chapter 1

In the Li Manor, white silk hung from every pillar, but the air felt more like a celebration than a mourning. Servants walked quietly through the halls with lowered heads, yet I could still hear the whispers hidden behind their sleeves. Some pitied my mother, while others mocked her fate in silence. The scent of incense filled every corner of the manor, heavy enough to make it difficult to breathe. Outside, the cold wind rustled the mourning banners, making them flutter like restless ghosts.

My mother, the daughter of the wealthiest merchant in the capital, was finally silent. The woman who once filled the manor with warmth and laughter now lay beneath layers of white cloth, cold and unmoving. No one dared to speak of the pain she endured during her life. To them, her death was merely another matter of the Li household, something to be buried and forgotten as quickly as possible.

They buried her, and as I stood by the cold stone, I realized that in this house of high ranks and deep bows, I was now the only “legitimate” thing left that my father did not want. The realization settled heavily in my chest like ice. I was not mourned, loved, or protected. I was merely a reminder of the woman my father had despised. The servants looked at me with careful eyes, as though they feared being associated with me for too long. Even the distant relatives avoided my gaze, unwilling to involve themselves in the household’s hidden cruelty.

My father, Minister Li Zhaoxian, stood at the head of the funeral procession. He looked every bit the grieving husband. His robes were spotless, his expression calm and dignified, perfect enough to fool every official who came to offer condolences. But I saw the truth hidden beneath his mask. I saw the way his eyes drifted toward his concubine, who stood just a few steps behind him, already wearing the jade earrings that had once belonged to my mother. The sight made my stomach twist with disgust. Those earrings had been one of my mother’s most treasured possessions, yet now they rested against another woman’s skin as though my mother had never existed at all.

“Mei’er,” my father’s voice was like silk over a blade as he looked at me. “Your mother is gone. You are the eldest daughter of this house. Do not let your grandfather’s blood make you forget your place. You are a Minister’s daughter now. Nothing more.”

I bowed my head, my bangs hiding the coldness in my eyes. He did not want a daughter; he wanted a political tool, something he could use whenever it benefited him. In his eyes, I was not a child grieving her mother. I was only another piece on the board of his ambitions.

I looked at my pale, trembling hands and made a silent vow. I would stay hidden in this remote corner of the manor. I would remain invisible, obedient, and forgotten by everyone around me. I would survive no matter what humiliation or loneliness I had to endure. And one day, when the time finally came, I would burn this “rank” to the ground with my own hands.

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