Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

"Summon Shangguan Xuan," the Emperor ordered.

Shangguan Xuan, who was nearly fifty years old, walked in. "This old minister greets Your Majesty."

An indescribable solemnity and sorrow filled the air, and he felt slightly uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

"Get up." After saying this, the emperor coughed.

"Your Majesty, let me take your pulse," said Imperial Physician Shangguan, stepping forward.

The Emperor waved his hand, "I didn't call you here today for that." Then, he instructed, "Cao Ze."

"Yes." After walking to the study in the side hall, Eunuch Cao quickly returned, carrying a box in his hands. He handed it to the Emperor.

"Shangguan, I have summoned you here today to have you as a witness," the Emperor said.

"Yes."

The Emperor gestured for Gu Ruoxiao to open the box.

Gu Ruoxiao opened the box in surprise. Inside were two imperial edicts. He looked up at the emperor.

The Emperor pointed to the imperial edict tied with a red string, "Open it."

Gu Ruoxiao opened the imperial edict, which was a decree of succession, establishing Gu Chenglin as the crown prince and Gu Ruoxiao as the regent to assist the new king in stabilizing the court.

Gu Ruoxiao glanced at it; the situation was almost identical to that of his previous life. He turned and handed it to Imperial Physician Shangguan.

The Emperor picked up the second imperial edict and handed it to Gu Ruoxiao. Gu Ruoxiao opened it and was stunned by its contents. This edict abdicated in favor of Gu Ruoxiao and bestowed upon Gu Chenglin the title of Prince Yongle.

"Brother, what is this?" Gu Ruoxiao's eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

The Emperor smiled and said, "This imperial edict abdicating the throne to you bears my personal seal and is superior to the original edict. I know you are smarter and more capable than Lin'er, and you are more suitable to be the ruler of the Great Jin. Therefore, I give you two choices: either you become the ruler and protect the people of the world, or you assist Lin'er in stabilizing the country."

"Brother Emperor!"

The Emperor looked up and took Gu Ruoxiao's arm. "Don't rush to make a decision. Think it over carefully. It won't be too late to issue a monarchical decree after I pass away and am buried in the imperial mausoleum."

The Emperor looked up at Imperial Physician Shangguan and said, "Shangguan, you are a veteran of two reigns and will be assisting the new emperor in the future. Today, I ask you to be my witness."

"Your Majesty, I understand. I will certainly not fail to live up to Your Majesty's trust." Imperial Physician Shangguan knelt down.

"Go back."

"Yes." At this moment, Imperial Physician Shangguan was already in tears; his king was about to leave.

"Cao Ze".

"The slave is here."

How old are you now?

"Your Majesty, this servant is now fifty-one years old."

"You've been with me since I was little, and later you grew up with me and Ruoxiao. If you want to retire and return to your hometown in the future, just tell Ruoxiao, and he will make arrangements. If you want to serve the new emperor, that's fine too, or if you want to stay in the palace, that's fine too, I'll give you the choice."

"Your Majesty, this old servant wishes to stay with you forever." Eunuch Cao was already sobbing.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm counting on you. You can even give Ruoxiao and Lin'er some pointers on the intricacies of the palace."

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Cao knelt on the ground, burying his head in his hands and weeping bitterly.

At this moment, Gu Ruoxiao's tears flowed silently, and his hands trembled as he gripped the Emperor's arm.

"Ruo Xiao," the Emperor said, his eyes slightly closed, his voice becoming strained.

"I'm here."

"Protect Lin'er and the Empress for me."

"Okay." Gu Ruoxiao's voice was already choked with emotion.

"Go and call the Empress and the children in. I want to speak with them." At this moment, the Emperor was already very weak.

"Yes!" The eunuch Cao, who was lying on the ground, quickly got up and ran out. Soon, the Empress entered with the princes and princesses.

Gu Ruoxiao stepped down and gave her seat to the Empress. The Empress's eyes were already red, but she held back her tears.

Gu Ruoxiao stood outside the hall. He looked up at the sky, which had been clear and blue, but was now overcast. It was going to snow, he thought.

Soon, cries of anguish erupted from within the palace, instantly engulfing the entire bedchamber in mourning. Outside, the wind howled and clouds surged, as if even the heavens were grieving for the passing of this emperor.

He closed his eyes, and tears streamed down his face.

The joyous New Year atmosphere vanished with the passing of an emperor. People quickly removed their bright red decorations, and every household hung white lanterns and drapes. People may not care who became emperor, but those who did practical things for the people will be remembered forever. In his short reign of just over twenty years, the emperor built roads and bridges for the people and reduced taxes; those good deeds will always be remembered.

The guards haven't appeared for the past two days. Ping An said, "Feng Xing said that with the late emperor's passing and the new emperor not yet enthroned, there's a fear of instability in the court and someone taking advantage of the chaos. So the guards have all gone into the palace. Some are guarding the gates, others are on guard duty. Even Feng Xing has gone into the palace. With the late emperor's passing, the empress and concubines have all collapsed, along with the princes and princesses. The imperial physicians are overwhelmed. Old Master Wei is taking care of the empress, so he sent Feng Xing to take care of Gu Ruoxiao. After all, he hasn't eaten or slept properly for many days, and even an iron body can't hold on."

Yun Chu was very worried, but she didn't dare to go and disturb them.

On New Year's Eve, Nanrao prepared the meal early, but perhaps because of the heavy sorrow of the occasion, no one was in the mood. After a simple New Year's Eve dinner, everyone sat in the dining room by the fire, but it wasn't as lively as it had been at this time last year.

As Yun Chu sat there, her anxiety grew stronger, and she couldn't help but ask, "Mo Han, can you contact Chi Wu?"

Mo Han looked at Yun Chu, who stood up. "I'll give it a try."

An hour later, Mo Han appeared at Qingfeng Courtyard with Chiwu.

"How is he?" Yun Chu asked anxiously, her eyes filled with concern and worry.

Chiwu was silent for a moment before speaking, "I have been guarding the late emperor all this time, and I haven't slept or eaten much these past few days."

Yun Chu felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if someone had ripped it out. "Can you take me to see him? I promise I'll just look at him from afar."

Chiwu looked up at Yun Chu and then nodded. Although Gu Ruoxiao had instructed him not to tell Yun Chu about his condition, Chiwu felt that he wanted Yun Chu to go see his master and try to persuade him, otherwise his master's body really wouldn't be able to take it.

After receiving Chiwu's affirmative reply, Yun Chu calmed down and said, "Wait for me for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea." Then she instructed, "Nanrao, take Chiwu to get something to eat first. Zhuling and Xuli, come to the kitchen to help me."

Yun Chu wanted to prepare some hot food for Gu Ruoxiao as quickly as possible, as she was genuinely worried about his health.

Soon, a bowl of hot noodles was ready. "Ping An, go and get that insulated box that Xu Li researched earlier."

Yun Chu quickly packed the noodles into an insulated box and then placed them into the food container.

"Alright, we can set off now."

Mo Han quickly took the food box from her hand.

The carriage sped towards the palace through the snow and ice.