Chapter 1

At the end of February, during the lingering chill of early spring, Xu Yingyue stood trembling beside a pomegranate tree in the courtyard of the main house.

She had been punished to stand there by her stepmother, Madam Xu, for being too loud when offering morning greetings—deemed as disrespectful.  

Having stood for nearly two hours already, she had watched her elder half-sister Xu Wangyue depart in grand procession to attend a flower banquet at the Marquis of Longchang’s residence. Meanwhile, her other half-sisters, Xu Xiyue and Xu Jiaoyue, both born of concubines like herself, had breakfasted with Madam Xu before wrapping themselves in furs and returning to their own quarters.  

Now, as the morning drew to a close, Madam Xu began her household duties, with stewards and matrons arriving one after another to report affairs. Yet Yingyue remained standing there, her stomach empty and aching.  

Her limbs were frozen stiff, her belly pinched with hunger—she couldn’t tell which was more unbearable.  

The passing servants cast glances at her, some deliberate, some unintentional. Being punished in public was hardly dignified. To avoid meeting their eyes, Yingyue pretended to be absorbed by the pomegranate tree beside her, staring blankly at one of its branches.  

A tiny new leaf bud had sprouted on it since yesterday.  

Yingyue knew this because she had stood in the same spot the day before—yes, this wasn’t her first time being sent out to “reflect” on propriety. Yesterday, Madam Xu had punished her for greeting too softly, suspecting her of reluctance to pay respects.  

So today, she had raised her voice—only to fall foul of Madam Xu again.  

Not that it was surprising. For a stepmother to find fault with a concubine-born daughter was all too easy. If Madam Xu wished, every strand of Yingyue’s hair could be deemed a transgression.  

Of course, Madam Xu herself saw nothing harsh in this. No beatings, no scoldings—it wasn’t even the dead of winter. How could standing outside for a while harm anyone? If such a mild punishment was too much to bear, surely it proved the concubine-born daughter’s wicked heart, scheming to play the victim and defy her stepmother—  

So even as her legs turned to numb wooden sticks, Yingyue had no choice but to endure.  

By this hour, however, it had become slightly more bearable. The sun climbed higher, the biting morning breeze faded, and the golden sunlight, once illusory, finally carried real warmth.  

Just then, Jinling, one of Madam Xu’s senior maids, stepped out. Dressed in a fresh slate-blue short jacket and a fine purple-flowered sleeveless vest, she stood before Yingyue with a faint, mocking smile, hands tucked into her sleeves.  

“Third Miss,” she said, “Madam has sent me to ask—have you realized your mistake?”  

Yingyue parted her lips—her face was stiff with cold—and after a pause, replied, “Yes.”  

“Then you may go. Tomorrow, don’t repeat it.”  

Jinling spoke with Madam Xu’s authority, representing her will. Yingyue bent her frozen knees slightly. “Yes. Thank you for Madam’s guidance.”  

Jinling stepped aside without another word, turned, and ascended the steps to lift the curtain and reenter the house.  

Only then did Yingyue dare to stamp her numb feet. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she blew warm breath onto them before slowly making her way out of the courtyard.  

Her thin, hunched figure drew a few murmurs of pity from the passersby: “Ah, what’s the use of being born a young lady without a mother—”

“Hush, are you trying to get yourself killed?” A slightly older maid happened to pass by the young girl who had sighed while wiping the corridor pillars. Hearing her words, the older maid gave her a light smack on the head and scolded in a hushed tone, “Madam Xu is perfectly fine, how can Third Miss have no mother? If Madam hears this, she’ll have your skin flayed!”

The young maid hurriedly begged for mercy repeatedly. Once the older maid left, she buried herself in wiping the pillars, not daring to utter another word.

**

Ying Yue was halfway back when her maid Shinan caught up with her.

Shinan’s eyes were already red from worry, pacing anxiously by the roadside. The moment she saw Ying Yue’s unsteady steps, she rushed forward, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Miss!”

Ying Yue leaned into her support, immediately feeling much lighter. Relaxing against her, she smiled and said, “Why cry? I’m fine, see? I’m back now.”

Shinan choked back a sob. “Don’t talk, Miss. Let’s hurry back. Yuzan has already prepared hot water, the hot water bottle, and the heated basket. You need to warm up quickly.”

Cold and hungry, Ying Yue had little energy to speak. She simply nodded and let Shinan support her all the way back to the Clear Brook Courtyard.

The Clear Brook Courtyard was tucked away in the far northwest corner, the most remote spot from the main residence. Every day, Ying Yue had to walk a long distance to pay her respects, suffering especially in winter, gulping down cold air morning and night. Yet, Ying Yue still loved this place.

As the least favored concubine-born daughter in the household, having a small courtyard all to herself was already a stroke of luck.

Her birth mother had been a maid in the Xu household and passed away early. Madam Xu found the sight of a concubine’s daughter irritating and didn’t want to raise her in the main residence, so she handed Ying Yue over to Yun Yiniang, Xi Yue’s birth mother.

Ying Yue lived in Yun Yiniang’s courtyard for two years. At the time, she was just a three-year-old toddler, oblivious to everything, always trailing behind her elder sister Xi Yue, copying whatever Xi Yue was taught by Yun Yiniang. The two sisters went to pay respects together every day, coming and going side by side, appearing harmonious in their tiny forms.

Two years passed this way, until Madam Xu somehow had a change of heart, realizing that this arrangement only strengthened Yun Yiniang’s influence. If Ying Yue grew up under her care, wouldn’t she end up obeying Yun Yiniang in everything?

So, Madam Xu went through the trouble of moving Ying Yue out again. But she still refused to raise her personally, instead finding an empty small courtyard, assigning a few servants haphazardly, and dumping her there.

As a child, Ying Yue was oblivious. At first, she cried for a while after being separated from Xi Yue. But as she grew older, she began to appreciate having her own little world.

The courtyard was so remote that most people couldn’t be bothered to visit. Once Ying Yue returned and closed the gate, she shut out all the harshness and noise of the outside world.

“Miss!”

Her other maid, Yuzan, stood eagerly by the doorway, waiting. Seeing her return, she hurried over. “Miss, come inside quickly! I’ve heated water on the heated basket—it’s still piping hot. Warm your hands and feet right away.”

The two maids flanked Ying Yue, supporting her into the room. Shinan helped her remove her shoes and socks, while Yuzan went to the bed, took the hot water bottle from under the blankets, and placed it in Ying Yue’s arms. Then she turned to fetch the copper basin from the heated basket.

With her shoes and socks off, Ying Yue’s petite feet dangled in the air. Her toes ached and itched from the cold, eager to plunge into the basin. But Shinan quickly stopped her. “Wait, Miss.”

She first vigorously rubbed Ying Yue’s feet and calves until they were warm, only then allowing her to dip them into the water.

Ying Yue obediently held the hot water bottle and let herself be tended to. The steaming water flowed over her feet, soaking up to her ankles. She sighed contentedly and leaned back into the chair draped with an old dark green cushion.

Yuzan noticed her ears were red and reached out to touch them—they were icy cold. She couldn’t help but say pityingly, “If you endure this for two more days, miss, even your ears will freeze and get hurt.”

Worried she might develop chilblains, Yuzan gently rubbed Ying Yue’s ears, carefully avoiding the two small pearl earrings dangling from her earlobes.

Ying Yue tried to console herself, “It shouldn’t be that bad. The weather is getting warmer day by day.”

Shinan, who had turned to fetch a clean towel, grew anxious upon hearing this and hurried back. “Does that mean you’ll have to endure punishment again tomorrow, miss? No, I must go with you tomorrow. Don’t try to trick me into staying behind again.”

Young ladies of noble households were delicate, and even moving about their own homes, they rarely went alone. The reason Ying Yue had stood there punished by herself today was that she had taken Shinan with her yesterday, only for both mistress and maid to stand for nearly two hours. Sensing that today might not go any better, she had coaxed Shinan into staying behind. And indeed, it hadn’t.

Yuzan also chimed in, “Then let me accompany you tomorrow. It’s not right for us to sit here comfortably while you go hungry and suffer the cold.”

Ying Yue refused, “No, neither of you should go. Whoever goes will just end up suffering alongside me. If I fall ill, you’ll take care of me. But if you fall ill, what then? I’m clumsy—I wouldn’t know how to tend to you properly.”

Shinan felt both like laughing and crying. “What kind of talk is that, miss? Who would dare to trouble you to wait on us?” But then she grew worried again. “When will Madam Xu’s inexplicable anger finally pass?”

In the past, Ying Yue’s life hadn’t been this difficult. Tucked away in this remote little courtyard, she neither competed nor demanded anything, accepting whatever treatment came her way. Madam Xu had social engagements to attend to, household affairs to manage, and her own children to worry about. Under normal circumstances, she had no reason to trouble this shadow-like illegitimate daughter—keeping her at a distance and out of sight was enough.

But now, suddenly, things had changed. Naturally, there was a reason for this.

This reason was, in fact, known to everyone in the household. But no one dared to speak of it openly, not wanting to provoke Madam Xu’s ill temper.

In her own small courtyard, however, Ying Yue could still talk about it.

Once her feet were soaked and her body warmed up again, Yuzan went to the side room to fetch the jujube porridge simmering on the small stove. Meanwhile, Ying Yue asked Shinan, who was helping her put on her socks, “Well? Did you confirm the news?”

Shinan hadn’t gone with her to endure punishment that morning, but she hadn’t been idle at home either. Ying Yue had coaxed her into running an errand—to inquire about a piece of gossip they’d heard the day before.

Those assigned to the desolate Qingqu Courtyard weren’t particularly capable or well-connected servants. But Shinan, being born into the household, still had her own ways of gathering information.

As she guided Ying Yue’s feet into the soft embroidered slippers meant for indoor wear, she looked up with interest. “I found out! I went to Yun Yiniang’s courtyard to find Meilu, pretending I wanted to borrow Second Miss’s embroidery patterns. Before I could even bring it up, the maids there were already gossiping about it—Young Master Fang has indeed returned! And he’s been back for seven or eight days already!”

The Young Master Fang she mentioned was the eldest grandson of the eldest branch of the Pingjiang Earl’s household in the capital, and the fiancé of the Xu family’s eldest daughter, Xu Wangyue.  

Five years prior, apart from being the eldest grandson of the eldest branch, Young Master Fang had inherited another, even more illustrious title from his father—Heir Apparent of Pingjiang Earl—due to his parents’ early deaths and his grandfather’s doting affection.  

But that spring, he met with misfortune. Severely injured, he was carried back to the estate, and though his life was spared, the damage to his throat left him unable to speak. He became mute and consequently lost his Heir Apparent Position.  

On the day his uncle hosted a banquet to celebrate his own appointment as the new heir, Young Master Fang left home without a word. For five years, he vanished without a trace, and no one knew where he had gone.  

—This made it clear that Madam Xu’s household management was far from impeccable. No one dared to speak of it in her presence, but behind her back, even the maids openly gossiped about it.