The Ling family was a prominent clan in Dingzhou, with a genealogy traceable back ten generations. The Ling ancestors had once held high office of the second rank of the first grade, and had accumulated thousands of acres of fertile land and vast wealth.

Regrettably, each successive generation of children and grandchildren proved less capable than the last. By the present generation, only half of the ancestral family fortune remained.

Old Master Ling had died early, leaving behind four sons and one daughter. Ling Daye and Ling Wuye were born of the principal wife; Ling Erye and Ling Siye were both born of concubines.

Ling Daye had passed the imperial examinations, and was now serving in the Ministry of Works.

Ling Erye had achieved little in his studies, and had purchased a seventh-rank county magistrate position, taking up the post elsewhere.

Ling Sanye had died young. Ling Siye had fallen from a horse in his youth and broken his leg. Though the bone had eventually mended, it left him with a lasting difficulty in walking. He abandoned his studies and instead helped manage the Ling family’s shops and estates.

Ling Wuye had a fair amount of talent and learning, but was ill-fated in timing — after passing the provincial examinations as a juren, he had failed for many years to advance further. He had contentedly taken on the role of a refined and carefree man of culture, spending his days in the company of friends, drinking wine, composing poetry, and appreciating flowers and paintings. He had made quite a name for himself in Dingzhou.

The old madam had lived as a widow for many years, guarding the ancestral Ling estate and raising her four sons and one daughter. Though she had not treated the two concubine-born sons quite as she had the principal-wife sons, it could still be considered generous enough.

In the Ling household, the old madam held a position of the highest authority. It went without saying that her sons were filial; her daughters-in-law stood before her with reverent deference, and the many grandchildren competed eagerly to win her favor. The grandchild she valued most highly was Ling Ji, the eldest grandson of the first branch; yet the ones she loved most fondly were the twin siblings of the fifth branch.

Ling Jingshu’s beauty was citywide in its renown, her talent and accomplishments remarkable, her nature perceptive and understanding, her manner gentle and compliant.

Ling Xiao had been gifted from childhood and celebrated as a child prodigy. After losing his sight in the accident at age eight, he had become all the more pitiable, and was kept at the old madam’s knee ever since.

That the old madam doted especially on this pair of siblings was only natural.

The Ling ancestral residence had been passed down for over a hundred years, and its carved beams and painted rafters bore the mottled patina of time. Ling Jingshu stood outside Yonghe Hall, looking at the familiar grass and trees — and in her heart, she felt no nostalgia or warm remembrance, only sorrow and desolation.

In her past life, during the first three years after her marriage, her contact with her family home had still been reasonably close. In those days, aside from the regret of her twin brother’s early death, she had felt only that all was going smoothly — that life was happy and comfortable.

Yet the so-called happiness had been nothing but a false image.

When the merciless storm swept in, those around her tore away their false faces one by one, revealing their true and savage countenances — and together they drove her into an abyss from which there was no return…

A crisp voice broke through the tumult of Ling Jingshu’s thoughts: “Your servant pays respects to the ninth young lady.”

Ling Jingshu looked up.

This was Mo Kui, the old madam’s chief personal maidservant.

Mo Kui was sixteen this year, fair-skinned and charming, with a slender figure and eyes that curved into crescents when she smiled. She was greatly trusted by the old madam. “The old madam has been thinking of the ninth young lady these past two days. She was just now overjoyed to hear that the ninth young lady had recovered and was coming to pay her respects. Please allow your servant to lead the young lady inside.”

Ling Jingshu said nothing, only gave a nod, then took Ling Xiao’s hand and stepped into Yonghe Hall.

Mo Kui paused for just a moment, sensing that the ninth young lady seemed somehow different from usual today.

In what way, exactly, she could not quite say.

Mo Kui steadied herself and pushed that fleeting thought to the back of her mind, then quickened her steps to follow.

Just as she reached the outer room of the inner hall, she heard the voice of a young girl — sweet and charming: “…Grandmother, your seventieth birthday is just half a month away. Your granddaughter has hand-stitched a forehead band for you. If the needlework is not skillfully done, please do not find fault with it.”

The old madam’s laughter drifted out: “Xian Jie’er made it with her own hands — how could I possibly not love it?”

Ling Jingshu’s footsteps faltered for just a moment.

Grandmother’s seventieth birthday was half a month away… Every tragedy of her past life had begun with this birthday celebration. Heaven had caused her to be reborn at this precise moment — surely it was to open her eyes and allow her to make different choices this time.

This time, she absolutely would not repeat the same mistakes!

Ling Xiao had no way of knowing why Ling Jingshu had stopped. He asked in a puzzled, quiet voice: “A’Shu, what is wrong?”

Ling Jingshu came to herself quickly. Knowing full well that Ling Xiao could not see her, she still produced a perfectly composed smile. “Nothing at all. Let us go inside and pay our respects to grandmother.”

The first figure to meet her eyes was the old madam seated in the place of honor.

The old madam was already seventy years old. Her hair had long since turned silver-white, and her brow and the corners of her eyes were deeply lined with wrinkles. Yet her pair of eyes had not grown cloudy with age; every now and then a glint of shrewd brightness passed through them.

Seated to the left of the old madam was Yue Shi, the second aunt by marriage.

The girl in pale pink beside Yue Shi was around fifteen, with rosy cheeks and lively eyes — she was the eighth cousin, Ling Jingxian, who had just been speaking so coquettishly to the old madam.

On the other side of the old madam sat Wang Shi, the fourth aunt by marriage. At Wang Shi’s side stood a graceful young girl of the same tender age, delicate and quietly refined in her appearance — the sixth cousin, Ling Jingwan.

Ling Jingshu’s gaze swept rapidly over the others and landed on the face of a woman dressed in a silver-red satin jacket.

She appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with eyes set slightly small and lips a touch wide, with a small red mole at the corner of her mouth. Taken separately, her features were not especially beautiful — yet together, they possessed a distinctive and alluring charm.

This woman was Ling Jingshu’s stepmother, Li Shi.

The instant that familiar face came into view, Ling Jingshu could barely contain the surging tide of hatred. On instinct, she gripped Ling Xiao’s hand with great force.

Ling Xiao had not expected it at all. He drew in a sharp breath of cold air, a cry of pain rising to his lips — which he then swallowed back down. He turned his hand and grasped Ling Jingshu’s right hand as it continued to tremble faintly, his heart quietly filling with worry.

Ever since A’Shu had woken today, she had seemed somehow strange…

Best not to make a fuss about it, for fear of unsettling grandmother.

Ling Jingshu quickly came back to herself. She took a long, quiet breath inward and then smiled as she stepped forward, bowing respectfully before the old madam. “Shu’er pays respects to grandmother.”

After two days of high fever with the heat only just broken, her voice was slightly more hoarse and lower than usual, yet it remained pleasant and melodious.

The old madam looked Ling Jingshu over and smiled, reaching out to beckon her over. “Shu Jie’er, come to grandmother quickly — let grandmother have a good look at you.”

Her smile was as warmly affectionate as it had always been.

Just as if she were still the grandmother who had always cherished her.

But Ling Jingshu remembered clearly. When she had fled home in despair after suffering humiliation at her husband’s household, desperately seeking help — the expression on this very face had been utterly cold and without compassion. Without a moment’s pity, she had ordered Ling Jingshu bound and sent back to her husband’s home…

In the old madam’s heart, the Ling family’s legacy and reputation would always come first. As for a granddaughter who had already married out — no matter how many indignities she endured, it would never weigh on this heart.

Ling Jingshu’s fingertips were ice cold. Yet her face bloomed with a gentle and deferential smile as she led Ling Xiao to stand before the old madam.

The old madam took Ling Jingshu’s hand and immediately creased her brow. “Why are your hands so cold? Are you not wearing enough?”

No matter how cold her hands, could they match the chill within her heart?

Ling Jingshu lowered her eyes and answered softly. “It is Shu’er’s fault, for making grandmother worry.”

“Indeed — Shu cousin has been ill these two days, and it has had grandmother terribly anxious.” Ling Jingxian spoke up with a smile, and as she took in Ling Jingshu’s face — slightly pale and thin yet losing nothing of its beautiful elegance — a flicker of envy passed through her eyes.

Ling Jingshu, only fourteen years old, possessed not only citywide beauty but also a remarkable skill in cultivating rare and prized peonies. Her presence cast all her female cousins into shadow.

Everyone knew of the old madam’s special fondness for Ling Jingshu.

Ling Jingxian had expended considerable effort and was just succeeding in coaxing grandmother to cheerfulness — yet the moment Ling Jingshu arrived, grandmother’s eyes immediately held room for no one else.

Ling Jingshu turned a smile toward Ling Jingxian. “With Xian cousin here to attend upon grandmother and bring her joy, how could grandmother still spare a thought for me?”

Ling Jingxian was only one year older than her, and was by nature competitive, always trying to outdo her in everything — they had even fallen for the same young man. Regrettably, Ling Jingxian was ambitious but ill-fated and had never once won.

Hearing her two granddaughters playfully squabble over her affections, the old madam was greatly pleased and laughed heartily. “Enough, enough — the two of you are both the flesh of grandmother’s heart. I could not do without either of you.”

The daughters-in-law and granddaughters all laughed along obligingly.

The young men of the Ling family spent their days studying at the family school, and even the youngest, Ling Fou, had begun his schooling. In ordinary times, the inner quarters held only the women of the household — the sole male present was Ling Xiao.

After the old madam had asked Ling Jingshu a few solicitous questions about her health, she turned to look at Ling Xiao and said with fond tenderness: “While Shu Jie’er was ill these past two days, you had no appetite and could not stop worrying. Now that she is better, you can finally set your mind at ease.”

Ling Xiao gave a bashful smile. “Yes — your grandson has caused grandmother to worry.”

The old madam laughed. “Grandmother was born to toil and fret — a little more worry is nothing. So long as each of you is well, grandmother’s heart is at peace.”

Her warmth and tender concern were plain for all to see.

Li Shi, standing to one side, let a flash of jealousy and resentment pass through her eyes — yet she arranged her face into a smile. “Mother-in-law truly has the heart of a bodhisattva. Every son and grandchild in this whole household longs for a few words of praise from you. Even I, your daughter-in-law, shamelessly hope for a kind word from you!”

The old madam was amused to cheerful laughter by this playful remark.

Of the four daughters-in-law, the first — Sun Shi — lived in the capital with her husband. The remaining three all resided in the Ling ancestral home. The second daughter-in-law, Yue Shi, was shrewd and cutting; the fourth, Wang Shi, was quick-witted and calculating.

Li Shi was not of high birth, and was moreover Ling Wuye’s second wife. Yet she was, after all, the wife of an own son. In the old madam’s heart, she naturally carried rather more weight than Yue Shi or Wang Shi.

Li Shi was sharp-tongued and silver-tongued alike, and made a deliberate effort to flatter the old madam. Very quickly, the old madam’s attention drifted away from Ling Jingshu and her brother.

“Mother-in-law’s seventieth birthday is coming up soon, and First Uncle’s entire family set off from the capital more than half a month ago. By my reckoning, they should arrive in Dingzhou in another seven or eight days.”

Li Shi knew the old madam’s mind well, and spoke only of what she most wanted to hear. “The Lu family has also made a special journey all the way back from Jizhou. Your daughter-in-law has been married into the Ling family for eight years now, and has never yet had occasion to meet your youngest sister-in-law. This visit will finally give me the chance to grow close with her.”

At the mention of her youngest daughter, who had been married far away to Jizhou for many years without returning home even once, the old madam’s gaze softened at once. “Yes — A’Hui has been far off in Jizhou, and for these twelve years we have only exchanged letters. I too have not seen her in a very long time. If it were not for my seventieth birthday, I fear she might not have come back at all.”

Li Shi quickly took up the thread with a smile. “We must seize this opportunity and ask your sister-in-law to stay for a good while longer.”

Yue Shi and Wang Shi both smiled and chimed in agreement.

Ling Jingshu’s expression did not change upon hearing the two words “Lu family.” Only the right hand hidden within her wide sleeve tightened further.

Her fingernails dug into her palm, sending wave after wave of sharp pain.

Rage and hatred surged like scalding lava through her chest, roaring and churning without cease, nearly bursting free from her ribcage.

At this very moment, the steward of the gate came hurrying in with a face full of glad tidings to report: “This servant begs to inform the old madam — the steward who had been waiting at the wharf has sent word back. The boat on which the young mistress is traveling has arrived at the dock.”