A Verdadeira Filha Compete e Luta

Since ancient times, the lands beneath the Emperor’s feet have always been the most prosperous in the realm.

Donglin City was the center of power in the Great Ye Dynasty. At its heart stood the ever-bright Changming Palace within the forbidden court, from which over a hundred crisscrossing lanes stretched in all directions. The city hosted two main markets: the Elephant Market and the Horse Market.

The Horse Market served as the distribution hub for goods arriving from outside the capital. Shops of every kind lined its streets, offering everything from fabrics and teas to local specialties and exotic imports. The nearby residences were mostly occupied by wealthy merchants.

The Elephant Market, in contrast, was filled with teahouses, bookshops, taverns, and pleasure pavilions, surrounded on all sides by the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobility.

The Yu family resided on the outskirts of the Elephant Market, in Chongde Lane.

Now, as the Waking of Insects arrived, the yang energy began to rise.

The weather vacillated between chill and warmth, making it the perfect time to drink millet and red date wine and to eat pears stored since the previous year. Pears were rare delicacies at this season, yet the Yu family had ample stores—so much so that even the lowest servant could savor their sweet, crisp flavor on this day.

And for one simple reason: Yu Liu Zhu, the only legitimate daughter of the family head, Yu Zhiheng, was born precisely on the Waking of Insects sixteen years ago.

On this day, Yu Liu Zhu was holding a ban