The beloved is reborn as a substitute, and the tyrant begs for forgiveness every night.

Zheng Zhihe reached out and touched the tombstone.

"Yao'er, I've been so tired these past few days. Why don't you come to visit me in my dreams?"

Her gentle voice was touching.

Xu Leyao looked on expressionlessly.

It just felt ironic and ridiculous.

He was ruthless when he killed her and wiped out her family. Why is he pretending to be affectionate now?

Xu Leyao took out her slingshot and aimed it at Zheng Zhihe's head. The slingshot, which had been gathering power, made a creaking sound, as if a stone was being shot out of the air, accompanied by a mournful cry.

It flew straight towards Zheng Zhihe's head...

"Whoosh!"

The unstoppable momentum immediately caught the attention of the surrounding guards, who rushed out to protect Zheng Zhihe.

"There are assassins!"

The guards were on high alert.

"Clap!"

A pebble struck a bird on Zheng Zhihe's head hard, and it cried out before falling to the ground.

Zheng Zhihe was taken aback.

My first instinct was to pick up the bird.

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out again.

The next moment.

A riding whip lashed out from afar, then slammed to the ground with a crack, sending dust flying and covering Zheng Zhihe's face.

"Don't touch my prey!"

A sweet, delicate female voice came through.

You can feel her energy just by listening to her voice.

"Boom" sound.

Zheng Zhihe's heart skipped a beat, and his whole being was suddenly pulled back to fifteen years ago, to the day he worshipped Buddha at Guang'an Temple.

It was also such a secluded place.

He was idly strolling around when a wild goose flew down in front of him, honking. Just as he was about to pick it up, a horsewhip lashed out at him.

"Don't touch the geese I hunted!"

That was the first time he met Xu Leyao.

Zheng Zhihe slowly raised his head, holding his breath and looking in the direction from which the sound came with a glimmer of hope that he dared not look directly at.

There stood a girl on horseback.

Her hair was tied up high, she wore no makeup or jewelry, and faced him against the light, looking like a goddess descending to earth.

They were clearly two completely different, even worlds apart, faces.

In his eyes.

This figure overlapped with the figure from fifteen years ago, gradually merging into the appearance of the girl before us.

She raised her chin slightly, her eyes filled with untamed wildness, and flicked her riding crop at him: "I'm the one who hit that bird, give it back to me."

It perfectly captures the girl's charming innocence and passion.

"presumptuous!"

The guard rebuked angrily, "You know..."

"Shut up."

Zheng Zhihe stopped the guards and swept his cold gaze over them: "All of you, step back."

The guards dared not hesitate.

They all disappeared in an instant.

Xu Leyao raised an eyebrow, showing no panic or fear, but rather curiosity: "These must be the legendary secret guards, right? They are indeed very skilled."

"The girl's bird."

Zheng Zhihe stepped forward and handed over the little bird: "The young lady's kung fu is also very impressive."

"Thanks."

Xu Leyao readily agreed.

She reached out to take it, but Zheng Zhihe wouldn't let go. Instead, he stared intently at her and asked, "What's your name, young lady?"

He made no secret of his determination to win.

Xu Leyao sneered inwardly: Sure enough, being an emperor for so long has made one arrogant and rude. It's disgusting.

She showed no sign of it on her face, but instead frowned and blinked: "Jiang Yuwei."

"Jiang Yuwei".

Zheng Zhihe repeated it once, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly: "What is your relationship with the Jiang family?"

That's my dad.

Xu Leyao put away the whip, flipped off the horse, and although she only pursed her lips, Zheng Zhihe noticed something was wrong.

He said calmly, "I do have some dealings with Lord Jiang, how come I've never seen you before?"

"It seems your relationship isn't very good either, you don't even know that Lord Jiang mistakenly took the wrong daughter. I am his biological daughter, the one in the manor now is his adopted daughter."

Xu Leyao shrugged.

She fiddled with the little bird in her hand and murmured, "At least we have some meat to eat. Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going back to the estate."

Zheng Zhihe's eyes flickered.

After watching her mount her horse, he followed her and asked, "May I follow you to ask for a bowl of water?"

"can."

Xu Leyao raised her voice, cracked her whip, and galloped away.

Zheng Zhihe's gaze was deeply drawn to her dashing figure.

Like.

It's so similar.

Although it was clearly not the same face, it made him feel as if Xu Leyao had come back to life, and his pent-up emotions were released like a flood.

They surged forth.

unstoppable.

He mounted his horse and, filled with surging emotions, followed closely behind, while the guards also hurriedly spurred their horses to catch up.

Xu Leyao turned her head slightly to the side.

I caught a glimpse of Zheng Zhihe out of the corner of my eye.

He certainly didn't miss the joy and excitement in his eyes at 'losing and finding'.

"Ah."

She scoffed.

Men are all just shameless.

He didn't cherish you when you were by his side, treating you like dust. But once you lost him, he began to regret it.

The two groups of people arrived at the village very quickly.

Zhu'er, who had been eagerly waiting, stepped forward to catch Xu Leyao and visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, you ran off so early in the morning without saying a word. I was so scared."

Xu Leyao dismounted and casually tossed the little bird to Zhu'er.

"I was really craving fried sparrows, so I went into the woods and caught one."

Pearl held Little Sparrow's corpse in her arms.

shocked.

How do you eat this?

Is this one enough for you?

Zheng Zhihe followed.

He stood with his hands behind his back, walking slowly, exuding an air of nobility that could not be ignored, even a silly girl like Zhu'er could see it.

This person is either rich or noble.

She asked cautiously, "Miss, who is this?"

"Oh, him?" Xu Leyao shrugged and said casually, "I don't know him. He came to ask for a drink of water. You take him to the kitchen. I'm tired and I'm going to rest for a while."

After saying that, he lifted his feet and left.

He didn't even glance at Zheng Zhihe.

This dismissive attitude didn't anger Zheng Zhihe; instead, his eyes softened with nostalgia.

Xu Leyao didn't need to do anything at all.

Just be yourself.

That would make Zheng Zhihe take her seriously.

Once he takes her seriously, he will inquire about her background and her experiences. After learning everything, he will definitely take action.

Things went exactly as Xu Leyao had predicted.

In the following days, Zheng Zhihe would come to the estate whenever he had free time. The two became quite familiar with each other. He made no attempt to hide his interest in her, and she made no attempt to hide her growing admiration for him. Their relationship rapidly heated up.

The tenth day of the month arrived quickly.

Jiang Yuwei's birthday.

While no one was paying attention, Xu Leyao took Zhu'er with her, and the two rode back to the capital.

……

At noon, at the Jiang Marquis's residence.

Because it was Jiang Xiuxiu's birthday, the Jiang family was holding a grand banquet, which demonstrated how much Jiang Xiuxiu was favored.

No one remembered.

today.

It is also Jiang Yuwei's birthday.

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Jiang Yuwei is the true member of the Jiang family.