Chapter Two: A New Beginning

 Abu County lies in the southern region of South Yue, its scale second only to the adjacent South County. The capital of South County, Nanjiang City, stands on the border, where the Xishi family has safeguarded South Yue for generations.

After centuries of operation, the Xishi family now dominates the region, especially with the decline of the royal family, increasing the weight of various local lords. However, the Xishi family has always been low-key, particularly under the current patriarch, Ximin's reign. Rumors have it that Ximin had some conflicts with the royal family, hence he kept a low profile for decades, never making a misstep. The common folk rarely talk about the Xishi family over tea, finding it quite dull.

However, a sudden event two years ago made the Xishi family the hottest topic in South County and even throughout South Yue.

Xifengying, the eldest daughter of the Xishi family, at the tender age of sixteen, lost her chastity attempting to seduce the eldest son of the Grand Marshal of South Yue, Wei Yuhuan. However, she ended up losing both her honor and the man. Humiliated and enraged, she disrupted Wei Yuhuan's wedding and died of shame upon her return home.

Realizing their fault and the embarrassment of the situation, the Xishi family hastily buried Xifengying, and the matter was swept under the rug.

This incident caused quite a stir. It was expected that the Xishi family would display dominance typical of a southern hegemon and seek vengeance, but Ximin, perhaps accustomed to being low-key, didn't raise his head even after his beloved daughter's humiliation. This disappointed the common folk of South Yue, who resorted to various behind-the-scenes stories for entertainment.

Now, in Nanshan, formerly known as Xifengying, sitting on the bustling streets of Fuan City, adjacent to South County, she listened to storytellers vividly narrating the background stories while sipping wine, passing her days leisurely.

To be honest, the storyteller's tale was more exciting than what she knew. Such as Wei Yuhuan's elegant demeanor but restrained behavior, and her own transformation from a seductive maiden to a pathetic figure. Indeed, all stories are inspired by life yet elevated beyond it. She was fortunate to be one of the protagonists in this tale, thanks to Wei Yuhuan, even though it brought disgrace to her parents.

Claiming not to be affected would be a lie; no normal woman would feel comfortable being called seductive. However, she had to endure it because she was "dead" now, and the dead don't plead for themselves.

So, all she could do was listen more, building immunity with each tale.

After finishing a pot of wine, she was only slightly intoxicated. With nothing to do for the past two years, her tolerance had improved. They say alcohol dispels a thousand worries, but she had no worries to dispel; she just enjoyed the feeling.

Resting her head, she continued listening to the endless storytelling until someone gently tapped her. Turning her head, she smiled at her maid, Yingfeng.

Over a year ago, on a snowy night, she encountered a young beggar. Unable to bear seeing others suffer, she gave him some silver. To her surprise, the beggar clung to her, his head bleeding in the snow, begging her to take him in. She initially thought of taking him back to her husband's home as a servant, but upon closer inspection, she realized he was a girl. At that moment, something stirred within her, especially after seeing the girl's face. Without hesitation, she brought her home to serve as a maid.

Her husband, Jiang Huaizhong, remained silent for a while after seeing her but eventually patted her head, like a real father, telling her that her happiness mattered most.

She was truly happy, dressing the girl up and seeing their identical faces in the mirror, laughing heartily. The girl resembled her own sister even more than her own sister did, almost like twins.

She named her Yingfeng, the girl who shared a similar fate with her, and vowed to treat her well, letting her live the life Nanshan had once dreamed of.

Yingfeng did not disappoint her expectations, devoting herself entirely to her, along with her son, Zishang. Zishang was not even a month old when Jiang Huaizhong hired several nurses, but none could soothe the baby's cries at night. However, after Yingfeng arrived, spending nights watching over him, he became more attached to her than to his own mother.

At that time, Jiang Huaizhong often teased her, saying she couldn't even be a good mother.

Jiang Huaizhong was her husband.

In her third year of marriage to him, in the fifth year of the Jing Emperor's reign of South Yue, in the second year since the birth of Jiang Zishang, her husband died.

Xifengying—or rather, Nanshan, or Jiang Nanshi—gently swirled the wine glass on the table. Then she heard Yingfeng's soft voice, not quite clear but understandable enough. She thought to herself: Auntie Si can't wait much longer.