On the eve of my wedding, my elder sister handed me a cup of fruit wine and drugged me unconscious.
I awoke half-dressed beside my brother-in-law.
My reputation was ruined overnight.
My fiancé broke off our engagement before dawn.
My parents were bitterly disappointed in me.
They bundled me into a little sedan chair and hurried me off to become Liang Yanxiu’s concubine.
My sister later died of illness.
Liang Yanxiu never made me his lawful wife.
The world praised him for his undying devotion to my sister.
I spent my life neglected and scorned.
As I lay dying, I overheard my parents whispering with my nephew, who had just placed first in the imperial examinations.
“Your mother was gravely ill and feared there would be no one to care for you after she died, so she drugged your aunt’s wine. Looking back, it was the right decision.”
My nephew’s voice choked with tears.
“Now that I have taken first place, Mother can finally rest in peace.”
I died in disbelief, the last breath torn from my lungs.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the banquet on the eve of my wedding.
My sister stood before me, smiling as she offered me that cup of fruit wine.
