After time travel, I was dragged down and became an Empress

Chapter 2: A "Good Marriage" That's Hard to Find Even with a Lantern

"Miss, you're finally awake. That's great!" Chen Mama was extremely happy and showed a relaxed smile. "I was so scared. Are you hungry? Please wait patiently for a moment, and I will prepare some food for you."

Shangguan Jing didn't have much appetite. Her attention was all drawn to the large dark bruise on Chen Mama's head. Was this from kowtowing?

She reached out her hand to Chen Mama's forehead and touched the injury. Chen Mama smiled indifferently, "It doesn't hurt, it's just a bump. Just like when you bumped your leg last time, you didn't cry, did you? When you bump into something, it will turn color, but it will be fine in a few days. Don't be afraid, Miss."

Chen Mama spoke slowly and clearly. Shangguan Jing knew that this was to accommodate the former owner's intellectual disability. Everyone thought that the former owner was a hopeless idiot, but only Chen Mama refused to give up and persisted in teaching her how to speak, recognize people, and objects.

"Shangguan Jing didn't want to scare the kind old lady, so she didn't say much and just called her 'nanny' like the original owner. Chen mama was happy to hear Shangguan Jing speak so clearly today and said, ''It seems that your illness has opened up your mind a bit. Maybe you'll be even better in a few days. Oh! If you can get better every day, my life will be much easier!'' Chen mama's happiness made Shangguan Jing feel good too. She thought that recovering from a serious illness was a good excuse. She even planned to use this time to slowly 'recover' into a normal child.

Although she had no expectations for her parents who had neglected her for years, nor any interest in cultivating a relationship with them, at least as a normal child, no one would be hoping for her death all the time.

However, sometimes heaven likes to add insult to injury. One morning, a month after Shangguan Jing had recovered from her illness, before she had even gotten out of bed, a group of people suddenly burst into her room, making a commotion and starting to dress her up in a big red wedding dress.

The original owner may have been foolish, but the current Shangguan Jing was not. She understood at a glance that her parents were marrying her off! Did no one inform her before the wedding?

Most importantly! She was only nine years old!! Nine years old!!! This was child marriage, a crime! Anyone who wants to marry a nine-year-old girl must not be a good person.

How could her parents be so heartless! They were pushing their daughter into a pit of fire! Are they even her real parents!

"What are you doing?!" Chen mama was also surprised and opened her arms to protect Shangguan Jing behind her.

She turned her head in panic and looked at a middle-aged woman in a decent outfit in the crowd, "Did Marquis Hou and his wife want to see Fourth Miss? Miss has just woken up, and I helped her tidy up and dress her up. I'll lead her over to pay her respects to Marquis Hou and his wife. This dress doesn't fit her, and the bright red color is too bold for a little girl."

"Chen Mama, you really have a way with words," the middle-aged woman laughed. "How can a new bride not suppress her blush? Today is the day of Miss's great joy. Please step aside and don't delay the auspicious moment."

"What?" Although Chen Mama had already guessed from the situation, hearing the middle-aged woman say it out loud still made her heart skip a beat.

She quickly turned around and hugged Shangguan Jing, shouting anxiously, "You're talking nonsense! Fourth Miss just celebrated her ninth birthday a few days ago. She's still a child! How can she get married at this age? This is outrageous! You are trying to deceive the lord and commit a crime! Don't think that just because you are the wife's attendant, no one can control you. We will go see the Marquis and Madame. I don't believe the Marquis will tolerate your insolence."

"Chen mama," the middle-aged woman smiled, but her smile was far from friendly, "don't be confused. Fourth Miss's marriage was personally arranged by Marquis Hou. Miss is going to marry to the Huaiyang Prince's mansion! Even the Lady said that this is a good marriage that is hard to find even with a lantern! Move out of the way quickly. It's getting late, and Miss hasn't put on her makeup yet. If there is any delay, no one can bear the responsibility. The Huaiyang Prince is not easy to get along with."

"Huaiyang Prince's mansion?" Chen mama was stunned, but she didn't let go. Instead, she hugged Shangguan Jing even tighter in her arms.

"That's not possible! Even if it's to marry the Huaiyang Prince's son, it's not possible! Miss is only nine years old this year, still far away from the age of marriage! Eldest Miss and Second Miss and Third Miss have not even discussed marriage yet, how could it be Fourth Miss's turn! What kind of reasoning is this?"

Seeing that Madam Chen was so uncooperative, the middle-aged woman stopped wasting words. She frowned and ordered, "Pull Chen mama away from me! What kind of rules are these? When the young lady is getting married, the old servant blocks the way and won't let her out. After taking care of the young lady for a few days, do you forget your own identity? Just a slave, yet you really think you are the Fourth Miss's elder."

The maidservants who followed the middle-aged woman responded as they came forward to drag Chen mama away. Shangguan Jing saw this and quickly hugged Chen mama's waist tightly, but she was still young, and she had just recovered from a serious illness. Her arms and legs didn't have much strength. The maidservants easily pulled her away from Chen mama and pressed her down onto a chair.

"Miss! Let go of our Miss!" Chen mama struggled hard and tried to go back to find Shangguan Jing, but the maidservant standing behind her kicked her knee without hesitation. Chen mama's legs went weak, and she fell to the ground, immediately being pinned down by a group of people, unable to lift her head. But even so, Chen mama was still struggling and shouting, "Miss! Fourth Miss, my Miss! Don't touch my Miss!"

"Let go of Chen Mama!" Shouted Shangguan Jing as she jumped off the chair and ran towards Chen Mama. However, she soon realized that the more she resisted, the more Chen Mama would suffer. Although she was the despised silly young miss, these people didn't care about openly beating and scolding her as the master, so she could only transfer the punishment onto Chen Mama.

As long as Shangguan Jing refused to obediently sit still and wait for Chen Mama to do her makeup, she would be mercilessly beaten and kicked.

Therefore, Shangguan Jing didn't continue to struggle, because she knew it was useless. She wiped away her tears, closed her mouth, and allowed people to dress her up like a big doll, astonishingly well-behaved. But Shangguan Jing didn't plan to give up easily either. She secretly hid the scissors used by the nursemaid for sewing in her arms.

Her parents, whether ashamed to see her or unwilling to see her, had never appeared. Her siblings also didn't appear, but her second aunt brought her cousin with her. Second Aunt looked delighted and kept praising how well-behaved Shangguan Jing was today.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Jing's thirteen or fourteen-year-old cousin, Shangguan Yuan, looked at her with a worried expression.

note: the Author has been using the original body's name Shangguan Jing(而上官静) instead of the transmigrator Gu Jingyao(顾静瑶) both have the character 静 which is jìng