The whip lash struck Tian Liu Yan with full force. Zhao Hua had swung so hard that the tip grazed his cheek, leaving not only a deep, bloody welt on his back, but also one on his cheek.
Tian Liu Yan flinched. The icy air stung his lungs as he knelt on the terrace outside Zhao Hua's chambers, dressed only in a thin robe, head bowed, receiving his punishment.
"You are so useless!" scolded the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, striking even harder.
Even her personal maid, Yi Chang, flinched with each blow. Tian Liu Yan muttered an apology, but Zhao Hua had only just begun and grew more enraged with every breath he took.
The whip lashed down again, and the slender young man felt the fabric of his Hanfu tear and become soaked with warm, wet blood. Although he felt the pain, he was powerless against it.
He was the cursed prince. Every few centuries, a human curse-bearer was born into the imperial family. A mortal, created to shoulder all the bad karma and hatred of the world. It was his fate to be hated and despised by all. It was only natural that people avoided him, even rejected him.
He clenched his hands into fists and closed his eyes. The lashing blows echoed in his ears and hurt on several levels. As he slumped forward, Zhao Hua snorted in dissatisfaction and rolled up the whip breathlessly.
Small clouds of mist formed in front of their mouths, and snow fell in thick flakes from the gray, tightly closed sky. The smell of blood hung in the air and the taste of iron filled his mouth. Liu Yan suppressed a dry cough and braced himself with his last ounce of strength on the snow-covered wooden floor.
"Look at me like that again, and you won't get off so easily," Zhao Hua shouted angrily. Then a rush of warm air passed him as she pushed open the door to her chambers.
Liu Yan staggered as he sat there, unabated, keeping his eyes closed. As long as Zhao Hua did not allow him to, he was not allowed to get up.
He trembled, and the cold crept through every inch of his skin. Freezing, he breathed into his hollow, reddened hands. But even that didn't help much.
Liu Yan cautiously opened his eyes. He was so weak that everything was blurry. His long, jet-black hair blew in the icy wind. The frost on his long eyelashes weighed heavily, and his already narrow, thin body was shaken by violent cramps.
The Zhao family estate was huge. So far, he had only seen the courtyard and his room, which was like a storage room. But he knew that the residence was much larger. That it included several main and secondary buildings, as well as chambers for the children and concubines of the master of the house.
Zhao Jisheng, the head of the family and father of Zhao Hua, was the emperor's right-hand man and minister of war. Liu Yan had been betrothed to the family's eldest daughter even before he was born.
Much to her dismay, he was born as the cursed third prince. So he had not only brought himself down, but her as well. Instead of becoming the wife of a prince, she was now the fiancée of the wretched curse.
Tian Liu Yan had long since come to terms with this. He knew there was nothing he could do to change his fate. An icy breeze blew over the open wounds on his back when suddenly the estate came to life.
Several servants hurried through the corridors and across the courtyards, paying no attention to the paved walkways. They bustled about and made such a racket that Zhao Hua poked his head out again.
She was tall and slender, with dark hair and rosy cheeks. Lavish jewellery adorned her head and clothing. She narrowed her eyes as she gruffly asked the reason for the commotion. "What's going on here?" she barked at the nearest servant.
The man immediately fell to his knees and bowed several times before hastily replying.
"Li Gongzi rescued a young girl from the river and sent her here." Zhao Hua frowned.
"Li Gege, a girl?" she repeated incredulously. The employee nodded quickly and pointed toward a visitor's hall.
"She is still unconscious and hypothermic, but since Li Gongzi personally pulled her out of the water, we are doing everything possible to save her," he explained hastily.
Tian Liu Yan staggered and rested his hands on his thighs to keep from falling over.
Li Wangxi was Zhao Jisheng's adopted son and his pride and joy. He had risen to become the local general at a young age. Distinguished, proud, righteous, and the object of affection of both Zhao daughters, who were only too happy to fight over him. The second daughter, Zhao Huan, had the better chances.
Zhao Huan was a lovely, graceful lady. Even though she was just as depraved inside as her sister, she was neither as loud nor as tyrannical towards the servants as Zhao Hua. Outwardly, she was a perfect white flower.
Zhao Hua stepped out onto the snow-covered porch and was immediately wrapped in a warm coat by Yi Cheng before her personal maid took a step back, folded her hands, and looked down.
"So Li Gege brought a girl home?" Zhao Hua remarked, snorting contemptuously. She took out her anger on Liu Yan, kicking him in the lower back.
"What are you still doing here? Don't bother me and get lost," she snapped angrily.
Tian Liu Yan didn't need to be told twice. With a bow that reopened some of his crusted wounds, he thanked her before slowly getting up. Zhao Hua didn't even glance at him as she stormed off. The servant also gave Liu Yan a look of disgust before following his mistress.
Liu Yan dragged himself back to his room with heavy steps. It was located away from the main houses and the family members' chambers. Above a shed was a small room that could only be reached by a narrow staircase.
The steps creaked as he hoisted himself up. The incessant snow had iced over the steps and the rickety railing, but he couldn't feel anything anyway under his numb, reddened fingertips.
It took him a few tries to push open the old door, which was constantly sticking. It wasn't really any warmer here, either. He turned to the left and found himself in the middle of his room.
Someone had opened the windows wide, and a thick layer of snow had formed on the desk in front of them. His ink and parchments underneath, which he needed to copy down nonsensical family rules and punishments, were soaked.
The wall, where the bookshelves stretched to the ceiling and were filled with dusty parchment scrolls and thick tomes, had also been covered with a layer of frost. After taking a short breath, he closed the window and set about clearing away the snow.
His room was so small that he had to move the desk aside to sleep on the raised wooden platform. But even then, he didn't have enough room to stretch out completely.
With icy, numb fingers, he rummaged around and found a small metal container and lit a small fire in it with the parchment scraps.
He remembered well how he had been beaten nearly unconscious by the head of the family after daring to steal a few pieces of unburned coal from the kitchen.
The fire burned only briefly and the warmth did not last forever, so he tried to clean his wounds and bandage them with frayed cloth in the short time available.
"Who is the girl in Li Gongzi's visiting hall?" asked an excited voice. Liu Yan pulled the fabric of his thin robe tightly around his shoulders and peered out through a hole in his window.
Below his room, two employees were engaged in lively conversation. One was holding a steaming carrying box in his hands. Tian Liu Yan's stomach immediately responded, and he felt the gnawing sensation of hunger inside him.
Once again, he hadn't eaten anything for several days. With one hand on his aching stomach, he gritted his teeth. In fact, it often happened that he didn't eat for several days, and when he did, it was mostly kitchen scraps.
Luckily for him, he was immune to bad karma and didn't really get seriously ill from it. Otherwise, the leftovers he was sometimes forced to eat would have sent him to an early grave.
"I don't know, she's not particularly pretty and has no other merits," replied the other. The two laughed maliciously.
"It would be better for her to just die. What the first and second mistresses will do to her when she wakes up will be worse than death," one of them sneered.
Liu Yan sat down at his desk and organized his papers before he began to conscientiously grind the ink. It was better if he wrote out some papers full of family rules. That way, he would occasionally have a little break to rest when he was physically exhausted and his fiancée Zhao Hua gave him extra work to do.
He didn't care about the employees' mockery. Nevertheless, he had to agree with them. Since the girl had dared to let the noble Lord Li Wangxi save her, it was no blessing.
Zhao Hua and Zhao Huan would take out their anger on her for daring to put herself in the spotlight of their brother. So there was no question of rescue here.
***
He was absent-mindedly looking at the frayed tip of his brush, from which thick black ink was dripping, when someone threw a stone at his window. He flinched briefly, washed the brush, and hung it back on the rack before opening the window a crack and looking out.
His gaze had always been cold and emotionless, and so he looked at the servant with a murderous glare. She swallowed and squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, then seemed to remember that he was worth less than a street dog and straightened her shoulders.
"Mistress Zhao Hua has instructed you to watch over our visitor during the night," she called out.
Liu Yan raised an eyebrow. Even though it was probably much warmer in the visitors' hall, Zhao Hua certainly wasn't doing this out of the goodness of her heart. If the girl didn't survive the night – and that was definitely in the tyrannical bitch's interest – not only would she get rid of the competition, she could also pin it on him.
A disparaging smile played around his lips as he nodded slightly to Yi Chang. She gave him a look as if she were about to vomit before turning on her heel and hurrying back.
Outside, it had become even colder and significantly darker. The sun had not been seen for days, and icy winds howled through every crack in the estate. Liu Yan ran quickly and habitually in the shade of the barren trees to Li Wangxi's chambers.
He had never met the prodigy himself, as he had already joined the army when Liu Yan moved into the estate. When he reached the chambers of the adopted son, he looked up.
A woman stood in front of the door to the visitors' rooms. She was beautiful, graceful. Her gaze was melancholy, directed into the distance. Her lips were slightly parted. Although Liu Yan made no sound as he approached, she turned to him.
A smile flitted across her face, one that he had initially mistaken for friendliness. He stopped at a respectful distance and greeted her.
"Second Mistress, Zhao Huan." The smile that did not reach her eyes faded as her gaze focused on him. She had left the door open and the cold wind swept through the inner hall, but she had only a dismissive glance for the visitor.
"My sister was right. There is nothing special about her. Li Gege simply saves anyone who needs help," she said.
Her soft, melodic voice sounded gentle and sweet. Everything about her resembled a beautiful trap. Zhao Huan smiled again as she walked past him.
Liu Yan stepped through the open door and closed it behind her. Although the room was actually large and spacious, most of it was in darkness. Only a small area was lit by candles. A figure lay pale and motionless on a straw mat.
Next to her, smoke wafted from a charcoal bowl, and the portable food basket stood beside it. As if she should help herself. Liu Yan moved closer to her. The charcoal warmed his fingers, but it did not compensate for the coldness of the straw on which the girl lay.
He sat down next to her and brushed a strand of tangled hair from her face. Zhao Huan was right. She was nothing special.
Her oval, pale face had no colour, nor did her chapped, cracked lips. Her hair looked dull and matted. Her neck was covered in bruises. Liu Yan slowly stroked her skin and then wrapped his finger around her neck. But the bruises didn't match a handprint.
He pressed lightly. The feeling of superiority and power rushed through his veins. The young woman flinched slightly and muttered something incomprehensible. Liu Yan let her go. All he had to do was sit here the following night. He didn't really care about her. It would be a shame if she died, as Zhao Hua would have another reason to punish him, but compassion was an emotion that was foreign to him anyway.
He pulled the charcoal closer to him and fanned the warm air towards himself. The basket still contained a lukewarm bowl of rice porridge and some medicine. He pocketed the medicine bottle and took the bowl. He held the spoon under the young woman's nose. Then he shrugged and ended up eating the whole bowl himself.
He gagged when, after a few bites, he realized that it was made from spoiled rice that was several days old. He felt nauseous, but he was used to worse, so the lukewarm meal stayed in his stomach. Liu Yan held her hand over her mouth as the rice porridge came back up, and it took her a moment not to vomit.
He set the bowl aside and sat down more comfortably. Night fell over the estate, and it grew even colder outside. The coals glowed faintly. Liu Yan placed a hand on the girl's forehead; in contrast, she was boiling inside.
Sweat ran down her forehead and she writhed as she tried to scream with a dry, constricted throat. On impulse, he took the water hose and lifted her head slightly as he tried to drip some water into her mouth.
She coughed. When she spat on his hand, he let go of her in disgust and her head hit the thin straw mat. She trembled and her blue lips quivered. As dawn slowly broke, her body lay cold and stiff on the floor. Liu Yan heard some employees gathering outside the door and whispering heatedly to each other. He made a move to get up as the girl fluttered her eyes open.
"So you're not dead after all," he remarked, his cool gaze meeting hers. The fire of fever burned in her eyes. Her black irises sparkled as their eyes met.
"It would have been better to die," he remarked casually. She looked at him.
"I didn't ask to be saved," she whispered weakly.
"I hate them!" Liu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Who?" he asked disinterestedly. The young woman's head rolled back and forth on the straw; she was obviously in pain and barely able to move. Nevertheless, she clawed at the thin, ridiculous mat and reared up.
"All of them," she hissed angrily.