The beginning of this chap is Squick. As a reference, look up the Manga of Flame of Recca after Urabutou Satsujin Arc, if you haven't finished the manga and only aware of the anime side.
Memories
I was born in a warm place.
All bubbly whenever I breathe.
It was comfortable in there.
But when I soon woke up from my long sleep, a sign I will be born soon, I heard voices.
'It's successful.'
'Three days ago, we were able to confirm a naturally-occurring flame.'
'0013...no doubt, this one inherited Sir Kurei's powers.'
These guys sound too gloomy. And what's 0013? What inherited powers? Who's Sir Kurei?
'OOOOHHH! WELL DONE! VERY WELL DONE!' a boisterous, very pleased man's voice boomed so loudly. He's so loud. What's he happy about? '0013! I'M YOUR PAPA! YOUR FATHER!'
Who has a father? Who's 0013?
'YOU SHOULD HAVE A NAME 0013! RENGE! THAT'S IT, YOUR NAME IS RENGE!'
I opened my eyes to see a cross-eyed man.
The nice place I was in, was drained of the warm bubbly water I was in. When it was all gone, I felt so cold, and the warm bubbly water was actually, slimy to touch! Yuck!
And it turns out I'M the one they call 0013. And my new name, is Renge.
The people in white washed the slimy thing off me, and papa gave me clothes and shoes, and took me with him.
I know nothing. Not about where I am or things I see and hear.
All I know is language, how to fight, and the voice in my mind that says 'I must obey papa.'
I then met an old man shorter than 'papa' called Genjuro.
'Genjuro. Renge has the flames.' said Papa excitedly. 'Teach her the skill, now.'
'Alright.' said Genjuro. 'Bend down a little Renge, this old man is too short for a tall girl like yourself.' he instructed gently.
'OK!' so I bent down a little and he patted my head and suddenly, I learned how to use flames.
Papa then took me to his room, and ordered that I undress and lie down on his bed and spread my legs. He too, took off his clothes.
He says he's my father, I'm his daughter and he loves me as he touches my body, licks me and sucks my skin. He likes the two round squishy things on my front and likes to touch between my legs. Its so good! I felt all hot and I want more!
Then Papa stuck the long thing between his legs inside my body. They were nicer inside me than his rough fingers.
It felt so good that I saw stars, and something hot splash in me.
Papa would then tell me things after that.
Papa says I'm a copy of Kurei, my big brother and Kurenai. I look like her!
But papa said that big brother hates me because I have his blood. He's a bad guy! After killing me, he'll kill papa too!
I heard another voice in my head, saying, 'Kill him!'
My days were learning how to use my fire better, eat tasty food, learn how to be a girl from Kirito and papa making me feel good. We sleep together every night.
Papa is so good to me.
He says I'm important to him!
I'm a Clone. After so many failures I'm the only one with the power. I'm the chosen one, he says! So I'm his daughter!
As long as Renge is a good girl who does as papa says, he'll make me feel good all I want. Get more toys from him and get tasty food! He'll always be kind to me! I'll never be a bad kid like big brother! As long as I don't think of anything but make papa happy he'll praise me as much as I want!
I also have another brother. He's a clone like me, Aoi-chan. But he's a failure so papa doesn't like him. I'm nice but Aoi-chan doesn't like me. He's always so cold to me. Renge didn't do him wrong...he doesn't like me and he's my brother. Aren't we...family? At least I have papa.
I also met a lot of papa's friends who'll protect him from oniichan.
I met oniichan for the first time by a cliff overlooking the sea.
Papa punished him for being a bad boy.
He said I'm his double created by using oniichan's genes and Kurenai's genes. Oniichan was so angry when he found out and tried to hurt papa so I fired back.
Papa told me I'm a good girl again! He said I'm a good girl. My mind is like that of a newborn baby and I know nothing so I'm cute. I'm his puppet who'll never go against papa. It was Genjuro who created me, Aoi-chan and the other clones. Papa wants oniichan dead. I was gonna kill him but someone jumped in and they both fell to the water down below!
Its deep and full of rocks. They must be dead, right?
Papa was so happy!
He rewarded me by making me feel good for a week!
But now we have a job to do.
Find Tendou Jigoku, the ultimate weapon so nobody can hurt papa ever again.
I also refine my skills too during the day to keep papa happy.
We got ahead of the Hokage guys and got papa the weapon he wanted! But he needed to eat a lot...he likes to eat girls, but papa will never eat Renge! He said so! I'm important to him, he said!
Until...he did.
I lost to oniichan in our second fight together. I lost only once and papa hated me! Then he ate me when he said he wouldn't! I only failed once...this isn't fair! Renge never did wrong! I'm a good girl!
Oniichan hates me.
Aoi-chan hates me.
Even papa!
Doesn't anyone like Renge anymore? Renge did all good things for papa, so...why?
And when I woke up in this new body...
Memories of this body flashed in my mind.
This girl is a Princess.
I am now...her.
I learned all she knows. Felt. Experienced things she knows like a dream.
Her mama loves her even if she's a coward and can't do martial arts. But her papa, oniichans and oneechans hate her. Papa's women hates her too.
But when mama died...
...her life became terrible!
EVERYONE hates her but she's a good girl who never did anyone wrong just like me.
So what if she can't do martial arts and forever sickly? At least she's a good girl!
But in this world...your worth as a person depends on whether or not you can fight and kill too.
Wait, not everyone hates her.
There's this one girl...her only maid.
I want her to care for me too, but her princess is dead and I'm in her body now...would she...care for me too? Her princess is dead from cold, from whipping and she's sick...
This world is horrible.
Ooh, I know!
I'll burn them all for her!
Everyone except for this girl will die!
I'll kill them all for Beiyue, then decide what to do with my life. Since I gained her memories and knowledge, I learned things papa never taught me.
I've been...a bad, sad girl all along. Stupid, too.
Beiyue's memories and education taught me that.
I wish I have a mama too.
But...who would love a girl nobody likes...? Nobody like Beiyue like how nobody likes me all along.
Dongling might hate me too if she finds out I'm not her miss.
I don't wanna know.
I'll kill Beiyue's family, and find people who'll love me. Who'll love Renge.
That's a good idea.
My new body is a kid.
Would I find a good mama and good papa who'll be kind to Renge? Will I have a good oniichan this time who won't hate me?
I don't know.
I burned a lot of stuff to make them pay, and guys in black armor hit me and I fell asleep. I was so close too but at least I burned them...right? It's not over yet! I still have lots to kill! The bad family who live here, and the bad family in the palace too!
They stopped me from making them pay for hurting princess! Grrr...I'll find them and kill them too! They protected the bad guys who hurt Beiyue until she died!
I'll kill them all!
'...this...is bad.'
In an infirmary in the Royal Palace, the interrogators who used magical tools to see the dreams of the sleeping ill princess spoke, as the Royal Family across the bed was deeply shaken. As they watched the memories of the girl on the bed, the names they hear were translated immediately.
Kurei is Hongli.
Aoi-chan is Kui'er.
Renge is Lianhua.
Genjuro is Huanshoulang.
'It seems...those swine have been doing things behind our backs and spreads lies for years!' the Emperor whose face was tear-stricken, was furious. 'My real niece died and replaced by someone else entirely! She's dead! Beiyue...' he sobbed. 'She died thinking we all hate her just for being incapable of martial arts!'
'Reincarnation...that is what happened.' said Geng Zhong, just as pale-faced. 'This new person has memories of another world. Created to be used and disposed of after exploiting her newborn mind. She was raised in such a way that she's tainted innocence. Lianhua, was it? And now she wants to kill the Xiao Clan and the Royal Family for the late Princess as revenge.'
Early in the wee hours before sunrise, a tower of fire rose in the Xiao Residence, and it was set alight, and many servants killed. Lianhua was the culprit and it took careful maneuvering to land one hit on her to capture her and the Xiao Clan wanted something done.
But apparently there was a good reason why the 'Princess' did what she did!
'But we don't hate her!' Princess Yingye cried in protest. 'She can't kill us!'
'The lies of the Xiao Clan made Princess Beiyue think you do and Lianhua inherited her memories and feelings.' said Geng Zhong to the horror of the royals, while the Empress was stone-faced. 'She wants to make everyone pay for her current identity's suffering before trying to live a new life, using Princess Beiyue's memories as a guide. Lianhua is proof that innocence can be evil if raised wrong. Lianhua was created using genes of two different people combined with sorcery and machinery to be her...papa's puppet.' he said in disgust. 'Now, thanks to Princess' memories, that blank slate is now colored and Lianhua learned what she was denied of, and now knows right and wrong, the good way how Princess Royal raised her, and how wrong everything Lianhua knew was.'
'Diagnose Beiyue's body next! What else have they lied to us!' the Emperor sputtered in rage. 'They killed Beiyue! I want all evidence before I order their executions before we decide what to do with Lianhua!'
And they learned that her illness was poison all along...
Dongling was 'interrogated' gently using sleeping medication and those same tools.
Starting from Princess Royal's death, it was clear that poisoning has begun as she gets meals from servants who wasn't Dongling who was busy cleaning the house.
Beiyue began falling ill.
And as the Concubines have Yuancheng's ear, Beiyue was isolated to a filthy shack, barred from her own home, the mansion Emperor built for his sister.
All she owned was taken away and Beiyue never saw a single iron of her money ever again, only getting plain clothes while her family dressed lavishly, and could afford cultivation way beyond the family annual budget. Dongling could only take small things, things she knew Princess Royal loved. But as they don't get any money at all, she sold what she could so they could eat. But when those things ran out, there was still Princess Royal's Jade Flute that she didn't dare sell and instead, turned to Embroidery to get by for themselves as she helplessly watches her lady die slowly every day. Dongling hoped that if her lady never got better, she could at least, hide a remaining token under her skirt in her burial dress if the worst happens, hence she kept the flute...so princess won't be lonely in her casket, Princess Royal will be with her.
Abuse and bullying began, even getting 'prank food' on worn-out bowls such as live mice and bugs, and if she complains, the servants hit her!
Dongling was helpless as she was ganged on to prevent retaliation. Their suffering began the day Beiyue returned home from the palace after mourning her mother.
She prayed for justice to come...and it came in the form of an inferno and saw her lady gleefully laughing while setting places and servants on fire. To Dongling's delight, she burned the faces of the master's bitches, ruining their beauties! She also scarred first master!
It was just too bad the Black Cavalry got in the way, irksome! They defend these shameless swine instead of those truly wronged?! Unreliable! If you truly want justice, go get it yourself as Princess has done!
Her lady finally awakened her talent and made them pay! Karma truly existed! Princess Royal would be proud as Dongling wept tears of joy! Things will get better! The truth will come out!
'That's that.' Prince Jing groaned in dismay as the memories ended. 'We're the bad guys in the eyes of these girls.'
'We have to explain everything to them.' said Crown Prince Zhanye anxiously. 'We have to prove them wrong too. We were lied to as well. But what of Lianhua? She wears the body of Princess Beiyue, having reincarnated after the real one died!'
'That's...a difficult matter...' said the Emperor in a pained voice. 'For now, let her masquerade as Huang Beiyue. We will deal with the crimes towards our kin. What was mother smoking when she paired sister with Yuancheng?! Look what he's done to her grandchild! I want the Xiao Clan dealt with! Perhaps its good that Lianhua burned the estate, I'll take away their land anyway! For now, we purge the poison and grant the body health she desperately needs...and perhaps, grant Lianhua her wish of finding the life she deserved.'
'Er father, before that...' said Jing awkwardly. 'According to my spy, Uncle Yang and cousin Xue Che intends to repudiate Princess Beiyue in favor of Xiao Yun...' and considering how he knows his maternal family, nothing good will come out of their attitudes!
'Hah! Choosing a thief's spawn over a princess who hasn't committed a crime?! Very well!' the Emperor scoffed derisively with a mocking smile to match. 'Like goes well with like, I suppose, assuming he'd still want to touch that wench by the time we're through!'
xxx
Hours later...
Lianhua woke up from her sleep, dressed in sleeping clothes. She got up and looked around to see a rather cute bedroom.
She was all alone.
But her body is no longer weak.
Rather, her body feels strong now!
'Huh? I felt better?' she croaked out as she got up. She no longer feels the usual weakness and sickness in this body.
She saw a white dress hung on the wall, complete with accessories on a table, and a pair of shoes on the floor.
She got off the bed and passed by the mirror to see that she was no longer gaunt and thin with deep, blackening eye sockets. Beautiful she may be but her new body looked like the living dead. But now, she seems fully-healed and her full beauty shone like light reflected from a mirror but still skinny.
"I must've had medical care before being put here." she thought before she changed her hair so some of it goes spiky.
And she hates that her hair is too long, reaching the floor. She burned some of it off.
She sensed someone watching her from outside.
Her response was kill it with fire by firing flame arrows, causing a howl of agony and alarming nearby people to the situation.
They found her torturing the man for information, blood staining her white sleepwear.
'Princess!'
'That man?!'
'Oh him? Before I got him to talk, his mouth bubbled up. Poison. What a wuss.' Beiyue huffed, looking childishly cross and beneath her was a man with four holes in his body smelling of charred flesh. Holes on his shoulders and legs, effectively crippling him. 'He was peeping on me!'
'We'll go call the guards!'
xxx
'Not even sunset yet and there's already an incident.' the Emperor frowned.
He had spent the whole morning mercilessly grilling the Xiao Clan and it reflected on their punishments that he'll gladly never see them ever again and publicized their crimes. But it will take time to recover the money they stole from Beiyue. Heck, the fief his father granted Xiao Qiyuan as a reward for his war achievements, covers barely an eighth of what was stolen in four years, as Miyang's tax money amounts to 170 million gold and Qinghe amounts to 190. The latter being the cause for his annoying father-in-law to complain about it as it made Beiyue richer than his legal son, Zhanye. And his father-in-law has a hand in his marriage to his daughter Mu Shi, and his sister's death!
For now, he'll have Qiyuan in the poorhouse, due to his family's crimes. The only ones innocent, were Concubine Fang and her daughter Xiao Ling who was unaware where their money was coming from, but aware of the abuse. The difference being Fang consoles Beiyue and tries her best when she could, but her daughter Ling enjoys abusing her half-sister to make herself feel better as she too, cannot do martial arts, but can use a whip. So that little chit was punished, by 'having no future'. She wasn't allowed to 'marry up' as expected of her status, and can only marry a commoner to teach humility in her, and was to be wed off immediately to get her off of Fang's hair so Fang can focus on being a better lady of the house, and be a mother to Zhonglei.
And Xiao Zhonglei was also innocent of almost all crimes. He was aware of his sister's treatment but doesn't care for a girl he barely knows, and he was raised that way, but has potential to be a better man than his father and brother can ever be, if educated properly. He is now Xiao Childe while Qiyuan will have to be Family Master once more. He is thirteen years old this year.
He was shocked at what his mother and sister were up to all these years, and pulling strings in the shadows through his father whose ear always listens to his women without a second thought, as long as they or their children did good in his eyes. Zhongqi has war achievements, and his older blood sister is a known genius 3-star summoner at age 15. There was so many incriminating evidence that his mother and sister are the REAL villains of the family.
He dreaded coming back to Lingyang School after his first year, due to his family's reputation falling a thousand zhang for their known crimes. Even if he was known innocent, the stigma stays with him and his family. His mother who was the brains of the operation has the punishment of 'torturous interrogation' before marooning her to a desert with nothing but clothes on her back. Before her 'slow death', she was shamefully paraded as well. She was a nobody from Miyang thus shall die a nobody.
Zhongqi as Childe and future clan head is an awareasset. Thus suffered public execution with their father and his mother along with the former Marquis Jing'an Mu Mixin. Paraded for all of Linhua to know and crimes broadcasted.
His sister Xiao Yun not only has a half-burnt face that went untreated on purpose as part of her punishment, her Sky Snow Cat and items in her possession was taken. Her Space Ring that was high class as it has space the size of a city bought from Beiyue's money, was given to 'Beiyue' to pay back what was stolen. And as she'll live in Linhua with a ruined face and a stained reputation, what man would want her now?
As for his half-sister Xiao Rou, her punishment was that she was made to live with her maternal grandfather who hates her mother's guts for shaming the family with her stunt on his father's wedding party to Princess Royal. Her life there will be miserable as the man's legal wife hates her husband's concubine who was Qin's mother. Her status is low in his house because of her daughter's antics while Mrs. Legal has his favor as her daughter, the virtuous Marchioness Pingbei was a role model for her spotless character and never shamed the family, married well and has a very accomplished daughter who is now engaged to Third Prince, becoming his wangfei.
The Emperor did his background research for appropriate punishments of course.
Compared to Princess Hongling who is a Mystic Pharmacist, who is Xiao Rou? A shameful nobody with shameful origins, and as the Chief Counselor's Family is forced to take her in, her life won't be enjoyable and there's little her grandmother can do now. She has no future unless a miracle happens somehow. She won't expect support any time soon!
And now upon investigating the body spying on Lianhua, its an assassin.
By her world's standards she's inexperienced, making her weak, but here, her abilities are advanced in comparison if trained right. She was a trained killer and arsonist, not a fighter. But even then, the standards of her world are different compared to theirs.
Lianhua was made to watch the abilities of her enemies using technology. Then trained.
Her world also has magical tools and users skilled in using them. They were Mystic Devices of the Huoying Clan, created by magic and alchemy unique only to them and all these weapons always have mystic stones with a word that hints at their ability. And the ruling family are always those who can wield flames.
Hongli and Liehuo are direct descendants of the ruling family, and Lianhua was cloned from Hongli and his lover Hongse, effectively making her their child, but her existence disgusts Hongli due to the reason why she was made and showed her no mercy. If Lianhua was trained properly instead of the sham of an education she's got, she would be formidable.
Before they can get to that...they have to find a way not to make her kill them on sight first. The only one she won't kill, was Beiyue's maid Dongling, the only one who stayed by his niece's side no matter how they suffered in the Xiao Household and Lianhua respects Dongling hence.
Last he checked, the young maid was currently put to work in the Imperial Harem until Lianhua recovers...