September, late autumn.
Curfew had passed, and the rain-soaked night enveloped Dongzhimen Street. Unlike usual, it wasn’t dead silent. The sound of muddled, clattering footsteps echoed through the night. A group of Jinyiwei1The Jinyiwei (锦衣卫) was a Jinyiwei force during the Ming Dynasty in China, established in the late 14th century. They were known for their distinctive embroidered uniforms and were directly controlled by the emperor. Their primary functions included conducting surveillance, investigating cases of treason, and suppressing political dissent. The Jinyiwei had the authority to arrest, interrogate, and execute individuals without going through the regular judicial system, making them a powerful and often feared institution. Their activities were carried out with a high degree of secrecy and they played a significant role in maintaining the emperor’s control over the state., their waists adorned with broad swords, arrived in succession, searching every corner of the streets and alleys, their blades clanging noisily.
In the heavy twilight, only a few taverns still had lights burning.
Someone pulled their head back from the cool window, burping and whispering, “What’s happened? Who are they arresting now?”
Just then, with a creak, someone slipped in through the back door, crouching low. He was a regular at the tavern. He ordered a jar of wine, brushed the raindrops off his sleeves, and sneered, “What else could it be? The Huo family got attacked by assassins again. Look, the patrol guards have surrounded the city gates tonight.”
As his words fell, a murmur of disappointment spread among the crowd.
“What’s so unusual about the Huo family being attacked?” someone muttered. “Since that illegitimate son took over as the commander of the garrison, who knows how many lives have been lost at his hands? With so much blood on his hands, it’s only natural there are many seeking revenge. It’d be abnormal if there weren’t a few assassination attempts each month.”
“But it’s never been this big of a commotion,” someone else remarked. “This assassin must be quite skilled.”
The man who had just come in downed his wine and said, “It was a female assassin. I saw them interrogating a young woman when I came in.”
Mentioning the young woman brought up another recent hot topic. The conversation quickly shifted: “Have you heard about the incident at Chengyuan Temple? That eldest daughter of the Ji family… Has anyone seen her?”
Everyone shook their heads. If not for the recent rumors, no one would have known there was such a bold woman meeting with Huo Xian in secret.
“They say the eldest daughter of the Ji family is frail and has been recuperating at Chengyuan Temple for a long time, rarely showing her face. It’s no wonder we haven’t heard of her before.”
“Recuperating? How can someone so frail manage to secretly meet with someone in a temple? Sounds like an excuse to me. After all, Chengyuan Temple is quiet and convenient.”
“Master Ji is known for his integrity, yet his daughter is entangled with someone like Huo Xian. Truly a disgrace to the family!”
As they talked, a carriage sped past the tavern window, heading towards Dongwu Street.
In front of the Ji residence, the carriage door opened, and a young girl stepped down, holding an umbrella. She lifted the edge of the umbrella slightly, revealing a delicate face. She was as beautiful as a fragile snowflake, which could scatter at the slightest breeze, turning into a fine rain in the winter night—pure and transparent, untouched by dust, with an innocent, timid look in her eyes.
Anyone would want to protect such a fragile being.
She approached the old maid under the eaves and softly called, “Nanny Wan.”
The old maid looked up indifferently, lifting her eyelids slightly. “Miss, follow this old servant.”
Tonight was destined to be restless.
Outside, the Jinyiwei were conducting a house-to-house search, causing such a ruckus that the entire capital seemed to tremble. At the same time, the Ji residence was also in turmoil. From the study came the sound of a cup shattering.
“Kneel.” The man’s voice was deep and authoritative, filled with anger. “What is going on between you and Huo Xian?”
Before Ji Yuyao could explain, a woman’s angry voice followed immediately: “Disaster! Truly a disaster!” “Your father’s lifelong reputation is ruined by you!” “What sin have I committed to have such an unfilial daughter…” The words were harsh, making anyone who heard them shiver.
Ji Yuyao stood quietly, not saying a word, as if she had long been used to these heart-piercing words.
She was used to it, naturally.
When she was born, it was predicted that her destiny was extremely inauspicious. Therefore, everyone in the household always intentionally distanced themselves from her. Even her biological mother didn’t favor her, even loathed her. No matter how terrible the situation, as long as she was present, the blame would always fall on her.
It didn’t matter how much she explained.
It seemed as though her very existence was a colossal mistake.
And at times like this, her father would never speak up for her. He would either watch silently or not look at all, as these trifles in the inner courtyard were never worth wasting his precious time.
But today was somewhat different, after all, the trouble she caused this time was truly outrageous.
After a long while, the sounds of scolding and hitting gradually subsided, and the door was pushed open.
Ji Yuyao staggered forward a step, leaning against the doorpost, with two red marks across her face, her palm cut by the fragments of a broken cup, bleeding, looking very disheveled.
The maid in green hurriedly approached, whispering, “Miss, did Madam hit you?”
Ji Yuyao looked down at the cut on her palm, her eyes reddened, but she still calmly shook her head and said softly, “It’s nothing. Go to the steward and get some medicine.”
The maid quickly complied.
After the maid left, Ji Yuyao swiftly composed herself and returned to her room alone. When she was far enough from the main courtyard, seeing no one around, she suddenly stopped and quickly walked towards the corner gate.
This path was unlit and grew darker the deeper it went. Ji Yuyao felt a growing panic, enduring the pain from her wound, and ran towards the carriage parked outside the corner gate. She was startled when she saw the empty carriage:
Where is the person…
Hearing footsteps ahead, she thought it must be the Jinyiwei guards searching the area. She frowned, not daring to stay longer. She quickly hid a blood-stained cloth from the carriage into her sleeve and hurried back the way she came.
Ji Yuyao walked faster than when she came, but the path was now darker than before.
Rainwater pooled on the ground, and the faint moonlight cast shadows of withering leaves around, swaying eerily in the wind.
Suddenly, an extra shadow appeared in the puddle. Hearing the footsteps stop, before she could turn around, a stick struck her head with a “bang.” She felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and immediately lost consciousness.
When she woke up, it was dark, and she couldn’t move her hands or feet. She was being dragged through a grove of trees and then thrown heavily onto the muddy ground.
“Hurry, throw her into the lake!”
She heard someone say, the voice very familiar, but in the rainy night, it was hard to distinguish.
Before she could think further, she was suddenly spinning.
With a splash, she was submerged in the cold lake water.
Instinctively, she struggled, but her movements gradually slowed.
The suffocating feeling of near-death surged up, and the faint light above her grew weaker, like a flickering ghost fire.
She felt her entire body growing cold, her consciousness gradually fading. Just before her eyes completely closed, she saw ripples in the water not far away, as if a figure was breaking through the waves, like a sudden burst of heavenly light—
