Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

The next morning, Yun Chu was woken up by a noise. Mo Han was blocking Xu Li from coming in.

"Xu Li, what's wrong?" Yun Chu asked as she opened the door.

It turns out that the merchants from the northern region had been selling well these past two days and had placed additional orders, also introducing several other merchants to them.

This was a big business opportunity! Yun Chu's eyes lit up, and she hurried off to deal with the merchants.

Time flies, and we'll be returning to Beijing in a few days. The goods we brought over these past few days have almost all been sold. These past two days, I've had Xu Li go and buy some furs and local specialties, planning to take them back and try to sell them. If they don't sell, I'll keep them for myself; I can't lose out.

Looking at the order forms in her hand, Yun Chu had to start thinking. It seemed she still needed to hire people, and they had to be experienced and reliable. She couldn't help but think of Liu Da and the others, and decided to find an opportunity to test whether they had the same idea.

Before she knew it was time to leave, Yun Chu thought she still needed to bid farewell to the Northern Princess; she couldn't just leave without saying goodbye. But as for Gu Ruoxiao, Yun Chu thought, well, let's just consider it a chance encounter.

The day before her departure, Yun Chu presented the princess with a visiting card, and the princess then sent someone to fetch her into the palace.

“These bottles and jars are from the Great Jin Dynasty, and I prepared them myself. You can try them out. Don’t worry, all the medicinal materials used are harmless to the fetus,” Yun Chu introduced the things she had brought.

"Are you really leaving?" The princess grasped her hand, her reluctance evident in her words. It's true that women who are about to become mothers are prone to sentimentality; where is the dashing spirit of the woman she once was?

Yun Chu couldn't help but smile. To be able to do this, she must be well taken care of. "Your Highness is too kind. Great Jin is my home, and I definitely have to go back."

"Would you like to stay?" the princess asked, trying to persuade her to stay.

“I have to go back; my family is there.”

"We can bring them all over," the princess suggested.

Yun Chu smiled helplessly and shook her head.

A maidservant came to report, "Your Highness, the Second Prince has arrived."

Tug walked in.

"You two chat, I'll go check on the food preparations," the princess said, getting up to leave.

"Are you leaving?" Tug asked casually.

"Okay." Yun Chu nodded. "Here, take this." She handed over a medicine jar.

"What is this?" Tug couldn't help but ask.

“This is frostbite cream. It’ll be cold in the Northern Region in a little over a month. Your hands usually crack, right?” Yun Chu gestured. “This will stop them from cracking. I know your royal family has better ones, but this medicine is something I made myself. It’s harmless to pregnant women, the elderly, and children.”

"For me?" Tug asked again, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“Yes. You all have them, even the princess. I was thinking of just giving them to you since you’re here,” Yun Chu said with a smile.

"Do you want to stay?" Tug asked again.

Yun Chu smiled helplessly, "Why are you asking me that question again?"

"So you heard it that day, didn't you?" Tug turned his head and looked directly at Yun Chu.

"What would I do if I stayed? To do business in the Northern Region?" she laughed.

"Because of me, I'm staying." Tug said solemnly, enunciating each word clearly, looking directly at Yun Chu. "I have feelings for you, and I don't believe you can't see it?"

Yun Chu's heart skipped a beat. She had guessed right after all. From the moment Tuge was willing to risk his life to be her target, she had sensed something was amiss. How could such a proud second prince be so kind to her? This was why she had packed her goods and was in such a hurry to leave. She didn't want any more involvement with the royal family, not even those from the Northern Region.

Yun Chu stood up and walked to the window. From there, she could see the rockery and the lake in the garden.

"Actually, the Second Prince is more curious about me than anything else, right?" Yun Chu patiently explained.

“Yes, at first it was out of curiosity, but now it’s different,” Tug said hastily. Why is everyone saying he was just curious?

"The Second Prince only has a good impression of me right now."

"As long as we spend time together, I believe our feelings will deepen."

"But I would rather be friends with the Second Prince than be a lover."

"Why?" The other person frowned.

“Life is full of disappointments. When couples break up, there’s more resentment and hatred than anything else. Tuge, I don’t want us to end up like this.” Yun Chu looked at Tuge.

"What you're saying is all just wishful thinking. What if it doesn't happen?" the other person said, skeptical.

"My heart is very small. I don't want to share a husband with someone else, nor do I want the person I love to have someone else in their heart. There's an old saying: 'Entering the palace is like entering a deep sea.' If nothing unexpected happens, you will become the ruler of a country. The weight of my position versus the throne is obvious. You have your responsibilities, and I don't want to be involved in the intrigues and power struggles of your harem. At that time, we will quarrel, even fight, which is something I don't want to see. So, let's be friends, Tug. Perhaps we can work together to create trade between the north and south? This will pave a better path for you to ascend the throne. After all, only by standing in a high position can you protect those you want to protect. Compared to intangible feelings, isn't this tangible material thing better?"

After a long silence, Tug sighed and said helplessly, "Have you always been this rational?"

"Isn't it better to be rational?" Yun Chu smiled, his voice filled with relief. He knew that Tu Ge had taken his advice to heart.

“Okay,” he replied.

Sunlight streamed down on the earth, bathing the entire garden in its glow. A man stood by the garden's lake, head bowed, lost in thought.

Yun Chu recognized the figure.

"Is he the one in your heart?" Tug, who had been standing beside him for some time, suddenly asked.

"I don't.."

“It’s not nice to lie to your friends,” Tug said. “He’s also a member of the royal family, and besides, your Great Jin has quite a few people in the harem.”

"So it's impossible for us. I have nothing to do with him," Yun Chu said calmly.

"Huh?" Perhaps not expecting Yun Chu to refuse so directly, Tuge couldn't help but ask.

“You might not know this, but Gu Ruoxiao rejected me.” Tuge turned his head in surprise.

"I also have my pride," Yun Chu smiled.

“Sometimes being too rational isn’t good,” Tug said. He paused for a moment, then continued, “Anyway, if you’d like someday, I’ll always have a place for you here.”

Yun Chu smiled at him, "Thank you, but you don't need it."

It was getting dark, and it was time to leave the palace. Unexpectedly, they ran into Gu Ruoxiao on the way.

"I'll see you out." He clenched his fist and said as he saw Yun Chu and Tu Ge walking towards him.

"No need to trouble Your Highness," Yun Chu refused.

Tug raised an eyebrow and said knowingly, "I'll have a servant escort you out."

Yun Chu nodded.

Watching Yun Chu's departing figure, Tu Ge uttered a sentence, "I didn't expect that you wouldn't have a chance either."

Gu Ruoxiao was stunned.

“But you deserve it,” Tug added, then strode away.