The morning air was still veiled in a thin mist as the carriage halted in front of the grand gates of the Wei family residence. Inside, a twenty-year-old girl slowly lifted the curtain. Her face was calm, but behind her serene eyes flickered a sharpness not often found in noblewomen.
Wei Lianhua. That name once again echoed through the old estate, but the one stepping out now was Ling Xi—the girl who had been hidden away, raised in silence, and now returned to impersonate a woman once known for her gentle nature and virtuous reputation.
"Welcome back to the capital, Lady Lianhua," said the head steward, bowing respectfully, his voice barely audible. Though outwardly deferential, there was a subtle trace of condescension.
Lin Xi paid him no mind. She descended the carriage with grace. Her steps were light, yet carried the caution of one who had been well-trained. Her expression remained composed, her gaze layered with unreadable emotions. Every movement was deliberate, molded through years of training—not as an heiress, but as a shadow.
She wasn’t just returning as the daughter of the Wei family—she was returning as a replica of someone who no longer existed.
Drawing a breath, Lin Xi adjusted her simple pale blue gown and offered a faint smile. Behind her gentle eyes, her mind was already calculating.
Who would be the first to suspect she wasn’t her sister?
Lin Xi walked slowly down the long corridor toward the main hall. Every servant’s gaze followed her—disbelief, awkwardness, and a tinge of fear.
In the family hall sat the man she knew as her biological father—Master Wei Jian, the most successful merchant in all of Jingzhou. Dressed in a dark brown ceremonial robe, he sat at the head seat. To his left sat Su Wanrong, the legitimate wife and mistress of the house, a woman feared by all. Her face was beautiful yet sharp, her smile never reaching her eyes. On his right sat Lin Shuyin, the concubine, Lianhua’s birth mother, her head lowered, her body tense.
“My dear child,” said Su Wanrong. “You’ve been away so long. I feared the journey would be too harsh on your body.”
Lin Xi bowed deeply in perfect decorum. “Thank you for your concern, Madam. Throughout these years, I’ve always missed this home.”
The word home tasted like thorns on her tongue. For it was this home that killed her sister, crushed her mother, and forced her to become someone she never wished to be.
Su Wanrong narrowed her eyes, examining the ‘concubine’s daughter’ with a smile too sweet to be sincere. “Strangely enough… you seem different, Lianhua. Calmer… stronger.”
Lin Xi offered a faint smile. “The world outside teaches many things, Madam. Especially the value of silence.”
Her words cast a momentary silence across the hall. Only the sharp clink of a teacup echoed through the air.
Lin Shuyin fought back tears, torn between relief and fear. Her daughter was walking straight into the tiger’s den.
“You’ve truly come back, my child…” she whispered.
But can you truly survive in this storm?
Lin Xi gently held her mother’s hand in a reassuring gesture. “You’ve suffered much for me, Mother. Don’t worry, your daughter is healthy now. Though some memories remain hazy, I assure you—I can carry out my duties.”
“Thank the heavens…” Lin Shuyin murmured, wiping her tears.
Wei Jian cleared his throat. “You’re back,” he said in a deep, heavy voice—stiff, for a father who hadn’t seen his daughter in years.
“I have returned, Father. Forgive me for being absent all this time.” Lin Xi bowed again, speaking with the formality of one addressing a master, not a parent.
“Gone? More like vanished without a trace. Then suddenly appearing again, wanting to return to the main table as if nothing ever happened,” Su Wanrong remarked with a smile edged in venom.
“A noble daughter from a prestigious merchant family—respected and well-regarded—returns just like that after causing such disgrace before. Don’t you feel ashamed to face the world?”
The first shot had been fired. Everyone knew this was the beginning of a territorial warning.
Instead of trembling, Lin Xi replied calmly, “I’m merely returning to where I belong.”
“Where you belong?!” Su Wanrong snapped. “Do you think this place still remembers you? The world moved on, Lianhua. Much has changed since you tarnished the family name.”
“But her name still resides in the family register. Distance cannot erase blood. She is still a daughter of the Wei family.” Lin Shuyin’s soft voice broke the rising tension.
Before Su Wanrong could retort, Wei Jian raised a hand. “Enough. I didn’t summon her back for arguments. I brought her back because she once showed great talent in trade. She will assist me in managing the family business. What this family needs now is sharp thinking, not clinging to the past.”
“I will not work to relive the past,” Lin Xi said gently, “but to secure this family’s future.”
“You should know your place! You are not the main heir, Lianhua. This family doesn’t belong to you!” Su Wanrong cut in sharply.
Lin Xi smiled slightly. “I’ve never sought inheritance. I only wish to fulfill my duty.”
Su Wanrong’s fury boiled under the surface, though she kept it contained. “Did you forget the scandal of your runaway affair? So disgraceful—running off with some unknown man, falling into a ravine, losing your memory. And now you return to reclaim a role in our business? Do you think your reputation can be restored so easily?”
“I know it won’t be easy. But I believe someone threw the first stone and hid their hand. I believe… it was a setup.”
“Master Wei… at least give her a chance. Let others judge her by her efforts,” Lin Shuyin pleaded with quiet urgency.
Wei Jian took a long breath and calmly sipped his tea. “Enough. Let the past be a lesson. That man is dead, and proof of Lianhua’s innocence remains…”
“… It’s just unfortunate that because of that incident, Lianhua suffered trauma and memory loss. These three years have been tough on our trade routes. Let’s hope Lianhua can help restore them.”
“I will do my best, Father.”
Wei Jian’s response, and the composed demeanor of his daughter, made Su Wanrong’s eyes glint with barely concealed hostility. But instead of continuing the argument, she held her silence, her face proud and cold.
“Very well. Before you return to the warehouse records, tomorrow you’ll reacquaint yourself with our extended family. In the following days, you’ll attend a trade meeting on behalf of the Wei family. Prove your words,” Wei Jian concluded, his tone final.
Later, Lin Xi leaned against the open window of her room, breathing deeply as though the air wasn’t enough. Her chest felt tight.
“Sister…” she whispered. “I will uncover everything. Not just the truth of your death… but also the blood shed by my master, my foster father—General Han Jue.”