Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

I'm a bit exhausted again, so I'll attach the rest of the story first, and write in detail when I have the chance...

【Conceived plot】

1. Liu Rusi and Fang Qiu caused a huge uproar in Daxia, sparking countless rumors, moral criticism, and even slander. a. Chu Shiyu secretly investigated many opposing officials and publicized their scandals (exposing numerous illegitimate children, prostitution, forced concubinage, and even pedophilia, among other moral blemishes). This diluted the rumors surrounding Liu Rusi and Fang Qiu while highlighting their legitimacy and the true moral corruption of others. He directly exposed the most vocal (all crows are evil) corruption charges, including the seizure of civilian land and the sale of official positions, to purge them. b. Liu Rusi requested a public autopsy using the body of a pedophile, using even more horrifying "notoriety" to suppress the vulgar rumors of both men and women.

2. A deaf-mute beauty in Prince Kang's palace becomes pregnant (Prince Kang had previously taken an aphrodisiac in the palace and accidentally favored her. Later, he rushed to the battlefields of Mobei, forgoing contraceptive soup for the beauty). To protect her unexpected pregnancy, the beauty escapes with the collective help of the other beauties, and is taken in by Liu Rusi's clinic. Upon returning to the capital, Prince Kang discovers one of the beauties is missing, and he suspects she was persecuted by the newly arrived concubines. Faced with the king's wrath, the concubines investigate to prove their innocence, and coincidentally, Zhang Rujin, the sister of Zhang Ruxiu, the concubine, learns the truth.

After a series of twists and turns, Prince Kang learned that the beauty had given birth to a child at the female doctor's clinic, and he personally went to claim the child. However, Chu Shiyu arrogantly demanded that Prince Kang's child be his own. "They all have the surname Chu anyway," "You already have several," "You won't raise them well if you take them home," "You'll save Liu the pain of childbirth," and "Aren't you afraid of hurting the child if you force it?" Overwhelmed with emotion, Prince Kang reluctantly (half-heartedly) turned to the Emperor for resolution...

Chu Shiyu was trying to help Liu Rusi resolve the emperor's issue of Qin Hao changing his surname (if Chu Shiyu didn't have a son within three years, Qin Hao would have to change his surname). Ultimately, the emperor stopped mentioning Qin Hao's surname change, and the child was returned to Prince Kang. After that, the deaf-mute beauties, the child, and Prince Kang all had more communication and contact with them.

3. With the unwavering support of Prince Duan Chu Shiyu, the tacit approval of Prince Kang Chu Shikun (whose influence spanned the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue), and the influence of the military, the Ministry of Medicine finally stabilized and returned to normalcy. Chu Shiyu and Liu Rusi decided to marry, a compromise between the two. It wasn't Chu Shiyu's traditional marriage, nor Liu Rusi's loose, informal marriage, but rather an alliance-like community of two independent yet mutually supportive parties. Modeled after traditional marriages, Chu Shiyu took full responsibility for the entire arrangement, including the betrothal gifts and dowry, even preparing Liu Rusi's phoenix coronet and bridal veil, freeing her to focus on her medical career.

Everything was ready, Liu Rusi put on her wedding dress, but Qin Hao, who was usually emotionally stable, suddenly lost his temper and started crying, asking the maid who had entered the study if she had touched his things. Liu Rusi went to ask and found that the sand in the sandbox was missing (Qin Lie made it for Liu Rusi to practice calligraphy, and later Qin Hao liked it and gave it to Qin Hao to use).

Liu Rusi cried and laughed, suddenly realizing that it was the soul Qin Lie had silently protected that had left. Qin Lie's affection for her had always prevailed, and she couldn't tell how much of it was love, sighing that family and love were inseparable... But now she understood that Qin Lie did love her. Because of his burning family love, he didn't want her to live a lonely life, and led her to meet Chu Shiyu. Qin Lie, stubbornly refusing to allow Chu Shiyu to consummate their marriage before marriage, was why Chu Shiyu always suffered nosebleeds at critical moments... But now, they were about to officially marry, and Qin Lie's love for her showed a difference. After all, Qin Lie couldn't bear to see her enter another marriage, so he finally let go... One end of the kite flew away.

Liu Rusi, though without a natal family, wept bitterly before her wedding. Bareheaded, she wore a wedding dress designed by Caiyun and rode solemnly on horseback. Both parties departed from their respective residences and, witnessed by the emperor and his civil and military officials, swore to be a devoted couple. The wedding ceremony took place in the square in front of the imperial palace. Liu Rusi declared, "This life, forever." Unsatisfied, Chu Shiyu emphasized, "For all eternity."

Prince Kang, Chu Shikun, understood that his third brother, the only legitimate rival for the throne, truly had no interest in the throne. The other princes were incompetent, and he desperately hoped the emperor would recognize him and give him the position he deserved as the eldest son—the crown prince. Finally, one day, his urge became uncontrollable, and he led his troops into the palace. However, he didn't force the emperor to abdicate, but rather demanded to know why he refused to recognize him, leaving him feeling constantly embarrassed by the expectations of others (he should have been the crown prince). The emperor replied, "Why do you need my approval? If you can surpass me, you can simply take the throne."

Prince Kang, Chu Shikun, suddenly grasped the chilling implication (a repetition of the patricide), and was overcome with emotion. He muttered a memory of how, as a child, he and his younger brother had fought for a ride with their father, and after winning, he had joyfully admired the scenery in his father's arms. Then, Chu Shikun said, "I am incompetent and cannot meet your expectations." Prince Kang, Chu Shikun, returned to his fiefdom and no longer participated in the struggle for the throne.

5. Through Chu Shikun's incident, Liu Rusi realized that the emperor was sick! How could he expect his own child to do such a thing! No wonder you are all sick! The emperor constantly provoked Chu Shiyu's anger (a. He released his biological mother's maid and revealed that his biological mother's visit to the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard was not for personal reasons, but because she heard that the young Chu Shiyu was suffering at the hands of Consort Xian, so she sought out her old lover, the deputy commander, who she had long lost contact with, to help her child Chu Shiyu. However, under the emperor's manipulation, she was accused of the affair, which became the key event in "shaping" Chu Shiyu's cold and numb character. b. The emperor acquiesced to the actions of the southern nobles, and the Japanese pirates attacked and killed Liu Rusi, finally... Chu Shiyu was enraged, and he decided to raise an army to murder his father. Liu Rusi intervened, emphasizing that the emperor had no fear of death. Chu Shiyu's actions would only serve as a testament to the emperor's principles, allowing Chu Shiyu, who most accurately portrayed himself as a "ruthless emperor," to complete his path and prove his path right. A heated debate ensued between Chu Shiyu and Liu Rusi: life or death, which was more important? Liu Rusi espoused her life motto: "Parents and children should not be enemies in life and death! This is something I've struggled with and proven in both lifetimes. If I allowed you to do this, would I still be Liu Rusi?" However, Liu Rusi didn't believe in absolving herself of revenge against her immoral father; she believed that living in sin was a greater punishment than death.

6. After Chu Shiyu compromised, he made secret arrangements and gradually sidelined the emperor. On the surface, the emperor was able to govern and exercise power, but he gradually discovered that all his murderous tricks against Liu Rusi and Qin Hao would come to nothing. Chu Tianming realized that Chu Shiyu had become the emperor behind the scenes, and he became the symbol of the emperor who "worked hard and took no complaints" to handle trivial matters (this situation is not unsolvable. He has the power on the surface, and he can kill Chu Shiyu to disrupt the situation, but Chu Tianming cannot do it to the son he thinks is the best, because this denies the "raising poison" method he practices - deep in his heart, he still has feelings for his son, just like after King Kang forced the palace, he only symbolically fined him a few years of salary and confined him to his fiefdom. After discovering that King Kang was depressed and gave up fighting for the throne, Chu Tianming even wondered if he had punished him too severely)... In this way, the Great Xia Kingdom was under the joint efforts of Liu Rusi and Chu Shiyu. With their efforts, the world flourished and prospered. (Liu Rusi liberated women's productivity through the Ministry of Medicine, education, and the textile industry, and opened up communication channels between the bottom and the top through various industry associations. Chu Shiyu, drawing on his memories of science and engineering from his previous life, invented textile machines, looms, and other primitive industrial machines. The flintlock rifles they developed armed Fang Qiu's female cavalry. Yang Xuefei became a famous socialite, moving between the various wealthy families in the capital, providing a buffer between the various parties.) - this silent and steady change proved the emperor's lifelong belief in the "ruthless way" to be hollow and ridiculous. He realized that his self-torture for over twenty years was meaningless...

7. Ultimately, the emperor recognized his defeat, but his lifelong imperial pride prevented him from conceding, and he also denied the old Taoist priest's "blessing"—a promise of a life well into his eighties. He could no longer suppress his jealousy of Chu Shiyu, who shared his true love and a happy life. Finally, one night, overcome with emotion, he drank the same poison he had used to kill his father, brother, and son, and died in a deep sleep.

An imperial decree handed the throne to Chu Shiyu. Driven by his responsibilities to his country and family, Chu Shiyu took over the throne and worked with Liu Rusi for ten years to move the country closer to a "constitutional monarchy" (changes within the system cannot be achieved overnight), and then passed the throne back to Prince Kang, Chu Shikun...

The two of them hid their identities and returned to Dongshan Village. Chu Shiyu naturally took over the Qin family's home and lived in the Qin family courtyard with Liu Rusi. He told people that his name was Qin Yi (the name Qin Hao gave him at the beginning of the story), and tacitly agreed with the villagers' "ignorant" but beautiful guess that "he was the dead Qin Lie". Because he couldn't bear to leave Liu Rusi and her son, he changed his face and returned to the world.

[Emotional Tone] Amidst the power struggle, one must maintain a clear yet difficult composure. The Emperor's plan: If Liu Rusi's virtues are unworthy of her position, she will succumb to power-seeking to maintain it, inevitably backfiring on her. Liu Rusi defies common sense with her convictions and abilities. Having endured two lives of hardship, she is well-qualified for the position; her position as Minister of Medicine is precisely the compensation for her ill-fated fate. However, the Emperor, as the saying goes, "He who understands the heavens will be devoured by them"—his repressed humanity persists, surfacing every night when no one is around. The true feelings of Chu Shiyu, Liu Rusi, Qin Hao, and others sting, even spreading within him. This is incompatible with Emperor Chu Tianming's steadfast commitment to the "ruthless imperial way." He resists all emotion, yet is uncontrollably moved (his fatherly love for his sons, especially Chu Shikun, with whom he once shared tender moments). These feelings never fade, but are suppressed by him, deeming them nonexistent. Ultimately, the Emperor's convictions and emotions clash fiercely, shattering his will.

[Logic Behind Their Childlessness] Liu Rusi: Ever since she arrived in Mobei, she's recognized and acknowledged her own selfishness. A mother's love is both selfless and selfish. She won't harm her son out of a debt to anyone else. (Passive, tacit) The reason she doesn't have children with Chu Shiyu is due to an emotional paradox: having a child inevitably brings responsibility, but having two children, especially with different fathers, would be even more difficult to balance. This leads to two parallel outcomes: 1. Diverting her care from Qin Hao to care for the second child. 2. Continuing to favor Qin Hao would be unfair to the newborn. Furthermore, there are career considerations. Human energy is limited, and she needs to devote more of her energy to her career. But she also harbors guilt towards Chu Shiyu for not giving him even a semblance of fairness.

Chu Shiyu: Long ago, due to Qin Lie's attachment to Liu Rusi (Qin Lie's mother died giving birth to him), he feared losing her due to the dangers of childbirth. In Chapter 127, Chu Shiyu questioned, "Is such pain really necessary?" Rather than a child, he desired Liu Rusi's safety and security, as far as possible, away from all risks. Although he gave in to Liu Rusi's career, the influence of their deep love for each other remained unerasable. Rather than the continuation of a bloodline, he yearned for a long life together with Liu Rusi, perhaps even the eternity of their soul and love, through the generations to come.

【Reincarnation Setting】There is always a line of destiny that will allow you and me to meet.

For Chu Shiyu, his obsession will never end. His obsession with Liu Rusi is the eternal pursuit of his soul - for life after life.

The previous article has already laid the groundwork for Liu Rusi's dream of her modern fate. She did not die in the "car accident murder" caused by the lottery. It was Chu Shiyu who returned to that moment with his memory and saved her. The metaphysical answer to the whole story is that love can transcend reincarnation and the soul can achieve eternal life.

...Insert somewhere: Liu Rusi reveals the contents of her dream to Chu Shiyu, and asks him to tell her past life self: "If you meet that Liu Rusi again, please tell her 'Thank you for making me strong enough.'"

This is a promise to Chu Shiyu that they will meet in the next life, and it is also her recognition of her own soul. The modern Liu Rusi in the previous life is the source of power for the ancient Liu Rusi in the present life, and the present Liu Rusi hopes to give more power to the modern Liu Rusi with another destiny through the bridge of Chu Shiyu.