The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Competing for Excellence

The morning light broke through, and the rising sun shone through the window lattice, casting a glow inside. The candles had burned out long ago.
The heavy rain the night before had battered the flowers in the courtyard, leaving them drenched and muddy. The maidservants had already begun their duties in an orderly manner.

The sound of the door opening softly echoed through the room. The lead maidservant wore a pearl flower on her head, her round face and eyebrows still bearing some youthful innocence. However, her movements were efficient and organized.

Xingzi, who had been keeping watch through the night, had already woken up. She leaned in to whisper something in the maidservant’s ear before stepping back.
Layan gave a glance, and the small maidservant behind her, who was holding an object, bowed her head respectfully, not daring to move.

Layan stepped gracefully past the gold-embroidered grapevine screen with twelve panels and used a tassel hook to lift up the layers of snow-white gauze curtains hanging from the purple sandalwood bed.
However, it seemed that the young lady had already woken up and was lying by the bedside, her eyes deep and mysterious, making it hard to discern her true thoughts.
“Has the rain stopped?” The woman’s voice was soft, but it carried a hint of coolness that was rare.

Layan replied, “Yes, the sun is already out. However, the courtyard was battered by the rain, and many flower branches were knocked off. Luoxu has already sent someone to clean up.”

Layan looked at her miss with some confusion, wondering if she had really been scared by the thunder the night before. Before Layan could think further, Pei Lingyi lifted the quilt, seemingly regaining her usual gentle demeanor.
“Help me get ready,” she said.

The maidservants filed in, each doing their assigned tasks.
Pei Lingyi sat in front of the dressing table, gazing at her reflection in the rhombus-shaped bronze mirror. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, her eyes shimmered like autumn water, and her skin was as pale and smooth as porcelain. Just one glance, and one would be enchanted.

However, despite being such a beauty, when thinking of the encounter in her dream the night before, her chest still ached. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she asked Layan, who was combing her hair behind her, “Layan, do you think I’m really beautiful?”
Layan thought that her miss must have been really scared the night before, to ask such a question. Her hands kept moving as she replied softly, “Layan doesn’t read much, so she can’t come up with the flowery words like those scholars. But in her heart, her miss is the most beautiful and noble lady in the entire capital city.”

“Even the Young Master Zhang’s ‘Beauty Poem’ couldn’t truly capture a fraction of my miss’s beauty.”

Young Master Zhang’s name was Zhang Zhishu, the second son of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion. He was once praised by the Confucian scholars in the Imperial Academy for his talent, and had a good reputation. However, my miss rarely went out, and it was a rare occasion when she attended the Lantern Festival last year, where she bumped into Young Master Zhang.

At that time, the lantern festival was crowded, and my miss wore a veil, but somehow, it got knocked off. When they reached a secluded area, it was discovered that Young Master Zhang had seen her.
My Miss didn’t take it to heart, but about a month after the lantern festival, Young Master Zhang gained fame with his poem “Beauty Poem” at a poetry gathering, expressing his deep longing for her.

Since then, the whole capital city knew that the second Young Master Zhang had fallen deeply in love with the daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion.
Hearing Layan’s words, Pei Lingyi didn’t comment, but clenched her fist tightly. She knew she was beautiful, and she was also skilled in strategy, but she didn’t expect to be defeated by a plain-looking concubine, which led to the downfall of her family.
Before long, Layan finished styling her hair, and Pei Lingyi usually preferred simple and elegant attire, rarely wearing anything too flashy.

However, today she picked a jade butterfly hairpin.
The jade was translucent, and the butterfly’s wings were delicate, intricately carved with gold threads, lifelike and vivid. It was a wedding gift given to her by her grandmother. Except for family gatherings, she rarely wore this hairpin, and Luoyan was surprised that her lady had chosen it today.
Pei Lingyi wore a goose-yellow dress with embroidered flowers and butterflies, which matched the butterfly hairpin perfectly.

Layan brought a cloak and draped it over her, “It’s already late autumn, and the wind is strong. After the rain last night, miss should be careful not to catch a cold.”
Pei Lingyi wrapped the cloak around her and headed towards the courtyard where her grandmother lived.
On the way, she thought about many things… or rather, she had been thinking about many things since she woke up from the nightmare.
Everything in the dream was so real, and the pain was still fresh in her mind. She could even feel the crows pecking at her flesh.

If this was a real event in the future, then the dream was a warning from the heavens. After the her death in the dream, the other her suddenly had a new memory.

She realized that her life was like the villain in a storybook, destined to block the hero’s path.
Xue Yiran was not Xue Yiran. After a serious illness, her soul died, and a lone ghost took its place. This ghost seemed not to be from the mortal world but from heaven.
With this ghost from heaven becoming Xue Yiran, everything she did afterwards could be explained.

This was also the main reason for the Prime Minister’s mansion’s downfall, and Xue Yiran was the reason.
Ha…
She had been planning for years, but a lone ghost got in her way. The experience in the dream was a warning from heaven, not wanting the ghost to get benefits for no reason.

So, she couldn’t retreat.
She wanted to see, now that she knew everything, if the ghost was from heaven, she would still make her pay in blood for her debts.
Pei Lingyi was deep in thought, but her footsteps didn’t slow down. At the corner, she met a young girl.

“Eldest Sister! I didn’t expect to run into you today!”
The girl’s voice was sweet, and she wore a single spiral bun with a jasmine pearl hairpin. Her face was round, and she had dimples, making her look lovely and cute.
Layan bowed, “Third Miss.”
The person who came was Pei Lingyi’s concubine-born younger sister, born to Concubine Yue, two years younger than Pei Lingyi.

“I’ve come to pay respects to grandmother many times, but this is the first time I’ve met you, eldest sister.”
Pei Yangyang looked at Pei Lingyi with genuine admiration in her eyes. Pei Lingyi quickly figured out what the little girl was thinking and smiled, “Then Yangyang, accompany eldest sister to pay respects to grandmother.”

Pei Yangyang was overjoyed. She had overslept and was late, although grandmother wouldn’t blame her, it was still her fault. Now that she ran into eldest sister, everything was fine.
The two of them went together and saw a table set for breakfast in the inner room.

The first person Old Lady Pei saw was Pei Lingyi, who was dressed differently from usual today.
She called out warmly, “Jiaojiao is here! Come to grandmother’s side.”
Jiaojiao was Pei Lingyi’s given name, given by her mother.

Pei Yangyang found a seat to eat, on the left side was her second sister, born to Concubine Bai, almost at the same time, but Concubine Bai gave birth a day earlier, so she became the second miss.
Across from her were twins, the youngest, born to Concubine Qing.

The old lady looked at her granddaughter with satisfaction overflowing from her eyes and asked, “Why did you wear this butterfly hairpin today?”

Pei Lingyi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she spoke softly, “To be honest with grandmother, Jiaojiao had a terrible nightmare last night, so I specifically wore this hairpin today to make myself feel better.”

The old lady’s face showed concern, and she pulled Pei Lingyi into her arms, “Oh, poor thing, let grandmother hold you tight. With grandmother here, no evil spirits can harm my precious granddaughter.”

The people at the table were already used to it, Pei Lingyi was the legitimate daughter, talented and famous in the capital city since she was young. These concubine-born daughters knew their place.

Pei Yangyang ate her breakfast, when suddenly, Pei Sitang, who sat next to her, whispered in her ear, “Third sister is really lucky to have met eldest sister today, otherwise grandmother would definitely be unhappy today.”

Pei Yangyang rolled her eyes and didn’t bother to argue with her.
Except for the children of the main wife, these concubine-born daughters, the second daughter Pei Sitang always pretended to be a sisterly figure in front of her, but who knew what she was really thinking.

The fourth daughter Pei Lening was young and liked to act cute and spoiled. None of them were easy to deal with.

“Thank you for your concern, second sister. I was lucky today, but I didn’t expect eldest sister to have a nightmare. I’m sorry for disturbing her.”
Hearing this, Pei Sitang didn’t say anything else and just lowered her head to eat.

Pei Lening was only ten years old, with two small braids and tassels on each side. Her face was round, and her eyes were like black and shiny grapes, making her look very cute.
After observing the scene without making a sound, she said sweetly, “Eldest sister is a fairy from heaven, and those monsters in her dream can’t harm her at all.”

“Eldest sister, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”
Little Pei Zhiyuan, only five years old, chimed in with his childish voice. He was the youngest in the family, and except for his biological sister, he was closest to Pei Lingyi.

Pei Lingyi leaned against her grandmother’s arms, listening to the conversation, and her eyes darkened.