On the day my younger sister and I both passed the provincial examination for female officials, we went into the mountains to hunt game.
Unexpectedly, we came across two injured little foxes.
The little fox with snow-white fur leaped into my sister's arms, its eyes shining.
The other little fox, its fur entirely blood-red as if stained with blood, looked at me with tears in its eyes.
I took pity on it and picked it up, caring for it devotedly every day.
Half a year later, the white fox transformed into a tall, handsome man and became a perfect match for my sister.
My sister's luck improved day by day. She found money wherever she went, and everything went smoothly for her.
But the red fox bit a villager, and treating its injuries drained all my savings. Then my father drove me out of the house.
Everyone called me bewitched by a fox spirit and told me to abandon it.
But I would rather be driven out than leave it behind.
"It stayed by my side when I was lonely. I can't abandon it just because of a few spiteful remarks!"
Later, after I finished the palace examination, I was suddenly dragged into the palace the day before the results were announced. They cut out my vocal cords and made me a mute palace maid.
The eunuch in charge said, "The Nine-Tailed Fox Immortal appeared in the Emperor's dream. Your younger sister is the Heaven-Chosen top female scholar. You're only going to stand in her way."
In the end, my wounds weren't treated in time, and I died.
Before I died, I saw the little fox I had held in my arms every day transform into a man of peerless beauty. He gently stroked my face.
"I want to give her the very best. I'll repay you for what I owe you in our next life."
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I found the foxes.
I looked at the red fox, barely alive on the ground, and kicked it into a ditch.
