Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

Back at the banquet, preparations were underway for the final toasting ceremony. After the toasts, the men would go hunting in the mountains, while the women would wait there.

"The Northern Princess requests your presence. Wan'er, come here." The Empress beckoned to Ye Xingchen, "Daughter of the Ye family, you come here as well."

"Of the three of you, one is a distinguished guest from the Northern Region, one is a future member of my royal family, and the other is the descendant of a high-ranking official. These three cups of wine are bestowed upon you, as a prayer for a successful autumn hunt," the Empress said with a smile.

The waiter brought out wine, with yellow, red, and white wine cups arranged in order, the red cup facing the princess of the Northern Region.

Ye Xingchen stared wide-eyed at the red wine glass. Wait, this red glass… she turned to look at Gu Ruoxiao. He noticed her looking at him and frowned slightly, puzzled.

"Please, everyone!" the Queen said, seeing the Northern Princess about to pick up her wine cup. Ye Xingchen quickly called out, "Wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at her.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I have something to say." The Empress nodded.

Ye Xingchen looked at the Northern Princess and said, "I've heard that the Northern Region reveres the phoenix, and yellow is its symbol. Judging from your attire, Princess, you also have a strong preference for yellow. This cup of wine is the best wish for the Northern Region's autumn hunt." She picked up the yellow wine cup in front of her and handed it to the Northern Princess with both hands.

"Well said," the Northern Princess laughed heartily.

"This glass of wine is pure white, which is elegant and noble, and it is especially suitable for Miss Shangguan." She handed the white wine glass to Shangguan Wan'er.

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Ye." Shangguan Wan'er accepted it with both hands.

Ye Xingchen looked at the remaining red wine cup on the plate, picked it up, and said, "Then I'll take this red one. I hope our Great Jin Dynasty will prosper and our people will live in peace and happiness!"

Gu Ruoxiao looked at Ye Xingchen's actions with a hint of doubt, wondering what was wrong with him.

The Second Prince of the Northern Region watched this scene with a playful smile on his lips.

"Hahaha, well said!" The Emperor on the throne was overjoyed. "Let's all raise our glasses and wish our autumn hunt a resounding success!"

After everyone drank their wine and smashed their cups, bamboo arrows whistled through the air, and the best young men from each family mounted their horses and rode out, striving to win the hunt. The women, however, were no less capable; the Northern Princess, along with her husband and the Second Prince of the Northern Region, entered the deep forest.

The banquet hall emptied out quickly; some people sat in their seats, eagerly awaiting the next meal, while others returned to their tents to rest.

Ye Xingchen called Nan Rao over, "Let's go." She had to leave before the poison took effect.

Nanrao noticed that something was wrong with him and quickly helped him away.

As soon as he entered the tent, his stomach churned, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Miss!" Nan Rao exclaimed.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Ye Xingchen knew his own body well, and besides, he had researched so many poisons in his previous life. Perhaps his body had taken too many antidotes before, or perhaps this poison was suppressed by the previous slow-acting poison, and the toxicity had not yet reached his heart, so he wouldn't die anytime soon.

She leaned against the bed, pondering what was wrong. Gu Ruoxiao couldn't possibly remain inactive. Could it be an information asymmetry? But given the initial failure, it was difficult to keep it a secret from Lin Li...

“Nanrao, listen to me. Go find the prince. If you can’t find him, go find Chiwu and tell him that the Northern Royal Family must be protected in the dense forest.”

"Miss, I'm not going. You've already vomited blood," Nan Rao said anxiously.

"Trust me, I'm fine. When you go to see the prince, don't mention anything except what you just said." Nan Rao nodded with tears in her eyes.

Ye Xingchen has resolved the Eighth Prince's matter herself; the rest can't be related to you anymore. I can't come to you every time something happens. You're nobody to me, and I'm nobody to you. This is better for both of us, she told herself.

Nanrao returned very soon.

"Miss, you look terrible," Nan Rao said worriedly.

"how's it going?"

"This servant did not see the prince; he went into the woods. However, this servant did see Lord Chiwu and told him everything. You can rest assured."

Ye Xingchen nodded.

In her dazed state, Ye Xingchen felt a hand placed on her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw Gu Ruoxiao in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she struggled to her feet. "Where is the Northern Princess?"

“She’s still in the woods,” he said. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

"Yes." She nodded, knowing that Gu Ruoxiao understood the importance of the safety of the Northern Region royal family.

The atmosphere fell silent, and an awkward silence fell. After a moment, he asked, "Why did you drink that poisoned wine?"

"Otherwise, should we make Miss Shangguan drink it?" Ye Xingchen was annoyed by his question and retorted in a bad tone. She realized she had made a mistake and looked up to meet his dark eyes, which were deep and unpredictable.

Ye Xingchen avoided eye contact. "You know me. In my past life, I even made and used poisons. I've dealt with so many poisons. This little bit of poison is nothing. Besides, I was already poisoned myself." She said this casually, pulling her arm back slightly.

“I’ve checked your pulse,” Gu Ruoxiao said directly.

“You have to think about it, the Northern Princess definitely can’t drink that wine. Miss Shangguan comes from a family of doctors, so she’ll definitely be able to sense something’s wrong. We can’t let this get out of hand right now. Besides, if something happens to her, how sad will the Shangguan family be? She’s your future wife, wouldn’t you be heartbroken if she got poisoned?” By the end, Ye Xingchen himself was losing confidence.

"Is the injury on your back healed?" Gu Ruoxiao asked.

"Ah, how did you know?"

Chiwu's voice came from outside the tent, "Master, the main force has returned."

Gu Ruoxiao placed a medicine bottle on the table, said, "Remember to take it," and left.

Standing outside the tent, Gu Ruoxiao looked up at the crowd returning to camp and instructed, "Send a letter to my uncle immediately and tell him to come back as soon as possible."

When the spoils were distributed, Ye Xingchen claimed to be unwell and did not attend. It was said that the Emperor was greatly pleased and granted permission to set up camp and enjoy a bonfire party. Cheers erupted outside the tent; everyone seemed very happy.

Someone was knocking furtively on the door of an inn in the city. "Come in," came a voice from inside.

"How was it? Did it succeed? Did a fight break out?" This person was none other than the Third Prince of the Northern Region, who had secretly infiltrated the capital. He was drinking and speaking in a sinister tone.

The person who came kept their head down and dared not speak.

"Both plans failed?" The Third Prince of the Northern Region narrowed his eyes.

The subordinates remained silent.

"Useless!" The Third Prince of the Northern Region smashed his cup. "He didn't make a move?" he asked again.

"They must have made their move; I saw the coded signal he gave to the messenger. But..."

"Just what?"

"The teacup was switched, and the poisoned wine was drunk by a noble lady."

"What?" The Third Prince of the Northern Region raised his head in confusion. "Then why didn't this matter escalate?"

"I don't know, but the young lady hasn't made any move. However, she seems to be poisoned and hasn't appeared in her tent. The messenger asks what should be done next?"

"This man is problematic. Since he's blocking my way, don't blame me for being impolite. If you don't want to make a big fuss, then I'll lend you a hand and tell him that it's time for him to repay his debt." The Third Prince of the Northern Region raised his wine cup, smiling sinisterly.