Xu Lianhua's POV
The teacup shattered against the wall, missing my head by inches.
You worthless mistake! My stepmother's voice echoed through the courtyard. Your presence ruins everything!
I didn't flinch. Twenty-one years of practice had taught me well. I bowed low, eyes on the dirt. Forgive me, Lady Pei. I didn't mean to walk past the celebration.
Didn't mean to? Her silk robes swished closer. Today is Mingzhu's engagement announcement, and you dare show your illegitimate face?
My half-sister's engagement. Another party I wasn't invited to. Another reminder that I didn't belong in this family.
I was just going to the library, I whispered.
The library. Lady Pei's laugh was sharp as broken glass. Always hiding with those dusty books. As if reading will make you legitimate.
She swept away, leaving me kneeling in the dirt. Music and laughter floated from the main hall where nobles celebrated my perfect sister's perfect life.
I stood slowly, brushing dirt from my plain robes. My knees ached, but I'd learned long ago that crying changed nothing.
The library became my escape. Between ancient scrolls and strategy texts, nobody cared that my mother was a courtesan who died in shame. Here, knowledge didn't ask about bloodlines.
I was reading about military formations when voices drifted through the window.
heard the imperial messenger arrived this morning!
My heart stopped. I pressed closer to the wall, invisible as always.
The Emperor himself demands a bride from the Xu family! another servant gasped. Can you imagine? Our Mingzhu will be Empress!
Of course it'll be her. She's beautiful, accomplished, legitimate. Who else would they send?
Not me. Never me. I was the family secret, the mistake hidden in the back courtyard.
Relief washed through me. Let Mingzhu have the Emperor. Let her have the palace and crown. I wanted only to survive.
I slipped back to my tiny courtyard as sunset painted the sky red. Yue'er, my maid the only person who loved me waited with dinner.
Did you hear? she whispered, eyes wide. The imperial summons!
It doesn't concern us, I said, though my hands trembled slightly.
But Lianhua, what if
It won't. I smiled to reassure her. I'm invisible, remember? That's how I stay safe.
After Yue'er left, I couldn't sleep. Something felt wrong, like the air before a storm.
Voices in the garden drew me to my window. Moonlight revealed two figures: Mingzhu in her expensive silks, and a young man holding her hands.
Lord Chen. The merchant's son she'd been secretly meeting for months.
I should have gone back to bed. Their romance wasn't my business.
But Mingzhu was crying.
I can't marry the Emperor! she sobbed. I love you!
We'll run away, Lord Chen urged. Tonight. Before the wedding arrangements
Mother will never allow it. The family honor, the connections... Mingzhu's voice broke. I'm trapped.
There must be a way, he insisted.
They held each other, whispering plans that would never work. Noble daughters didn't choose love over duty. I knew that better than anyone.
I returned to my bed, pulling thin blankets close. Mingzhu's problem wasn't mine. I'd learned long ago not to care about family that never cared for me.
Tomorrow, the imperial preparations would begin. Mingzhu would accept her fate. I would remain invisible.
Everything would continue as it always had.
I closed my eyes, exhaustion pulling me toward sleep.
Footsteps.
My eyes snapped open. Lady Pei stood over my bed, her smile cold in the lamplight.
Mother? I sat up, confused. She never came to my courtyard. What
Drink this. She thrust a cup at me. It'll help you sleep.
The tea smelled strange. Sweet but wrong, like flowers hiding poison.
I don't need
Her hand clamped around my jaw, forcing my mouth open. The other hand tilted the cup. Hot liquid burned down my throat as I choked and struggled.
Stop fighting, she hissed. This is your honor. Your one use to this family.
My use? Horror flooded through me as understanding hit.
No. No, they couldn't
The room started spinning. My limbs felt heavy, disconnected.
You should thank me, Lady Pei's voice echoed strangely. Mingzhu gets to marry her love. You get to serve your family. Everyone wins.
I tried to speak, to scream, but my tongue wouldn't obey. My vision blurred.
Through the doorway, I saw servants approaching. They carried red silk. Wedding red.
Mingzhu's wedding robes.
The Emperor wants a Xu bride, Lady Pei whispered in my ear. He'll get one. Just not the one he expects.
No. This couldn't be happening. I was nothing. Nobody. The invisible daughter they'd spent twenty-one years pretending didn't exist.
And now they were going to dress me in my sister's robes and send me to the Emperor as a substitute.
I tried to fight as hands grabbed me, but the drug was too strong. My body betrayed me, going limp even as my mind screamed.
This was death. Fraud against the Emperor meant execution.
Lady Pei's cold smile was the last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me whole.
Sweet dreams, Lianhua. Tomorrow, you finally become useful.
The world went black.
But in that darkness, one terrifying thought burned bright:
When the Emperor discovered their deception, who would he kill first me, or the family that sent me?