Chapter 1: Past Dust

  When... when... when..."The heavens are dry and withered, beware of fire..."

  The sound of the night watchman came from the alley, and the cold north wind blew against the thin cotton-padded jacket of the night watchman. He muttered complaints about the cold weather in his mouth, looked up at the sky, and saw that the goose feather-like snowflakes were slowly falling down.

  The night watchman stamped his feet a few times, thinking that on such a cold day, anyway, no one would come to check, so he might as well hurry home and drink some of the newly bought wine by the stove. Thinking of the half-eaten package on the table, the night watchman couldn't help but hum a little tune.

  "Ah!" The night watchman's foot tripped and he fell forward. If his hands and feet weren't still quite agile, this fall would have left him with a swollen nose and bruised face. On the ninth day of the cold weather, the ground was frozen hard, yet the night watchman's hand still scraped off a big piece of skin. "What thing is this!"

  The object that the night watchman had tripped over was soft, and he let out a startled yelp as he rubbed his eyes and bent down to take a look. To his surprise, it was a person lying on the ground, but this person was stiff all over and seemed to be dead or alive. He was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket with many patches, and in some places, the thin cotton batting was exposed, looking extremely shabby. "It's just a beggar!"

  The night watchman spat and acknowledged his bad luck, then turned away a few steps.

  A splash of liquor splashed onto that person's cheek, carrying with it the dirt on his face and slowly trickling down.

  Yin Ruofei was originally the youngest son of Zhenjiang Hou, and also his only legitimate child. His appearance was exceptionally outstanding, although he wasn't excessively spoiled, he was still doted on by both his grandmother and mother. Although his father had always been strict, he had never scolded or beaten him before.

  But that was only before he was eight years old. Since his mother's sudden death, his situation had been going from bad to worse. One after another, unfavorable events kept happening to him, and he couldn't defend himself against them. He began to become irritable and quick-tempered, causing his grandmother to gradually dislike him, and even his father would scold him severely whenever he saw him.

  On his twelfth birthday, he was coaxed and deceived by several sisters to the newly built lotus pond in their home, saying that they would wait for him to celebrate his birthday together.

  Since his mother passed away, he hasn't had a birthday in years. Although his face is still tight, his heart has softened a bit. These sisters, who usually calculate against him, unexpectedly think of him in their hearts. Thinking of this, the figure that left with his back to the crowd smiled faintly. From now on, don't bother arguing with these sisters over small things anymore.

  Lost in thought, he strolled along the lake shore. Suddenly, a pair of small hands grasped his hand, and when he looked down, it was none other than Jiumei Ruolan, who had just turned seven years old.

  Yin Ruofei's expression softened, she was now the closest person to him. Jiuniang's mother, Lan Yiniang, had a hard life and encountered a difficult childbirth, leaving behind her daughter after passing away. The mother pitied her for being young and helpless, with two daughters by her side who were already engaged, and couldn't stay at home for many years. So she took her in and raised her as her own daughter.

  Two sisters, although closer in relationship, are now married and cannot easily return home. Moreover, this family does not provide support for the two sisters. Although they are noble-born daughters of a marquis, their lives are not easy. Every time the sisters come back home, he and his younger sister put on a brave smile, unwilling to let their married sisters worry again.

  Their mother died suddenly, and the siblings were completely unprepared. These years have been increasingly difficult, and even their monthly allowance has been deducted. As for their grandmother, he was not allowed to visit her, let alone mention the deduction of his allowance.

  Without his grandmother, no one could control him. The entire Zhenjiang Marquis manor was controlled by the second lady, Xiao Lin Shi. Xiao Lin Shi was none other than his paternal aunt, his mother's younger sister from a different mother. This aunt was the person his mother trusted most in her lifetime and had entrusted her son to before she died, only...

  Yin Ruofei clenched her fists, although on the surface it seemed like none of these things had anything to do with her, but behind every one of them was her shadow. Especially every time he was framed for doing something evil, she would stand up and speak out for him, but those words would often provoke her father and grandmother even more, making him seem even more useless and unfilial.

  But to him, this woman who was both his aunt and stepmother, though smiling at him, had an expression in her eyes that showed disdain, just like the several half-brothers and sisters.

  Although her father later married a stepmother, she was also forced to retreat and did not dare to contend with her. Now that she is the only one in charge, there is no one in the entire Zhenjiang Marquis's mansion who can surpass her.

  "Brother, leave quickly. They're going to deal with you!" Yu Lan's expression was tense, although she was still young, but in this ruthless family, who dared to be truly innocent and naive.

  "What?" Yin Ruofei was stunned. Suddenly, he heard a splash and someone had fallen into the lotus pond. Before he could react, a group of servants and guards rushed out from all directions.

  Yin Ruofei subconsciously pushed his little sister to the side of the bushes, the situation was tense, and there was no time to remind her, just hoping that she would not come out no matter what.

  What happened next was another frame-up, but this time they went all out and somehow bribed the new concubine Father had recently taken in, getting her to fall into the lake and then claiming that Yin Ruofei had tried to kill her to silence her.

  Looking at his father, the majestic Marquis of Zhenjiang, Yin Haicheng, who rushed over with a furious face, and beside him, Mrs. Xiao Lin, who was staring at him with a sly smile, Yin Ruofei burst out laughing, tears welling up in her eyes, but she glared back at them.

  "Father doesn't believe in his son, so he drove him out of the house!" He was somewhat disheartened and disappointed, but still looked at Yin Haicheng with some hope.

  Yin Haicheng's face was filled with disgust, as if he couldn't even be bothered to look at him, and simply instructed the servants to take care of him according to household rules, before turning around to attend to his concubine who had been rescued and sent back to her room.

  Yin Ruofei's blood-curdling scream echoed, the ruthless board struck with all its might, shattering one of his legs and rendering him a cripple from that day on. What pained him most was not being reduced to a useless person, but that his own father didn't believe in him, refusing to listen to any explanation. He turned a blind eye to so many loopholes, yet took someone else's word for it and assumed he was the culprit. Was there anything left in this home worth staying for?

  His legs were not well taken care of, and he was sent out of the mansion. Perhaps this was also a deliberate arrangement by that person in the mansion. A small cloth package, two old clothes, and even his mother's half-remaining belongings were not taken before being sent out of the mansion.

  Yin Ruofei, who was alone and without support, was secretly arranged by his elder sister to a small courtyard outside the city. However, his elder sister could only provide limited silver, and his second sister was even caught by her husband's family for taking silver to visit him, losing all dignity as the main wife. After slightly nursing his leg, Yin Ruofei hobbled out of the door to find work, a man couldn't be supported by his sisters forever!

  He was lucky to find a pharmacy and became an apprentice, which lasted for seven years. Years of grinding made him understand how to read people's faces, although the boss didn't pay much, but it was a job where he could learn skills. He took the opportunity to study and identify various medicinal herbs, and secretly learned some medical skills from the doctor. Fortunately, this lady had good character, although she was very cold in nature, she took care of him more often, even giving him her own medical notes to keep and read.

  Just as life was slowly getting back on track and it seemed like the whole ordeal was behind him, an even greater misfortune swept in.

  A group of spoiled brats took a liking to his looks and cornered him in a dead-end alley. To avoid being humiliated, he was forced to slash his face with broken porcelain pieces. The thugs beat him up to vent their frustration but eventually let him go.

  It was only later that he realized his near-humiliation wasn't an accident, but rather the result of his second brother's instigation.

  He was resentful but helpless, and the severe beating made his already poor body even more miserable. The pharmacy also fired him. And the most painful thing finally broke out after a man with an honest face gave him a package of silver.

  That silver was brought by Ruo Lan, and under his repeated questioning, he finally learned that Ruo Lan had agreed to marry a powerful eunuch in the palace in order to let the Yin family spare him, so as to gain more benefits for the Yin family.

  Yin Ruofei spat out a mouthful of blood and rushed to the Hou Mansion in Zhenjiang, wanting to stop all this, but was blocked by the Hou Mansion guards, watching helplessly as the small sedan chair disappeared into the distance.

  Overwhelmed by internal and external troubles, Yin Ruofei couldn't make it home and instead collapsed heavily at the entrance of the alley. A pair of eyes stared up at the sky, as if rebuking heaven's injustice.