Chapter 1

Chapter 1

——First published on Jinjiang Literature City

The drizzling autumn rain was about to cease, and the half-green, half-yellow fallen leaves lay upon thoroughly wet earth. Another gust of autumn wind swept through, carrying rain-soaked leaves that fell from the branches, rolling on the ground before finally stopping under an eave, wedged beneath a broken tile.

The usually tidy blue-gray courtyard had not been cleaned by servants for seven or eight days. Outside the door, broken tiles littered the ground, while inside, leaves covered the floor. The ripe persimmons on the branches were pecked to pieces by birds, their juices dripping everywhere.

As the rain suddenly stopped, wet birds returned to the branches in search of food. A yellow cat quietly appeared on the wall and silently leaped onto the persimmon tree.

A brown sparrow suddenly let out a sharp cry but then fell silent halfway; the birds on the branch scattered in panic.

The constable sitting in the gatehouse heard the commotion and spat, muttering, "Blind beast, how dare you come here? Don't you find it unlucky?"

As he spoke, he glanced towards the quiet backyard.

The cat, startled, ran towards the backyard with the unfinished sparrow in its mouth. The constable looked up but did not stop it, returning to his shelter from the wind.

It was nearly noon. On other days, the household would be bustling with lunch preparations, but today there was no sign of smoke. The cat, holding the sparrow, skillfully turned into a spacious side yard.

"Meow—"

A piercing meow echoed, and the figure hanging from the beam stirred. Sui Yu's consciousness slowly returned, but her vision was blurry. Before she could think, a strong sense of suffocation made her instinctively grasp the rough cloth around her neck.

"Help—" The plea barely escaped before dizziness overwhelmed her, and a wave of weakness spread throughout her body. She focused all her strength, struggling and flailing, her hands gripping the cloth and pulling upwards, her head tilting back desperately. Her eyes fixed on the beam, she felt the cloth brush against her chin, gathering all her strength for one final pull. Her arms gave out, and she fell straight down, landing heavily on an overturned table.

"Ouch..."

Sui Yu couldn't get up. She lay on the ground in the position she had fallen, groaning hoarsely, her ears ringing, her eyes hurting, and her neck and throat throbbing. Breathing felt like her throat was splitting open.

The constable in the front gatehouse heard the sound and walked towards the backyard.

Squeezing her aching eyes shut, tears flowed uncontrollably. After a moment, Sui Yu pushed herself up using her arms. As she tried to assess her surroundings, she saw a pair of embroidered shoes dangling motionless. Without looking further, she understood the situation. Terrified, she dragged herself backward, away from the table leg. In the dim corner, a child's silhouette caught her eye. Looking more closely, behind the green gauze curtain, a boy sat on the bed, staring at her blankly.

"Ahh!"

Sui Yu screamed, crawling frantically towards the light near the door. Just as she reached the threshold, a shadow appeared outside, with a menacing face.

"What's the noise..." The words trailed off as the constable saw the hanging figure. He glanced briefly, showing no surprise, but frowned when he noticed the person cowering behind the door.

"How... ah..." Sui Yu's lips trembled as she tried to ask where she was, but her strangled voice came out muffled and raspy.

"Did you struggle free?" The constable stood outside the door, looking up at the intact rope loop. "Are you having second thoughts? Afraid of death? Then don't blame others."

Hearing his words, Sui Yu vaguely pieced together the situation. She squinted carefully upward, only to quickly look away, the sight of the hanged person's contorted face making her heart race. This brief glance brought a new memory, one not her own.

She had possessed this body.

And the deceased Sui Yu had died alongside her aunt due to the collapse of the canal dam in Yu County. As the prefect, Sui Jiushan was imprisoned for embezzling flood control funds. All the men of his clan were arrested, and the family's property was seized. Women and children were confined at home awaiting judgment. Two days ago, news arrived that Sui Jiushan was sentenced to be cut in half. Sui Yu had no recollection of what happened to the others, only remembering having a full meal yesterday and being persuaded to hang herself during today's rain.

"Listen to your aunt. Death is clean. Don't be afraid; I'll be with you."

Sui Yu heard the woman's last words echoing in her mind. She gathered her thoughts and looked up again, seeing the woman's distorted face, likely to avoid frightening the child inside. She had not struggled before dying, her face turned towards the door.

The constable had left without her noticing. Sui Yu touched her neck, took a deep breath, and stood up, walking slowly to the beam. She tried to remove the hanging body, but it swayed, and she couldn't manage it.

She moved towards the child sitting on the bed. The boy, with a small braid, chubby cheeks, and a blank expression, remained unmoving. Sui Yu tried to smile at him, but he recoiled in fear. She dared not approach further and instead collapsed on a bamboo mat, scanning the room's layout.

Before she could rest, she heard footsteps approaching from the front yard. Instinctively sensing danger, she rushed to the bed and searched a box, finding nothing left, as everything had been confiscated. Noticing the child still wore a bracelet, she quickly removed it and hid it in her tunic.

Just as she finished, several armed constables entered.

"Another one dead? How did you let this happen?" One kicked the constable.

"The rain and wind were unexpected, sir," the constable stammered.

"Zao Ban, two more remain. The younger one didn't die, and the older one survived."

"Take them all. What bad luck."

Sui Yu was pushed out the door, turning back to drag her little brother Sui Liang despite his struggles. As they left, she glanced at the constable guarding the door, who coldly looked away.

...

Escorted onto the street, Sui Yu saw a crowd watching. With the original Sui Yu's memories, she recognized many familiar faces, some filled with hatred, others with pity.

"Sui Jiushan was cut in half at noon. He lived for a while before dying. I saw it; it was satisfying."

"He deserved it."

"Pity only he died..."

Sui Yu listened intently. Sui Jiushan was her uncle, but their families rarely interacted. Her father, Sui Hu, was a concubine-born son who had separated from the family after marriage and worked in the government for years. The only time he sought help from Sui Jiushan was to make a concubine a free woman.

Sighing, Sui Yu understood why the original Sui Yu's aunt insisted on taking her daughter with her. Knowing the fate of women who became slaves, she realized the gravity of the situation.

"Move in." A constable shoved her, then left after a brief exchange with the jailer.

Sui Yu was thrown into the prison. Before entering, her robes were stripped, replaced with coarse prisoner clothes, and her embroidered shoes were taken. She found a pair of barely fitting straw sandals among the pile of dirty shoes. Thanks to the visible bruise on her neck, the guard did not search her thoroughly, allowing her to keep the hidden bracelet.

Thinking of Sui Liang being taken to the male prison, Sui Yu sighed in relief. Since only Sui Jiushan was executed, her father should still be alive, ensuring the child's safety.

Entering the female prison, she found about seven others inside, including two familiar faces: Sui Jiushan's daughters, sitting alone in a corner, ignored by the others.

"Yu sister..." Sui Yu had just sat down when her eldest cousin, Sui Hui, approached. "Do you know any news about my father?"

Sui Yu nodded, gesturing to indicate his fate.

"Waist... waist-chopping?" Sui Hui cried.

Sui Yu nodded again. She wanted to ask how the authorities planned to deal with them, but she couldn't speak. Walking in the wind had made her neck swell, and her throat felt blocked, making it difficult to breathe.

The prison was noisy for most of the day, and it wasn't until late at night that things quieted down. None of the twenty or thirty people could sleep, their heavy breathing mixed with suppressed sobs.

Sui Yu didn't sleep either. She had been knocked on the back of the head while walking, and when she regained consciousness, she found herself transported over two thousand years into the past, to the Western Han Dynasty, and thrown into prison. With no chance of redemption and an uncertain fate, how could she possibly sleep?

She hadn't enjoyed any good fortune, but all the misfortune seemed to fall on her.

Sui Yu sighed heavily, accidentally pulling at her neck, which made her wince in pain, feeling even more frustrated.

She stayed awake all night until dawn when food was served. The gruel in the bowls looked like a mix of green and yellow, worse than pig feed, but at least it was warm. Sui Yu picked through it, selecting a bowl that was slightly more palatable, and pinched her nose to take small sips. Her throat still hurt, but the liquid provided some relief.

Seeing her drink, others slowly moved over, but after one sip, they spat it out.

"Where are your aunt and mother? Your neck..."

Sui Yu looked over; it was a clan aunt from the family. She said with a blank face, "Dead."

"What will happen to us? Do you know?"

Sui Yu waved her hand.

"How did you end up hanging?" someone else asked.

Sui Yu ignored her and chose a spot with more straw to sit down, leaning against the rough wooden bars to rest. Lying down made it hard to breathe, and she feared suffocating if she slept too deeply.

She didn't want to die.

After dozing for a while, Sui Yu woke up to the sound of chains clanking. The cell door opened, and the blinding white light from outside flooded in.

"You're lucky. It just so happens that there's a great victory in the Northwest. They need people for garrisoning the borderlands. The main culprit will be waist-chopped, and the rest of you will be sentenced as penal laborers. In winter, you'll be exiled to the Northwest as criminal slaves, sparing you death."

The jailer left, and the cell door, which let in sunlight, was locked again. Cries filled the women's cell, but no one paid attention.

"Exile... exile... we might as well be dead. Living is worse than dying." With that, a young woman slammed her head against a pillar, blood spurting instantly.

Sui Yu was shocked and immediately ran over to help. She covered the wound with her hands and called for assistance, only to see two more people collide with the pillar.

She realized then that the dark brown marks on the wooden bars were dried blood.

"Don't save them. Death is cleaner. Being a criminal slave is worse than being a prostitute in a brothel, trampled by thousands." An elderly woman pushed Sui Yu aside, her gaze lingering on Sui Yu's neck. "You don't listen. Your aunt did it for your own good."

Sui Yu quickly grabbed Sui Hui, glaring at her, and then pushed away the old woman who kept shouting and banging her head against the pillar. She panted like a broken bellows, saying, "You... also... die."

Her heart pounded, fearing the woman would actually succeed.