chapter 2

My name is Li Mei. I am the daughter of a second-rank official.

Before my father, Li Zhaoxian, married my mother, Wang Meiling, he was nothing. He was only the son of a fallen noble family. He married my mother so that he could use my grandfather's wealth to climb the ranks of society. He passed the imperial examination, but it was my grandfather who helped him secure the seventh position by using his money and influence. After that, my father continued to use my grandfather's wealth to rise higher and higher in rank.

My grandfather helped him, believing that he would remain loyal to my mother. However, he never expected my father to be such a snake. In the end, he drove my mother to her death.

My mother was one of the most beautiful ladies in the capital, though she was not of noble birth. My grandfather was the richest merchant in the country, and because of that, my mother could have married a truly good man. But my father deceived her. He told her that he loved her and slowly made her fall deeply in love with him. At first, my grandfather refused to allow their marriage, but in the end, he gave in for the sake of his only daughter's happiness.

After they married, my mother was truly happy. For a short time, she believed she had found love and peace. But after a year, she learned the cruel truth. My father already had a mistress — perhaps it would be more accurate to call her the love of his life. That woman, Ming Suyin, had once been his fiancée. However, he broke off their engagement because he wanted to marry my mother for wealth and status. Even so, the only woman who truly lived in his heart was always Ming Suyin.

After discovering the truth, my mother confronted him, but he said nothing. His silence slowly drove her mad with grief and despair. She began to believe that if she gave birth to a son, everything would return to the way it should be. She hoped that a son would bring back my father's affection and restore her place in the household. But instead, I was born. To my mother's disappointment, I was a daughter. After giving birth to me, her value within the family fell even further. Soon after, my father openly brought back his mistress and made her his concubine without any shame.

The betrayal, the grief, and the pain of childbirth slowly destroyed my mother. She became weak and sickly, yet she still survived until I turned nine years old. She would not have become so weak after giving birth to me if my father had not poisoned her medicine little by little. He killed her slowly and cruelly while pretending to care for her. When she finally died, my father was more than happy, because his plan had finally succeeded.

I know all of this, yet I am still unable to do anything. I feel so hopeless, so sad, and filled with emotions that I cannot even begin to name.

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