Sometimes she jumped ten times, sometimes twenty times.

The most frequent time was when the little girl was seven years old. She was playing tricks on everyone and secretly took out a few sheets of handwriting she had written a few days ago and used them as homework for the day, but was discovered.

The young woman was furious. She took the ruler and spanked the girl ten times on each hand, and also made her do rabbit hops for half an hour as a punishment.

Around the corridor, round and round.

Nanny Ji, who was ordered to take care of the little girl, held her handkerchief in both hands, held back her tears, and stood by the window, watching reluctantly, her lips bitten.

The people in the main hall and the west hall were also frightened. Not only did they come out to watch, they also wanted to step forward to persuade them to stop.

The young woman untied the whip from her waist and swung it hard in the air, making a loud bang!

Everyone knew that this was really annoying, and they all quickly backed away.

Even Nanny Ji cried sadly and closed the window.

In the deserted temple, the little girl cried, made rabbit ears, and jumped on her feet for a full half hour.

Then I stayed in bed for three days to heal my legs.

But from then on, the little girl never told a lie again, and she never slacked off once when it came to reading, writing, and doing homework.

Because the little girl knew that the word "punishment" saved her life.

In this way, three years passed slowly with the two of them, one guarding one side of the palace, practicing calligraphy and reading books.

This year, the young woman is sixteen and the girl is eight.

The other day, a message came from above: "On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, show your filial piety. You are allowed to burn paper at 15:30 at midnight."

Today is the 30th day of the winter month, the last day of mourning for the two.

"Chenghui, now that we have finished sealing the palace, shouldn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince summon... you to see you?" The palace maid Qiaogui carefully approached the young woman - Wang Xifeng.

"What does it have to do with you?" The head maid An'er pushed aside and rolled her eyes. "Have you finished embroidering the skirt that the princess will wear when she goes to the palace to pay her respects on the New Year?"

"It's done! Even the shoes are done! I made the Zhaojun pockets too!" Qiaogui was busy showing off her work and forced a smile at Wang Xifeng, "I'm just a servant. I've been in the palace for three years and I feel bored. I want to go out for a walk."

Wang Xifeng, who had grown into a slender and charming figure, looked back and smiled: "Who isn't!?"

Then he smiled at An'er and said, "Let's put it this way. Tomorrow on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, after the ancestor worship in the palace, I think there will be ice skating. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will go to watch the ceremony, so they won't be back early.

"Master Xia will go to Lizheng Palace and the inner courtyard to visit old friends, and Aunt Meng and Nanny Ji will also go to pay their respects to Nanny Weng.

"You and Ru'er, take Qiaolian, Qiaogui, Jingli, Fugui'er, and split into two groups.

"Every hour, they would go around the east and west roads. They would greet the people in each hall and if anyone asked them, they would just say, 'We are in mourning.'

"When the Crown Princess returns, I will definitely go and pay my respects to her, and I will also bring He Ke with me—"

Before she finished her words, a little girl rushed over and hugged Wang Xifeng's waist, loudly and coquettishly:

"I won't leave! I'm not going anywhere! Queen Wang, you don't love me anymore, how can you send me somewhere else?!"

He stamped his feet and pretended to cry.

Wang Xifeng had a terrible headache.

The child is a good child. He has been taught very well by Nanny Ji. He has a pure heart and has not grown into a bad person.

But the terrible thing is, this kid is smart!

Smart children are not obedient and can come up with twenty or thirty weird ideas in a blink of an eye.

What's more, he has to learn everything from her. He has learned how to say one thing to one person and another thing to another person, and say one thing in front of others and another behind their backs.

Wang Xifeng has already regretted her momentary enthusiasm and kept a good child by her side for three years. Now the child has grown into a black-hearted sesame dumpling!

"Haha! If I had known that you would become such a bad person today, I should have left you to be raised by Sister Mei!" Wang Xifeng poked the mischievous little girl's forehead with her slender index finger.

Be gentle, don't be too heavy-handed, because she is very strong and it will leave a mark and it will hurt.

He Ke pouted: "Why did you leave me to Lady Mei? Because she is a talented woman?"

"Whether she is a talented woman or not, you are a princess of the royal family, you don't need to worry about that." Wang Xifeng took her hand, asked her to sit beside her, and stretched out her hand to pinch her nose, "What matters is temperament!

"Sister Mei, that's what a dignified, virtuous, graceful and elegant lady looks like!

"Look at yourself, you're almost becoming a wild monkey like me! How can that be possible?!"

She then chagrined at Nanny Ji, "Didn't you teach Princess Yongning to be very elegant? Why did you just let her make a fuss when she came to us and Ke?

"You old man are partial to one and neglect the other!

"Tomorrow I will meet the Crown Princess and ask her to deduct your salary!"

Princess Heke's face turned red when Wang Xifeng said "we are Heke". She put her arms around her mother Wang's waist tightly and refused to let go no matter what.

Madam Ji smiled so hard that her teeth were showing and her eyes were not visible: "Oh my, Cheng Hui and the princess have come out of mourning, the East Palace has been unsealed, and I, this old servant, must go out and get myself some wine, how can my salary be deducted?

"Tomorrow, haha, tomorrow, I promise that from tomorrow on, I will assist the princess well and be a virtuous and good princess of the royal family!"

Virtuous?

What the hell is that?!

Wang Xifeng and Princess Heke both frowned and said, "Forget it then!"

Everyone around laughed out loud.