Chapter 0 I went to the capital in search of my fiancé.
Before formally presenting myself at his door, I first made some inquiries about his character.
That was when I learned he had a childhood sweetheart who had grown up with him, as well as another young lady he had admired for many years.
The romantic entanglements among the three of them had become the talk of the city.
I knew then that this marriage could not go through.
So I exchanged the marriage contract for a promise from the Madam of the Marquis Manor: I would withdraw from the engagement of my own accord, but as a lone orphan, life in the capital would not be easy for me.
I hoped the Marquis Manor would raise me for a few years as they would one of their own daughters.
Once I turned sixteen, I would leave on my own.
The Madam of the Marquis Manor agreed.
From then on, I lived and ate at the Marquis Manor.
Like the young ladies of the household, I studied, practiced calligraphy, and learned the ways of the world.
But the Heir of the Marquis Manor, Xie Rujue, did not believe me.
When I studied, he said that no matter how many books I read, he would never like a wooden-headed girl like me.
When I learned riding and archery, he laughed and said that if I had that much time, I would be better off learning to dance, so I could please my future husband.
When I learned accounting, he joked to others that he would never let the Marquis Manor’s fortune fall into my hands.
Later, when someone came to propose marriage, he drove the man out, saying that in life or death, I belonged to the Xie Family.
But in the end, I still walked out through the gates of the Marquis Manor, while he could only watch with an ashen face, unable to stop me.
Because this time, what I had received was an imperial decree.
