Spring Returns to Me

INTRODUCTION

From childhood, I had wanted nothing more than to climb higher and marry into a noble household.

For that purpose, I always pretended to be gentle and virtuous. I lived as a dependent in the Marquis’s residence for years, all so I could marry the heir.

But Princess Pei Yunzhao, who had also been raised in the Marquis’s residence, had always taken a dislike to me.

She was forever looking for a chance to expose who I really was.

Unfortunately for her, I ultimately got what I wanted. I schemed to make the heir owe me his life.

I used that debt to demand repayment, and in the end, my wish came true: I married Shen Xingyi.

Who could have known that he had seen through my schemes long ago?

On our wedding night, Shen Xingyi sighed.

“It’s a pity that with all your cunning and all your tricks, you can only entrust your future to a man.”

“But I have no interest in fame or an official career, and I possess no great talent. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint Miss Du one day.”

After we married, he treated me with great gentleness. I, too, reined in my temper, and we lived together with the courtesy and respect of a well-matched couple.

Later, Princess Pei Yunzhao was forced into a political marriage and sent far away to Mobei.

Shen Xingyi volunteered to escort her on the thousand-mile journey.

After that, they vanished without a trace. Neither ever returned.

When I opened my eyes again, Shen Xingyi was being shoved into the water by the young servant I had bribed.

01

“Stop!”

I screamed, but I was a step too late.

Splash!

The cold early-spring wind brushed past my ear. Water sprayed onto my embroidered shoes, soaking them in a dark patch.

I stood dazed on the bank, still clutching the silk handkerchief in my hand.

Shen Xingyi was struggling in the water.

He had been frail since childhood. In this cold snap at the start of spring, he had swallowed water cold enough to pierce to the bone; even his cries for help came in broken gasps.

His pure-white brocade robe, like a withered magnolia blossom, was dragging him slowly under.

Behind the artificial rockery, the young servant I had paid a large sum to bribe couldn’t understand why the mistress who had hired him had suddenly changed her mind.

Still, he followed the plan and quickly fled the courtyard.

This had been my trap from the start.

In my previous life, on this same day, I had stood in this very spot.

The moment I saw Shen Xingyi fall into the water, I had leapt in without hesitation.

Only when the servants heard the commotion and rushed over did they pull the two of us back onto shore.

Before everyone’s eyes, our clothes were soaked through and our hair was in disarray.

I had wagered my chastity and reputation, and at last I got my wish.

With my lowly birth, there had been no way I could marry into the Marquis’s household.

After Shen Xingyi caught a chill, he was bedridden for a whole month. The Marchioness had intended to give me some money and send me away before the scandal spread.

But Shen Xingyi, his face pale, had argued stubbornly with his mother.

“Miss Du did save my life. Would you really have her lose her reputation over this?”

“If we send her away, wouldn’t that be repaying kindness with cruelty? She is a young woman. How would she survive after that?”

Princess Pei Yunzhao, who had always disliked me, had sneered. “But Brother Xingyi, you’re clever. Surely you can see she set this up on purpose.”

“She only wanted to use the debt of saving your life to demand repayment and find a way to cling to you.”

At the time, Shen Xingyi had merely lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.

Despite everyone’s objections, he married me in the end.

At last, I had climbed to the branch I wanted.

Back then, I thought my dearest wish had come true. I was full of triumph.

I had no idea what would happen afterward.

How could a relationship built on lies withstand the torment of the years?

I should have known my place long ago.

I had merely used Shen Xingyi’s gentleness to achieve my own despicable goal.

He did not love me.

He simply could not bear to see me disgraced and sent back to my family, even though he knew I had schemed against him.

But two people who were never meant for each other had been forced to stay together.

Time can turn even a spring breeze cold. What little pity and sympathy remained between us eventually became an agony that felt like bone and flesh being torn apart.

Only when the blood was already spilling did I realize that everything had gone wrong.

I pulled myself together, gathered my skirts, and staggered toward the covered walkway.

“Someone! Help!”

The wind scraped my throat like a blade. I hurried away, afraid Shen Xingyi truly wouldn’t last much longer.

As I rounded the moon gate, a strong osmanthus fragrance hit me.

Jingling jade ornaments sounded beside my ear. Someone shoved me hard, and I stumbled, catching myself against a corridor pillar.

“Don’t you have eyes? Where are you rushing off to—trying to be reborn?”

A familiar, clear voice scolded me in a torrent.

Princess Pei Yunzhao wore a dazzling red silk dress embroidered with gold thread. Her beauty was beyond compare.

She frowned, brushed her sleeve in distaste, and lifted her chin to look down at me.

She was a princess born to wealth and honor. Though an astrological prophecy had forced her to bear the title of adopted daughter and live in the Marquis’s residence, she had never lost her pride or noble bearing.

I ignored her taunts and hurriedly grabbed her slender wrist.

Pei Yunzhao froze, her brows drawing together even more tightly. “What madness is this? Let go!”

“The heir fell into the water!” My voice was hoarse. “Go call someone to save him!”

02

My mother was an ambitious woman.

It seemed that from the moment she was born, she had known how to rely on men to climb to a higher position.

She was merely a tavern girl, but she was beautiful and alluring, and she had set her heart on marrying into a noble household by relying on her looks.