Chapter 1

The Imperial Prison. “Big Brother, can you really only take one? I carried all four children for ten months and risked my life time and time again to give birth to them. They are all my precious children! Brother, please—” Madam Zhao looked haggard. She rushed to the prison bars, gripping the wooden railing tightly as she pleaded sorrowfully with the well-dressed man standing opposite her. “If I could, I would take all of them with me. They are all my own nieces and nephews.” “Little Sister, you should know how serious the Jiangnan salt-tax case is. Wang Yong is one of the principal culprits, and his crimes are too severe.” “The nieces might still be spared. After all, they are girls. His Majesty may be willing to turn a blind eye because of the favor owed to the Zhao and Wang families. Our ancestors helped the founding emperor establish the dynasty.” “But the two nephews are already grown sons of the Marquis's household. His Majesty will not easily forgive them! Even when it comes to the nieces, I am not confident that I can take both of them. I... I can only take one.” There was nothing more Duke Weiguo's heir, Zhao Chang, wanted to say. He glanced at his younger sister and her two biological nieces—Wang Jiao and Wang Si. Wang Jiao was sitting on a pile of dry grass, her expression somewhat dazed. Wang Si was curled up in a corner, her eyes equally unfocused. Alas, the two girls were only thirteen, at the lively and innocent age of youth. He remembered that the last time he had seen his two nieces, they had been chattering nonstop over a piece of pastry and a hairpin. Back then, he had thought the two children were spoiled and willful. Now, however, he only felt that those carefree days were exactly how they should have been. Zhao Chang couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Unfortunately, with the downfall of the Wuchang Marquis's household, those happy days would never return. “...” Tears streamed down Madam Zhao's face, and she could not utter a single word. As their mother, both sides were equally precious to her. How could she choose? Her two daughters had been born as twins, with only about half an hour between them. Whichever one she chose, she would feel that she had wronged the other. Still, Madam Zhao understood that her brother had already done everything he could. She had been married for more than a decade. Her husband had been convicted, dragging the entire Wuchang Marquis household down with him. Their title had been stripped away, their estate confiscated, and the whole clan was to be exiled. At such a critical moment, her maternal family—the Duke Weiguo's household—was still willing to save her and even allow her to take one child with her. That was already extremely difficult. She could not refuse their kindness. But she could only take one. Who should she choose? “A-Jiao? A-Si?” Madam Zhao turned around and painfully looked from one daughter to the other. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, “You two... who wants to go with Mother?” The other women in the prison revealed expressions of envy, jealousy, unwillingness, and resentment. Following Madam Zhao would mean escaping this filthy prison. There would be no more rats, bedbugs, or stinking leftover gruel. Most importantly, they would not have to endure the long and brutal journey into exile. Wang Si was still dazed, but Wang Jiao had already cried out: “No! Mother, I don't want to go with you!” Everyone was startled and turned toward her. “A-Jiao, what are you saying? If you don't come with me, do you want to be exiled?” Madam Zhao had not yet known which daughter she should choose, but Wang Jiao's refusal left her utterly shocked. How could this child not know what was good for her? Or was she simply too young to understand how difficult life outside would be? Exile! This wasn't a trip to the countryside or an outing. They would be shackled, forced to walk on their own feet through sun and rain, driven forward like livestock by the whips and clubs of the guards, traveling more than a thousand li step by step. Everyone in the Wang family, including Madam Zhao, had already learned from Zhao Chang that they would be exiled to a northern border city more than a thousand li away. Not only was the border bitterly cold, but there was also the constant threat of the northern barbarians breaking through the city walls. Just surviving the thousand-li journey might already be impossible. Especially for the elderly, the weak, women, and children. And girls like Wang Jiao and Wang Si, who were only twelve or thirteen. They might still be considered children, but both had already reached puberty. And their appearances... Madam Zhao did not even dare imagine what kind of suffering and humiliation her daughters might endure if they went into exile with the family. It was precisely because she feared these things that Madam Zhao wanted to take both daughters with her. Madam Zhao's words completely awakened Wang Jiao. She fiercely bit the inside of her cheek. Hiss. It hurt. So this wasn't a dream! I... I've really come back! She had returned to the third day after the entire Wang family had been imprisoned. She had returned to the night before their exile. It wasn't too late! There was still a chance to change her fate! She would not repeat the tragedy of her previous life. She absolutely could not make the wrong choice again. Wang Jiao firmly raised her head and looked at Madam Zhao. “Mother, I said I don't want to go with you!” Taking a deep breath, Wang Jiao suddenly remembered how Wang Si had earned a good reputation in her previous life because she had gone into exile with the Wang family. She hurriedly said, “Mother, the Duke Weiguo's household may be a good place, but it isn't my home!” “My surname is Wang. I am a daughter of the Wang family of the Wuchang Marquis household! Now that the Wang family is in trouble, how could I, as a daughter of the Wang family, abandon Grandmother, Father, and my brothers?” After saying these words, Wang Jiao's thoughts became increasingly clear. To achieve her goal, Wang Jiao did not hesitate to use her own mother as a stepping stone. “Mother, I am not like you. When disaster comes, everyone only looks out for themselves. For the sake of your own safety and wealth, you can abandon your husband and children!” “I, Wang Jiao, will never follow a selfish and cold-hearted mother like you. I will stay here with Grandmother and Father and properly serve my elders!” That's right. She did not want to go with Madam Zhao. In her previous life, she had been afraid of exile and did not want to suffer. When her mother had been torn between her two daughters and didn't know whom to choose, Wang Jiao had relied on the favor of her elders and taken the initiative to ask to go with her mother. Her mother had taken her back to the Duke Weiguo's household, where she began living under someone else's roof. As an unwanted burden, not only did her cousins look down on her, even the servants of the Duke's household dared to show her disrespect. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, one year later, her mother remarried. Wang Jiao followed her mother to her stepfather's home. She had thought she had escaped her suffering. Instead, she had merely fallen from a wolf's den into a tiger's lair. Her stepfather and four stepbrothers were all harsh people. Every day, they either imposed rules on her or forced her to copy books! Day and night, she worked until her eyes nearly went blind, while her fair and delicate fingers became covered in thick calluses. Being forced to do things she disliked was one thing, but they also refused to let her socialize. Whenever there were elegant gatherings or garden parties in the capital, even if she received an invitation, her stepfather and the others always found some excuse to stop her from attending. Wang Jiao hated them deeply. What ultimately caused Wang Jiao to sever ties with her stepfather's family, however, was her marriage. After she came of age, her stepfather pretended to help her find a suitable husband. With so many princes, nobles, and children of influential families available, her stepfather deliberately chose a poor young man from a declining aristocratic family. He claimed that the young man's family had merely fallen into hardship and that his household was actually very strict and proper. He also said the man was talented and would surely succeed in the imperial examinations and eventually rise to a high position in the government. Wang Jiao did not believe a single word. She knew her stepfather was a hypocrite who appeared kind on the outside but was cruel at heart. Since she was not his biological daughter, he clearly had no intention of finding her a good marriage. Wang Jiao had a huge argument with her stepfather and stepbrothers, and her mother, Madam Zhao, was so furious that she fainted. Perhaps realizing that his true intentions had been exposed, her stepfather stopped interfering and allowed her to choose the legitimate youngest son of a princess. Wang Jiao married into the Princess's household. Less than three years later, she “died of illness.” She had been locked away in a small courtyard with no one by her side. There was no food. No charcoal to keep warm. She couldn't even get a sip of water. Wang Jiao suffered terribly and eventually died a miserable death. Even after her death, her husband used her to maintain the image of a devoted and loving husband. On her deathbed, Wang Jiao cursed her worthless husband and vicious mother-in-law while regretting everything. I was wrong! I should never have chosen to follow Mother! I should have gone into exile with the Wang family. If I had, I could have lived a life of wealth and glory just like Wang Si! Wang Si! When Wang Jiao thought of her biological younger sister, who had been born in the same pregnancy, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. She desperately tried not to look at Wang Si, but memories of Wang Si's wealth and glory in her previous life kept flashing through her mind. “She actually became the Empress!” “And the young general of the Zhe family, who commanded a powerful army, never forgot her. Even after she married and had children, Zhe Congjie was still willing to silently wait for her!” The more Wang Jiao thought about this, the stronger her desire became to go into exile and seize Wang Si's life. She raised her hand and pointed toward Wang Si in the corner. “Mother, let Wang Si go with you!” “She is my younger sister. As her elder sister, I should naturally give way to her!”