Repeatedly broken branches

She spent ten years in near darkness, in a cramped room with only a small table and no proper bed, sleeping directly on the floor.

She felt as if she were locked in a cage, but not quite. This place was even more terrifying than a cage; there was no sound, no light, and she was accompanied only by the sound of her own breathing and heartbeat every day.

He said he loved me, but he kept me confined and never saw me. I said I was afraid of the dark, so he sealed the windows, and I couldn't see any light during the day either. I said I was afraid of being alone, so he forbade everyone to make a sound. He brought me food every day, but it couldn't be fresh. He said, "Don't let her die."

She bit her finger and used the blood to draw on the ground. She couldn't even make out what she was drawing, but it was probably a peach tree. How ironic, considering that peach trees were her favorite tree.

On the first day, she was terrified. She pounded on the door and shouted at the outside, but no one paid any attention to her because he had ordered that she not be spoken to or made any sound.

The next day, she had no strength left. She had been shouting all night, and she even felt that her throat was sore and it hurt terribly to make a sound.

On the third day, it was dark, so dark. She couldn't see anything around her, couldn't tell if it was day or night, and was so hungry.

……

Day after day, year after year, she had lost track of how long she had been imprisoned here, probably three years... or perhaps longer. She had forgotten how to speak, her beautiful hair was now tangled in knots, her body stank, and her clothes were barely covering her body.

She didn't understand what she had done wrong, or why he treated her this way. She had never expected him to be obedient, loving, and doting on her, yet she ended up like this. She was the apple of her father and mother's eye, and now, she probably didn't even want to see herself like this.

After an unknown amount of time, the door was opened. This was the first time in many years that she had seen the sunlight. However, she couldn't see anything clearly and only felt that the sunlight was too dazzling.

She choked back tears, unable to utter a sound. She stretched out her withered hand, trying to catch the sunlight that was nowhere to be seen, but it was forcefully knocked away.

"Xia Yunzhi, do you still remember me?"

How could she not remember? It was the name she thought of all night long, a name that haunted her every thought. Whenever she thought of it, she wished she could drink his blood, eat his flesh, and torture him to death.

She was originally a carefree little princess.

Xia Yunzhi tried to say something, but she hadn't spoken for so long that she couldn't make a sound. She could only lie on the ground, struggling to make even the slightest sound.

"Haha, look at the pathetic state you're in now."

The man kicked Xia Yunzhi in the knee. Her already thin frame was almost visible. The kick made a cracking sound as her leg bone broke. Xia Yunzhi felt a sharp pain, and the veins on her neck bulged, but she couldn't even scream.

I hate it so much, I hate it so much...

The man stepped on her thin, chopstick-like hands and ground them hard, causing her finger bones to crack one by one.

She felt the pain, the pain that is felt when her fingers were crushed. When she was a child, even the slightest bump or knock would hurt terribly. This time, her fingers were crushed by someone's foot, and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

Why torture her? It would be better to just kill her. The torment day and night made her feel less than human; she'd rather be dead, much better to be dead…

"wanna die?"

"I refuse to agree. I want you to suffer a fate worse than death before you understand how much pain I've endured all these years of stagnation and forbearance!"

"Xia Yunzhi, no matter how I torture you, I'm still not satisfied. How can your life be compared to the lives of dozens of people in the Zhou family?"

She wanted to explain, but she couldn't make a sound. That year, the Zhou family was robbed and not only were they robbed of everything, but no one was left alive.

Unfortunately, it was Xia Yunzhi's birthday at that time, a time of national celebration. No one cared about this matter. She had no idea that Ye Wanwan, who came to deliver the news that day, was actually the only survivor of the Zhou family. She also did not know that her young girl would stop her at the door and not let her in.

If, if she had known, she definitely wouldn't have let it happen.

When Zhou Tingxi learned of this, it was already five days later when he returned from the desert. It was the height of summer, and a foul stench was beginning to emanate from the Zhou residence.

He blamed everything on Xia Yunzhi, who had just married into the family. To appease him, the emperor granted Xia Yunzhi permission to accompany him to the desert.

He was imprisoned for ten years and never returned.

However, she truly felt wronged by all of this.

"Don't you feel extremely wronged? Let me tell you, you'll never live in peace for the rest of your life. You can keep your worthless life to atone for your sins with Wanwan in the afterlife!"

If only she could see the walls of the imperial city one more time. Father, Mother, Brother, Yun'er can no longer be by your side.

At that moment, she heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and at that moment, she seemed to see Zhou Tingxi's face. Thank you for freeing me.

Thank you. I hope you can move on from hatred and live a peaceful and fulfilling life.

Zhou Tingxi, I shouldn't have begged my father to let me promise you my love.

I was wrong. It was the first mistake I ever made in my life, and I paid for it with my life. It's too late to regret it now.

Why hasn't the sword fallen yet, Zhou Tingxi? Can't you bring yourself to do it? Are you hesitating?

All that could be heard was the sound of a sword piercing flesh, and Zhou Tingxi could be vaguely seen kneeling down. Her fingers were all broken, and she had no choice but to use her palms to support herself on the ground and slowly move to his side.

She touched something sticky, brought it close to her nose and smelled it—it was blood. Zhou Tingxi had committed suicide with his sword right in front of her.

At that moment, she felt reborn, yet it was also as if she hadn't. In the hard yet soft part of her heart lay a secret she never wanted to uncover in her lifetime.

She wouldn't tell him that fifteen years ago, by Qiushui Lake, it was she who saved him from drowning, not Ye Wanwan. He didn't know that Ye Wanwan couldn't swim.

The princess would never easily jump into the water to save someone, because she saw that the boy who had fallen into the water was wearing the brocade pouch that she had given him.

She jumped without hesitation.

"The prince consort has committed suicide..."