A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

Du Shuangshuang didn't have time to think about it. The only way to survive was to run away. It would be best if the three of them separated. Fortunately, what she was wearing wasn't very cumbersome. After rolling up her sleeves and tying her trouser legs, Du Shuangshuang decided to escape separately.

"We should act separately. If we act in large groups, we'll be easily discovered. If they catch us, all three of us will be finished."

"No, Miss, I have to follow you to protect you. What if you get caught?" Jinxiu held on to Du Shuangshuang's sleeve tightly. Fanhua was about to cry. Du Shuangshuang didn't have time to reason with her.

"This is your young lady's order. There is no time to delay, otherwise none of us will survive." After saying that, he shook off Jinxiu and ran away. He didn't want to stay here and wait to die.

Seeing that the two maids were at a loss and would only wait for death if they stayed there, Du Shuangshuang randomly pointed in two directions and asked them to run in those directions.

If you run out and meet the patrolling guards or the soldiers guarding the periphery, you will be saved. If you stay here, you will only wait for death.

At this time, some of the guards in the tent noticed something was wrong and started shouting. But there were too few of them, and their voices seemed weak. Du Shuangshuang knew that anyone trying to call for help at this time would shout as loudly as possible, so how could the voices be so quiet? She didn't know what was going on, but it was clear that something was wrong.

Going to all this trouble just to catch me? It doesn't seem like it would be necessary.

Soon after, another group of pursuers came from behind. Unfortunately, Du Shuangshuang, who was in a hurry to escape, didn't notice them. Even if she had, she wouldn't have dared to wait there. Those people were indeed assassins. Of course, the assassination attempt was unsuccessful. During their escape, they happened to pass by the camp and saw a tent with lights on, so they wanted to go over and take the important person as a hostage.

Fortunately, Du Shuangshuang ran away, otherwise she would have died if she was caught. The emperor would definitely choose to catch the assassin over protecting her, and his own fate can be imagined.

Du Shuangshuang ran furiously, keeping low, choosing dark, covered areas to minimize the risk of detection. She had dodged the assassins with remarkable success, but she also encountered no patrols. That was understandable, but where were the troops supposedly stationed outside? A flicker of confusion welled up in her, but more than that, panic. After all, such an unusual situation was truly baffling, and she was counting on them for help.

As the distance stretched on, Du Shuangshuang felt her strength draining away. Her once brisk steps became heavy and slow, as if each step required all her strength. She grumbled to herself, "My body is so weak now." Even more unsettling was the fact that even after running far along the perimeter where soldiers were supposed to be stationed, there was no sign of the people who were supposed to be there.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only her rapid breathing and the sound of her footsteps echoing in the air. This eerie silence filled Du Shuangshuang with fear, and an unprecedented sense of despair washed over her. She began to wonder if she had taken the wrong path, or if something had happened tonight that had caused everything to change.

Sweat soaked Du Shuangshuang's clothes, and her heartbeat intensified, threatening to burst out of her throat at any moment. But she didn't dare stop, for if she did, the despair would overwhelm her like a tidal wave. So, she gritted her teeth and continued running, hoping to find a hidden spot where, after those people had escaped, she might still have a chance of survival.

Yet, fate always plays tricks on us. Even with extreme caution, he still couldn't escape. In that instant, it felt as if the entire world froze. He had the misfortune to be spotted by that eagle-like assassin! Instantly, fear surged through him like a tide. Without a second thought, Du Shuangshuang instinctively turned and ran, plunging headfirst into the deep, ancient woods.

The sound of relentless footsteps and shouts from behind her was terrifying, like a death warrant. She no longer cared about where to go; she had only one thought in mind: escape! So, like a frightened hare, she desperately sprinted towards those seemingly hidden corners.

Night enveloped the land, the darkness boundless and adding a touch of strangeness and terror to the already tense situation. Du Shuangshuang stumbled through the woods, her clothes ripped and her hands and arms bruised. Tears streamed uncontrollably, the searing pain intensifying as they flowed through the wounds. Du Shuangshuang paid no attention, only running forward. Every step was fraught with unknown danger. Suddenly, her feet gave way, her balance instantly lost, and she plummeted downwards. In this heart-wrenching moment, she didn't even have time to scream before she fell heavily.

To make matters worse, due to the speed of her fall, her head accidentally hit a hard object, causing a sharp pain and a sudden blackout. Then, her consciousness gradually blurred and she finally fell into a coma...

Just before fainting, Du Shuangshuang was still worried that she would fall to her death. What if she was caught?

After fainting, because he no longer struggled or scratched, he fell directly to the ground without any injuries. The wound on his left cheek happened to be facing upwards, and blood flowed down the wound and into his clothes. It happened to touch the ring hanging around his neck. The ring slightly heated and glowed when it came into contact with the blood, absorbing some of the blood and seemed to have undergone a slight change, but Du Shuangshuang, who was unconscious, did not notice.

When she woke up again, Du Shuangshuang felt a bit dizzy and had a headache. She must have been running a fever. She was lying in a cave, with a little sunlight shining through the cracks, enough for her to see everything clearly.

There were stone tables, stone benches, and a stone bed. The cave was relatively dry, though dusty. Beneath her, there were a lot of fallen leaves, likely from the cracks above. She didn't know how long they had been there, but they were quite thick. Otherwise, after falling from such a height, she probably wouldn't have had the chance to open her eyes. Du Shuangshuang climbed to her feet and moved to lie down on the stone bed. It had taken a lot of effort, and she began to sweat. She didn't know how much time had passed, or when her grandfather would come to find her. Du Shuangshuang was still worried about her survival.

My whole body ached, my face stung, and I didn't even dare to touch it. I didn't know if I was disfigured. My hands and forearms were covered with scratches, and the sleeves and hems of my clothes were torn. The beggars on the street might be dressed better than me.

Since waking up, tears have flowed from the various pains, like salt rubbing on the wounds. Du Shuangshuang gasped in pain and pulled a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe away the tears. Du Shuangshuang could hold back her tears, but she couldn't control them. This was a natural trait of her body. The moment it hurt, tears would flow. And since she was a delicate person, every bump and scrape would leave a mark. Even without looking in the mirror, Du Shuangshuang could tell that this body was covered in bruises and bruises.

When the assassins fled yesterday after their failed attempt, the old general noticed they were retreating past the camp area, which was a bad sign. He hoped his granddaughter would be lucky enough not to run into them, but since she was in the tent, she would definitely have a candle lit, fearing she might attract them. The old general quickly led his men to catch up, heading straight for his granddaughter's tent. The two guards at the door lay in a pool of blood, and his granddaughter and two maids were gone. The old general quickly led his men in pursuit, and they were still searching for her in the mountains. It hadn't been long, just past noon the next day.

The emperor learned of this and sent a team to search for him, but with so many people in the forest, the original traces were covered up. By the morning, they had finally found the people. They had found Fanhua and Jinxiu, as well as several assassins, but they had not found Du Wushuang.

After sweating a bit, Du Shuangshuang's fever subsided a little, and her mind became clearer. A memory that didn't belong to her flooded into her mind, just like when she had just traveled through time. Du Shuangshuang was completely confused. Whose memory was this?

The girl in her memory was still the same one. It turned out she was actually reborn. Scenes from her previous life flashed through her mind, leaving Du Shuangshuang feeling like a spectator, yet also a sense of misery. She had married the eldest prince as she had wished, only to end up a lifelong widow. This seemed predictable, not surprising. But beyond the feeling of being a widow, those people were truly disgusting.

After the emperor's death, the eldest prince ascended to the throne, and Bai Lianhua was crowned empress, enjoying great glory. All the concubines in the palace received positions, but Du Wushuang received nothing, as if she didn't exist. The general's mansion didn't even get any benefit from it, and was framed and executed. Even if they didn't like Du Wushuang, there was no need to harm her entire family. Du Wushuang had been enduring it all. In addition to the various frame-ups and punishments she faced as a widow, her life was already miserable. She was even poisoned and suffered from illness. She had no dignity and had become the laughing stock of the entire capital. Anyone attending a banquet would laugh at her.

Later, she gave up struggling. Was it not enough to trouble herself, but also to implicate her family? Ever since the general's mansion was executed, Du Wushuang went completely crazy. Not to mention finding her father, all the relatives around her were dead. She was going to die, and she had wanted to die a long time ago, but she was forced to do so because the eldest prince threatened her with her family. If she dared to die, all her family would be buried with him. Without her family, there would be nothing that could hold her back. She picked up a knife and was about to kill Bai Lianhua, but of course she couldn't do anything. Even though she was the lady of the general's mansion and had a good background, she couldn't beat the real masters of the palace. She was beaten half to death, and Bai Lianhua actually pleaded for her. She was banished to the cold palace and tied to the bed. She couldn't even die. She was humiliated every day and lived for three years before she died.

Jinxiu died early to protect Du Wushuang, but no one knew when Fanhua took the opportunity to join Bai Lianhua and stayed with her until Du Wushuang died in the cold palace. No one knew what happened to her later.

Before her rebirth at the lake, she could have simply called off the engagement and withdrawn from the struggles, but she refused. She hated those people, wishing she could drink their blood and devour their flesh. In her previous life, she was inexplicably framed while at the lake. She hadn't even touched the white lotus, but she had jumped into the water herself, and everyone blamed her for pushing it. In this life, she deliberately jumped in after it, dragging the white lotus down with her, intending to drown her. She always believed her suffering stemmed from the white lotus, and she yearned to kill her. However, she was rescued by the eldest prince's men, and after she climbed out, he threw her back into the lake. She survived, and upon returning to the mansion, she was gasping for breath, sick, and perhaps despairing of life. She felt she could never escape such a fate, and the hatred she harbored clung to her, yet she felt powerless. Perhaps only her own death would allow the general's mansion to thrive. But Du Shuangshuang had traveled through time.

Du Shuangshuang had a splitting headache and was too tired to sigh about it. If no one came to save her, she was afraid that she would end up here too.