Su Jinli, the legitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant, spent her entire fortune helping her impoverished husband, Li Chengyu, pass the imperial examinations. But on the third anniversary of their wedding, Li Chengyu poisoned her so he could marry the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites.
Blood streaming from every orifice, Su Jinli collapsed in the snow. Li Chengyu crushed the jade token she'd given him as a love token. "A merchant's daughter is fit for nothing but to be my stepping stone to greatness!"
As a drifting soul, Su Jinli watched Li Chengyu conspire with bandits to massacre civilians and frame the Su family. Her father was beheaded, and her little brother was made a servant.
She also discovered that Pei Yan, the "sickly man" whose marriage proposal she'd scornfully rejected, had risked his life to gather the Su family's remains. In the end, Li Chengyu had him pierced by countless arrows.
In the underworld, Pei Yan traded ten years of his life to give her another chance. His last words were: "A Li, don't choose him this time."
