Ruan Liuzheng lay on the couch, her expression vacant as she stared out the window. Bright sunlight streamed down outside, and the cheerful chirping of birds drifted in from time to time.
Nine years ago, she had disguised herself as a man and took her twin brother’s place in the army. Resolved to lay down her life if need be, she had fought her way to great distinction and earned illustrious military honors.
Now, the army was returning in triumph. It was supposed to be the day she laid down her armor, received her official appointment, and brought glory to her family…
Yet three days earlier, she had received a letter saying her mother was critically ill. Without delay, she had ridden day and night to hurry back to the capital.
But on the avenue, a rope suddenly tripped her horse, flinging her several meters through the air.
Biting back the pain, she was about to push herself up when a rough hemp sack was thrown over her head. Instinctively, she twisted to dodge, only to be kicked hard in the lower back. She stumbled and crashed against the wall.
Before she could break free, a searing pain shot through the backs of her knees it was clubs!
Two sharp cracks rang out, and her kneecaps were shattered.
Agony racked her entire body; cold sweat instantly soaked through her clothes. Her attackers moved with terrifying speed, pressing a cloth soaked in a potent sedative over her nose and mouth until she lost consciousness.
When she woke again, her legs were twisted at grotesque angles. Even the slightest movement sent waves of pain so intense that her vision blurred and darkened.
The masked assailants were long gone, leaving only chaos in their wake and her legs permanently crippled.
When her brother Ruan Changzheng found her, she was lying on the cold ground, her teeth sunk into her lip to stifle her cries. Blood had seeped through her trousers and pooled in small puddles on the blue brick floor.
Later, she heard that her brother had launched a frantic investigation, vowing to tear the perpetrators limb from limb. But her broken legs could never be made whole again.
Who was it? Who would do such a terrible thing to her?
Was it an old grudge from her years in the army? Or an enemy from her childhood?
The sound of her brother and mother’s footsteps approached the room. Ruan Liuzheng quickly closed her eyes.
These past days, they had worried themselves sick over her. She did not want them to see her like this, or cause them any more pain. Pretending to be unconscious, she hid the red, raw grief in her eyes.
She heard her brother ask in a low, gentle voice: “How is Young Miss doing?”
A maid replied softly, “She is still unconscious, Master. I’ve called out to her many times, but she shows no sign of waking.”
Ruan Changzheng nodded. “Very well. You must take the utmost care of her, and make sure nothing upsets her. Inform me the moment she wakes.”
The maid agreed repeatedly.
Ruan Liuzheng’s heart softened slightly. Despite everything that had happened, at least her family was by her side.
She told herself she could not wallow in misery forever. She had to be strong…
Just as she was about to open her eyes, she heard her mother speak.
“Changzheng, you hired all those people to break Liuzheng’s legs… wasn’t that going too far? After all, she is my daughter and your own younger sister.”
Ruan Liuzheng froze. She turned her head slowly, straining to listen, terrified that she was imagining things in her sorrow.
Then came Ruan Changzheng’s voice cold, ruthless, and utterly without feeling.
“She is too headstrong. Those petty military honors have gone to her head, making her think she is above everyone else. Nine years ago, she went to war in my place, and now that we have returned victorious, those achievements should rightfully belong to me. Why should she be the one to claim the rewards?”
“Who does she think she is? A woman, yet she dared dress as a man to deceive the Emperor and serve in the army. That is a crime punishable by the execution of our entire clan! She came back only to claim her title and bask in glory. If her secret is ever discovered, every single one of us will lose our heads because of her!”
“By breaking her legs, I made sure she can never leave this manor again let alone appear before the Emperor to receive honors. The military merit was mine to begin with. This way, I have protected our family and secured my position at court. As for her…”
He let out a short, icy laugh, dripping with contempt.
“She is nothing but a cripple now. It is more than enough that she lives comfortably as the daughter of the Ruan family, isn’t it?”
Ruan Liuzheng felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. All the blood in her veins seemed to freeze in that instant.
She had wracked her brain, wondering who could hate her enough to ruin her life only to discover that the person who shattered her legs and destroyed her future was her own flesh and blood.
Not only did he want to steal the glory she had fought and nearly died for, but he had also used the safety of their family as an excuse to cripple her forever.
This was the brother she shared both parents with the family she had risked everything to protect!
Rage and humiliation surged through her chest like a tidal wave, threatening to consume what little reason she had left.
Footsteps drew closer. Ruan Liuzheng squeezed her eyes shut, doing everything in her power to hide the burning hatred inside her.
Madam Song stepped into the room and gently stroked her cheek, her voice thick with sympathy. “My poor child… don’t be afraid. Mother is here. I’ll take good care of you.”
Ruan Liuzheng suddenly opened her eyes wide, startling her mother. Madam Song paused, surprised. “You’re awake? There’s nothing to fear it’s only me. Are you hungry?”
Faced with such tenderness, Ruan Liuzheng felt dizzy for a moment. But the feeling vanished almost instantly it was all a lie.
If her mother truly cared for her, she never would have let Ruan Changzheng do such a cruel thing. She never would have sent that false letter saying she was dying, luring Liuzheng back to the capital straight into his trap…
“Come now, let me help you drink your medicine.”
As Madam Song reached out to lift her, a maid hurried into the room to report. “Madam, Youngest Miss Yunzheng has returned home.”
Madam Song’s hand jerked away instantly, her face lighting up with delight. “Quick tell the kitchen to prepare a feast right away! Yun’er has been away for so long, she must be starving.”
Before Ruan Liuzheng could even look up, her mother had already hurried out of the room.
She stared at the empty doorway. A breeze drifted in, but it could not blow away the coldness that had settled deep in her eyes.
From that day on, Ruan Liuzheng tried every possible way to send word to the outside world. But no matter what she did, Ruan Changzheng always appeared the moment she regained consciousness, standing over her until she drank her medicine.
“Here, Liuzheng, drink this. Don’t be stubborn, won’t you?”
Once, she knocked the bowl of medicine to the floor. But Ruan Changzheng calmly ordered another to be prepared, then sat by her bedside with a gentle smile, refusing to leave until she swallowed every drop.
Ruan Liuzheng stared at the dark, bitter liquid. She knew that as soon as she drank it, she would fall into a heavy, drugged sleep. She glanced toward the guards posted outside her window all of them were Ruan Changzheng’s most trusted men. Sending a message out of this house… it was nearly impossible.
“Now that you’ve let off some steam, be a good girl and finish it.”
Ruan Changzheng watched closely until the last drop was gone, then quietly left the room.
As soon as he was gone, she forced her fingers down her throat, retching until she had vomited every drop of medicine onto the sheets beside her.
Suddenly, Ruan Changzheng’s voice came from just beyond the screen. Ruan Liuzheng froze in shock she had never suspected that he was still there, listening.
She quickly lay back down and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
From outside, Madam Song’s voice came, sharp and low with anger. “Why did you do it? Wasn’t breaking her legs enough? Now you’ve got Yun’er spreading those disgusting rumors saying she has loose morals, that she meets lovers in abandoned temples…”
Ruan Changzheng quickly steered her further away from the door, his voice tight with impatience at being found out. “Mother, keep your voice down! Do you think I want to do any of this? But Liuzheng refuses to accept her fate! She still thinks she can somehow turn this all around, go before the Emperor, and expose me for taking credit for her achievements! Yun’er only passed on a few words to make people question her character. If everyone believes she is shameless and immoral, who will ever believe a word she says?”
“And besides disguising herself as a man and joining the army was a crime against the Emperor from the start. If she ever manages to clear her name, the whole family dies! Only when she is completely disgraced, hated and scorned by everyone, will she be in no position to challenge me. Only then will those honors truly and safely belong to me!”
Ruan Liuzheng clenched her jaw until she tasted blood in her mouth.
He had broken her legs to steal her glory and now he was ruining her reputation just to make sure she never had a chance to fight back.
Her own mother, her brother, her younger sister they had all joined together to trample on her honor, her achievements, and even her very life. How could she do anything but hate them with every fiber of her being?
Eventually, Madam Song took pity on her and sent Banxia the maid who had served her since childhood to look after her.
For the first time, Ruan Liuzheng felt hope spark in her heart. Finally, she had someone she could trust. One day, when the moment was right, she told Banxia everything that had happened.
She gritted her teeth and said urgently, “Take this letter and find Lieutenant Pan Zhan my most trusted subordinate. If he learns what has happened to me, he will surely come and rescue me!”
Banxia swore solemnly, “Rest assured, Young Miss. I will deliver this letter into Lieutenant Pan’s own hands. If I betray you, may I die a horrible death and my body be torn to pieces!”
Three days later, Banxia rushed into the room with a look of great urgency on her face. “Young Miss! Lieutenant Pan has sent men to take you away! I’ve sent them off for now, but quickly let me carry you out through the side gate.”
Ruan Liuzheng’s heart leaped with joy it felt as though she had finally grabbed hold of a lifeline. She let Banxia lift her onto her back and carry her out of the room.
Banxia carried her through winding corridors and courtyards, deeper and deeper into the manor, until they reached the very back corner where an old well stood in a quiet, overgrown yard.
A sudden unease stirred in Ruan Liuzheng’s chest. She was about to ask where they were going when Ruan Changzheng stepped out from the shadows, his face dark and cold. In his hand, he held the very letter she had written to Pan Zhan.
A cruel smile twisted his lips. “Dear sister… why do you still refuse to give up? You still think you can reach your men, don’t you? As long as you are alive, those honors I’ve worked so hard for will never truly be safe. Today, I will finally put an end to this.”
Ruan Liuzheng’s eyes widened in horror. She looked at Banxia the maid who had been like a sister to her, whom she had trusted with her life and realized with devastating clarity that she had been betrayed. Her despair was absolute.
With the last of her strength, she spat at both of them, her voice trembling with rage and hatred. “Ruan Changzheng! Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will never let you rest not for a single moment!”
Ruan Changzheng’s face remained impassive. He waved a hand dismissively. “Shut her up. Throw her down.”
At his command, Banxia grabbed Ruan Liuzheng and pushed her violently into the dark well.
She plummeted down, striking the jagged rocks at the bottom with a sickening thud. Blood spurted everywhere.
She could feel her life slipping away, her vision fading fast.
It’s not fair… I don’t want to die…
When she opened her eyes again, Ruan Liuzheng was back in the past on the very day she had received that fateful letter.
“Commander!”
Lieutenant Pan Zhan hurried into her tent, holding a letter in his hand.
“This just arrived from your family. The messenger was in a great hurry he said you must read it at once.”
“Bring it here.”
Liuzheng was dressed in her black battle armor. The silver shoulder plates chimed softly as she raised her hand to take the letter.
But the moment she held it, without a moment of hesitation, she held it over the candle flame and watched it burn to ash.
Pan Zhan stared at her, stunned.
“Commander… haven’t you been longing for news from home all these years?”
There was no trace of warmth or softness in Liuzheng’s face.
“Tell the messenger I have read it and will return as soon as possible.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“And one more thing.” Liuzheng handed him another letter one she had written herself, in her own hand. “Once the messenger is gone, ride at once to the capital and deliver this letter directly to the Emperor. You must place it in his own hands no one else’s.”
“I will, Commander!” Pan Zhan accepted the letter carefully, tucked it safely away, and rushed out of the tent.
Dawn broke soon after. Liuzheng fastened her red cloak over her armor, her fingers gripping the fabric so tightly they turned pale.
She had been a heroine among heroes strong-willed, decisive, and fearless in battle. She had never been a stepping stone for others to climb higher.
In this new life, she would live openly as her true self. She would make sure that everyone who had betrayed her, hurt her, and built their fortune on her blood and sweat they would all pay the price.