Chapter 2

A white pigeon flapped its wings and flew out of the Li family residence.

The pigeon flew over streets and houses, finally landing on the roof of a mansion. It hopped on the eaves with its small claws before spreading its wings again and descending into the courtyard.

At the same time, Gu Chi, the commander of the Tianshu Camp, rode from Mingtai Temple to the mansion’s entrance. He dismounted and threw the reins to the gatekeeper, asking the approaching Steward Wu, “Where is my brother?”

Steward Wu led him inside with a troubled expression and replied, “The King didn’t go out today; he’s in the garden.”

Gu Chi frowned, his already stern face becoming even more unapproachable. “In such cold weather, why is he in the garden instead of inside?”

Gu Chi quickly entered, with Steward Wu following closely behind, complaining, “Who knows? It’s bad enough he’s out in the wind, but he also insisted on having someone fetch wine from the Grand Princess’s cellar. If the Grand Princess finds out, what will we do?”

They reached the garden and passed through a moon gate. Gu Chi immediately saw his brother in the lakeside pavilion, wrapped in a fox fur cloak, brewing wine and watching the snow.

The two brothers looked nothing alike. Gu Chi resembled their maternal grandfather and mother, with a stern expression that practically spelled out “not easy to get along with.” His brother, Lin Que, took after their father. Even with his hair loose and only casually tied with a ribbon to keep it from blowing in the wind, he still looked like a refined gentleman, gentle and kind.

Coincidentally, Gu Chi took their mother’s surname, while his brother took their father’s surname, Lin, as if it had been predestined.

The steward stopped at the lake’s edge while Gu Chi stepped into the pavilion alone. Before his brother could react, Gu Chi drew his sword and cut the cords holding the bamboo curtains around the pavilion.

The curtains fell swiftly, blocking the wind and snow and obscuring the view and light from outside.

As the curtains fell, a shadow was cast on Lin Que’s face.

Lin Que took out a wine cup and placed it in front of Gu Chi. “Such a beautiful view. It would be a shame not to enjoy it.”

Gu Chi sheathed his sword with a sharp sound, his voice colder than the clanging of weapons: “Wait until your health is better before you look.”

Lin Que’s expression remained gentle and smiling, the dark brown mole at the corner of his left eye making him appear even more refined and harmless: “If I don’t get better and die, wouldn’t that be a lifelong regret?”

Gu Chi’s face darkened: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lin Que chuckled and poured a ladle of warm wine into a cup for him: “Come, try the Baiyu Rao that Mother has treasured. I had someone fetch it from the Grand Princess’s cellar. Drink it quickly before Mother finds out, and you can’t have any.”

As the clear wine flowed into the cup, Gu Chi set his sword aside and sat opposite his brother.

After pouring wine for his brother, Lin Que poured himself a cup: “Didn’t Mother ask you to stay at Mingtai Temple for a few more days?”

Gu Chi stared at the wine cup: “She said the temple is a place of purity and told me to leave quickly.”

Lin Que laughed out loud, and before he could set down the wine ladle, Gu Chi had already taken his cup.

“You can’t drink,” Gu Chi said.

Lin Que’s response was to take out another clean cup from the table.

The veins on Gu Chi’s forehead throbbed, but before he could react, a servant from the pigeon loft ran over, handing him a wax pellet just taken from a pigeon’s leg, and whispered, “It’s news from the residence of Li Wendao, the Deputy Minister of War.”

Suppressing his anger, Gu Chi took the wax pellet, crushed it, and pulled out a piece of paper. After reading it, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

“Wen Bingren secretly sent a letter to Li Wendao, but Li Wendao’s daughter took it.” He thought for a moment and asked, “Does Li Wendao have a daughter?”

Lin Que poured himself another cup of wine, the warm liquid emitting a fragrant aroma: “Li Wendao has two sons and one daughter. His only daughter is the fifth child in the family.”

Lin Que was well-versed in the affairs of the noble families in the capital. With a gentle smile on his face, he sipped his wine and summarized the Li family’s fifth daughter in one sentence—

“I’ve heard she’s a mute fool.”

…

On the carriage to Mingtai Temple, Li Mu hugged a hand warmer and sneezed.

The old madam, who was in the same carriage, exclaimed and pulled the thinly dressed Li Mu closer despite her many layers of clothing: “You must have caught a cold. When we get to the temple, stay in the guest house with Yunxi and Ying’er. Don’t stay outside in the wind.”

Much taller than the old madam, Li Mu bent down and leaned against her, unsure whether to thank her for her care or apologize for causing her worry.

The letter plotting the assassination of King Yan was still hidden in her clothes. After being caught by Li Wendao in the study, Li Mu calmly jumped out of the window and ran. It wasn’t until she heard Li Wendao’s angry shout behind her, “Where do you think you’re going?!” that she realized he was right—she had nowhere to run. So she stopped and was obediently escorted back to the old madam by the maids and nannies.

Li Wendao hadn’t noticed that she had taken the letter from the poetry collection. His return was purely coincidental, and seeing her in the study, he assumed she had wandered in by mistake.

Li Mu’s outer cloak and skirt were wet from the snow. Nanny Zhao took out the cloak and skirt she was meant to change into during the journey and helped her change. Feixing went to make her a bowl of ginger soup.

The old madam urged her to drink it while asking why she had run out.

To Li Mu, the scene at that moment was like hell—everyone in the room, whether concerned or not, was looking at her.

Every cell in Li Mu’s body was screaming, “I want to die,” as her heart raced to 120 beats per minute, and the old madam’s voice filled her mind, making it hard for her to understand what the old madam was saying.

Fortunately, everyone knew she was a fool, so even though she kept her head down and drank the ginger soup without speaking, no one forced her to respond.

Later, the old madam questioned Nanny Zhao and the maids Qianyun and Feixing, treating them much more harshly than Li Mu. She intended to punish them with a beating as a warning.

Li Mu struggled to extend her hand and tugged at the old madam’s sleeve.

Li Mu’s second and third aunts also intervened. One, quick-tongued and superstitious, suggested that for the old madam’s sake, it was best not to punish the servants too harshly on such a day. The other, soft-hearted and gentle, always tried to dissuade punishments whenever someone was to be punished.

The old madam patted Li Mu’s hand, which was clutching her sleeve, and finally relented, only docking Nanny Zhao and the others two months’ wages.

Li Mu calmly calculated that she could cover the amount with her New Year’s money.

In any case, the matter was settled.

The whole family set off for Mingtai Temple.

Li Mu shared a carriage with the old madam and Nanny Qiao, who had served the old madam for many years. When they arrived, the old madam instructed Nanny Qiao to take Li Mu to the guest house to rest. Li Ying, the seventh-ranked sibling, and the female protagonist, Li Yunxi, the eighth-ranked sibling, were also required to go to the guest house. One was ten years old, and the other was nine. Their relationship was sometimes good and sometimes bad. A few days ago, they had argued fiercely over whose velvet hairpin was prettier. Today, they were bored because they could only stay in the guest house, so they teamed up to find something fun to pass the time.

Li Mu knew that the old madam wanted to treat everyone equally and didn’t want others to think she was neglected at home, so she specifically had her two cousins stay with her in the guest house.

Li Mu felt guilty toward the two little girls because of this, so when they insisted on having her as an audience while they played backgammon, she didn’t refuse and quietly watched them play a few rounds.

After getting bored with backgammon, they took out dominoes and played a guessing game, agreeing that the loser would have to give up one of their New Year’s gifts to the winner as a prize.

Outside, the snow was still falling. Li Mu sat aside, watching them play and laugh. The maids and nannies were busy brewing tea, serving snacks, or huddling around the stove, chatting quietly.

The maids who usually accompanied Li Mu were Nanny Zhao and the two maids, Qianyun and Feixing. This time, Feixing didn’t come, and the timid Qianyun stayed by the couch with a maid named Yinping, who served Li Yunxi.

The atmosphere in the room was so good that Li Mu felt sleepy and dozed off, even having a dream.

The book mentions that the female protagonist, Li Yunxi, had three cousins. The eldest, the second cousin, was already married when the Li family was executed. After the family’s downfall, she was divorced and became a nun. The fifth cousin, Li Mu—the original owner—died of illness a year before the family’s execution at the age of sixteen. The seventh cousin, Li Ying, and Li Yunxi were taken to the palace as slaves. A few years later, Li Ying offended a noble and was beaten to death, her body wrapped in a straw mat and thrown out of the palace.

In her dream, Li Mu saw herself transmigrating but failing to prevent the family’s execution. She and the two children were captured and taken to the palace as maids. Because she was too foolish, she died even earlier than Li Ying, in the most classic way of palace dramas—being thrown into a well to silence her.

The well was dark, and the water was cold. Li Mu woke up in shock, realizing it was just a nightmare. She was still in the guest house at Mingtai Temple, and in front of her, Li Yunxi and Li Ying were still the carefree daughters of an official family, playing without worries under the servants’ care.

Wait?

Li Mu blinked slowly, confirming she wasn’t mistaken—there was an unfamiliar little girl with Li Yunxi and Li Ying.

Was this place haunted?

Li Mu stared at the girl, judging from her clothes that she was likely a young lady from a noble family. Based on her appearance, the girl seemed to be around the same age as Li Yunxi and the others. She had only started growing her hair a few years ago, and the hair at the back and front was too short to be tied up, so she had bangs and half of her hair hanging down.

Seeing Li Mu open her eyes, the girl greeted her, “Sister, you’re awake?”

Li Mu didn’t respond and instead anxiously avoided eye contact, looking towards Nanny Qiao.

Nanny Qiao patiently explained to Li Mu that this little girl had gotten separated from her family and accidentally wandered into their guest house while she was asleep.

The little girl was articulate and could answer questions about when and where she got lost, but when asked about her family, her name, and where she lived, she stammered and couldn’t give a clear answer.

Nanny Qiao had no choice but to send someone to find the temple monks to help locate the girl’s family.

Until the monks brought news, the little girl would stay with them.

The little girl was cheerful and didn’t mind that Li Mu ignored her. She chatted happily with the equally lively Li Yunxi, and they got along very well.

On the other hand, Li Mu felt frustrated with herself for instinctively avoiding social interaction and ignoring the girl. She kept replaying her impolite behavior in her mind, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles, wishing she could find a time machine to go back and change her reaction.

After chatting with Li Yunxi for a while, the little girl suddenly remembered something and approached Li Mu. Looking up, she asked, “Sister, why don’t you talk?”

Li Mu once again avoided the girl’s eyes, but this time, she forced herself to look back, meeting the girl’s gaze.

The girl’s eyes were beautiful – clear and bright with the innocence and fearlessness of her age. Above her eyes, her neatly trimmed bangs slightly drooped due to her upward gaze, revealing a clean forehead and… a bright red mark on her temple.

Li Mu froze in place.

It was a red birthmark shaped like a phoenix. In the book “Drunken Phoenix,” there was a female antagonist who, before her death, raised a knife to kill the male protagonist. She had such a birthmark on her temple.