Chapter 2

I picked up the silver from the ground and hurried home with the medicine; if my mother’s illness dragged on any longer, it would be dire.

Managing to slip past the First Mistress’s watchful eyes, I secretly brewed the medicine and watched as my mother drank it, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

For a girl sheltered in the inner chambers, the day’s events had been daring enough. Lying on my thin quilt, I finally allowed myself to relax.

Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear and bright as polished silk, hanging high in the sky. Yet, as I gazed at it, Qin Yiheng’s face gradually began to take shape in my mind.

It felt as though his warmth still lingered on my lips, and a faint sweetness welled up in my heart.

I had lied.

I didn’t choose Qin Yiheng just for his wealth; I had already fallen in love with him in my previous life.

The annual flower banquet at the Prince of Jin’s estate was the stage where the daughters of noble families made their debut, and an unspoken venue for the great clans to scout for daughters-in-law. The Prince of Jin’s estate, in particular, held the highest prestige.

That year, I wasn’t originally qualified to attend. But the daughter of the Lan household who was supposed to perform, my older sister Lan Nianhua, had injured her arm. The First Mistress ordered me to cover my face with a veil and take her place.

I had inherited my mother’s talent, and my skill with the guqin was exceptional.

Once the performance ended, I hurried away from the banquet to meet my sister behind the rockery to swap clothes, but I slipped while passing by a lake.

Just then, a pair of arms caught me. And just like that, I looked up into Qin Yiheng’s peerlessly handsome face.

“Miss, are you alright?”

He spoke with such gentleness that, from that moment on, he was etched into my heart, a memory that would never fade.

But what was my status compared to his? We were worlds apart.

Later, the family’s downfall and my subsequent life of displacement forced me to abandon that delusional dream. I never had the chance to speak of my feelings before I died.

If there was any comfort to be found in this arduous struggle for survival, it was Qin Yiheng. He was the only moonlight in my darkness.