Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

"Master, a spy from the Ye family has reported that Miss Ye is in trouble." Chengfeng was reporting to Gu Ruoxiao.

Gu Ruoxiao looked up at him, signaling him to continue.

“Last night, Minister Ye summoned the First Madam, Ye Xingchen, and Ye Ruohuan to the ancestral hall and berated them. He locked up the Ye mother and daughter overnight before releasing them. Perhaps Miss Ye was resentful, because this morning she caused a scene at the ancestral hall, requesting to be expelled from the Ye family genealogy, and Minister Ye severely whipped her twenty times.” After Chengfeng finished speaking, he withdrew.

"Feeling resentful? It can't be you. What exactly do you want to do?" Gu Ruoxiao pondered.

Perhaps because Ye Xingchen had caused such a scene, few people from the Ye family had come to Qingfeng Courtyard to bother them in recent days, and the First Madam and Ye Ruohuan had also quieted down a bit.

Luo Yan sent medicine twice, and Ye Xingchen accepted the second time, since the medicinal herbs in the palace were much more precious than those on the street. Her injuries had also healed considerably. She checked her pulse; recently, the poison in her body had become increasingly stable. This made sense, considering she hadn't yet been poisoned at this time in her previous life. It seemed she could continue taking the medicine, but the antidote still needed to be found; there was no rush.

"It's getting chilly now, isn't it?" Nan Rao brought out a bowl of peanuts to peel, planning to make peanut soup for her mistress tomorrow morning.

Ping An and Xu Li were sweeping fallen leaves in the yard, while Zhu Ling was embroidering a purse.

"Miss, I've learned so many new characters lately!" Ever since Nanrao taught Ping An and Xu Li to write in her spare time, Ping An often reported her progress to the young lady and asked for candy.

"Okay, wait a minute, I'll test you. If you answer correctly, you'll get candy," Ye Xingchen said with a smile.

Zhu Ling draped a coat over her shoulders. "I heard the kitchen maid say today that the people from the north are coming to negotiate again. I wonder if they'll reach an agreement. Those people from the north are all tall and strong; they look intimidating."

Yes, in my past life, it seems that around this time, people from the Northern Region came to pay tribute and negotiate peace. Unexpectedly, a cup of poisoned wine took the life of the Northern Region princess, and war broke out immediately. Although Gu Ruoxiao led troops to fight, both sides suffered heavy losses and the national treasury was depleted for a long time, which made it so easy for Gu Chengjie to lead troops to force the emperor to abdicate later.

Ye Xingchen looked up at the sky, where gloomy clouds covered the sky, indicating that the weather was about to change.

News of the visit from the Northern Regions quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys, and people hurriedly cleaned their shops, trying not to get in the way of the tall, imposing man. The imperial court also swiftly arranged an autumn hunt.

On Ye Xingchen's desk now sits an invitation that the steward has just delivered, along with Ye Shilang's words: "Prepare well and don't bring shame to the Ye family."

In her previous life, the autumn hunt only invited daughters of noble families on good terms with the royal family; she did not participate. Even members of the royal family were not all present; the Great Jin Dynasty had to maintain a certain distance from foreign powers, and the Fourth and Eighth Princes had been sent by the Emperor to the southeastern mountains to chant scriptures and pray for the nation's fortune. Now, perhaps because of what happened in the palace last time, the Empress felt guilty and specially sent an invitation.

She sighed. She didn't know the specifics of the Northern Princess's death in her past life, only that a cup of red wine had taken her life, a fact that Gu Chengjie had inadvertently let slip later. However, Gu Ruoxiao had been involved and would surely handle everything well, while she could only adapt to the situation and deal with whatever came her way.

The autumn hunt will take place in the nearby suburbs, where everything has already been prepared.

Ye Xingchen also met the princess, the consort, and the second prince of the Northern Region. Compared to the rumors of their towering stature, they were only slightly taller. The princess of the Northern Region was stunningly beautiful with her heroic spirit, the consort possessed the bold and unrestrained air of a man from the Northern Region, and the second prince had a high nose bridge and smooth lines, giving him an indescribable three-dimensionality. He always had a half-smile on his lips, and his eyes revealed a cold indifference that kept strangers at bay.

At the first banquet, everyone politely created a lively atmosphere and chatted happily.

On her way to the restroom, Ye Xingchen was stopped by Gu Chenglin.

"You're really here?" Gu Chenglin said.

"What are you doing here?" I didn't see him at the banquet.

"I heard you'd be here today, so I came secretly," Gu Chenglin said mysteriously.

"Eighth Prince, I have to go now." Ye Xingchen just wanted to leave as soon as possible and didn't want to deal with him.

"I heard you're engaged to the royal family?" Gu Chenglin asked.

Ye Xingchen suddenly raised her head and exclaimed in surprise, "You went to the Emperor to request a marriage decree?"

"Not yet," Gu Chenglin said.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Gu Chenglin continued, "Although Fourth Brother said that Father loves me and I will most likely inherit the throne in the future, if you marry me, you will be the Empress. Asking for an imperial decree to grant us marriage would be a surprise for you, and you would agree without me even asking. However, my Imperial Uncle once said that although marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, it must be based on mutual affection, and we must still respect the girl's wishes. So I thought I would come and ask you."

So it turns out that your scheme to request a royal decree for marriage in my past life was orchestrated by you, Gu Chengjie. You made vows of eternal love to me while simultaneously using me as your inside man. What a brilliant plan! Ye Xingchen's anger surged.

"Miss Ye, Miss Ye." Gu Chenglin waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Will you marry me?" Gu Chenglin asked cautiously.

“I don’t want to,” she interrupted him.

"Why?" he asked anxiously.

"Why do you want to marry me?" she countered.

“Because you’ve been good to me, you’ve helped me. I want to be good to you, I want to help you, and besides, the Ye family hasn’t treated you well.” Gu Chenglin looked at her earnestly and said, “I’ve heard about what happened before. They say that if the husband’s family is powerful, the woman won’t be bullied.”

Looking at Gu Chenglin before her, Ye Xingchen saw that he was indeed straightforward and naive, untainted by the schemes and plots of the palace. No wonder Gu Ruoxiao doted on this nephew so much; indeed, if he weren't so naive, how could she have been led by the nose in her past life?

Seeing that she didn't speak, Gu Chenglin cautiously asked, "Are you angry?"

In that instant, Ye Xingchen recalled her past life with Gu Chenglin. Gu Chenglin was always afraid she would be angry, so he would constantly ask her, "Are you angry?" and then try his best to coax her, even burning himself while cooking for her. All he got in return was Ye Xingchen's simple "It's not good," before turning and leaving. What had Ye Xingchen ever done to deserve this? What right did she have to hurt someone who treated her so well? She was truly wicked.

She sighed, "Eighth Prince, wanting to be kind to someone, wanting to help someone, doesn't necessarily mean becoming husband and wife. Being friends is fine too. Friends can help each other, watch over each other, and treat each other sincerely."

"Then we're friends, right? Like Uncle and Sister Shangguan, right?" Gu Chenglin said happily.

Ye Xingchen was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

A servant boy in the distance was calling for the Eighth Prince.

"Miss Ye, now that we're friends, I have to go. I mustn't let my father find out I snuck here. I'll come find you again next time!"

Ye Xingchen watched Gu Chenglin's departing figure, feeling helpless but mostly relieved to have finally gotten rid of a ticking time bomb.