The twenty-sixth year of Jian'an, the depths of winter.
Heavy snow blanketed the entire city. Liu Wu had been trapped for who knew how long in a dark dungeon where no sunlight reached. The moment she stepped out of that prison, all she saw was an endless expanse of white.
The biting wind whipped her long black hair loose. Even the guards, accustomed to seeing such things, couldn't help but start in surprise.
The face that had once dazzled the entire capital was now covered in scars and blood, with none of its former beauty left.
Liu Wu remembered that she had first met Ning Zhen at this very time of year.
Back then, Ning Zhen was wrapped in a black fox-fur coat, his pale face leaning against the back of a wheelchair. He looked as though he had little time left to live.
She hurried over, intending to offer her help, only to hear him sneer coldly:
"Instead of worrying about other people, why don't you take care of yourself first?"
At the time, she still had the strength to argue back. Thinking of it now...
She had entered the imperial court as a man, hoping only for justice to prevail. All she wanted was a declaration of innocence.
But looking back over half her life, she had failed to obtain what she sought.
Reader's guide: 1. I'm bad at writing blurbs, so here's a couple of chapters from the story instead.
2. Written for my personal tastes. Includes a groveling-chase-the-wife arc. The female lead is career-minded.
3. Happy ending.
Theme: I am my own person
