Chapter 40#
Upon returning to the Prime Minister’s residence, I paid my respects to my newly adopted sister before feigning interest in her talents.
My sister-in-law quipped from the sidelines, ‘The Empress inquires so meticulously—could it be she intends to personally select a match for Xueying?’
I shook my head. ‘My Tea Classic Pavilion is opening a branch in the eastern part of the city. My visit today was rather rushed, and I hadn’t prepared a proper gift for Xueying. I thought of offering this shop as a present instead. But with this establishment, she’ll inevitably have to appear in public to oversee accounts and manage affairs. I wonder if she’d be willing?’
My fellow countrywoman, of course, expressed her heartfelt gratitude and readily agreed.
With this Tea Classic Pavilion branch, he would no longer be confined within those walls. Even if he resolved to remain unmarried, he would have the means to do so.
Thus, when I left the palace, I had yet to encounter my fellow countryman; yet upon my return, I had gained a sworn sister.
When I reported back to His Majesty, the Emperor, he could only sigh and remark, ‘She is most fortunate indeed. You may gift her the new shop, but you must never set foot there again.’
Naturally, I nodded in agreement.
This lifetime, I had no intention of formally recognising my “exceptionally fortunate” fellow villager.
After all, his future promised stability, ease, and contentment. Our reunion would merely be icing on the cake—why trouble Chu Ruiyuan over it?
The following two years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
In the twinkling of an eye, my tiny little Crown Prince had grown into a waist-high little beanpole.
Whenever he appeared alongside his father the Emperor, the radiance seemed to double, so dazzling it was almost blinding.
This strikingly handsome father-son pair were a sight one could never tire of, no matter how many times one beheld them.
That exceptionally handsome father of his had been looking rather tense lately.
No, to be precise, he’d been tense ever since I turned twenty-seven.
Over the years, I’ve come to realise he possesses memories from my previous two lifetimes. Witnessing my death twice at twenty-seven, it’s no wonder he’s anxious.
I, however, feel little pressure.
In this life, I am nominally the ‘legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s household,’ meaning I naturally bear no personal moniker.
Thus, the ill-fated name ‘Liu Zihou’ has no bearing on me this time around.
Without that burden, I feel utterly liberated.
But my relief proved premature.
This lifetime lacks Zihou, the love-spell and broken bonds, and the Empress Dowager as a formidable adversary. Yet it presents a cohort of ‘loyal subjects devoted to the state’ whose minds seem utterly deranged.
These individuals steadfastly believe me to be a demonic empress who brought ruin upon the nation and its people.
Cunningly seizing the throne, bewitching the sovereign, corrupting the court, murdering to seize the heir… In short, the dozens of grave crimes levelled against me demand my entire household be executed and my body torn limb from limb.
During Chu Ruiyuan’s reign, the land enjoyed bountiful harvests and harmonious governance. Upon his passing, he shall undoubtedly be enshrined in history as a wise ruler.
As for me, the consort of such an enlightened sovereign, any person of sound mind would know to turn a blind eye.
Thus, these past years, the clamouring plots to send this ‘fox spirit’ to meet her end have come chiefly from a handful of pedantic scholars and moralists, their heads turned to mush by their books.
As the saying goes: a scholar’s rebellion takes three years to succeed.
These fellows have naturally clamoured for several years, fracturing and splitting among themselves multiple times, yet still achieving nothing.
Alas, when fate decrees you shall face calamity, there is no escaping it.
This band of fools—who in modern times would merely be keyboard warriors—somehow, over time, managed to brainwash the secret guard sent by Chu Ruiyan to monitor them.
Thus, the guard turned traitor.
Thus, en route to the Tea Classic Pavilion, I was seized by him.
This renegade guard ranked among the elite under the current dynasty’s CEO. Despite burdened with a liability like me, he managed to flee deep into the mountains surrounding the capital.
‘I intended to hand you over to Mr Wang for… ahem…’ The guard, wounded during our breakout, coughed up blood mid-sentence. Yet the blade pressed against my throat never slackened, its trembling blade leaving a shallow cut across my neck.
Seated on the ground, bound hand and foot, I promptly offered my cooperation: ‘I shan’t run or struggle. I’ll obey your every command. Take me to Mr Wang.’
Truth be told, I feared not to whom he might deliver me. Given that bunch of pedantic keyboard warriors’ zeal, even if handed over, they’d have to return me to the palace unharmed. They’d likely sell this shadow guard to save their own skins.
What I feared was…
The shadow guard coughed again, then sighed wistfully, ‘Alas, His Majesty has likely already dispatched heavy forces to search everywhere. I cannot escort you to trial. I can only grant you a merciful death here—a cheap one at that!’
Yes, that was precisely what I feared.
‘Sir, please calm yourself! Let us discuss this properly!’ Seeing he truly intended to execute me on the spot as a sacrifice to heaven and earth, I immediately cried out, desperate to calm him.
Yet he showed no inclination to cool his temper. Raising his hand, he swung his blade down with a mighty chop.
My fine head, I could see, was about to part ways with the neck it had shared for twenty-seven years.
In sheer terror, I reflexively closed my eyes, awaiting life’s final moment.
My mind did not replay memories like a dying character in a television drama; instead, it was a vast, empty void.
Only the name ‘Chu Ruiyuan’ repeated endlessly, nothing else.
I had thought myself destined for a life cut short before thirty, yet after waiting an eternity, the blade still did not fall.
Instead, the clang of steel rang out beside me.
Opening my eyes, I saw a hero who had descended from the heavens, locked in combat with the traitorous shadow guard.
Though the young hero seemed slightly outmatched in skill, the guard was already wounded, a gaping wound in his abdomen leaving him increasingly at a disadvantage the longer the fight dragged on.
After exchanging over a hundred blows, it was the youth who finally drove his sword into the guard’s chest.
I stared somewhat dazed at the beautiful, familiar face of my saviour. Even after the ropes binding me were cut free, I remained momentarily speechless.
It was the “old acquaintance” - his features unchanged, though his physique slightly more robust than in my first life - who spoke first: ‘I saved your life. Not even a word of thanks?’
Only then did I snap back to my senses, hastily bowing and saying, ‘Thank you, young hero, for saving my life! May I ask your name and where you come from? Once I return home, I shall prepare a generous gift and pay my respects in person.’
The man waved his hand dismissively. “I am setting out to roam the martial world, travelling far and wide across rivers and mountains. I shan’t return for three to five years, so there’s no need for thanks.”
I thought to myself that he must have learnt martial arts from that secret guard, Chu Ruiyuan, and was determined to become a carefree wandering knight like his biological father. Yet I only said aloud, ‘Young knight, such great kindness deserves thanks.’
He merely smiled. ‘If we speak of kindness, it was you who sowed the seeds of virtue. Had you not witnessed my uncle’s bullying five years past and sent aid, I would never have noticed you in the city today, nor followed you all this way.’
I hadn’t realised that mere glance through the carriage window had left such an impression. Stunned for a moment, I finally managed, ‘It was you?’
He nodded. ‘It was.’
I continued, ‘I did indeed intend to help you that day, but that fellow beat me to it.’
He smiled. ‘My foster father was indeed a man of noble spirit. I resolved to take up the sword and roam the martial world, striving to be a righteous knight like him.’
Just as I was about to praise him, he turned his head towards a certain spot in the woods and said, ‘It seems those who came to rescue you have arrived. I shall take my leave.’
With that, he walked off in the opposite direction.
I watched the figure of my rescuer, an old acquaintance, vanish into the woods. From the direction he had been gazing, a clamour of voices soon rose.
Before long, Chu Ruiyuan appeared in my line of sight, accompanied by guards and elite soldiers.
The CEO of our dynasty, upon seeing me, rushed towards me. I ran towards him, throwing myself into his embrace.
‘Mingzhi… Mingzhi…’ He held me tightly, his body trembling slightly, his voice choked with emotion. ‘I thought you…’
In that moment, I was overcome by a profound sense of destiny fulfilling its purpose, of finally finding salvation. I clung to him just as fiercely, declaring, ‘In this lifetime, I vow to grow old with Your Majesty.’
Only then did Chu Ruiyuan’s emotions settle somewhat. He nodded. ‘Since you say so, my dear, do not disappoint me. Live a long life and spend this lifetime with me.’
Then he took me back to the palace, and we indulged ourselves thoroughly.
So thoroughly, in fact, that I began to wonder if this relentless exhaustion might lead to premature kidney failure before I reached a hundred years.
But what did it matter?
The grievances of past lives are settled; the bonds of this life are yet to unfold… We must seize the moment, indulge in the clouds of Mount Wu, and thus honour this three-lifetimes-long karmic connection.