"Loneliness, regret, betrayal, pain... I have been through it all, but I never lost hope. Survive, fight to gain your freedom—do it, for there will always be a door opening for you."
A full year had elapsed since that dark day. I was now a slave, with Li Wei remaining as my sole companion. Her brother had succumbed along the way. Only the two of us remained, bound together in endless suffering.
We were in the service of a man named Mo Junwei and his son, Mo Yang. There was also an adopted daughter, Mo Hao—a spoiled, fickle creature who harbored a venomous hatred toward me.
Mo Yang was a young man of letters—kind-hearted, charming, and remarkably approachable.
Our labor was neither clean nor easy. Mo Junwei and Dai Mei, the mistress to whom my fate had been auctioned, subjected us to constant abuse. Floggings were a daily occurrence, and to them, Li Wei was little more than a toy for their cruel amusement. I couldn't take it anymore. Suffering, being beaten, eating leftovers, and watching my best friend be treated as mere entertainment—all of it drove me to pure rage. So one evening, I made a decision. It was time to set things right for Li Wei and me.
We had just finished our evening work. Sitting together in our small hut, I turned to Li Wei and said: "Li Wei, it is time for everything to change. It is time for Mo Junwei, Dai Mei, and Mo Hao to pay for all their misdeeds and their crimes against the Empire."
Li Wei looked exhausted. She replied: "My Lady, how are we going to pull this off? We can't even escape this place... There are guards everywhere, and we are stuck in a village cut off from the rest of the world."
I took her hand and said: "Wei Wei, trust me. We will make it. We are going to escape this horrible place and make Mo Junwei and his whole gang pay. I have a plan to get us out, and I know who is going to help us."
"My Lady... speaking of the person who can help us, do you mean the young master?
"Yes, he is our only way out. Tomorrow morning, I will speak to Mo Yang and share my plan with him. Li Wei, get ready—we will be leaving this place soon."
Morning came so quickly. Suddenly, there was a knock at our door. Li Wei went to see who it was and, caught completely off guard, came back to wake me with a trembling voice: "My Lady, wake up! You won't believe it—the young master has just arrived. He is right here."
I told her: "Li Wei, calm down. I will speak to him alone. Go to work as usual, and if Dai Mei or Mo Hao ask where I am, tell them I caught a cold and will be late. Keep everything normal."
I got out of bed and stepped out under the eaves. Mo Yang was standing there, waiting for me. Li Wei left for work as if nothing were amiss.
"Yue, it has been a long time since my departure. How are you holding up?"
I replied: "I'm fighting the best I can."
"I heard that Mo Hao mistreats Li Wei even worse than the other slaves. She also tried to burn you. Yue, I am so sorry that my adopted sister is a cold-hearted woman who only lives for the luxuries provided by my father and her mother. If only my father weren't so corrupt and a lawless man, you wouldn't even be here."
I looked at Mo Yang with a sorrowful yet rage-filled gaze. I knew that all of this had begun because of my stepmother and the murder of my father... If only.