In the sixty-third year of the Great Wei Dynasty’s Qingyuan Era, during the third month of spring, misty rain fell. The city’s fresh greenery was shrouded in a layer of fog, steadily moistening the earth below.

In the capital, the roof tiles of the Xu residence gleamed brilliantly, washed clean by the rain, displaying a uniform luster. These were Half-Moon Tiles transported from Yunzhou. It was said that during full moons, moonlight would rest upon the roof like settled fireflies. The tiles’ manufacturing process was complex, and their price was substantial – a whole roof’s worth would cost an ordinary family a decade of labor.

However, for the capital’s Xu family, whose silk business spread throughout the nation, a roof of tiles was merely a drop in the ocean. Master Xu held the position of Imperial Tutor to the Crown Prince and had two sons. His eldest, Xu Zhiheng, stood out distinctly and had already become an Imperial Scholar at a young age, earning universal praise in the capital. Xu Zhiheng was married at eighteen to the legitimate daughter of Second Master He from the military He family, He Yan. The eldest legitimate son of the He family’s First Master was He Rufei, who held the imperial title of Flying Swan General. This marriage between literary and military families was considered a suitable match.

“Madam, what would you like?” asked Xiaodi, a delicate maid in thin clothing, as she offered a cup of hot tea.

“I’ll go for a walk,” He Yan replied, drinking the tea in one go.

“But it’s raining outside…”

“It’s fine, I’ll take an umbrella.”

The maid observed the young woman before her. The Xu family was known for their scholarly heritage, and their women were typically dressed with refined elegance. Young Madam Xu was no different, though somehow the cyan silk dress seemed oddly unsuited to her. Young Madam Xu was quite beautiful, with distinct features and a spirited air. Her eyes were like clean lake water, clear and deep… but unfortunately, she was blind.

Young Madam Xu wasn’t born blind. Three months after marrying into the Xu family, she suddenly fell ill with a strange affliction. After two days and nights of high fever, she awoke unable to see. The Xu family consulted countless divine doctors, but none could help. Afterward, Young Madam Xu rarely went out. After all, it was inconvenient for a blind person to venture outside.

He Yan walked to the pavilion by the courtyard pond.

She had been married into the Xu family for a year, going blind after three months, and spent the remaining nine months learning to live without sight, adapting well. Only occasionally did she miss the days when she could see, like now, when she could hear the rain droplets creating ripples in the pond and feel the red carp competing for food, but couldn’t see anything.

Unseen spring scenery was the best scenery, just like unseen people.

Perhaps because she went blind so early, she could barely remember what Xu Zhiheng looked like now. What she could recall was the fourteen-year-old Xu Zhiheng, a youth in cyan robes extending his hand to her with a warm smile. The current Xu Zhiheng would never reach out to her that way. Though he remained polite and gentle with her, there was a subtle barrier between them that He Yan could sense.

But she wouldn’t speak of it.

Her years of military life in her youth had taught her how to interact with men as a man, but she didn’t know how to be a woman. So she could only watch as Xu Zhiheng showed tender affection to Concubine He, feeling both heartbroken and weary. It was fortunate that she later lost her sight, sparing her from such painful scenes and granting her much peace.

She sat quietly in the pavilion, suddenly remembering her younger days in the army. On a spring day just like this, with misty rain falling, she had sat among the soldiers, smiling as she drank a bowl of strong liquor, feeling the warmth spread throughout her body.

That warmth suddenly swept through her entire body now. He Yan gripped the railing as sweetness welled up in her throat, and she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Someone’s footsteps slowly approached.

He Yan asked, “Xiaodi?”

There was no answer, and the footsteps stopped. He Yan frowned slightly: “Concubine He?”

After a moment, a woman’s voice responded, “Madam has good hearing.”

A strange feeling churned in her chest, and years of instinct made her unconsciously assume a defensive posture. Concubine He had always been gentle and modest, barely exchanging words with her in the household. This sudden appearance with a tone containing hidden satisfaction made He Yan uneasy.

But she was also puzzled – she wasn’t a competent mistress of the house, more like a decoration. She couldn’t prevent Concubine He from seeking favor, and a blind woman posed no threat to Concubine He. There was no need, no reason for Concubine He to deal with her.

“What is it?”

He Wanru adjusted the hairpin by her temple, a gift from Xu Zhiheng yesterday, but suddenly remembered the person before her couldn’t see. She withdrew her hand with some regret and said, “Madam, you’re pregnant.”

He Yan froze.

“The doctor who examined your eyes a few days ago checked your pulse. You’re pregnant.”

Among He Yan’s confusion, a trace of joy emerged. She was about to speak when she heard Concubine He sigh and say, “What a pity.”

A pity?

The smile on He Yan’s lips vanished. She asked, “What’s a pity?”

“It’s a pity this child can’t be kept.”

He Yan spoke sharply, “Concubine He, you’re bold!”

Her willow-like eyebrows rose, and though blind, her gaze was intimidating. He Wanru’s hair stood on end for a moment. But shortly after, she steadied herself and said, “This isn’t just my opinion, General He.”

At the words “General He,” He Yan’s scalp tingled. She asked, “What do you know?”

“What I should know, I know. What I shouldn’t know, I also know. General He, with such a big secret, how could the He and Xu families dare to keep you alive?”

He Yan was speechless.

Before the He family produced the Flying Swan General as a military official, they were like all other noble families in Great Wei, even on the verge of decline. Nineteen years ago, two sisters-in-law in the He family gave birth at the same time. The First Madam He gave birth to He Rufei, while the Second Madam He gave birth to He Yan.

The title should have fallen to He Rufei, but he was born weak, and doctors predicted he wouldn’t live past three years. If He Rufei died, the He family’s title would be revoked, and the entire family would truly have nothing.

The He family discussed and made a daring decision: let He Yan replace He Rufei, while He Rufei would be claimed to be He Yan, born weak and sent to a temple to be raised.

He Yan grew up under He Rufei’s identity. Though born in the second branch, she was raised in the main branch. She thought of herself as a boy from childhood who loved martial arts, and at fourteen, enlisted in the Fuyue Army without her family’s knowledge. Gradually, she rose to fame in battles, even receiving imperial recognition and the title of Flying Swan General, earning the opportunity to have an imperial audience.

It was at this time that He Rufei, who had been “recovering” in the temple, returned.

He Rufei hadn’t died; he had lived safely to eighteen. He appeared agile, healthy, and handsome. So everything returned to its original place.

He Rufei met the Emperor and became the Flying Swan General, while He Yan remained He Yan. Everything wasn’t as difficult as imagined. To prevent today’s situation, the He family had long stipulated that He Yan would appear in public wearing a mask, so no one had seen He Rufei’s true appearance. As for He Yan, she was arranged by the He family to marry the current Imperial Scholar, the young talent Xu Zhiheng.

Xu Zhiheng was handsome and gentle, considerate and polite, and his mother was also generous, never harsh. For a woman, it should have been the best possible marriage. He Yan had once thought so, until today. The mask of warmth was torn away, and the bloody truth was colder than the hardest battle she had ever faced on the battlefield.

“That bowl of soup that blinded you was personally ordered by your family elders. Only dead people can keep secrets, and you alive—you’re their greatest threat!”

“When you took the medicine, the Young Master was watching from the next room.”

“When you die, both the He and Xu families will only breathe a sigh of relief. You have only yourself to blame!”

He Yan laughed loudly.

Blame her?

Blame her for what?

Blame her for replacing He Rufei’s identity for the family’s benefit. Blame her for being obsessed with martial arts and joining the army? Blame her for treading on sword edges and drinking blood on the battlefield, killing enemies decisively? Or blame her for earning the imperial title of Flying Swan General, letting He Rufei claim her achievements?

Blame her for being a woman. Because she was a woman, she couldn’t honorably build merit and establish her career under her name. Because she was a woman, she deserved to sacrifice herself for the He family, to pave the way for the He family’s men. In the end, she had overestimated the He family’s humanity and underestimated their selfishness.

And Xu Zhiheng… she should have been blind earlier, to think he was good.

“What are you laughing at?” He Wanru frowned and asked.

“I’m laughing at you,” He Yan said, word by word, facing her direction. “I laugh at how ridiculous you are. I may die because of this secret, but do you think you’ll live after knowing it?”

He Wanru sneered, “Still stubborn at death’s door. Come—”

Guards quickly surrounded He Yan.

“Kill her!”

Willow branches can become weapons. Soft yet tough, like a woman’s hand. Though they were light branches still bearing new buds, they were like embroidered swords, able to brush aside opponents’ blades.

He Wanru had heard of the Flying Swan General’s reputation. She knew that woman was valiant in battle, unlike ordinary girls, but only upon seeing it did she know the rumors were true.

He Yan was blind, yet she could still fight ten men at once, kicking away the guard in front of her, as if about to break through the dark courtyard’s encirclement, and ride away on horseback, unstoppable.

But suddenly, she fell like a shot wild goose from mid-air, her blood spattering on the grass like scattered wildflowers.

That cup of tea… the tea Xiaodi had given her.

She had lost her sight, and now she lost all her senses, becoming a truly blind person, a trapped beast.

To kill her, they had truly made foolproof preparations.

“You fools, now’s the time!” He Wanru urged anxiously.

He Yan tried to raise her head. With a “pak” sound, intense pain shot through her knees as someone behind her struck her legs heavily. Her knees weakened, nearly making her kneel, but the next moment, a fist struck her back.

Fists fell scattered like raindrops on her body, pounding her internal organs.

They wouldn’t wound her with swords, wouldn’t leave evidence of injury on her body.

Someone grabbed her hair and dragged her to the pond’s edge, brutally forcing her head down. Cold water covered her eyes, nose, mouth, and neck. He Yan could no longer speak. Her body sank heavily, but she struggled to look up. The water’s surface grew increasingly distant, the light like sunlight. For an instant, it was like returning home, vaguely hearing the marching songs, companions reading hometown letters in their local accents, accompanied by Concubine He’s panicked crying.

“Help! The Young Madam has fallen into the water—”

She wanted to go home.

But she had no home to return to.