Reincarnation and Rebirth

In the end, Zi Xingchen had no choice but to leave a small squad of guards to continue protecting the Empress Dowager and the others.

Su Ping never expected that after he left, the village would descend into chaos.

Su Chunhui asked Su Hehua to go back to her parents' home to ask for food, but who knew that nowadays, the old lady Su had no say in the old Su family. Since Su Ping had become an official and Su Qing'er had been serving the Crown Prince, Madam Chen felt confident and ignored the old lady Su. The old lady Su was a coward who would take advantage of the weak and fear the strong. She was also thinking about enjoying a good life with her grandchildren in the future, so she naturally did not dare to confront Madam Chen.

With Chen Shi controlling the household, Old Lady Su had no way to support her daughter, so she went to Su Youfu for advice.

“Mother, you know what the situation is right now. Even the Empress Dowager doesn’t have enough to eat for three meals a day. Where would we get extra food for my sister? Please tell them to be patient.”

“You’re lucky. After all, she’s your own sister. You can’t just watch them die. Look at your sister, she’s gotten so thin.”

If Su Wan'er were here, she would definitely laugh herself to death. The original Su Hehua was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, less than 150 cm tall but weighing almost 150 kg, practically a cube. Although she has lost weight now, she is still much rounder than others. What kind of thought process does this old lady Su have?

As Chen entered the room, she overheard Old Lady Su's words and said sarcastically, "Mother, she is, after all, a married daughter. Besides, you know that Chunmei from the village chief's family offended the Crown Prince and was beaten to death. You should keep your distance from their family to avoid implicating our Su family."

"Mrs. Chen, why are you interrupting me when I'm talking to my son?"

Since the Crown Prince left, Su Qing'er also returned home. At this moment, she stood at the door with a look of disdain. "Grandma, I am now someone who serves the Crown Prince. You should understand the situation. As for Su Dewang, hmph, it's hard to say whether he will still be the village chief of Suhe Village after the Crown Prince inherits his great cause."

Upon hearing this, Su Youfu hurriedly smiled obsequiously and said, "By the way, Qing'er, you should talk to the Crown Prince and ask him to let your father become the village chief."

Madam Chen rolled her eyes at him, "You good-for-nothing! Your son is a high-ranking official, and your daughter is destined to be an empress. How can you be a village chief? You should at least be granted some kind of prince title."

Lady Chen was ignorant and thought that the title of prince could be bestowed casually.

Su Youfu rubbed his hands together excitedly, "That's right, my wife is right."

Seeing that their conversation had drifted off-topic, Old Mrs. Su quickly spoke up, "What about Hehua? Now that Cuihua is nowhere to be found, Hehua is my only daughter. Are you going to just let me watch her die?"

Su Youfu said impatiently, "Mother, it's almost New Year's, why are you crying like this? It's bad luck."

Su Qing'er still smiled and said, "Grandma, you don't only have my dad as your son."

Grandma Su suddenly realized that her family had no food, but Su Youlu must have some. Last time they sold grain, they didn't sell any, and that wretched woman always got extra grain, so she must have some.

Thinking this, Old Madam Su turned and headed towards the direction where Su Youlu was temporarily staying. Madam Chen gently patted Su Qing'er's hand, "Qing'er is so smart."

"Mother, if she asks for grain, give me some so I can take it to the Empress Dowager. She's been eating thin porridge these past few days, and her appetite hasn't been very good. It would be even better if she could get some meat."

"Alright, alright, don't worry, Mother knows what she's doing."

However, it's destined to be all for naught.

When Grandma Su arrived at the place where Su Youlu and his family were staying, she found that they had already left. She was so angry that she cursed and threw a huge tantrum.

Su Qing'er was overjoyed to learn of Su Wan'er's departure.

She had always worried that the Crown Prince would treat Su Wan'er differently, but now that they had left, it saved her the trouble of taking action.

Some were happy, some were sad. Su Dewang felt uneasy after learning that Su Wan'er's family had left.

When Guo saw Su Hehua return empty-handed, she was so angry that she beat her again, while her husband Su Chunhui watched coldly.

Watching this scene, Su Hongmei wondered if it was right or wrong for her to refuse Su Wan'er's suggestion to leave together.

The Empress Dowager knew why Zi Xingchen had left, and she was absent-minded and had no appetite all day.

"Your Majesty, may I help you to rest?" Consort Liang, the birth mother of the Fourth Prince, asked cautiously.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her indifferently, but it sent a chill down Consort Liang's spine.

"Consort Liang, is the Fourth Prince ill?"

"Your Majesty, yes, Yu'er caught a cold yesterday and felt weak all over this morning." She said, her face showing a hesitant expression. "It's all my fault for not taking good care of the Fourth Prince."

“The fourth prince’s illness has come at a very opportune time,” a cold voice rang out from outside the door. “Today, the crown prince led his troops back to the capital, and everyone except the eleventh prince, who is not yet thirteen, went.”

Consort Liang tightened her grip on the handkerchief, then raised her tear-filled face, "What do you mean by this, Consort Jing? The Fourth Prince is ill, and it's not like he wanted to be."

"Alright, isn't this chaotic enough?" the Empress Dowager said coldly. "I know what you're all thinking, but put away your inappropriate thoughts. We all share the same fate. Do you think we're still in the palace? If the Crown Prince wins this time, we'll have a peaceful life from now on. Otherwise, hmph, no one will have an easy time."

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned pale.

Yes, after a few days of peace and tranquility, how could we have forgotten the fear and anxiety we felt when we first left the palace?

Ya Meiren, the birth mother of the eleventh prince, is of low rank and lacks servants around the Empress Dowager. She has been staying by her side all this time. She comforted her, saying, "Empress Dowager, do not worry. The Crown Prince is brave and resourceful. He will surely defeat the Zi Yan people and then bring you back to the palace."

The Empress Dowager gently patted the back of her hand, "Ya'er is so sensible. Alright, all of you, go down and be more alert."

"Yes."

After everyone left, the Empress Dowager took Ya Meiren's hand and asked, "Ya'er, how has Xingyun been these past few days?"

"Don't worry, great-aunt. With you taking care of Xingyun, how could things not be good?"

"You've suffered, my child."

Ya Meiren hurriedly shook her head, "Ya'er is not suffering."

“How could it not be bitter? Your grandfather sent you to your aunt’s house when you were young, and you lived under someone else’s roof. You only entered the palace and enjoyed a few years of happiness before the late emperor passed away, leaving you and your widow as orphans.”

“Grandma, I am so grateful for your love and care. It is also a blessing for Xingyun to have a great-grandmother like you who cares about him.”

"Alright, go and take care of Xingyun. This child is only seven years old and has suffered such a great misfortune. He must be having a hard time these days. Go back and keep him company."

"Yes, then Ya'er will take her leave now."

"Granny Guo, do you think Ya'er will resent me? If my brother knew this in the afterlife, would he be angry that I'm useless?"

Granny Guo had been with the Empress Dowager since she was a child, so their relationship was naturally different from that of other mistresses and servants.

"Your Majesty, if Lord Chu knew this in the afterlife, he would certainly not blame you."