Great Zhou Dynasty, New Year’s Eve.
It was a day meant for family reunions.
Mei Gongxue was ravenously gnawing on half a moldy steamed bun when a rat scurried over to snatch the crumbs on the floor; she kicked it away instantly.
"Mei Gongxue, the daughter of the Marquis Manor is here to collect you!" The jailer’s keys jingled loudly.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The daughter of the Marquis Manor? That must be her twin sister.
Back then, it was supposed to be Mei Xianghan who married that detestable eunuch, but in the end, she had taken her place.
Mei Gongxue had only been brought back to the Marquis Manor by her father when she was ten years old.
She still remembered how expectant she had been when she first entered the manor, believing she had finally found family to rely on.
Yet, the way her brothers looked at her was always tinged with unfamiliarity and a faint disdain. They seemed to dote much more on their youngest sister, Mei Xianghan, who looked exactly like her.
Mei Gongxue didn't lose heart; she tried hard to be lively and endearing, hoping to fit into this family.
But after her father was killed by the grand eunuch Zhao Zhang, everything changed.
That day, overcome with grief, Mei Xianghan had charged to a tavern and cursed Zhao Zhang, calling him a "castrated thing" and a "lackey." But once she calmed down, she grew terrified of retribution and lied, claiming she was "Mei Gongxue!"
At that time, Zhao Zhang held immense power. He didn't react on the surface, but turned around and petitioned the Emperor, requesting to marry the daughter of the Marquis Manor!
When Mei Gongxue found out, she wept incessantly. She didn't want to marry a eunuch; why should she bear the consequences of Mei Xianghan’s impulsiveness?
But her eldest brother said: "A-Xiang is frail. You are the elder sister; you must be responsible."
Her second brother said: "The Marquis Manor is already in turmoil; we cannot afford to offend Zhao Zhang further. You must bear this injustice."
Her third brother said: "He’s a eunuch; he can’t... do anything to you anyway!"
Even the foster brother she had admired since childhood said with a complex expression: "As soon as we find a way to eliminate Zhao Zhang, we will come to bring you back immediately!"
Only then did Mei Gongxue realize that, to this family, she was expendable.
"What are you dawdling for? The Third Young Master drove here himself. It seems the Marquis Manor still treats a married-off daughter like you quite well!" The jailer’s mocking words pulled Mei Gongxue back to reality.
After all, once a woman married a eunuch, most birth families would avoid her like the plague.
Mei Gongxue rose woodenly. After changing out of her prison garb, she saw a man and a woman standing in front of the prison entrance.
The man stood tall, his dark blue robes fluttering in the wind, carrying the heroic air unique to a military officer.
The woman was exquisitely beautiful, her figure as graceful as a willow. Even in the bitter winter, her cheeks were rosy, exuding a sense of delicate charm and allure.
Looking at the face so similar to her own, Mei Gongxue suddenly shrank back, subconsciously touching her own sallow, withered skin.
The heavy, swirling snow fell incessantly. The snow and dirt on the street had long since blended together—just like her, tainted and unrecognizable from her original self.
Once, the servants in the manor could never tell the twin sisters apart.
But now, surely no one would make that mistake again.
Three years had changed too much.
Mei Gongxue desperately suppressed the ache in her heart, stepped out from the shadows, and wore a look of indifference.
"Sister!" Mei Xianghan walked over with a smile, eagerly and affectionately taking her arm. "Third Brother and I have come to take you home!"
Home?
Mei Gongxue froze slightly. She stepped back a little to create distance, wanting to call out "Little Sister," but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Second Young Miss!"
Mei Xianghan’s beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears, as if she had suffered a grave injustice. "Is Sister still blaming me? Refusing to forgive me?"
She, too, had hated that Zhao Zhang to the core for killing their father. Thinking of her sister being tortured by a eunuch every day made her feel unbearable self-reproach.
At this moment, Mei Changgong stepped forward, gently shielding her behind him, and looked at Mei Gongxue with a complex expression. "Xiaoxue, don't be like this!"
He remembered that when she was first brought back to the manor, she had been so positive and optimistic, no matter the situation.
Just because he had once made a passing comment that the water used for tea was poor, she would wake up two hours early to collect dew by hand, then smile at him shyly.
But how had she become so... numb and distant?
Mei Changgong frowned slightly, but his tone softened. "It’s the New Year. The Emperor, considering the Marquis Manor's contributions in purging the eunuch faction, has granted you a pardon."
Mei Gongxue pressed her lips together. The muscles in her face, as if frozen by the bitter cold, remained lifeless. "Oh."
Mei Xianghan reached out solicitously again, trying to pull her. "It’s cold outside, get in the carriage!"
Mei Gongxue flinched and immediately pulled her hand away, tightly covering the scar on the inside of her wrist.
Stung by the rejection, Mei Xianghan was visibly struck; tears flowed silently as she turned and ran away crying.
Mei Gongxue suddenly wanted to laugh.
Did she feel wronged?
For these past three years, she had taken her place and married Zhao Zhang, living a life worse than a beast!
Every day, she had hoped the Marquis Manor would send someone to take her away from this hell—hoping by day, praying by night, calling their names even in her dreams.
When the Zhao Estate was raided, she was imprisoned again and suffered six months of torture.
Yet, not a single person from the Marquis Manor had ever come to look at her!
Never!
Just when she thought she had been forgotten by the world and had given up, they descended from the heavens to play the heroes!
Why did Mei Xianghan think that shedding a few cheap tears would earn her forgiveness?
Mei Changgong tried to stop the heartbroken Mei Xianghan but failed. Turning back to look at Mei Gongxue, his expression was clearly filled with anger. "How can you be so ungrateful?"
Mei Gongxue looked up.
Mei Changgong was startled by the dead, hollow look in her eyes, but his anger remained. "It was indeed wrong of A-Xiang to lie about your name back then, but she has felt guilty for these three years and always talks about you! She even came to pick you up on New Year’s Eve, and she has apologized—what else do you want? We are all family; do you want her to die to pay for it?"
"Besides, A-Xiang grew up by Father’s side; they were very close. Upon hearing Father was killed by a villain, she acted on impulse. You simply don't understand that kind of bond!"
With that, fearing that Mei Xianghan might do something rash in her grief, he hurried to drive the carriage after her.
Mei Gongxue calmly watched this familiar scene.
It had always been like this. No matter what conflict arose between her and Mei Xianghan, her brothers would always stand on that side.
If she had heard such words before, she would have been heartbroken, but now...
"Bang!" A firecracker exploded overhead like thunder on flat ground.
It was the New Year. A group of children in red cotton-padded jackets giggled and ran past in the noise, the air filled with festive joy.
Mei Gongxue’s ears rang. She stood abruptly in the crowd, subconsciously wrapping her thin, worn clothes tighter around herself.
She turned a deaf ear to the laughter and joy around her, as if the bustling market were nothing but a barren wasteland. She moved her feet slowly, walking mechanically toward the Marquis Manor.
A child running past bumped into her. Weak from hunger, she stumbled sideways.
A hand held her steady, and a familiar man’s voice sounded: "A-Xue, be careful!"