Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

Coincidentally, I returned the day before the second young lady of the Ye family's coming-of-age ceremony.

When I returned, I was shocked, doubtful, and incredulous. I thought I had been dreaming, but the dream felt terrifyingly real.

In my past life, I promised my elder brother but failed to protect Xiao Ba, a guilt that has haunted me for the rest of my life. So when I woke up, the first thing I did was rush to Xiao Ba's bedchamber, where I saw him sitting peacefully at his desk, writing the essays his teacher had assigned. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Upon returning home, I inquired around and finally understood the current situation. I was back to the beginning, before Xiao Ba fell in love with Ye Xingchen at first sight, before he ascended the throne, before the border war began, and before the Fourth Prince staged a coup. Everything was still fine.

Was it a conspiracy between Ye Xingchen and the Fourth Prince? In my past life, the treasure involved in the army supplies the Fourth Prince used to force the abdication seemed to have been provided by Ye Xingchen. Are they colluding now? This has become my top priority; everything must be nipped in the bud.

So I went to the Ye family's coming-of-age ceremony, only to find that the once arrogant young lady's situation at home was rather ordinary. So I went along with it, putting her in the spotlight as a kind of test. However, her eyes were full of doubt and confusion.

I'm absolutely certain there's a secret somewhere Ye Xingchen is. So I ordered my guards to search every corner of the Ye family compound. After a day and a night, they finally found half a treasure map hidden in a bamboo tube in the connecting corridor. Ye Xingchen, it really is you!

So when she came to the bamboo corridor, I didn't hesitate to strike. Since I still had half a treasure map, I deliberately pierced her shoulder. But seeing the pain in her eyes, I felt no pleasure whatsoever.

At the banquet, I offered her a drink, and she actually put on an innocent expression, as if nothing had happened. She really knows how to act!

At the Duke's banquet, I wanted to prevent Xiao Ba from meeting her, so I sent Xiao Ba away from the lakeside pavilion. And just as I expected, exactly like in my past life, she really came. But it seems I miscalculated; she didn't seem willing to see Xiao Ba. This makes me wonder if she's playing hard to get? Or does she have some other scheme?

That parchment scroll was truly difficult to decipher; I tried many methods but failed. Meanwhile, an earth dragon struck Linchuan. Based on my past life, I know that the Cui family of Linchuan, relying on their royal in-law connections, engaged in corruption, oppressed the people, and brought disaster to the country. My trip to Linchuan is determined to eradicate the Cui family completely; however, I still need to devise a plan to deal with their powerful in-law, the Dowager Consort.

Given my urgent need to go to Linchuan to oversee political affairs and disaster relief, and the need to decipher the parchment scroll as soon as possible, I had Ye Xingchen brought here. I never expected her to dare negotiate with me, and her condition was simply to go to Linchuan. She never went to Linchuan with me in my past life. Curious about her motives, I decided to keep her under surveillance.

The events at the mine were also beyond my expectations from my previous life, and I was astonished by her audacity. A bamboo arrow came straight at her face, and I was speechless at her gullibility. But she was intelligent, able to keenly detect subtle clues that most people wouldn't notice. Yet, she was afraid of water; the moment she fell in, I genuinely saw panic on her face.

And then there's Hundred Herbs Valley. What secrets does she hold? What significance does Hundred Herbs Valley hold for her? I didn't know these things in my past life, and I have no way of finding out in this one.

The things she said to Xu Ling by the bonfire that day were things I had never heard before. What must a woman have gone through to say those things? I began to examine what happened after the Cui family miners' case in my past life, and I also began to doubt Ye Xingchen's identity.

Back in Linchuan, Shangguan Wan'er, due to her special status, was kidnapped by the Cui family and spies from the enemy state. This time, I deployed a large number of people to protect her; I absolutely couldn't let them succeed. Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, Ye Xingchen was also kidnapped. The process of searching for her was filled with more self-blame, but thankfully she was safe in the end. However, her question left me speechless and utterly ashamed.

Later, I let her show me affection, thinking that as long as she didn't focus her attention on Xiao Ba and cause a bad outcome, I could do whatever she wanted. But I never expected her to confess her feelings to me so directly. At that moment, I was shocked, even furious. I was furious about the royal marriage agreement; was she going to use my royal status again? I knew that a few years later, during the border war, the person I petitioned for a marriage decree was Shangguan Wan'er. So I refused her. She seemed very heartbroken; she returned soaking wet.

When Xu Li left Linchuan, he brought his younger brother to seek refuge with her. I was worried about their background, so I sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. It turned out they really did think she was good, which was why they came to her.

On her way back to the capital, she requested to go alone to Xiyan Mountain to retrieve half a scroll of sheepskin. Half a day after she left, I arranged everything in the army and had Chiwu meet me the next day before I went after her. I don't know why I did this; perhaps I was afraid she would escape.

To my surprise, she actually took me to Xiyan Mountain, completely unguarded with me. Xiyan Mountain was nothing like what I knew before, and she was completely different there too. The people there were kind and simple, a far cry from the rumors I'd heard. I also learned some things I hadn't been able to find out before, and I seemed to have a different opinion of her.

We quickly descended the mountain. But not long after, she started insisting on returning to Xiyan Mountain. Then we saw a huge fire, a raging fire, a fire originating from Xiyan Mountain. Then, she broke down. In her sobbing and choked words, I realized with a start that she was also from a previous life. I was shocked. Suddenly, she vomited blood; Fengxing's answer to me was that she had been poisoned.

Later, during our conversation, she learned that I had also returned from a past life. Her gaze shifted from doubt to shock to sadness, and finally, only an empty sense of loss remained. It was also during our conversation that I learned of many misunderstandings I had held about her in my past life. Those events made me begin to re-examine my own plans.

Finally, when she stood before me, she asked, "Now, I am right in front of you. Do you want revenge?" Her eyes were filled with sorrow and despair. Then, as if she remembered something, a glimmer of determination flashed in her eyes, and she said, "If you don't kill me now, I will fight desperately to live from now on."

She said, "Is it fair to impose those evils that haven't even happened yet on her?"

Yes, is it fair? I fell into deep thought.

Later, I arranged the funeral for everyone at Xiyan Mountain and took her to pay her respects. She knelt there for a very long time. When we left, she thanked me, and I could feel her gratitude. But she was still lifeless, her eyes vacant, appearing exceptionally lonely and disappointed. Perhaps this will take a long time.