Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I never expected that seeing Yuan Mu again would be like this.

Yuan Mu stood in a solitary cell, wearing filthy prison robes, as we stared at each other.

He hadn’t expected to see me either. He froze for a long while before letting out a calm, indifferent smile.

“It seems your words have become a prophecy.”

I calmed my emotions and stepped inside.

“I was just talking. This is your retribution.”

A heartless man deserves retribution.

Seven years ago, a tragedy befell my family-an extermination order.

My uncles and brothers were dragged to the chopping block at noon, and all the women of the household were sent into exile.

Only I was an exception.

I was still the fiancée of the Eldest Young Master of the Yuan Family.

The executing officials were unsure of what to do.

They transported everyone else to their respective destinations, but sent word to the Yuan Mansion.

“Please, you must have the Eldest Young Master come here,” I said, pressing a gold locket into the messenger’s palm.

It was a winter day. At the massive gates of our estate, some were hauling people away while others were sealing the doors.

The scene was pure chaos.

I was left where I was, waiting for over an hour.

I was young then, ignorant of the world’s cruelty. Even in the face of such disaster, I kept my chin up, maintaining the poise of a noble lady.

Only my eyes remained fixed on the corner of the street, staring so hard that the two walls in the distance seemed to blur together.

I was waiting for someone.

Yuan Mu arrived in a hurry on horseback.

He had specifically taken leave from the morning court session, but he was there to break our engagement.

“Ruyu, our engagement ends here.”

He didn’t even dismount. He borrowed a lantern from a soldier and personally tossed in the marriage certificate he had once brought to my home to seek my hand.

That splash of vermilion was scorched black, turning into ash.

My heart withered away.

Whatever I had wanted to say no longer mattered.

Struggling to maintain my dignity, I pulled out his copy of the certificate and tossed it into the mouth of the lantern as well.

“Yuan Mu, you had better pray to the gods and Buddha that they bless your rise to power. Don’t you dare ever fall to where I am!”

It was nothing more than a spiteful remark to save face.

Who would have thought this day would actually come?

I took a ceramic pot out of the food box; inside was stewed chicken soup.

The broth was clear and the aroma was inviting.

I had caught the chicken at the market early yesterday morning, picked an auspicious hour to slaughter it, boiled water to blanch it in the afternoon, and worked until dark before setting it on the clay stove to simmer all night…

One couldn’t say I hadn’t put my heart into it.

“You made this? It looks a bit greasy.”

But of course, it had to be Yuan Mu.

My fingers paused. I slowly raised my head and rolled my eyes at him.

“Aside from you, no one has ever said my cooking was bad.”

Yuan Mu frowned slightly. He looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped himself and didn’t argue further.

My mood improved slightly.

“Lord Yuan, just eat quickly. After you’re done, get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.”

Yuan Mu took the chicken soup and blew on it repeatedly. Under my watchful gaze, he reluctantly took a sip.

Then, he kept his eyes squeezed shut for a long time.

I was stunned. After a moment of silence, I poked his shoulder.

“Yuan Mu? Are you alright?”

Yuan Mu opened his eyes and looked at me indifferently.

“It’s truly terrible. It’s a good thing I didn’t marry you.”

“…”

Even at a time like this, he was still joking with me. It was utterly nonsensical.

“It’s a Last Meal Before Execution. Are you really going to be picky?”

That’s right, the tables had turned.

Now he was a death row prisoner, and I was the cook who specialized in delivering the Last Meal Before Execution.

For a condemned prisoner, it shouldn’t matter if the food tastes good or not, as long as it looks plentiful.

“I’m not being picky, I’m not.”

Yuan Mu smiled, lowered his head, and began to eat submissively.

I found a place to sit nearby and waited out of boredom, turning to look at his profile.

I watched him quietly for a while.

Yuan Mu suddenly turned his head, holding the bowl as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you looking at me for?”

I remained silent for a long while before letting out a faint sigh.

“Rumors outside say the Prince Consort caught you having an affair with the Elder Princess, and in a fit of rage, you killed him…”

He was in the middle of tilting his head back to drink the soup when he suddenly began to cough violently.

The soup bowl clattered as it was placed upside down on the food box.

Yuan Mu buried his head very low, using his sleeve to wipe the soup stains from the corner of his mouth. His shoulders were trembling slightly.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

“To be able to hear marketplace gossip right before death… that’s truly rare!”

I packed the soup bowl back into the food box.

“Don’t look down on marketplace gossip. I heard the Prince Consort’s family wants revenge. Even though you’re in a death row cell, plenty of ‘accidents’ happen in prison…”

A few drops of soup had splashed onto the straw on the floor.

I gathered that bunch of straw and tucked it into my sleeve.

“Dying sooner or later is still death. No one cares.”

I picked up the food box and stood up.

Yuan Mu and I locked eyes.

He was no longer laughing. His expression grew increasingly calm, and his tone became serious.

“I am to be executed tomorrow. I have something to say to you.”

When a man is about to die, his words are kind.

“Go ahead.”

“But before I say it, I have to ask you a few things.”

“Ask.”

He pondered for a long while before saying with a straight face, “Are you married?”

“…”

I didn’t have time for idle chatter with him.

“Lord Yuan, I wish you a happy journey to the yellow springs. I have urgent business, so I’m leaving.”

I was just about to step out the door.

Behind me came Yuan Mu’s unusually calm voice.

“After you go home, collect your payment from whoever hired you, pack your things, and leave the capital as soon as possible.”

My footsteps halted.

My body froze instantly.

I turned around in shock.

Yuan Mu sat there upright, looking at me with a smile.

But that smile didn’t have the relaxing effect it should have; instead, a chill ran down my spine.

I gripped the handle of the food box tightly.

“You… you know?”

Across the distance, he watched me and slowly nodded.

“I know.”

He knew.

I had been bribed to kill him.