Twilight hung like gauze, gently shrouding Yunzhou City. Pedestrians hurried through the streets, rushing home to reunite with their families. Yet, a courtyard in the east of the city was filled with an air of sorrow. Scattered across the bluestone pavement were withered petals, as if recounting an endless grief. Inside the house, flickering candlelight illuminated a face as pale as paper. Shen Qingci lay in bed, staring blankly out the window at the bright moon. Memories surged like a tide, carrying her back to those unforgettable years.
Back then, Shen Qingci was an innocent young girl living in a small town in Jiangnan. Her family was a renowned scholarly household in the town; her father was a teacher, and her mother was a well-read and virtuous lady of good breeding. Growing up in such an environment, Shen Qingci had read poetry and books since childhood, excelled in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and possessed a gentle and kind nature, like a delicate flower in spring emitting a charming fragrance.
It was a warm spring day, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patches of golden light on the ground. Shen Qingci, as usual, took her maid Xiaotao to the hillside outside the town for an outing. On the hillside, wildflowers bloomed in a riot of color, resembling a gorgeous scroll. Shen Qingci strolled among the flowers, feeling the beauty of nature, her spirits exceptionally bright and cheerful.
Chapter 207