Jiang Yan Gui was sprawled over the guard’s shoulder, his eyes bloodshot as he cried out with every word, “Mother—”

Lady Jiang watched her son’s retreating figure, and suddenly staggered, collapsing into the snow.

The snowflakes splattered onto her, but she felt no cold.

In a daze, she recalled the time when she was fifteen and had fallen while playing in the snow.

“Chu Wanping!”

Someone was calling her, and in her daze, she sensed a hint of sadness in that voice.

But she could no longer open her eyes.

Throughout her life, from childhood to becoming a young woman, to getting married, to being a mother, all her memories flashed before her like a revolving lantern.

It felt like a grand dream; she couldn’t tell which was reality and which was a dream.

She didn’t want to distinguish them anymore; she just wanted to sleep…

This winter in Shengjing was truly cold.

---

Xizhou.

Jiang Yanyi was having breakfast.

The mushroom chicken porridge in the clay pot was fragrant and thick.

As she scooped porridge into a bowl, she called out to Qiu Kui, who was outside shoveling snow, “Qiu Kui, it’s time to eat.”

Qiu Kui quickly ran into the room.

Jiang Yanyi handed her the bowl of porridge. “Pass me another bowl.”

Qiu Kui took a bowl from the cabinet and handed it over.

However, she let go too soon during the handoff, and Jiang Yanyi didn’t catch it.

The bowl made a “clatter” as it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Jiang Yanyi frowned slightly, while Qiu Kui looked a bit flustered: “I’m sorry, Huahua, I thought you had it steady.”

“It’s fine; broken pieces bring peace,” Jiang Yanyi said, squatting down to pick up the shards.

But her finger was pricked by a piece of broken porcelain, and blood instantly oozed out, one drop landing on the white porcelain shards, shocking to see.

The older generation used to say that breaking something early in the morning was unlucky.

Although Jiang Yanyi didn’t believe in such superstitions, she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Chu Changping had returned to the capital several days ago, and since Feng Shuo had gone to the military camp in Xizhou, she hadn’t heard from him.

She was worried about what might have happened in the capital, as well as about Feng Shuo’s injury.

She only hoped this wasn’t an ominous sign.

After several days of anxiety, Jiang Yanyi had almost finished organizing the newly bought residence when she finally received news that Chu Changping was bringing the Chu family members to Xizhou.

As soon as Chu Changping’s confidant arrived to deliver the message, she threw aside her business matters and hurried to the new residence with the gifts she had prepared.

On the way, she asked the confidant how Lady Jiang and Jiang Yan Gui were doing.

For a moment, the confidant seemed unsure how to answer her, simply saying, “Miss, you’ll find out when you get there.”

From his words, Jiang Yanyi sensed something was amiss.

When she arrived at the new residence, she happened to meet Chu Changping coming out of the front hall.

He seemed to have lost some weight since his departure for the capital, his cheeks looking sunken and gray hair showing more clearly.

“Uncle,” Jiang Yan Yi called out to him.

“Ah.” Chu Changping responded and added, “Your grandmother and your uncle are inside; go see them.”

Jiang Yan Yi’s sense of foreboding grew stronger.

She asked, “Uncle, did something happen on the way?”

Chu Changping shook his head but couldn’t help the tears welling in his eyes. He said, “Your mother… is gone.”

Jiang Yanyi’s mind went blank for a moment, and it took a while for her to recover.

She had the original owner’s memories, but hadn’t yet had a chance to form a bond with Lady Jiang.

In terms of sadness, she hadn’t even met Lady Jiang, so it was hard to feel deeply saddened.

However, there was a tightness in her chest, a natural reaction of this body upon hearing about the death of a loved one.

She asked, “How did she die?”

Chu Changping looked up at the sky and took a deep breath before answering, “On her way out of the city, she encountered Jiang Jing’an. He wanted to take Yan Gui away, and somehow the imperial guards were alerted. The guards wanted to arrest him, and your mother died under the guards’ arrows while trying to rescue Yan Gui.”

He extended his large palm and patted her shoulder. “If you want to cry, cry here; once you go inside, don’t cry anymore. Your grandmother has been in tears the whole way; she fainted several times. She’s old and can’t bear this sadness.”

Jiang Yanyi nodded.

After Chu Changping left, she stood outside for a moment before stepping into the house.

Her footsteps were light, and as she entered, no one immediately noticed her.

Old Lady Chu was sitting on a rattan bed, supported by several soft pillows, while a middle-aged woman was serving her medicine, surrounded by several young girls.

Jiang Yanyi recognized that the woman was Liu, the first wife of the Chu elder.

The two younger girls who looked like Liu were from the first room, while the younger one was from the second room.

“Mother, please take another sip. You can’t just stop eating,” Liu gently persuaded.

Old Lady Chu turned her face, tears streaming down her cheeks again: “I can’t eat. I might as well go with my poor Ping’er.”

Hearing her say this, the Chu elder, who was sitting nearby, couldn’t help but get angry: “Mother, don’t mention her! Throughout her life, hasn’t she brought enough trouble to the family?

If it weren’t for you and the third brother always indulging her, would she have been so reckless as a mother?

Look at the trouble her children cause! We moved to Xizhou in disgrace because of her! Don’t forget who is responsible for this! When she left the city, she was insane, and our whole family nearly lost their lives!”

“You… ungrateful child!” Old Lady Chu was infuriated to the point of pain in her chest.

After unleashing his anger, the Chu elder stormed out, and as he reached the entrance, he bumped into Jiang Yanyi.

He paused for a moment, said nothing, and walked past her.

At this moment, the people in the room finally noticed Jiang Yanyi standing there.

Liu was helping Old Lady Chu ease her heart.

When she saw Jiang Yan Yi, her expression was a bit awkward, but she quickly smiled: “Ah Yi is here. Don’t listen to your uncle; he’s always a fool.”

Upon hearing that Jiang Yanyi was there, Old Lady Chu hurriedly looked over, and when she saw Jiang Yanyi, she immediately burst into tears: “Ah Yi, come here to your grandmother.”

Jiang Yanyi stepped forward, and the elder Mrs. Chu hugged her tightly and cried hard, “Your mother had such a hard life! She had been longing to see you, but in the end, she still couldn’t…”

Liu Shi also dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and advised, “Mother, please stop crying. You’ve been crying the whole way here; if you keep this up, your eyes will be ruined.”

Jiang Yanyi didn’t know how to comfort the elder Mrs. Chu, but in that moment, she was genuinely affected by her emotions and felt a deep sadness in her heart.

Her eyes gradually welled up with tears. “Grandmother.”

Seeing Jiang Yanyi cry, the elder Mrs. Chu became flustered. “Ayi, don’t cry! You still have your grandmother. From now on, if anyone dares to bully you two siblings, they’ll have to deal with me first!”

Liu Shi, standing nearby, felt a flash of displeasure at the elder Mrs. Chu’s words.

Noticing that the elder Mrs. Chu had stopped crying, she handed her the bowl of soup she was holding. “Mother isn’t willing to eat, so please persuade her to have some.”

Jiang Yanyi nodded. “I understand.”

Liu Shi knew that the elder Mrs. Chu likely wanted to speak with Jiang Yanyi alone, so she said, “Mother, I’ll take my leave for now. If there’s anything, just call for me.”

The elder Mrs. Chu seemed still to be angry and ignored her.

Liu Shi’s expression stiffened.

After she left, her two daughters and Chu Er Ye’s only daughter, Chu Jiabao, followed her out.

However, Chu Jiabao seemed to harbor quite a bit of hostility towards Jiang Yanyi and shot her a fierce glare as she passed.

Jiang Yanyi noticed but said nothing.

Once the room was left with just the grandmother and granddaughter, the elder Mrs. Chu could no longer hold back her tears. “Jiang Jing’an is a scoundrel! If he hadn’t intervened, how could your mother have not reached Xizhou?”

“I regret it! How could I have been so blind back then to let Ping’er choose such a wolf-hearted, dog-livered person? It has caused her suffering her entire life!”

“Grandmother, don’t think about it anymore. Mother wouldn’t want to see you sad,” Jiang Yanyi took a deep breath to suppress the pang in her heart, scooped a spoonful of soup, and fed it to the elder Mrs. Chu. “You can’t go on without eating; Yanguo and I are counting on you to live a long life.”

The elder Mrs. Chu wiped her eyes with a silk handkerchief. “Of course I will eat! I have to look after you two siblings properly. Just thinking about Ping’er makes my heart feel like it’s being sliced with a knife…”

Through coaxing and persuasion, Jiang Yanyi finally managed to get the elder Mrs. Chu to drink the bowl of soup.

The elderly woman was exhausted from the long journey, but she still held Jiang Yanyi’s hand and talked on and on.

It was only after Jiang Yanyi lulled her to sleep that she finally left.

As she stepped out of the courtyard, she sighed softly.

To lose a loved one is one of life’s greatest tragedies.

Passing by the courtyard that had been prepared for Madam Jiang, Jiang Yanyi saw it was empty, and her heart felt even heavier.

Remembering her brother, whom she had yet to meet, she went to the next courtyard.

Jiang Yanguo couldn’t get out of bed; he sat there, staring blankly ahead.

His skin was sickly pale, and his delicate features appeared lifeless.

In the room were guards from the Chu family who had accompanied Jiang Yanguo from the capital.

They had been attending to him all the way and had figured out his temperament, so even when they served him tea and water, they did so quietly.

When Jiang Yanyi entered, the guards called out, “Cousin,” and then bowed and stepped back.

Jiang Yanyi sat down on the embroidered stool by the bed, looking at the lifeless boy lying there.

She felt a mix of emotions. “Yanguo.”

Only then did Jiang Yanguo’s eyes move; he looked over at her, his eyes dark but devoid of any sparkle. “Sister.”

Jiang Yanyi held his hand. “I’m here.”

“We don’t have a mother anymore.”

As he said this, a tear rolled down his cheek, fast and urgent.

Jiang Yanyi leaned down and hugged the half-grown boy. “Don’t cry; Mother is always with us. She’s in heaven.”

Tears flowed continuously from Jiang Yanguo’s dark, lifeless eyes. “The one who should be dead is me. I’m a useless person; I can’t do anything… I should be the one to die…”

The approaching imperial troops, the rain of arrows, the cold body that fell after being struck, the deafening battle cries, and the gradually closing city gates—everything from that day had turned into countless nights of tormenting nightmares.

Jiang Yanguo closed his eyes in pain and trembled uncontrollably.

If only he weren’t useless, then Mother wouldn’t have died in the hands of the imperial troops trying to save him!

He muttered, “The one who should be dead is me… I’m the one who should die…”

Seeing him in such a frenzied, dazed state made Jiang Yanyi feel both heartbroken and sad, and she gave him a firm slap.

Jiang Yanguo’s face turned to the side from the slap.

Jiang Yanyi said, “You need to live well! Live like a person! What good is dying? Can it bring Mother back? Can it make the one who killed her pay for it?”

“Sister, I hate it! I hate it so much!” Jiang Yanguo finally broke down in tears, his fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his flesh without him even noticing the pain.

He truly hated it so much!

Watching him cry his heart out, Jiang Yanyi’s own eyes brimmed with tears.

She wiped them away and looked up at the sky, saying, “If you hate it, then you must live even better! The more you ruin yourself, the happier those who want to destroy you will be. Living gives you the chance to take revenge; if you’re dead, you’ll have nothing.”

Unbeknownst to her, her words today would one day lead the young boy before her to use cunning and become a figure of great power.

---

After leaving the Chu family’s new residence, Jiang Yanyi didn’t rush back to the inn.

The snow fell like goose feathers, and she walked aimlessly through the white, expansive world.

As she passed under the eaves of a house that had tightly shut its shop door, she suddenly didn’t want to go on any longer.

She sat down on the steps in front of the shop, hugging her knees, resting her chin on her arms, staring blankly at the swirling snow.

“Are you trying to freeze yourself sick?”

Jiang Yanyi didn’t know how long she had been sitting there when someone suddenly pulled her up and wrapped her in a warm embrace.

The familiar scent of soapwort filled her senses, and she felt a sudden sting in her nose, followed by tears streaming down her face.

Feng Shuo noticed her shoulders shaking, and he gently stroked her back.

After a moment of silence, he said, “I’m sorry.”

As soon as he received the news, he knew something was wrong and rushed over from the Xizhou military camp.

Not being able to bring everyone from the Chu family safely to Xizhou was a failure on his part.

In the face of his apology, Jiang Yanyi shook her head, but the tears did not stop.

She couldn’t distinguish how much of her tears were the body’s instinctive emotions and how much belonged to her own sadness.

She cried so hard that she gasped for breath, and Feng Shuo’s brow furrowed even tighter.

“Don’t cry.” He wasn’t good at comforting people, and in the bone-chilling wind and snow, those words, which didn’t sound like comfort, held all his tenderness.

Having lived for over twenty years, he only realized today that watching someone cry could truly hurt one’s heart.