Great Sheng Dynasty, Jingde 26th Year, First Lunar Month
The sunlight of the Hour of Si shone on the bluestone streets of the capital, melting the remaining snow but failing to drive away the chill of the first month.
In front of the vermilion gates of the Anyuan Marquis’s residence, two large red lanterns still hung from the pillars. “Marquis’s Residence” was embroidered on their surfaces, swaying gently in the wind. Snow on the bronze rings had melted into droplets, sliding down the weathered green bronze and falling at the stone lions’ feet. The lions remained imposing, yet could not stop passersby from casting curious glances.
Wen Yinyue stood three steps from the gate, wearing a pale moon-white brocade dress with only a few faint blue orchid patterns embroidered at the hem. The mutton-fat jade pendant at her waist—given to her by the man in the black brocade robe—was mostly covered by her outer robe, leaving only a gentle gleam visible.
She deliberately chose this understated outfit, not out of fear, but to see what the Anyuan Marquis’s residence had become in her absence over the past five years.
Beside her, Wen Junye wore a sapphire-blue cotton robe, his small hands gripping the wooden mechanism box at his waist—inside was a “wolf-proof needle” he had prepared for the trip to the capital. His brows were furrowed, eyes alertly scanning the guards at the gate, like a little beast protecting his mother.
Wen Lingxi hid behind her mother, revealing only the hem of her pink dress, her small hand clutching her mother’s robe. She whispered, “Mother, is this really our home? The men at the gate look so fierce.”
The two gate guards, dressed in dark blue silk jackets with “Anyuan” embroidered on the cuffs, leaned against the pillars cracking sunflower seeds. Upon seeing Wen Yinyue with the two children, the taller guard immediately frowned, spat out the shells, and walked over quickly. “Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? Don’t you see this is the marquis’s gate?”
He sized Wen Yinyue up. Her clothing was clean but plain, and the children wore ordinary cotton robes. He assumed they were beggars, his tone even harsher. “Move along! How dare you block the gate! If you don’t leave, I’ll have you thrown out!”
Lingxi shrank behind her mother, startled by his shout. Junye, however, stepped forward, expressionless, but spoke clearly: “Why are you being so mean? We’re here—”
“Junye.”
Wen Yinyue gently pressed her son’s shoulder to stop him. She lifted her gaze to the tall guard, her voice calm but carrying unshakable authority. “I am Wen Yinyue, the legitimate daughter of the Anyuan Marquis. I left this residence five years ago. Today I have returned. Dare you stop me?”
“Wen Yinyue?”
The tall guard froze, then laughed loudly. “Look at yourself! You dare claim to be the marquis’s daughter? Our legitimate daughter died five years ago. You’re a liar, trying to trick the marquis’s household?”
The shorter guard joined, sneering. “Looks like you’ve gone mad with poverty! Leave now, or we’ll deal with you ourselves!”
Wen Yinyue made no further words. She lifted her outer robe, revealing another jade pendant hidden underneath—the “Legitimate Daughter’s Pendant,” left to her by her mother before she died. The pendant was circular, carved with the character “Yue” in the center, with intricate lotus patterns around the edge—an exclusive token of the marquis’s direct lineage. There was no other like it in the entire capital.
The tall guard’s laughter abruptly stopped. His eyes locked on the pendant, and his face turned pale. Having served at the residence for ten years, he had seen the old lady wear the same pendant—he knew it was real!
He fell to his knees with a thud, trembling. “I… I failed to recognize greatness! Please forgive me, Young Mistress!”
The shorter guard panicked as well, kneeling quickly and kowtowing. “Forgive me, Young Mistress! I was careless and should not have been rude to you!”
Passersby, drawn by the commotion, crowded around to watch. Some whispered, “So this is the marquis’s daughter? I thought she disappeared five years ago.”
“Looks like she carries herself like a marquis’s daughter…”
Wen Yinyue covered the pendant again with her robe, her voice cold. “Rise. Go inform Lady Liu that Wen Yinyue has returned, and tell her to come receive me.”
“Yes! Right away!” The tall guard scrambled to his feet and rushed into the residence, forgetting even the spilled sunflower seeds on the ground.
Inside the marquis’s inner courtyard, in the warm hall, Lady Liu sat by the window on a soft couch, wearing a bright red gold-brocade robe and holding a steaming cup of Biluochun tea. Opposite her sat Wen Wanru, in a pink gauze dress, her hair adorned with a gold-and-feather hairpin, holding a poetry draft.
In a delicate voice, she said, “Mother, look at the Ode to the Plum Blossom I just wrote. At yesterday’s banquet with the Crown Prince, he even praised it!”
Lady Liu took the paper, her eyes squinting with a smile. “My Wan’er is amazing! Now you are the capital’s top talent, favored by the Crown Prince. Soon, I’ll petition His Majesty for your marriage, and you’ll enter the Eastern Palace gloriously!”
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. The tall guard burst in, forgetting to knock.
“What’s the rush? Don’t you see I’m speaking with Miss?” Lady Liu frowned, displeased.
The guard fell to his knees, panting. “M… Madam! It’s… it’s not good! The eldest young mistress has returned! The one who disappeared five years ago—Wen Yinyue! She has two children with her, right at the gate, and even showed the legitimate daughter’s pendant!”
“Clang!”
The teacup in Lady Liu’s hand fell, spilling scalding tea over her robe, but she seemed unaware, her face paler than paper, voice trembling. “What… what did you say? Wen Yinyue? She was supposed to be dead! How could she be back?”
Wen Wanru panicked too, dropping the poetry paper, eyes filled with fear. “Mother, this can’t be! We clearly pushed her off the cliff back then. How could she have survived?”
Her worst fear had come true—if Wen Yinyue lived, her status as the capital’s top talent, and her engagement to the Crown Prince, could be completely undone.
Lady Liu forced herself to calm down. Panicking now would reveal her flaws.
She stood, straightened her wrinkled robe, and her eyes grew sharp. “Calm down! Even if she’s back, what can she do? I’ve controlled the marquis’s residence these five years. Someone who disappeared for five years can’t overturn everything.”
Yet her hands gripped the handkerchief tightly, nails almost digging into her palms—she was terrified of Wen Yinyue’s return, terrified her past deeds would be exposed.
“Let’s go see.” Lady Liu stepped out of the hall first, her steps slightly unsteady. Wen Wanru hurried after her, whispering, “Mother, what if she comes for revenge for what happened back then?”
“Don’t worry.” Lady Liu’s voice was low, eyes icy. “She just returned. She has no evidence, no power. She can’t do much. Once she enters the residence, there will be ways to make her ‘die again.’”
The two quickly reached the marquis’s gate, spotting Wen Yinyue standing there, flanked by the two children—one serene, the other adorable, their features strikingly familiar.
Lady Liu’s heart skipped—Junye’s brows and eyes resembled that mysterious man in the black brocade robe, the one Wen Yinyue had “forced” years ago!
Suppressing her shock and malice, she forced a fake smile and stepped forward, reaching for Wen Yinyue. “My Yinyue! You’ve finally returned! Where have you been these past five years? Mother and your sister were worried sick!”
Wen Yinyue sidestepped her hand, her gaze cold. “Mrs. Liu, my mother died long ago. You are not worthy to call me ‘Yinyue.’ Also, I have no sister.”
Her eyes swept past Wen Wanru behind Lady Liu, voice colder. “Five years ago, I was drugged and pushed off a cliff. Lady Liu, can you tell me—who did this to me?”
Lady Liu’s smile froze, her hand awkwardly suspended in midair.
Passersby watched more eagerly, whispering, “Something’s fishy here…”
“The ‘accident’ with the marquis’s daughter back then wasn’t simple…”
Lady Liu’s face paled and flushed in turn, yet she forced herself to speak: “Yinyue, you must be tired from your journey. Let’s discuss this inside—don’t make a scene at the gate.”
She signaled the butler to disperse the onlookers.
Wen Yinyue did not move, her gaze fixed on the handkerchief in Lady Liu’s hand, a cold glint in her eyes.
Lady Liu panicked inwardly—that was enough. She turned to Junye and Lingxi, her voice softening. “Junye, Lingxi, let’s go home.”
Junye nodded, holding Lingxi’s hand tightly, staying close to Wen Yinyue. Lingxi looked up at her mother, whispering, “Mother, this grandmother is so fake. I don’t like her.”
Wen Yinyue stroked her daughter’s head silently, thinking: Mrs. Liu, Wen Wanru—what you owe me, what you owe the original owner, from today on, I will take back, piece by piece.
Lady Liu watched Wen Yinyue and the two children enter the residence, her fake smile completely gone, replaced with deep malice.
She whispered to her personal maid, who immediately nodded and hurried to the back courtyard.
They could wait no longer. Wen Yinyue and the two children must be eliminated quickly, or her status and everything she had built would be destroyed by this suddenly returned legitimate daughter.
The vermilion gates of the marquis’s residence closed slowly, cutting off the murmurs outside, but unable to stop the storm that was about to arrive.
Wen Yinyue stood in the courtyard, looking at the familiar yet strange buildings, fully aware that this “return home” was only the beginning of her revenge. She had already seen Lady Liu’s small schemes—next, it would be her turn to strike back.