Metamorphosis of an Ugly Girl – Part One

Although Qingqing had never met him before, she felt an oddly familiar sensation, as if this person were a long-lost relative. Housekeeper Lin! Qingqing suddenly thought, this man looks very much like Housekeeper Lin. That man was highly efficient, although just a servant of the Lin family, he had a sense of self-importance and never spoke humbly to others, not even to Master Lin himself, who had to admire him. Lord Tian merely introduced him casually, saying his name was Yan Shu. A very strange name, and although Lord Tian spoke lightly, anyone could sense that this man was far from an ordinary attendant, certainly a capable assistant to Lord Tian. Qingqing was currently more concerned about how the Lin family would handle her situation and didn’t pay much attention to this person, quickly asking Lord Tian for any news. Lord Tian seemed to feel an increased sympathy for Qingqing. That day, after Qingqing was carried away, the eastern wing where she and her mother lived suddenly caught fire. Only “Qingqing” was found dead. Lord Tian suspected that the poisoner feared being discovered, so they found a corpse to replace Qingqing. When the body was discovered, it was charred beyond recognition. Chapter 107: How Did Qingqing’s Room Catch Fire? It turns out, Yafu had planned everything meticulously, every detail was perfect, leaving no room for doubt. The corpse was burnt to a crisp, so even if others suspected something, they couldn’t find any flaws. Strangely, the Lin family only punished a servant, claiming he accidentally dropped a fire starter, executed him, and the matter was closed, while the Third Lady fainted three times from crying. Indeed, Master Lin did not care about losing this daughter. What was the Third Lady grieving over? Regret for losing a daughter who was about to become the queen, or sadness over losing her future support? Qingqing, at this moment, forgot to cry and instead gave a cold laugh, so chilling that even the birds in the bamboo grove fluttered away in fright, as if they too felt her anger… Suddenly, she let out a loud shout and ran towards the bamboo grove heedlessly. “Young Master, aren’t you afraid she’ll go back to the Lin family for justice, or perhaps, commit suicide?” “She won’t. Because she’s not resigned to this fate.” Indeed, Qingqing was not resigned. Although Lord Tian waited in the bamboo house until nightfall before seeing her return, she did come back. At this moment, she showed neither sorrow nor joy, just walked slowly towards Lord Tian. “Have you figured it out?” Lord Tian asked. “I have,” Qingqing answered. “What’s your plan?” Qingqing sat down, calmly looking at Lord Tian. “How do you know I have a plan?” “Because you saved me, you must have a plan.” “Use this opportunity to start anew. Let the former Miss Lin disappear completely.” “Alright!” Qingqing suddenly said fiercely, “Alright!”, and then she gulped down the tea in front of Lord Tian as if it were strong liquor. “How to start anew?” “Bewitch the current Emperor!” “How do you know I can bewitch him?” “Because I see the same defiance in your eyes as in mine!” Qingqing laughed, her hand involuntarily touching her cheek, “Your method doesn’t seem very promising, sending an ugly woman like me to seduce the Emperor?” Lord Tian also laughed, his eyes crinkling with mirth, “As long as you’re not afraid of hardship, you can become a beauty.” “I’m not afraid. Because I’ve already died once. And truly, I’m not resigned!” Chapter 108: The Most Beautiful Nun When Qingqing followed Yan Shu, Lord Tian’s very unusual attendant, who was also said to be the only disciple of the Ghost Doctor, the place he took her to was actually a nunnery. At this point, Qingqing really began to think that Lord Tian might not have any good plans. Lord Tian told her that the first step was to learn the art of enchantment. And the place to learn this art was actually the nunnery. At the time, Qingqing casually asked him, “Are you insane? The nuns in the nunnery are all pure-hearted.” “This isn’t an ordinary nunnery; it’s filled with discarded low-ranking concubines and concubines from official families. These women ascended to their positions through beauty and seductive arts but were later expelled due to being framed or the death of their husbands.” “If they had such skills, why were they expelled?” At that moment, Lord Tian didn’t answer, merely smiling, “You’ll understand in time, and this is exactly what you need to learn.” Qingqing immediately stopped talking, having learned the most basic skill of disguise—hiding her curiosity. Lord Tian immediately praised her for her performance. However, now it seemed that Lord Tian’s judgment might have been off. The nunnery was sparsely populated, with little incense. Yan Shu brought her here and then left alone. A beautiful young nun led Qingqing to meet the abbess. The abbess was not chanting scriptures but was enjoying bird’s nest soup. She didn’t rush as Qingqing entered, waiting until she had finished her last sip before speaking slowly, “Women age quickly, and bird’s nest is a great tonic.” Her voice was sweet and gentle, so much so that even comparing it to the song of an oriole would be an understatement. She wore the most ordinary nun’s robe, but her graceful figure seemed to be sculpted. Qingqing knew bird’s nest was nourishing, but she didn’t understand who a nun was trying to impress with such nourishment. The abbess ignored her confusion and simply said, “I am your master.” “You’re teaching me the art of enchantment?” Qingqing scoffed. She was usually a polite woman and never showed disdain, but this time she couldn’t help it. The abbess seemed unconcerned by her scorn, “You’re mistaken. I’m teaching you how to make men submit.” Chapter 109: The Technical Art of Enchantment “Sounds like the same thing to me,” Qingqing scoffed again. “Enchantment relies on the body, it has no technical skill, but what I teach you is a scholarly art.” The abbess, ignoring Qingqing’s coldness, continued, “Lord Tian said you’re already a master in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. What you need to learn first is how to be a person!” Qingqing was clearly not very eager to learn “how to be a person” from this beautiful and enigmatic nun. “If you’re so ‘scholarly’ and good at ‘being a person’, why were you discarded?” Qingqing really wanted to see how this beautiful, mysterious woman would answer a question even Lord Tian wouldn’t touch. The abbess’s beautiful face suddenly sank into pain, so quickly that Qingqing almost thought she had imagined it. The abbess said, “Because I used the word ‘love’. In the battles of the court, once you have ‘love’, you’re doomed to fail.” Lord Tian had mentioned that she was once a concubine of the previous emperor, a man who was known for his disdain for beautiful women yet was charmed by her, indicating she was no simple woman. And it was because she fell in love with the former emperor that she gave others an opportunity to exploit!