After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

He claimed to be sick and rested for a day until June 12th.

The girl in the room was holding a handkerchief and slowly rolling a hot egg on her face. She seemed to have recovered from her illness, and there was no trace of weakness in her eyes.

But the girl seemed to have thought of something interesting, her eyebrows curved into a smile.

The other day, she made the right bet and got a potential business partner.

Although it's not good that her rebirth was exposed, it's worth it if it can help her find a way out.

Moreover, she didn't explicitly say that she had been reborn, but instead used a dream to cover it up. She mixed the truth with the lies, making it half true and half false, which made it more convincing.

Dreams, who can truly tell if they're real or not?

Now, if the event on July 10th goes smoothly, everything will be easy to explain.

Recalling the previous night, when Afu came to her room, he no longer hid his martial arts skills and leaped in.

"I checked, and as long as this medicine is stopped, there won't be any major problems. I'll be fine in a few days at most." He patted the dust off his legs and casually found a chair to sit down, as if he were at home.

She also told her about what she had overheard about her aunt and a man plotting behind the artificial hill that day.

He originally thought she would ask him to help investigate the matter, or at least be surprised, since her gentle aunt wanted to harm her.

But he heard her ask him with a surprised look on her face, asking if he had some kind of fetish, like to eavesdrop on other people's conversations.

Afu's face darkened as he recalled the porcelain bowl of medicine dregs that he had casually tossed behind the artificial hill that day.

But he didn't back down either, jokingly saying, "Then you'd better remember this, young lady. I like to eavesdrop, so don't do anything shady in secret."

……

The maidservant, seeing her mistress laughing inexplicably, scratched her head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Miss, the lotus-viewing banquet at noon..."

Xiao Ran didn't respond. Instead, she took off her handkerchief, touched her cheek anxiously, and asked, "Look, am I feeling any better?"

He looked so pitiful, his watery eyes staring at her, which made her feel a little sorry for him.

“Miss, you’re almost fully recovered! If you put on makeup, no one will be able to tell.” She replied confidently, bowing her head.

After saying that, the maid remembered that the other day the young lady had slapped herself hard in the hall, and the sound... tsk, it sounded painful.

"Is that so? That's good." After saying that, Xiao Ran got up, went to the maid's side, raised her hand and gently stroked the maid's cheek, saying, "Oh, what a lovely face. I just wonder if a slap would make it as red as mine."

After saying that, Xiao Ran withdrew her hand and walked towards the dressing table.

Although these words were spoken in a young and naive tone, they carried a hint of mischief, yet they still left the maid stunned on the spot, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

She thought about many things for a moment. She hadn't done anything to upset the girl, but why did the girl's words sound a bit creepy... Could it be because she had told the madam?

Thinking of this, she immediately shook her head. It shouldn't be like this; even if it were, the girl couldn't possibly know.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come help me get dressed," Xiao Ran urged.

Upon hearing this, she snapped out of her daze, ran behind Xiao Ran, and began to do her hair and makeup.

They remained silent, and no one spoke. The maid, wanting to ease the tension, said, "Miss, you are so beautiful. You will definitely grow up to be a great beauty."

Xiao Ran simply hummed in agreement.

The maid was a little embarrassed, so she picked up the crescent comb next to her and gently combed the girl's black hair, continuing, "Miss, what kind of hairstyle would you like to have today?"

"random."

"Oh..." She felt that the girl was deliberately distancing herself from her.

That won't do, otherwise she won't be able to complete the task that the lady gave her... She shook her head and put even more effort into dressing up.

While doing her makeup, Xiao Ran picked up the phoenix-shaped pendant on her dressing table and unconsciously played with it, her fingers rolling a round, multicolored mermaid pearl strung on the pendant.

This is a pendant left to her by her mother, and also... a keepsake. In her previous life, it disappeared during an autumn hunt one year. At that time, she searched almost the entire general's mansion, but still couldn't find it.

He never expected that he would find out he was in He Wan's hands before he died.

But what does she need the pendant for?

The maid gently inserted the last pomegranate hairpin into her hair. "Miss, it's done."

Looking at that touch of pomegranate red, which adorned her beautiful face in the mirror like the finishing touch on a painting, she softly replied, "Mmm."

After she finished speaking, she put the pendant on her waist and then let her maid lead her to the lotus appreciation banquet held by the Emperor and Empress.

-

Xiao Ran then wandered through the manor, her maidservants still taking care of her recovering body, walking and stopping frequently.

It must be said that the Mountain Resort in the suburbs of Beijing is beautiful and lush. Being located in the suburban mountains, it dissipates most of the summer heat, and even its interior decoration is no less than that of the palace.

There were few people in the front courtyard; everyone was inside the hall, where women and men sat separately, separated by a thin gauze curtain.

As soon as Xiao Ran entered the palace, she saw the Emperor and Empress sitting high in the distance.

Emperor Jingyang picked up a grape from the plate, peeled it, and gently offered it to the Empress's lips. The Empress parted her teeth and took a bite.

They look so loving.

But then, at an inopportune moment, she remembered a scene from the past.

That was the day her father returned to the capital in triumph. Emperor Jingyang was sitting high in the palace, but he was punishing her for treason.

She knelt on the ground, trembling, until she heard that Xiao Mu had been placed under house arrest in his residence and that the entire Yan Prince's family had been executed.

What surprised her most was hearing about a person who had absolutely no connection to this matter—Yan Wang's daughter-in-law, He Wan.

She was granted the title of Princess for exposing the rebellion between the General's Mansion and the Prince Yan's Mansion and for her meritorious service in saving the Emperor.

That day, she couldn't believe He Wan would do such a thing, and in her panic, she met He Wan's gaze in the imperial court, who was dressed in her finest attire.

Calm? Ironic? She didn't understand.

All she knew was that at that moment, the difference between heaven and earth was immense, and everything was settled.

……

Xiao Ran had only taken a few steps with the maid when she saw Madam He chatting and laughing with the women beside her, as if they were having something interesting.

Indeed, although she was a concubine, everyone respected her because her father was a former military commander and her husband was a general.

It can be said that apart from the title of concubine, she was perfect in every other way, which is why she was so obsessed with being the legal wife in her previous life.

This concubine was also extremely good at disguising herself. If she hadn't been given a second chance at life, how could she have known the tricks involved?

When Mrs. He saw her, she beckoned her over to sit down.

Xiao Ran called out excitedly, "Auntie!"

Ms. He seemed a little absent-minded. "Hmm."

"What's wrong, Auntie? Are you tired?" She looked puzzled, then picked some grapes from the fruit plate and handed them to her with a smile. "Auntie, please have a taste!"

She knew from her past life that her aunt didn't like sour foods.

Seeing the girl's sincerity, He didn't know whether to accept it or not. In the end, she took it and forced it into her mouth.

"Is it tasty?"

"……tasty."

"Then you should eat more, Auntie. People say that grapes are sour because they can't reach them, but only those who have actually eaten them know. Don't you agree, Auntie?"

That sounds a bit unpleasant...

She didn't answer immediately, but stared into Xiao Ran's eyes for a long time, seeing only the sincerity, naivety, and innocence unique to a young girl.

It seems that she is overthinking.

He then smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Ran'er is right."

Xiao Ran felt a bit bored after staying there for a while. Just then, two or three girls walked out together, chatting and laughing, which attracted her attention. But she didn't expect them to stop when they got close to her table.

"I have long admired Miss Xiao's reputation, and now that I have met her, she is indeed a lovely girl."

A cheerful laugh rang out, and looking up, the girl was dressed in a moon-yellow dress, her hair simply tied up neatly, yet she stood out from the crowd.

She seemed to have met this girl a few times, but in her past life she did not associate with the girls from aristocratic families, so she did not even know their names.

Seeing that Xiao Ran was a little confused, she explained, "I was staring at my sister for a moment and forgot to introduce myself. I am Shen You, and next to me is Luo Rou, the daughter of my father's advisor."

"Greetings, Miss Xiao." The girl beside him bowed, her demeanor exuding elegance.

Hearing her name announced, I remembered her: Shen You, whose grandfather, Shen Zhe, was the Grand Tutor of the court, and whose father, Shen Quemin, was a first-rank Grand Secretary.

Xiao Ran curtsied and said obediently, "Greetings, Sister Shen You and Sister Luo Rou."

"Oh, that sounds so delightful." Shen You walked over and took her hand, saying, "Don't sit there, come out for a walk with your sisters. I heard the lotus flowers are blooming exceptionally well this year."

Xiao Ran looked down at the slender hand that was holding hers, and her heart stirred. In her previous life, she had heard that Shen You was a very carefree person, and now that she saw her, it was indeed true.

This seems like a good opportunity.

"Sister is joking."

She had barely finished speaking when she saw Madam He stand up and say, "Ran'er, you should make some friends too."

"They're in such a hurry to get me involved," Xiao Ran thought with a chuckle. "I'll have to see what kind of trap it is."

"Okay, Auntie." She turned around and smiled sweetly at Madam He, then said to Shen You, "Sister Shen, shall we go?"

"Okay!" Shen You immediately grabbed her hand and walked outside.

Seeing the figures walking out, He felt a slight ripple in her heart.

But after only closing his eyes for a moment, his expression returned to normal, and he turned back to the casual conversation he had just been having.