Chapter One

Chapter One

The winter of Changshun's thirteenth year was unusually harsh. The biting cold winds howled through the cracks in the jailhouse roof, forcing the inmates to huddle together for warmth. Among them, however, a young woman remained apart, her head bowed as she watched a middle-aged woman scoop water from a bucket to clean the bloody wounds on her arm.

She was strikingly beautiful, appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, and when she lowered her eyes, there was a vulnerability about her, like a willow swaying in the breeze – the epitome of the ideal woman in those times.

Yet, this beauty did not sway the woman tending to her wounds. Though her touch was gentle, her brows knitted in annoyance, and she scolded the young lady incessantly. "What have I taught you all these years? A wise person adapts to circumstances. You know who Wang Qiniang is, don't you? She's notorious on the streets, a troublemaker who'd fight over a few coins. Why on earth did you provoke her? If she wants to speak ill of me, let her. What's it to you?"

The young woman's lips thinned, a hint of defiance. The older woman bandaged her wound with a cloth, then glared at her. "Luo Wanqing, speak!"

"I have my reasons too," Luo Wanqing replied softly, suppressing her unease in the face of her mother's reprimand. "Back then, she was the one who refused to continue treatment due to the cost. Now, she's blaming your inadequate medical skills for her injury. If we don't refute her claims, and these words spread, how will others view your abilities as a physician? Our current comfort in this cell is thanks to you treating the jailors' ailments. If they lose faith in you, how will we survive?"

"How will we not survive?" Yao Zelan, her mother, scoffed, unconcerned. "My reputation depends on her words?"

"Still..."

"It won't be long before we leave here," Yao Zelan interrupted, anticipating her daughter's response, her tone softening. "Once Shaoyan finds a way out and clears our family's name, we'll be gone. Wang Qiniang was merely arrested for a street brawl; she'll be released eventually. Then, we'll settle the score with her. What good will it do to argue with her now? Look at your hand!" Yao Zelan tugged at the bandage, causing Luo Wanqing to gasp in pain. Her mother's eyes softened with concern, and her scolding softened. "I had no idea you'd learned to fight. If you hadn't dodged quickly, that shard would've cut your face!"

Luo Wanqing listened to her mother's words in silence, acknowledging their validity. But she couldn't help it—she was just too terrified.

Ever since the Luo family was imprisoned for the crime of salt smuggling, she, along with Yao Zelan, her sister-in-law Su Hui, and niece Luo Wenshui, were assigned to this particular detention cell.

Prisons were segregated by gender, and these cells were designed to hold unconfirmed suspects and petty criminals awaiting trial. The conditions were far more deplorable than regular prisons, with hundreds crammed together. At times, there wasn't even space to lie down and sleep.

Furthermore, with everyone sharing the same space for eating, drinking, and sanitation, conflicts were inevitable. Many thugs entered with their own gangs, forming alliances to bully those weaker and more vulnerable.

Especially those high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals they would never normally encounter, they became prime targets for extortion and manipulation.

The Luo family was a prominent merchant clan in Yangzhou, and her mother was a renowned physician in the region. Upon entering the cell, they were seen as easy prey. Fortunately, her mother had the foresight to establish connections with the prison guards, which somewhat alleviated their suffering within the cell.

Yet, this was only "slightly" better. Winter's chill was biting, and the conditions in the detention room were abysmal. Since they entered, they hadn't even had a chance to change their clothes. For Luo Wanqing, this had long been a torment.

Fortunately, she still held onto a glimmer of hope: Jiang Shaoyan, who had been betrothed to her from an early age, remained outside the prison walls.

Jiang Shaoyan was a youth rescued by the Luo family five years ago when they relocated to Yangzhou from the Eastern Capital. Found with amnesia, he stayed with the Luo family and, over time, a deep affection blossomed between him and the narrator. They have since pledged their union in marriage, planning to wed in the spring following this year's end.

He was meticulous in his actions and had also learned exceptional martial arts from her father. The Luo family had always adhered to rules and principles; hence, they must have been framed this time. With Jiang Shaoyan's capabilities, he would undoubtedly find a way to clear their names eventually and rescue her Lao family from peril.

With this hope in mind, her days in prison weren't as unbearable. All she had to do was endure and wait—patience and persistence were her sole tasks.

She waited and waited for half a month, and the previous night, she had a sudden dream.

She dreamed of her future.

In the dream, many events unfolded, roughly depicting a scenario where Jiang Shaoyan didn't come personally but sent his servant, Zhang Bo, instead. He informed her that he lacked the power to save them; the Luo family was doomed. The only favor he could do for her was to provide a dagger that could cut through iron for self-defense or a deadly poison that sealed one's fate with a single drop of blood.

Zhang Bo mentioned that even though they hadn't married, in Jiang Shaoyan's heart, he already considered her his wife. With the long journey to the border, he hoped she would remain faithful to him.

In the dream, she believed these words, she had no choice but to believe them.

Weak and timid, she lacked the courage to face the possibility of betrayal. So, she took the poison and, before parting, instructed Zhang Bo to convey her unwavering loyalty, promising to wait for him always.

Then, she was exiled to Lingnan. Along the treacherous journey, she lost her father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and her five-year-old niece one by one.

Upon reaching Lingnan, the entire Luo family was reduced to just her.

Gazing at the desolate wilderness of Lingnan, she eventually learned that a prince, named Li Guiyu, had been found among the common folk in the capital city.

It was said that this prince was discovered by Zheng Pingsheng, the Minister of Justice's daughter, Zheng Biyue.

This noble maiden, Zheng Biyue, had been his childhood sweetheart. After the prince went missing, she dedicated herself to finding him. When her father was summoned by the court to investigate a case of illegal salt trading in the south, she accompanied him to alleviate her worries. Eventually, in Yangzhou, she found the prince, though he had lost his memories.

The prince had been taken in and raised by a wealthy merchant, and in gratitude, he pledged to marry the merchant's daughter. Touched by the merchant's kindness, the emperor decided to sanction the union. Little did they expect that the Luo family, driven by greed and lacking integrity, would daringly engage in the illicit salt trade on a massive scale.

How could such a family be a suitable match for a prince?

Considering the merchant's past services, the death sentence for all family members was commuted to execution for the culprit alone, while the rest were exiled. This was a grand display of imperial grace.

Thus, the merchant perished in prison, and his family was exiled to Lingnan. In the end, the prince and the noble maiden, kindred spirits, were united in matrimony.

This was originally a most blissful tale, but fate had a cruel twist: the wealthy merchant was surnamed Luo, and the prince, known among the people, was Jiang Shaoyan.

On the night she learned of this, she awoke from a surreal dream.

All that talk about being powerless, about having no options – it was all because Jiang Shaoyan had doomed her!

Zheng Biyue had come into the picture, and he wanted to live with her, yet he dared not defy the Emperor's marriage decree. He also feared tainting his reputation and that of his beloved. Thus, he chose her entire Luo family as scapegoats, labeling them criminals so that he and his true love could remain spotless.

That night, in her empty room, she wept bitterly. She retrieved the vial of poison Jiang Shaoyan had given her and nearly drank it all.

Yet, the moment her lips touched the rim of the bottle, a surge of fury erupted within her.

Why should she be the one to die?

Why HER? !

And so she paused, dedicating the rest of her life to escape from Lingnan and return to the Eastern Capital. She sought to find that ungrateful, heartless beast and ask him...

Why?

What had the Lu family done to him?

Was it all just for Zheng Biyue, for his reputation, that he would sacrifice the blood of the entire Lu family to pave the way for their union?

Why! ?

Alas, her attempts were in vain.

It took her a decade, during which she exhausted every means possible, listening as he ascended from prince to crown prince, then emperor. She heard of how he had Xie Heng, the one who had aided him to the throne, cruelly executed. She endured through the intrigue as Qin Jue, the second Head of the Censorate, imprisoned him, leading to his eventual abdication and retirement as an idle emperor. Yet, she remained trapped in Lingnan.

Until the very end, plagued with ailments, she held the vial of poison he'd given her and passed away on a sweltering summer night, drenched by rain.

Before her death, she even experienced hallucinations, faintly hearing his voice as it once was, softly calling her, "Miss."

The moment that voice echoed, pain and humiliation surged within her.

Only one thought consumed her mind.

To kill him.

To come back to life, stand up, and kill him!

The dream was so vivid that when she awoke, she felt as if she had lived through it, akin to Zhuang Zhou's butterfly dream, wondering if she had truly lived another life.

She distinctly remembered what she had learned in that dream: farming, picking locks, engaging in fights.

In fact, even her personality seemed to have shifted.

This transformation frightened her. She kept reassuring herself that it was merely a dream, a nightmare, something that wouldn't actually occur. Jiang Shaoyan would come, and all she needed to do was wait, just as she had before.

Yet, when Wang Qiniang entered the jail cell and spoke to Yao Zelan, saying the exact same words as in her dream, everything became vivid again.

A decade had passed since that dream, causing many details to fade from memory.

But the instant Wang Qiniang accused, "If it weren't for you ruining my hand, making me suffer unbearable pain whenever the weather turns cold, preventing me from working – would I, Wang Qiniang, be in this state today?", Su Hui's recollections rushed back!

Not only did she remember Wang Qiniang's words, but she also recalled every subsequent sentence, and was acutely aware that the events wouldn't unfold as her mother had hoped – that they would leave the jail, escape scrutiny, and her medical skills wouldn't be questioned.

On the contrary!

Later that very afternoon, following Wang Qiniang's accusations, Zhang Bo arrived, and everyone in the jail cell learned of Jiang Shaoyan's abandonment of the Luo family. There would be no one left to stand up for them. Soon, the jailers started to doubt her mother's medical abilities due to Wang Qiniang's words. Any issue would be blamed on her mother, leading to deliberate hardships for them.

The Luo family's situation became desperately dire, which ultimately contributed to their lack of supplies and medicines during their exile, exposing them to countless humiliations.

Faced with such a bleak future, fear gripped her entire being. Thus, when Wang Qiniang began to slander Yao Zelan, she couldn't help but vociferously refute her, sparking an argument. In the heat of the moment, Wang Qiniang slashed her arm with a hidden porcelain shard.

As Yao Zelan and Su Hui pulled her back, she trembled uncontrollably.

They assumed she was terrified of Wang Qiniang, but in truth, it wasn't Wang Qiniang that scared her – it was the chilling resemblance to her dream turning into reality.

She was terrified, so scared that her nightmare might come true – Jiang Shaoyan could abandon them, and all her loved ones would perish on their journey into exile, leaving her alone.

But she couldn't voice these fears; instead, she calmed herself down and repeatedly reassured herself.

It was all just coincidence, mere coincidences, nothing more than a terrible dream.

With this self-consoling thought, Luo Wanqing closed her eyes to compose herself, trying not to let fear consume her.

That was her brother Shaoyan; she couldn't allow a single dream to undermine the depth of their affection for one another.

One should not speak of supernatural wonders, for it is the wisdom of sages, which she must hold dear.

Luo Wanqing took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, and blew away the dust from her bandages.

Beside her, Yao Zelan looked at her beautiful and seemingly naive daughter with a mixture of helplessness and affection.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed nearby. Su Hui's anxious voice called out, "Here they are! Mother, Wan Qing! Shao Yan has sent someone to visit us!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanqing froze in her actions. Yao Zelan quickly stood up, her voice filled with delight, "Who? Who has he sent?"

"Luo Wanqing!"

At the entrance of the cell, a prison guard's voice boomed, "Someone wants to see you."

Luo Wanqing didn't dare to move. Paralyzed with fear, her mind was filled with the vivid images from her dream.

In that scene, Zhang Bo looked at her apologetically, helplessly saying, "The young master said the verdict is final and there's nothing he can do. Though not officially wed, he has already considered you his wife. The journey to the border is long; he hopes, Miss, that you will remain faithful to him."

"Wan Qing! Hurry up! The prison guard is calling you!"

Su Hui's anxious voice rang out, followed by Yao Zelan pushing her forward, urging, "Wan Qing, what are you daydreaming about? Go now!"

Luo Wanqing remained silent. Struggling to suppress her trembling, she summoned all her strength to lift her head and look towards the gate.

Before the gate, a face filled with concern appeared before her eyes – identical to the one in her dream.

Her lips quivered as she uttered an incredulous question, "Zhang Bo?"

Author's Note:

"Mini Drama"

Luo Wanqing: "I spent my whole life trying to escape from Lingnan."

Cantonese Person: "??? Is the lychee in Guangdong not tasty?"