Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My foster parents were not kind to me.

From the moment they took me in, they knew I wasn’t their biological daughter.

I was driven out to wash clothes in the dead of winter. I was sent out to gather firewood in the bitterest cold. I slept in dog kennels and on haystacks. During the sweltering heat of midsummer, I nearly died of thirst outside, yet no one would bring me a single drop of water.

I did the most work, yet I ate the least food.

When I was at my hungriest, if even a mouse scurried past me, I would have reached out to grab it and take a few bites. When a person is starving, they have no dignity. And even after their belly is full, dignity isn’t something that can be picked back up all at once.

I just felt that throwing away that bowl of noodles was a terrible waste.

It was the most sumptuous, most delicious bowl of Longevity Noodles I had ever eaten-better than any meal I’d had at the Chancellor’s Mansion. Aside from the fact that it was seasoned with my tears, there was almost nothing wrong with it.

I also remembered a time when my mother, seeing how hard I worked on my needlework, took my hand with pity. She looked at the needle pricks on my fingers, but as she watched, her expression suddenly turned cold. She stared at me for a long time, asked nothing in the end, and stood up to leave in a hurry.

At the time, I didn’t understand why.

Now, it was like a sudden enlightenment.

She had realized the gold on my wrist was fake. She thought I had sold the gold bracelet and replaced it with a fake to deceive her. That was why she refused to give me anything after that. In her eyes, I had become a greedy, ungrateful, and despicable person who didn’t deserve a single thing from her.

But why didn’t she just ask? Why didn’t she give me even a single chance to defend myself?

My heart died completely then, and I put the fake bracelet back on my wrist.

Later, countless times when facing the Lin family, I would stroke the bracelet over and over, telling myself: Lin Zhi, oh Lin Zhi, you must never, ever let the wound heal and forget the pain. Do not forget the grievances your past self suffered.

This was how I first met Song Duhe.

He used his Jade Bead to trade for my life.

As for Zhao Pu, he was not only Song Duhe’s enemy, but mine as well.

He was Lin Dieyun’s fiancé.

During my time at the Chancellor’s Mansion, I had crossed paths with him from a distance a few times. He was exceptionally handsome, with a face as smooth as fine jade and eyes like bright stars. He possessed an excellent build and preferred wearing brocade blue robes, carrying the air of a wealthy and noble young lord.

His aunt was Consort Zhao, who was deeply favored by Emperor Zhengde. Since there was no Empress in the palace, Consort Zhao held the Phoenix Seal. Although the Third Prince born to Consort Zhao had not been named Crown Prince, he had been titled Prince Chen early on. Consequently, the Zhao Family was prestigious and had many followers.

Aside from the Third Prince, Zhao Pu was the most noble young lord in Shangjing City.

I once heard the servants in the mansion whispering in secret. They said that if Lin Dieyun and I hadn’t been switched, I would have been the one with the marriage contract to Zhao Pu.

Even my little maid felt the injustice on my behalf. She urged me to actively fight for my own happiness. She said I was already a step below Lin Dieyun, and if I were outdone in marriage as well, no one in the mansion would ever acknowledge that I was the true daughter. She told me to find a way to capture Zhao Pu’s heart, saying that finding a way to marry him was the only proper course of action.

Blushing with shame, I told the little maid to shut her mouth.

I wanted to say that I understood propriety and honor. Although the female tutor my mother hired only taught me for three months before being dismissed, she taught me many principles. She told me that a person should be true to their word and not go back on their promises.

At that time, I had no intention of competing with Lin Dieyun. I knew I couldn’t carry the title of the Chancellor’s Mansion’s legitimate daughter. Since my parents had acknowledged Lin Dieyun, she was the Eldest Miss of the mansion, and her marriage contract with Zhao Pu naturally stood.

I believed I had done the right thing and felt a deep sense of relief in my heart.

But one day, Zhao Pu came to find me along with my brother, Lin Chengfeng.

They warned me to hold my tongue and not to speak nonsense. They said if I were caught spreading rumors again, they would make me regret it for the rest of my life.

That day, Lin Chengfeng used a mouth board to strike my mouth hard.

My lips slammed against my teeth, instantly breaking the skin and drawing blood. Yet, my senses went dull, leaving me feeling only numbness. For the first time in my life, I learned that wealthy families actually had specialized mouth boards for striking people’s mouths.

Lin Chengfeng threw the mouth board to the ground and turned to leave.

Zhao Pu lingered a few steps behind. He gave me a deep look, but the words he spoke hurt more than the beating. He said, “Lin Zhi, there is a world of difference between us, and you are not worthy of me. Do not harbor improper thoughts. A person should recognize their own status. I know you didn’t start these rumors, but you’ve entertained such ideas. I’m returning this to you. If there is a next time, I will kill you myself.”

He loosened his palm and dropped an undergarment.

An undergarment embroidered with mandarin ducks that belonged to me.

I stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. My face burned with a stinging pain, as if the agony from my mouth had finally registered and spread to my cheeks, my ears, and my neck.

Zhao Pu suddenly drew his long sword. With a single stroke, he slit the throat of the little maid standing behind me.

The little maid’s eyes bulged. She stared at Zhao Pu, unable to rest in peace, the light in her eyes shifting from hopeful excitement to desperate terror.

Her blood sprayed across my face.

She fell heavily, and the blood that splashed up from her impact stained my entire body with crimson spots.

I was frozen with terror.

I had seen dead people before. But those dead people didn’t bleed such fresh blood. They were either starved to death, bloated from river water, hanging from trees, shattered from falling off cliffs, or torn apart by wild beasts. That blood was always clotted, dried up, or soaked into the earth in shades of reddish-brown.

It was the first time I had seen such a bloody scene. My mind went blank, as if my memory had frozen at that very moment.