After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

It was late at night, almost midnight.

The early spring night was chilly, and dew condensed on the grass and trees. Song Wenyuan was still lying on the recliner, a blanket casually draped over his shoulders, half of it on the ground. He didn't care, just resting his head on his hands and looking up at the sky. Beside him was a sandalwood box that looked quite old.

A wisp of sandalwood incense wafted over. Song Wenyuan glanced at the box before looking away. He felt something was off about Feng Qingtan tonight; she exuded an unusual weariness and dejection. Even when she spoke of Yuan Ge, her smile seemed forced, lacking her usual softness and warmth. There was even a hint that she was…

Entrusting one's orphan to another.

The thought flashed through Song Wenyuan's mind and was subconsciously ignored, as naturally as brushing away dust from an ancient book.

It must be because the old man has been too tired these past few days, that's why he looks so sickly and listless—thinking this, he raised his hand and whispered to the shadow falling behind him, "Arrange for two people to help the old man, to do some work. The old man is getting old, let them look after him."

Yan Huo nodded in agreement, but did not leave.

Sure enough, his master, who had been feeling unwell all day, hesitated and reluctantly added, "Now that she's awake, let Lin Mu continue to serve her... She's only just woken up and she's already causing trouble, even going out to drink. Doesn't she know her own health? And that kid Xu Chengjin, it seems he's itching for a beating again. Once we get news from Shengjing and there's nothing left for him to do, we'll find an excuse to send him back!"

Look, this is the petty and vindictive Lord Song. It is clear that the only person who could make Lord Song sit here racking his brains and struggling with himself all day before finally surrendering is this young mistress.

"Yes." Yan Huo suppressed the upturned corners of his mouth, took a couple of steps but couldn't help turning back to suggest, "Master, if you can't let go of what's on your mind, go and see him, otherwise you definitely won't be able to sleep tonight." After saying that, he grinned, turned around and took two quick steps, running away as if he were escaping.

Song Wenyuan was left sitting alone in the empty night, gritting his teeth for a long time before suddenly getting up.

The movement was so forceful that the reclining chair behind him wobbled and then toppled over. At the same time, Lord Song, who had just been gritting his teeth... had already disappeared from the courtyard.

……

A half-moon hung in the night sky, veiled by thin clouds, and the hazy light fell down, casting a gentle glow over everything.

Song Wenyuan had assumed Feng Qingtan had come to find him after the event, and judging by the time, the young lady should have already rested. The young lady could be carefree, but he couldn't be. Just as everyone could see, he had sat there foolishly all day, struggling with himself, and in the end, he still rushed to see her before he could sleep peacefully. He had even planned out what to say on the way, always repeating the same old advice with heartfelt words. The young lady would obediently agree every time, but when it came to the matter at hand, she would always rush forward without a second thought.

I can't reason with her, I can't read her aloud, and I can't do anything about it. I can't even bring myself to say a few harsh words to her. The only thing I can do is stubbornly refuse to look at her...

When he arrived in the courtyard, he found it completely dark with no lights on. He grumbled at Granny Dou for being so careless as to not even arrange for someone to keep watch at night. He then quietly pushed open the bedroom door and was surprised to find no one inside.

Where did he go in the middle of the night? Was he still drinking? Song Wenyuan frowned and strode out the door. Fortunately, the two courtyards were not far apart, and it was quick to walk there.

The wine was finished, and the cool air still carried the smoky aroma of roasted meat. The bonfire in the courtyard was still burning, its faint light flickering and crackling occasionally. In the pavilion, Xu Chengjin waved a wine bottle at Song Wenyuan without saying a word. Granny Dou was tending to Yuan Ge, who was clinging to the railing with a thin blanket, lying there haphazardly, mumbling incoherently. Granny Dou wanted to take her back, but she refused, clinging to the railing and refusing to let go.

This wine is really not very good.

Song Wenyuan walked into the pavilion. When she saw her, Granny Dou nodded slightly in greeting before bending down to call out to Yuan Ge, "Miss, the young master has arrived."

Yuan Ge was drunk.

She squinted and strained to see, but the shadowy figures in front of her made her dizzy. The familiar voices sounded distant and indistinct. She waved her hand to push Grandma Dou away and called out softly, "Grandma..."

Granny Dou bowed even lower, "Oh, this old servant is here! It's late, Miss, shall we go back and rest?"

As she spoke, she reached out to help Yuan Ge to his feet, but the drunken Yuan Ge was like a boneless eel, limp and slippery, impossible to lift. The little girl, completely oblivious, tilted her head and lazily glanced at the busy Granny Dou. After a while, she gave a carefree, silly laugh, her voice soft and coquettish, "Granny, you've got the wrong name. I'm not Miss, I'm Little Ge'er… Mother likes to call me Little Ge'er…"

The voice was almost a murmur, not very clear. Song Wenyuan, who was standing two steps away, could hardly hear it. But he clearly saw Xu Chengjin, who was drinking with his head down, shake the wine glass in his hand. The wine spilled on his chin. Xu Chengjin didn't wipe it off. He stood there as if he had been frozen in place.

Song Wenyuan was startled. From his angle, he couldn't see Yuan Ge's expression, nor did he understand the deeper meaning of that ambiguous statement. But it was obvious that Granny Dou had also lost her composure.

Granny Dou was indeed terrified: Miss...she has remembered after all.

That was a secret between the three of them.

Only three people in the entire Zhixuan Mountain knew this secret. The Grand Elder naturally knew, Feng Qingtan, who helped the young lady erase her memory of that night, also knew, and the remaining person was Granny Dou herself—she was the one responsible for silencing and cleaning up the mess that night, when all the servants who were serving at the banquet died.

She couldn't remember how many people she had killed that night. She only remembered the blood that had flowed all over the ground, the sticky feeling on the soles of her shoes, and how the maids and servants had cleaned the bluestone pavement again and again afterward.

Regarding this "massacre," the Grand Elder later told everyone that the Murong family was responsible, and that fortunately, Granny Dou arrived in time to save the young lady—but the young lady went mad, having nightmares night after night and crying and screaming day and night, and no one could soothe her. Granny Dou still vividly remembers that feeling of helplessness. She could join forces with the Grand Elder to fabricate this colossal lie, covering up the truth and deceiving everyone, but she couldn't wake her little Ge'er from her nightmares.

Until the Grand Elder found Feng Qingtan.

Feng Qingtan tampered with a potion in everyone's memories, altering the truth and completely sealing away all of the young lady's previous memories.