In a large courtyard decorated with bright lanterns and flowers, many finely dressed men and women moved about, greeting each other with smiles.
Inside the grand hall, nobles from across the empire had gathered. Everyone had come to witness today's big event, the Gu family, one of the most respected families in the Xuen Empire, was passing down the keys to their famous pavilion.
The new owner would be none other than Gu Moyan.
"Congratulations, Young Master Moyan!" a nobleman said with a cheerful voice. "Your father has trusted you with one of his best restaurants to grow in less than sux months and you managed to complete such a hard task. You've truly proven yourself worthy of this honor!"
Gu Moyan stood tall, pride shining in his eyes as he nodded and accepted the endless praise.
"I also heard you have a wife who helped you achieve all this," another nobleman added with a smile.
At those words, Gu Moyan's face darkened slightly. He gave a sharp laugh and said, "Helped me? Hah! More like held me back! You all know how women are, always thinking about clothes, shoes, and jewelry. She never helped with any of my work. But she's my wife, after all. I'd be a poor man if I couldn't take care of her."
The noblemen and women around laughed softly and nodded in agreement to Gu Moyan's words.
"That's true," one of the older men said. "Women should stay home and look pretty. Business is not for them."
"Indeed," another added with a chuckle. "Still, Young Master Moyan, you're lucky. Not every man is born with such blessings. You have your father's favor, your family's name, and now the Gu Pavilion itself."
At this, someone else leaned in and whispered, "Speaking of family… what about your brother, Young Master Fengshan? I heard he hasn't been seen in public for years."
The air grew a little quieter.
Gu Moyan's smile faded into a faint smirk. "My brother?" he said slowly. "Ah, the cripple. He's still alive, I suppose. Hiding somewhere in the west courtyard. My father keeps him there out of pity."
A few nobles exchanged knowing looks.
"What a shame," one woman sighed. "Such a handsome man, ruined by fate"
"Ruined by fate?" Gu Moyan laughed coldly. "No, he ruined himself. A useless man like him is lucky to still eat under the Gu family roof."
The crowd laughed again, their voices blending with the sound of music from the courtyard .
While all these was going on,
Inside the residence, seated before a mirror was a tall woman. Her brown long hair was neatly brushed resting on her shoulders as she stared at her face in the mirror.
Hee hair was adorned with beautiful golden hair pins as her purple robe matched with her black hair eyes.
She was no other that Su Qinglan, the second daughter of the Su family and Gu Mo Yan's wife.
Stepping in were Su Qinglan's two maids, Xuen frowned, "Young Mistress if only you can hear the words the young master is saying about you... I am truly annoyed.. if not for you, he wouldn't have completed the six months tasks his father had given him or inherit the Gu family pavilion."
"Exactly,"Zuen agreed pouting, "Madame is such a good wife yet he speaks I'll of her even to the public, he doesn't care for her."
Su Qinglan's hand, which had been gently adjusting her earring, paused for a moment. In the mirror, her calm reflection didn't waver, but her eyes dimmed slightly.
She then traced slightly the dark purple nark on her shoulder, from the beatingsbshe had received, she had to use a different dress to cover it.
"Enough," she said softly, setting down the jade comb in her hand. "You both know this isn't the first time he's spoken like that."
"But, Young Mistress—" Xuen started, her voice full of anger.
Su Qinglan gave a faint smile. "There's no need to be upset. In this world, people only see what they want to see. To them, I'm just the lucky woman who married the Gu heir. Whether I helped him or not, they will never care to find out."
Zuen lowered her head, still frowning. "It's unfair, my lady. You worked day and night, helping him manage the accounts, choosing the best tea leaves, planning everything for the pavilion. Without you, he would have failed."
Su Qinglan's fingers brushed over the edge of the table, her voice calm yet distant. "And yet, it was his name written on every success, not mine. That's the way of things."
Standing up, she faced the two of them, her face as stoic as ever.
"I need to change this dress, it's to tight.. go and get the new dress from the warehouse." She instructed as they both nodded and left the room.
After the maids left, Su Qinglan walked toward the wooden screen at the corner of the room, the tall standing cover women used to change behind in ancient times.
She gently placed her outer robe on the hanger and began to untie the sash around her waist. The soft rustle of fabric filled the quiet room.
Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang!
Startled, Su Qinglan frowned and said, "Xuen? Zuen? Did you find the dress already? Bring it here."
There was no answer.
Confused, she turned slightly and froze.
Standing by the door was not one of her maids, it was her younger sister, Su Rouyan.
But this was not the graceful Rouyan she remembered.
Her face was pale like paper, her eyes red and wild. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her long hair hung loose and tangled. The once-fine hanfu she wore was torn and dirty, like she had wandered through dust and pain for days.
"Rouyan…?" Su Qinglan whispered, her heart skipping a beat. "What happened to you?"
But before she could take a step forward, Su Rouyan let out a scream, pulling a dagger from her sleeve.
"Die!"
The blade flashed under the light as Rouyan charged straight at her.
Su Qinglan barely had time to move she stumbled back behind the screen, grabbing the edge of a chair to block the strike. The dagger clashed against the wood with a sharp clang!
"Rouyan! What are you doing?!"
"You don't deserve to live!" Rouyan shouted, her voice shaking with madness. "You took everything that should have been mine! Why should you have it all while I suffer?!"
The two sisters struggled across the room pushing, grabbing, knocking over tables and vases. The sound of crashing porcelain filled the air.
"Rouyan, stop! You're not yourself!" Su Qinglan cried, trying to grab her sister's wrist.
But Rouyan's eyes were full of hatred. "Not myself? I've never been more awake! Every day, you live in comfort while I live in pain! You have the Gu family's respect, Gu Moyan's love, the life that should have been mine!"
The two fell hard against the floor. The dagger slid, cutting across the rug before landing near Su Qinglan's hand.
She gasped, scrambling to grab it, but Rouyan was faster. She pushed Su Qinglan down, forcing the dagger's sharp edge against her neck.
Tears filled Su Qinglan's eyes as she looked up at her sister. "Rouyan… why? I've never taken anything from you."
"You did!" Rouyan screamed, her voice breaking. "You took everything! You were born first, so you got all the praise! You married the man that should have been mine, and now you live in gold while I rot in shadows! Today, I'll end this and you'll finally know how it feels to lose everything!"
"The man that is your?" Su Qinglan shouted, "When we were both ordered to wed the Gu brothers father had given you the chance to pick which of the brothers you wanted. You went for Gu Fengshen because of how famous and handsome he was and me? I had no other choice but to marry the youngest who was nothing but a womanizer. It's not my fault your husband was actually a cripple!"
"That doesn't change anything... I'll end your life right here and right now Su Qinglan!"
The cold tip of the dagger pressed against Su Qinglan's skin.
"Rouyan, please," she whispered, trembling. "Don't do this…"
But Rouyan's hand did not stop shaking. Her tears fell onto Su Qinglan's face as she cried, half in anger, half in despair.
And with that, she pierced the dagger into su Qinglan killing her instantly.
"We both deserve to die.. I must end my misery," Su Rouyan muttred before using the dagger to kill herself as well.
That is how the lives of the two Su sister's ended.
But if only they knew, this was the start of a new story in their lives.