Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

The three kidnappers were quickly subdued, and Gu Ruoxiao helped Ye Xingchen up, asking, "Are you alright?"

Ye Xingchen shook his head, still lost in the memories.

“Let’s go back,” he said, and started walking.

Ye Xingchen, who was behind, must have just survived a close call. The pain from her sprained ankle surged up as if it were sentient, and she almost lost her balance.

Gu Ruoxiao helped her up. "Are you injured?"

He squatted down and gently touched Ye Xingchen's foot, causing her ankle to twitch in pain.

Gu Ruoxiao, suppressing her anger, asked, "They did this? Someone, come here!"

"No, no, I twisted my ankle when I fell off the courtyard wall while I was running away," Ye Xingchen explained embarrassedly.

Gu Ruoxiao glanced at Ye Xingchen, her gaze sharp yet containing an indescribable meaning, and then gestured, "Take them away."

"Wait a minute." Ye Xingchen suddenly remembered something and hurriedly jumped forward.

"Give me back my dagger!" she shouted at the kidnapper.

"What dagger? We don't know," the driver shook his head in protest.

"It's the dagger I was holding when you took me hostage."

Chiwu held his sword to their necks.

The servant boy tremblingly pulled a dagger from his pocket, which Chiwu took and handed to the prince.

Gu Ruoxiao paused, holding the dagger. Ye Xingchen quickly took it from her, clutching it tenderly as if it were a precious treasure.

"Is this yours?" Gu Ruoxiao asked uncertainly.

"Of course." Ye Xingchen quickly hugged the dagger to his chest.

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air, and Ye Xingchen quickly grabbed the person in front of her. Unexpectedly, Gu Ruoxiao actually picked her up horizontally and strode out, looking straight ahead.

All along, a sense of loneliness had stirred within her. The kidnapper said he had sent people to protect her secretly, and that he had even come to rescue her personally. Now she was still in his arms. Was he worried about her? Would this life be different? Ye Xingchen's mind was filled with countless thoughts.

"Gu Ruoxiao," she called softly.

"Mm," the person responded, but kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.

“You sent people to protect me secretly,” she said softly.

Gu Ruoxiao didn't answer, probably because he was embarrassed. Ye Xingchen looked at his profile, and a long-lost feeling of life and warmth seemed to return to her heart.

Gu Ruoxiao put him into the carriage, and the soft cushions made Ye Xingchen's back pain feel better.

"I'll have someone take you back."

Seeing that he was about to get out of the car, Ye Xingchen immediately grabbed him, "Are you going to interrogate them?"

Gu Ruoxiao nodded.

"I heard them say today that I have a powerful backer, and that even the current emperor would have to give me face. They said that with me in their hands, the Cui family can be safe. I didn't know my father was that important?" Ye Xingchen asked, his face full of doubt.

Gu Ruoxiao listened but remained silent.

"I also heard them say that a distinguished guest was involved in this kidnapping. It seems that this distinguished guest is in cahoots with the Cui family. However, they didn't say who this distinguished guest is. By the way, those two brothers seem a bit simple-minded, but the one called Tiger can be interrogated more closely. He should know quite a lot." Ye Xingchen told Gu Ruoxiao everything he had heard, hoping it would help him with the investigation.

Here, near the outskirts of the city, the surroundings were quiet. Ye Xingchen was leaning against the carriage, rubbing her ankle and recalling the events of the day. Looking at her injured foot, she couldn't help but shake her head. The fight with them had been too intense; this foot injury would probably require strong medicine.

"Your Highness, those three have been placed under guard," Chiwu reported.

“Yes, we focused our interrogation on that guy called Tiger. Ye Xingchen said they mentioned a powerful figure and the border,” Gu Ruoxiao said.

"I suspect..." Chiwu didn't finish his sentence, "Then what are the arrangements for Miss Ye?"

"Send her back. This whole thing was an innocent disaster for her."

"Miss Ye, I'll take you back." Chiwu got into the carriage.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble," Ye Xingchen said. Halfway there, she couldn't help but ask, "Where are the people your prince sent to protect me? I haven't seen them at all." Not hearing Wu's reply, she added, "You must all be too good at martial arts and have become invisible."

After a long silence outside the car, Chiwu's voice came, "Miss Ye, please hold on tight. I'll drive faster. Zhuling is still waiting for you at the county government office."

Well, Gu Ruoxiao is indeed a capable ruler; even his subordinates can't get anything out of him. But Zhu Ling will probably be a crybaby again this time, Ye Xingchen thought to himself.

When they returned to the county government office, Zhu Ling and Nan Rao were waiting at the gate. As soon as they saw the carriage arrive, they rushed forward.

Zhu Ling was filled with remorse, her eyes swollen from crying, blaming herself for making the same mistake twice. Nan Rao heard the news when she returned home that evening and was terrified.

So, to appease them, Ye Xingchen stayed in bed for three days, doing whatever they asked and refusing to do anything they forbade. Her obedience even astonished Nan Rao.

During this time, Luo Yan and Shangguan Wan'er came by together, having heard that the Prince had sent them to examine Ye Xingchen's foot injury. Frankly, Ye Xingchen had some medical knowledge; this minor foot injury didn't warrant the trouble of two experts. Suddenly, her affection for Gu Ruoxiao deepened.

For the next few days, Doctor Luo Yan came daily to change the dressing. Watching him so busy, Ye Xingchen couldn't help but sigh that he was still the same as in her previous life—warm-hearted, kind, and righteous. However, Luo Yan was also the aloof type; he would change the dressing without saying anything else, and even when he heard Ye Xingchen joking around with Zhu Ling and Nan Rao, he never interrupted. Only sometimes, in a corner where they couldn't see, would he subtly curl the corners of his mouth.

Ye Xingchen hadn't seen Gu Ruoxiao these past few days. He must be busy with the Cui family case. Such a thorny matter—he was able to handle it well in his past life, and having heard some advice in this life, he should be able to consider it more thoroughly and better. Ye Xingchen pondered.

In fact, on the carriage that day when Chiwu brought her back, after a long silence, Chiwu finally spoke, "Miss Ye, you have misunderstood the Prince."

"What?" Ye Xingchen frowned.

"The Prince heard what you said to Major General Xu that night at the foot of the mine."

Seeing that she did not answer, Chiwu added, "Your Highness will definitely be able to handle it."

"I understand," came a muffled reply from inside the carriage.

I've been indoors for days, and I feel like I'm going to get moldy. It's incredibly boring. Meanwhile, things outside are changing all the time.

I heard that Prince Jin severely punished the Cui family, beheading the head of the family and impeaching the Dowager Consort, which angered her to the point of collapse. He also properly arranged the lives and jobs of the miners and petitioned the court to temporarily transfer the Prefect of Pingchuan Prefecture to govern Linchuan. Prefect Ye Xingchen had heard of the Prefect of Pingchuan Prefecture, who was said to be a beloved, courageous, and resourceful official.

It seems that this time, the people of Linchuan have truly found hope.