Chapter 1: She Was Boiled Down into Soup

Late autumn, leaves fell one by one, carrying a trace of lingering regret.

Luanxi Lu sat pale by the window, watching the withering leaves outside. A gust of autumn wind swept in, yet it was no colder than the chill in her heart. As her thoughts wandered, she let out a sigh.

“Cough, cough, cough—”

Her maid, Bai Yun, gently draped a thick cloak over her shoulders and softly said, “Young mistress, you’ve just recovered from a serious illness. It’s best not to catch cold in the wind.”

Luanxi Lu pulled her cloak tighter and rose to the bedside. “I know my own body well enough. You need not comfort me.”

“The young master has returned, yet he hasn’t even come to see you,” Bai Yun remarked.

“It’s nothing. I’ve long grown accustomed to it. Where is Baizhi? I haven’t seen her these past two days.”

Bai Yun closed the window and shook her head. “I don’t know, mistress.”

The door creaked open, and a cold wind swept in, carrying with it drifting leaves.

Luanxi Lu suddenly stood, her eyes fixed on the figure before her—familiar, yet strange.

It was her husband, dead for two years.

Two years ago, her husband had been sent to suppress bandits by imperial decree, but all they brought back was a corpse.

She had dutifully mourned him, devoted herself to the Marquis’ household, exhausting her heart and soul, growing increasingly frail. She knew she wouldn’t live much longer.

Yet, a month ago, he had stood before her alive, declaring, “I have returned.”

The shock overwhelmed her; she coughed up blood, fell gravely ill with a fever that raged for days, slipping in and out of unconsciousness for three days and nights before awakening.

Since her awakening, he had never come to visit.

Bai Yun felt indignant on her behalf, but Luanxi Lu only smiled silently, though her heart was utterly desolate.

“Two years apart, and you haven’t changed a bit,” she said calmly, casting a steady glance at him before sitting by the bedside.

Zhuang Huaijin lifted a bowl of nourishing soup, gestured to Bai Yun to leave, and then sat across from Luanxi Lu. He scooped some soup, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips. “You’ve just recovered; you need to rebuild your strength.”

Luanxi Lu did not let him feed her; she took the bowl herself and sipped lightly.

“Is it to your taste?”

For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Zhuang Huaijin’s impassive face.

“Thank you for your concern. Has my husband seen Baizhi? I haven’t seen her these past two days and don’t know where the girl has gone.”

Luanxi Lu looked down, stirring the soup softly.

“Baizhi? Isn’t she under your care?” Zhuang Huaijin’s tone turned icy. Her hand froze mid-stir; she looked up at him, shock etched across her face.

“You and your servant share such deep loyalty; it’s only right you should become one. You should thank me.”

His eyes darkened, a cold sneer curling his lips.

With a clang, Luanxi Lu flung the bowl aside, helpless and trembling. Tears streamed down her face; nausea churned in her stomach, and she vomited uncontrollably.

Her heart tore with pain, as if her bones were about to shatter.

“Why did you kill Baizhi? What crime did she commit?” she asked weakly, collapsing to the ground, tears brimming in her eyes.

“She learned a secret she shouldn’t have,” Zhuang Huaijin said, voice dripping with malice. “She could have lived, but the eldest son of Minister Li took a liking to her, wanting her as a concubine. She refused and insisted on serving you. So she had to die.”

“Do you know how cruelly she died? Stripped bare by Li’s eldest son, tortured to death.”

“Until her last breath, she still worried you wouldn’t drink the sweet broth she made, and whether you’d lie awake because of it…”

“So, out of kindness, I turned her into a soup for you to drink. If it can’t be sweet, then it’s salty. I’m sure you don’t mind, do you?”

Suddenly, Luanxi Lu spat a mouthful of blood. She clutched her chest in agony; her heart felt shattered.

“Seeing you suffer like this brings me satisfaction,” Zhuang Huaijin’s excitement grew, triumph gleaming in his eyes.

“Zhuang Huaijin, how have I wronged you to deserve such cruelty? Why must you torment me so?” she pleaded.

His gaze darkened further; a cold laugh escaped him.

“You owe Wanhe; you must pay her back.”

“I owe her? She is the favored eldest daughter of the Minister’s household, a woman praised by all, born into luxury and ease. I, however, am a despised illegitimate child, scorned and mistreated. What could someone as insignificant as me possibly owe her?”

“Because of you, she lost her love, forced to marry Prince Yuan, weeping day after day.”

Luanxi Lu shook her head helplessly. She knew Zhuang Huaijin had once loved Wanhe, but she never minded. She never sought to steal another’s love; forced fruit never tastes sweet. She only wished him happiness and had sincerely hoped he and Wanhe would grow old together.

Yet on that day, Zhuang Huaijin suddenly came to propose marriage, swearing before heaven that she alone held his heart, that he would take no concubines and would care only for her.

She was stunned, bewildered, naively believing he had truly forsaken Wanhe.

But it was all a lie.

How laughable.

“If your heart belongs to her, then why marry me?”

Enduring excruciating pain, her eyes filled with endless regret, tears slipping to the corners of her mouth, she asked hoarsely.

Zhuang Huaijin bent down, grabbed her hair mercilessly, disregarding her pain, hoisting her up like refuse.

“I hate you. Marrying you was only to torment you.”

“If you hadn’t used dirty tricks to force me into marriage, how could I have given up Wanhe?”

“So I neglected you, feigned death, secretly had my mother poison you to strip your inner strength and martial arts. When you were gravely ill, I returned to collect your corpse.”

“Let me be honest—I only ever loved Wanhe. Even now, as she is the Princess of Yuan, I willingly sacrifice for her. You destroyed our love; now you must pay with your flesh and blood.”

“Beautiful bones are rare in this world, andI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.