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墨書 Inktalez
She hugged me and cried loudly, saying it was not her intention to abandon me; she was just scared. She apologized to me, promising that she would remember the suffering I endured for the rest of her life. She even suggested that we become sworn sisters, saying that when we reached Dayuan, she would grant me the same honor she had. Whatever she had, she would surely share with me.
Children from royal families, even at a young age, possess a keen and perceptive heart. They are inherently immersed in a world of intrigue and deception. However, at that time, I did not understand this truth.
I was deeply moved by Yimia's tears. As we continued our journey, we began to refer to each other as sisters. Since I was two months older than her, I became the elder sister. I treated her like a true younger sister, caring for her in every way possible. To ensure she slept comfortably, I once ventured through thorny bushes to gather wild grass for her bedding. To make sure she had enough to eat, I consumed only what she left behind from her meals. During times of food scarcity, I even fainted from hunger several times.
Yet at that time, I felt no resentment or regret. I sincerely regarded her as my only family and wanted nothing more than for her to have a better life.
We finally arrived at Dayuan, and I thought I would be greeted with brightness and happiness, but my nightmare was just beginning.
Yimia, the granddaughter of the king, was granted the title of princess and returned to a life of luxury. Meanwhile, I was sent to the Laundry Bureau to wash the clothes of maids and servants. I struggled with hunger and coldness, washing clothes until my hands were raw and swollen.
More than the unfulfilled promise of wealth and glory, what puzzled me was why Yimia would betray and abandon me. Why did she turn her back on me? After overcoming numerous obstacles, I finally managed to bribe a maid with half a year's worth of savings to arrange a meeting with Yimia.
Dressed in fine silks and adorned with jewels, she sat on a noble lady's couch, looking down at me with disdain and disgust, just as she had in Xiliang. Before I could speak, she began: "You, a lowly servant girl, dare to fantasize about being my sister? How utterly ridiculous! If it weren't for your willingness to escort me to Dayuan, I wouldn't have lowered myself to this."
"Then why did you come back to find me? You clearly ran away at that time," I replied stubbornly, unwilling to believe her words.
"I am of noble birth; how could I endure such hardships? Without a servant like you by my side, who would find food for me? Who would carry me on the road?"
"Considering your service to me, I'll reward you with this gold hairpin." She casually plucked a gold hairpin from her hair and tossed it in front of me like a wealthy child dismissing a beggar—no trace remained of the innocent affection she'd shown when calling me sister during our escape.
"Lu Yi, take her away. Remember not to let just anyone in here; don't dirty the floors of the Golden Jade Palace."
Holding the gold hairpin in my hand, I returned in despair to my quarters in the Laundry Bureau. This hairpin was worth quite a lot; it could be exchanged for many clothes and food—far more valuable than the ancestral heirloom—a silver hairpin shaped like a magpie perched on plum blossoms—from my Birth Mother that I'd pawned for buns for Yimia during our escape.
I raised the gold hairpin towards the bright sunlight and examined it closely before breaking into a proud smile. Closing my eyes, tears flowed freely down my cheeks.
The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is chaotic, all for gain. All promises and oaths are unreliable; only interests matter most.
As long as one can survive, a person can betray their conscience and abandon morality; even the noblest among us is no exception.
In this world, there is no one truly worth sacrificing your life for, not even the closest of kin. Your sincere kindness may appear to others as cheap and foolish benevolence.
My heart has died at this point.
"I never imagined the truth would be like this. So since that time, you must have hated Yimia deeply, right?" Anhui looked at me with sympathy and pity, but more than that was a profound disgust. "But no matter how much you hate him, you shouldn't transfer that hatred onto the Queen. She raised you like her own daughter, enduring hardships for many years. Even a stone should have some warmth; how could you bear to disregard propriety and shame by climbing into your father's bed, stabbing her heart with a knife?"
"I never thought of taking revenge on the Queen; I genuinely liked your father." I shook my head, dismissing Anhui's words. "And even if I were to hate someone, it should be your father. It was your Great Li Dynasty's iron cavalry that destroyed Xiliang, pacified Dayuan, and traversed the entire Western Regions, causing countless people from the West to lose their homes and suffer. The Queen is merely a pitiful woman."
Yimia's good days in Dayuan did not last long. Four years later, the Great Li army besieged the city, and Dayuan fell.
The commanding general was Marquis Wu'an Lin Ke. The capital of Dayuan had many elite soldiers and abundant supplies, occupying strategic mountain passes. Thus, it took Lin Ke four whole months to breach the capital.
The officials and soldiers of the Li Dynasty had long harbored grievances and were eager to vent their anger. So on the day the city fell, Lin Ke ordered a three-day massacre.
What a scene it was! The streets and alleys of the capital were drenched in blood; day and night echoed with hysterical wails. Rape and pillage ensued; countless beautiful young women were defiled, and wealthy merchants were robbed of their fortunes. Corpses littered the streets; unarmed citizens of Dayuan were like fragile chickens before the soldiers of the Li Dynasty, easily crushed. Within three days, the entire capital turned into a hellish nightmare.
Yimia did not die; I saved her.
After the capital fell, chaos erupted in the imperial city. Yimia's maid knocked her out and stole all the gold and silver from the Golden Jade Palace. When she woke up in the dead of night, she heard servants talking about how all the royal men had been slaughtered or captured by Lin Ke. He was lecherous; any woman in the palace who was somewhat decent-looking had been forcibly taken away by him.
I found Yimia and brought her to my hiding place—a storage cellar for vegetables in an abandoned Imperial Kitchen.
"Princess, now both inside and outside the imperial city are filled with troops from the Li Dynasty. You cannot escape," I explained to her. "There is some food in this cellar; we can ration it to last for a while. Once things settle down in the city a bit, I will take you to Chesha Kingdom to find the young prince."
The little prince of the Chesha Kingdom, who praised me when we were young, is also the fiancé of Yimia.
"Why would you still save me after how I treated you when we were young?" Yimia asked, skeptical.
"My Birth Mother died for Consort, and my Biological Father died to protect the Heir Apparent. The only thing they taught me was loyalty to my master." My words broke through most of Yimia's concerns, and in the days that followed, I did everything I could to take care of her.
Three days of slaughter had passed, and the city began to stabilize slowly. Lin Ke set up camp in the palace, indulging himself with the women who had been forcibly taken. Among these violated women were princesses, consorts, and daughters from prominent families; before Dayuan's downfall, they were all of Noble Birth.
"Lin Ke even has young girls; the Third Miss of the the Galo Family was tortured to death by him." I shared all the information I had gathered with Yimia. The Third Miss of the the Galo Family was only eleven years old, just like Yimia, and they had always been close friends.
Yimia was indeed terrified and completely abandoned any thoughts of escaping from the cellar.
Half a month later, I awaited my opportunity.
Emperor Dali issued an edict for Lin Ke to find Princess Turan of Dayuan and escort the orphan Yimia, the heir of Western Liang, into the capital.
"You want this wealth and power, so you killed her?" Anhui looked at me with a complex expression. "Is wealth and power so easily obtained?"
"Yes, but also no." Having suffered enough from being displaced and enslaved, I longed for royal power and riches more than anyone else. However, I loathed Yimia's betrayal and breach of promise. She had once vowed to grant me wealth and power but went back on her word. Since that was the case, I would take it myself, using her life as a stepping stone. I saved her from the beginning for this day.
In Yimia's incredulous gaze, I strangled her with my belt until she was dead. Then I took her Purple Jade Ring as a token of identity and found Lin Ke.
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