Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

The campfire outside the tent was still blazing. Nan Rao looked at the various barbecued dishes that Gu Chenglin had secretly arranged to be delivered and said, "Miss, I'd better go and cook some porridge for you." Ye Xingchen nodded.

As the autumn wind began to blow, feeling utterly bored, Ye Xingchen reviewed the day's events. She had forgotten to ask Gu Ruoxiao why the poisoned wine hadn't been switched. Suddenly, a letter fell onto the bed. She picked it up and opened it: "Whoever desires the antidote must immediately come to the eastern camp."

Ye Xingchen frowned. Since the poisoning was of unknown origin, she couldn't make a big deal out of it. The person who wrote the letter must know she had drunk the poisoned wine. But what was their purpose in leading her there? However, if she didn't go, she wouldn't know who it was. In the camp, if there was danger, shouting would attract the soldiers; there shouldn't be any problems, as long as she was careful. She touched the dagger hidden in her calf, deciding to take the risk.

Everything seemed normal outside the tents; soldiers were on alert, while the others were drinking and having fun. Passing through the tents, she didn't see Gu Ruoxiao or any of the royal family members; they must all be in the largest tent.

Only one guard remained outside the eastern camp tent. Upon seeing Ye Xingchen, he asked, "Who are you?"

"May I ask, what is this tent?" Ye Xingchen inquired.

"This is the camp of the Northern Region delegation. Who are you looking for?"

"The Northern Region delegation?" Ye Xingchen pondered to himself.

"Who's outside?" came a voice from inside.

"My lord, she is a young lady from the State of Jin," the guard reported.

"Please let her in."

"Please come in."

Ye Xingchen lifted the curtain, which was made of a very thick material.

"Oh, you must be Miss Ye?" The person in the tent was Mu Shan, the envoy from the Northern Region, whom I had met at the banquet earlier today.

"You recognize me?"

"Miss Ye's toast today was truly remarkable," the other person said with a smile.

"I wonder what business you have with me?" Ye Xingchen asked calmly.

"Oh? Is that so? No problem. Since Miss Ye is here, let's take a look at something." Envoy Mu Shan led her to the table.

A long bird call came from outside, but since this place was in a forest, it wasn't surprising to hear birds calling.

“Miss Ye, I have always been loyal to the emperor and the country, but I have never expected to have failed my family. I am sorry to have troubled you this time.” The envoy from Mushan suddenly said this.

Ye Xingchen was puzzled.

The next moment, Mu Shan suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed himself in the abdomen. Ye Xingchen was shocked and quickly retreated, while Mu Shan fell to the ground and died instantly.

At this moment, a sound came from outside the tent, and someone entered. "Envoy of Mushan, His Majesty summons you?" The person who came was the one who delivered the wine that afternoon, the palace eunuch.

"Ah, murder! Murder!" He saw Mu Shan lying in a pool of blood, then looked at Ye Xingchen, and immediately shouted.

Ye Xingchen had just recovered from her shock. This scene had never happened in her previous life. She frowned, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Soon, soldiers filed in and surrounded her. Even Gu Ruoxiao and Shangguan Wan'er were alerted.

Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward and examined the deceased. "The dagger was poisoned, and the person is already dead."

"Guards, arrest her!" an official from the Ministry of Justice hurriedly ordered.

"It's not my young lady, it's not my young lady!" Nan Rao rushed out.

“She was the only one there, and there are witnesses. The guards also saw that no one else entered the tent except her. Could it be that the envoy committed suicide?” someone nearby challenged.

"Our envoys died tragically here, you must give us an explanation!" the other envoys from the Northern Region shouted sternly.

Soon, Ye Xingchen was sent to the Ministry of Justice prison overnight.

The killing of the envoy from the Northern Region immediately caused a great uproar, with the people speculating that war was likely about to break out.

The Emperor was furious, and the court was in an uproar. The dispute between the pro-war and pro-peace factions was like a stalemate, irreconcilable. The pro-war faction was indignant, advocating an eye for an eye, using iron and blood to defend national dignity, and refusing to show weakness; while the pro-peace faction was heartbroken, believing that the greater good should be prioritized, and the murderers should be executed as soon as possible to prevent further bloodshed. The two factions disagreed, their words were heated, and the atmosphere in the court was extremely tense. Both sides were vying for the right to preside over the case, and neither would give way.

Minister Ye was stopped before he even entered the palace gates for court today. An eunuch said, "Minister Ye, you should avoid the limelight for now and go back to your residence to rest."

As a result, the lives of ordinary people were plunged into unprecedented turmoil. Talk of the town filled the streets, and fear gripped the nation. In the markets, prices soared, food was scarce, and the once bustling scene was gone, replaced by desolation and unease.

While things were bustling outside, things weren't quiet inside the prison either. Quite a few people came to see Ye Xingchen.

The first to arrive was Gu Chenglin. He plopped down next to Ye Xingchen with a thud, seemingly unconcerned about the dirty floor. Looking utterly dejected, he said, "I believe it wasn't you!"

Seeing that Ye Xingchen remained silent, he continued, "I will definitely find a way. If that doesn't work, I'll ask my royal uncle; he's smart. Otherwise, I'll ask my father to grant us a marriage. Let's see who dares to touch my royal consort!"

"Don't do anything reckless. This is a matter of national importance. It concerns the peace and tranquility of the people on the border," Ye Xingchen sternly stopped him.

Gu Chenglin lowered his head and nodded, muttering, "My royal uncle said so too. There are already many different opinions about this matter in the court. It's been discussed for a whole day, and there was still no result when I arrived."

The second person to arrive was Gu Chengjie.

Ye Xingchen looked up at him. He had been asking her about her well-being and laying the groundwork as soon as he arrived, before getting straight to the point.

"Those two parchment scrolls you gave me last time, I've tried so many methods but I still can't decipher them. Didn't your mother tell you how to decipher them?"

Ye Xingchen looked at him and said, "Let me think." After a moment, she said, "It seems there is a kind of herb that grows on the southwestern border called Dragon's Roar Grass. Its juice should be able to solve the problem."

"Great, that's wonderful!" Perhaps realizing he was getting a little too excited, Gu Chengjie quickly said, "I'll go out right away and find a way to rescue you, don't worry!"

After saying that, he hurriedly left, whether to save someone or to find some grass, no one knows.

But even if he found them, it wouldn't matter. The two parchment scrolls Ye Xingchen gave him were just ordinary parchment scrolls with nothing on them.

And so, Ye Xingchen spent the entire day in the cell, watching the sky go from darkness to light and back to darkness. Fortunately, Lord Yan of the Ministry of Justice upheld the law impartially and did not abuse his power. Ye Xingchen wondered if the truth would ever come to light.

A voice came from outside the cell, "Come, bring her out of here." It was Eunuch Lu who had accused her that day.

The jailer quickly pulled Ye Xingchen out and tied him to the rack.

"Speak! Did you kill Mu Shan?!" Eunuch Lu shouted at the top of his lungs. His face was gloomy, and his eyes gleamed with a cunning light, revealing a deep-seated malice.

"I told you, I didn't. I didn't kill him. Mu Shan committed suicide," Ye Xingchen argued, secretly thinking that the fact that Eunuch Lu could get in showed that the power behind him was not to be underestimated.

"You're talking nonsense! Looks like you won't confess unless you're beaten!" Eunuch Lu shrieked. "Guards, give him a good beating!"

A jailer nearby hurriedly stepped forward, "Eunuch Lu, Lord Yan has ordered that no private torture be used."

"What, do my words have no effect?" Eunuch Lu said angrily.

"Godfather, I'll handle this!" The young eunuch who had been following along hurriedly came up. He pulled a leather whip from the rack, shook it, stood in front of Ye Xingchen, and raised the blood-stained whip.

Ye Xingchen was tied to a wooden stake, the poison in her body churning again. She closed her eyes. There was no point in talking to the dog.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The sound of the leather whip echoed through the prison cell.

"Stop it, all of you!" came a shout.