Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Everyone in the Ning family was dead.

Their vast estate fell onto Shuyue’s shoulders alone.

She was still too young. She could not see through people’s hearts, nor could she fathom the ways of the world.

And I was nothing more than a ghost wearing human skin. I had no way to deal with all those matchmakers coming to ask for my hand.

So I spread the rumor that I was a Lone Star of Doom, cutting off all talk of marriage for good.

I stayed with the Ning family, shouldering the business and raising Shuyue. At the same time, I accumulated merit, hoping to keep this borrowed skin of mine alive a little longer.

Later, Prince Ning, Xiao Yun, concealed his identity and traveled south to provide disaster relief. There, he met Shuyue, who was serving porridge to aid the suffering, and they fell in love at first sight.

They once rowed beneath the moon, one pole stroke shattering a lake full of starlight. Their two shadows leaned together, and even the wind seemed too gentle to bear scattering them.

They once brewed tea by the lakeside, steam curling softly around their brows and eyes. In their gazes, there was only each other, with no room for anyone else.

They once watched snow fall together beneath the corridor eaves, letting frost-white flakes settle over their shoulders as they clasped hands and vowed that in this life, they would grow old together and never betray each other.

I had died for love. I had long since stopped believing in sweet words that spilled so easily from a mouth.

But Shuyue had given him her heart.

She clutched my sleeve and refused to let go, a desperate, all-or-nothing stubbornness in her eyes.

“If he betrays me, Sister, then tear off his skin.”

“But I can’t control my own heart. Even if there’s a wall ahead, let me crash into it just this once.”

“In this life, nothing is ever guaranteed forever. I don’t want someday, and I don’t want promises. If his heart is true in this moment, that is enough.”

“Sister, I only get to live this one lifetime. Even if there is bitterness ahead, let me taste it for myself.”

In the end, I could not win against her. I relented.

Later, when the Emperor commended the Ning family for the merit of serving porridge during the disaster, Prince Ning, Xiao Yun, knelt before the throne without hesitation and declared his unwavering desire to marry Shuyue.

It was a match blessed by heaven, and Shuyue loved him besides. I had no objections.

Only on the day Xiao Yun came to marry Shuyue in an eight-bearer bridal sedan did I warn him with murder in my heart.

“That she loves you is your good fortune. I ask that you be worthy of her sincerity.”

“If your heart is not true, I will tear off your skin and dig out your heart.”

Xiao Yun thought I was merely saying cruel words to frighten him.

Smiling, he bowed deeply to me and said in a firm voice, “Rest assured, Sister. I will cherish her and honor her.”

He kept his word. He gave Shuyue all his affection and protection.

Three years in the prince’s manor, then two years in the Eastern Palace. Every letter Shuyue sent me said she was well.

I kidnapped a Water Ghost to pilot merchant ships across the seas, cleaving through wind and waves, traveling through many lands.

By the time I returned, masts and sails filled the horizon like clouds, cargo was piled high as mountains, and I brought back ships laden with rare treasures.

I donated several hundred thousand taels of silver to the court, giving us sisters the backbone to stand tall.

Every family letter sent to the capital carried a heavy stack of banknotes with it, supporting Shuyue’s confidence and foundation in the capital.

Each time, she told me over and over that she had her sister’s protection and her husband’s favor, and so she had no regrets in this life.

Except a year ago, when she mentioned something to me as if airing a grievance.

“The Empress Dowager granted him an obscure Side Consort. Fortunately, she has a defect and cannot win Xiao Yun’s heart!”

At the time, I did not take it to heart.

Until now, when the oil lamp suddenly flickered.

It illuminated the doubts and alarm churning in my eyes, making them stark and piercing.

“That Side Consort-why has she never come to see your body?”

The moment my words fell, Shuyue’s expression stiffened.

Then a cold, sharp voice sounded from outside the door.

“Why bring up a living corpse?”