Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I lifted my arm, revealing a Twisted Gold Bangle around my wrist.

My mother had given this to me on the day I first arrived at the Chancellor’s Mansion.

My mother was the wife of the Chancellor. When she gave birth to me, the region was hit by a massive flood. She had been escorted by servants to a mountain temple for safety, where another pregnant woman happened to be. In the chaos of our births, the other woman and my mother accidentally swapped their babies.

For over a decade, she searched for my whereabouts. When she finally found me, she couldn’t wait to have her servants bring me back.

It was raining that day. The roads were treacherous, and the carriage broke down halfway.

Fearing that my parents would be kept waiting too long, the servants had me trek back to the Chancellor’s Mansion on foot, shielding ourselves with umbrellas as we trudged through the deep mud.

When I finally reached the Chancellor’s Mansion and appeared before everyone, I saw the coldness in my father’s eyes, the disappointment in my mother’s gaze, the icy stare of my brother, and the saccharine smile of the fake daughter, Lin Dieyun.

My mother gave me this Twisted Gold Bangle, exchanged a few perfunctory words, and sent me off to rest.

Back in my room, I saw a ghost staring back at me from the bronze mirror.

My hair was matted and greasy, my face was a sickly pale green, and my bloodless lips trembled. Covered in mud from head to toe, I looked utterly pathetic.

My debut at the Chancellor’s Mansion had been a miserable embarrassment.

My subsequent behavior at the mansion only caused more heads to shake in disapproval.

It took only a few short months for my mother’s feelings toward me to shift from anticipation to loathing.

This Twisted Gold Bangle on my wrist was the only gift she had ever given me. I had worn it constantly, never once willing to take it off.

But today, there was no longer any point.

I slid the bangle off and handed it to the physician. He took it and gave it a cursory glance.

“It’s a fake!”

“Impossible!”

In a sudden burst of frantic energy, like a dying flash of light, I bolted upright in bed to protest, only to collapse back down as my strength failed me.

The physician didn’t bother arguing. He tossed the bangle back to me, took the Jade Bead from the scholar, and turned away to brew the medicine.

My chest felt so tight it was as if it might explode. My fingers gripped the gold bangle tightly.

This was my only piece of gold.

I never knew that gold could be fake.

My mother was a noblewoman from a prestigious family-beautiful, wealthy, and dignified. She would either give nothing at all or give the real thing; she wouldn’t resort to a fake to fool me.

Then I thought of Lin Dieyun.

The only time I had ever removed the bangle in front of an outsider was for my brother’s birthday.

She had dragged me to the kitchen, insisting that I personally cook a bowl of Longevity Noodles for him, saying he would surely be delighted.

At that time, she was the only person in the family who treated me with any kindness, and I truly did want to earn my brother’s favor.

I went into the kitchen with her and took off the bangle to cook.

When I put it back on later, something felt slightly off, but I didn’t think much of it.

It was my only bangle, my only piece of gold. I had no way to discern the subtle differences, and more importantly, I had never once suspected Lin Dieyun.

Looking back, that must have been when she tampered with my bangle, swapping it for a fake while simultaneously ensuring my brother would despise me even more.

That day, I presented the Longevity Noodles to my brother.

He only looked at them coldly, never picking up his chopsticks.

He told me to focus my efforts on proper pursuits instead of wasting time on sycophantic flattery, lest I make myself even more contemptible.

In the end, that bowl of Longevity Noodles grew cold.

I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so I ate the bloated, soggy noodles myself. For that, I received one final comment from him: “Utterly uncouth.”

He didn’t know.

I had experienced hunger before-the kind of hunger where you feel like you’re going to die.