Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

Ye Xingchen looked up and saw Gu Ruoxiao walk in from the courtyard corridor, accompanied by Shangguan Wan'er and Chiwu.

"I've met the prince."

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress, and greetings, Consort Rong."

Both sides bowed in greeting.

"Ruoxiao, what brings you here?" the Empress asked with a smile.

“We brought Miss Ye here,” Gu Ruoxiao said.

"Tonight, when the Prince and I were in the West Palace, we happened to encounter Miss Ye who had fallen into the water, so we took her to change her clothes. Miss Ye was worried that her family would be concerned, so we brought her here." Shangguan Wan'er paused, then turned to Luo Yan, "Senior Brother, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern, Junior Sister," Luo Yan replied.

Ye Xingchen looked at Gu Ruoxiao. It was probably at his behest that Shangguan Wan'er spoke up for her.

The First Madam looked embarrassed. Even the Empress, if she were slow-witted, would realize that she had been used as a pawn. She uttered a curt "Ridiculous!" and stormed off.

Consort Rong nudged the First Madam and hurriedly chased after the Empress.

Soon, the people in front of the room scattered like birds and beasts, and Ye Xingchen also bid farewell and left with the others.

She should have no further involvement with Gu Ruoxiao. Let it end here, Ye Xingchen told herself. There are some things she shouldn't indulge in, things she shouldn't let herself sink into. This is enough.

As they approached the palace gate, Luo Yan caught up with them.

“Miss Ye,” Luo Yan looked at her arm. “Your injury?”

Ye Xingchen hid his arm behind his back. "It's nothing serious."

"If the young lady's reputation is damaged, I, Luo, will definitely take full responsibility," Luo Yan said solemnly.

"Young Master Luo, have you forgotten what I told you?" Ye Xingchen smiled as he looked at him.

“I can inform His Majesty, and His Majesty will surely understand,” Luo Yan said earnestly. “I will definitely investigate today’s matter thoroughly and give you an explanation.”

"No need," she shook her head.

"Do you know who it is?" Luo Yan frowned and pressed for an answer.

"In the end, Young Master Luo was implicated because of me, and I am deeply sorry. It's getting late, I must return to my residence." Ye Xingchen curtsied and left.

Luo Yan stood there, watching her departing figure without moving. A servant-like man rushed over, "Young master, young master, I shouldn't have drunk so much tonight. We're in the palace, how could this happen?"

"Go and investigate the Ye family's affairs," Luo Yan instructed.

Upon returning home, the father learned of the incident and was furious, summoning all three of them to the ancestral hall.

"Well, you have some nerve, daring to cause trouble in the palace."

"Who is Luo Yan? How dare you offend him? Don't you know that he is backed by the Shangguan family!"

The father's beard trembled with anger, while Ye Xingchen stood aside and watched coldly.

"How were we supposed to know it would be Luo Yan who came in? So many male guests were drunk tonight," the First Madam said, protecting Ye Ruohuan.

"Don't think that Consort Ning in the palace can protect you. Luo Yan is a favorite of the Emperor!" The father, tired from scolding, sat down to rest in a chair.

"Father, stop scolding Mother! We just wanted to make Ye Xingchen suffer a bit. If she loses her virginity in front of the Empress, let's see how she can marry into the royal family based on a marriage contract!" Ye Ruohuan shouted loudly, gloating over her scheme.

"You scoundrels!" the father roared. "You still know about the royal marriage? If this succeeds today, it will be a disgrace to the royal family. Not only will she die, but our entire Ye family will die!"

Perhaps these words struck a nerve with the mother and daughter, who trembled on the ground in fright.

"The old lady has arrived!" the gatekeeper announced from outside.

"Grandmother!" Upon seeing the person, Ye Ruohuan burst into tears.

"Oh, my dear grandson." The old lady hugged Ye Ruohuan tightly as soon as she came in.

"We've already done the scolding. Let's leave it at that," the old lady said.

“Mother, you know how serious this is,” the father said angrily.

"She wasn't hurt at all. Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?" The old lady rolled her eyes and comforted her crying granddaughter.

Unable to disobey the old lady, the father said to the two on the ground, "Today, I punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall and face the wall to reflect on your mistakes." He pointed at Ye Xingchen and said, "You go back to your room and stay there."

Ye Xingchen tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She blamed herself for being too careless tonight. The simultaneous appearance of Gu Ruoxiao and Shangguan Wan'er tonight reaffirmed her belief that she could no longer rely on him. That kiss, fueled by the drug, might be the end for them. She closed her eyes; everything depended on herself. The engagement, the Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince—even if they remained fait accompli, she had to fight for them. She couldn't let Nan Rao and Zhu Ling get into trouble again.

The next day, outside the room, Zhu Ling muttered softly, "The master is really something, releasing the first madam and the second young lady so quickly. They were only locked up for one night. The young lady was so wronged."

Ye Xingchen looked at the sky and made up his mind, "Nanrao, Zhuling, you two come down."

Standing before the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall, where the Ye family ancestors were enshrined, she thought to herself, "I, Ye Xingchen, have not often made offerings to you, but now I am troubling you. Please bear with me."

Soon, the father, the first wife, and Ye Ruohuan arrived.

"What exactly did you call us here for?" the father asked impatiently.

“There are still some people who haven’t arrived yet,” Ye Xingchen replied, looking at the ancestral tablets.

The old lady, holding Ye Wangshu's hand and supported by her nanny, arrived late.

"What is it?" the old lady asked impatiently.

Ye Xingchen knelt down, facing her ancestors, and said, "Ye Xingchen, the twenty-seventh generation eldest granddaughter of the Ye family, today voluntarily requests to be removed from the Ye family genealogy, no longer a member of the Ye family, and will not enjoy the Ye family's glory and wealth. I beg my ancestors to grant my request!" She bowed deeply in worship.

"What did you say!" The father jumped up from his chair. "You want to sever ties with the Ye family?"

"How dare you!" The old lady was so angry that she threw down her cane.

"I am deeply frightened by what happened yesterday. Please forgive me for not being able to share a room with Madam Ye and Ye Ruohuan. I know that my grandmother loves Ye Ruohuan, and your family is naturally kind and filial. Therefore, I humbly request to leave the Ye residence," Ye Xingchen said, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Outrageous!" the father roared in anger. "I am still in charge of the Ye family. It is not your place to make decisions. You have asked to leave the mansion. Do you want the whole world to laugh at our Ye family?"

Ye Xingchen remained silent, which only fueled her father's anger.

"Guards, bring out the family rules! As long as I am in charge of the Ye family, you are a member of the Ye family. You have no choice but to accept the Ye family rules."

Twenty lashes struck Ye Xingchen's back, each lash piercing her heart. Her mother must have been heartbroken when she left the manor. The seed had been planted; it would sprout someday, she told herself.

Ye Xingchen lay on the bed, her hair disheveled, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her back stained with blood. The little crybaby who was applying medicine to her sobbed, "Miss's hand injuries haven't healed yet, and now she's suffered such a serious injury on her back. How can Master bear to do this to her?"

The person lying on the bed gave a wry smile. "Zhuling, I want to eat rock candy."

The little crybaby wiped away her tears. "I'll make it for Miss right away."