Chapter One: Reborn After a Tragic Death

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In the fifty-third year of the Qianyuan reign, during the bitterest month of winter, snow stretched endlessly across the land.

Hundreds of corpses lay sprawled across the imperial city, their bodies mangled and drenched in blood.

The blood had stained the snow a deep, murky red, while the pungent stench of it made the place resemble a living hell.

“Xiao Ze’an! Why? Have you no conscience at all?”

A woman with a sword thrust through her abdomen clutched her wound with one hand and dragged her shattered body toward the man before her.

The man looked down at the woman at his feet with disgust, his brows drawn tightly together.

Only when he glanced at the breathtaking woman nestled in his arms did his expression ease slightly.

“Brother, Sister Sang is terrifying.”

The woman leaned bonelessly against him.

“Wan’er, don’t be afraid…”

The man tightened his arms around her.

“Luo Ningsang, hand over the Imperial Seal at once, and I may still spare your life.”

“Hahahaha… Xiao Ze’an, you led troops to surround the imperial city and slaughtered my personal guards. The entire city already belongs to you, yet you still have the nerve to say you’ll spare my life. How absurd.”

Luo Ningsang threw her head back and laughed. Blood flowed from her abdomen down her thighs, seeping between the imperial city’s paving stones and vanishing into the melting snow.

“Xiao Ze’an, I gave you everything. You’re worse than a beast. Without me, Luo Ningsang, you’re nothing but a dog from the Grand Tutor’s residence.”

Xiao Ze’an gritted his teeth. Nothing angered him more than reminders of his birth. He had risen from an insignificant illegitimate son with neither power nor influence to the man who now possessed the imperial authority—and he could not deny that he owed much of it to Luo Ningsang.

But so what?

The woman he had always loved was Shen Shuwan, the one in his arms.

Shen Shuwan covered her lips and laughed softly. “Sister, perhaps you still don’t know that your imperial father’s fall from the cliff years ago was no accident. Ze’an Brother tampered with the carriage.”

“Every guard escorting your imperial father belonged to Ze’an Brother. They simply watched as he plunged over the cliff… They say the cliff face is still stained with your father’s blood. I heard his brains were smashed out on the spot.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Luo Ningsang screamed, her eyes bloodshot.

Seeing her in such agony, Shen Shuwan grew even more excited and continued, “There’s more, Sister. What a pity that your mother died of illness. To the very end, she never knew that the daughter she loved most had killed her with her own hands. Luo Ningsang, do you remember the willow-leaf peach you gave your mother?”

“The willow-leaf peach is poisonous, but it doesn’t kill a person immediately. Instead, it slowly… slowly… causes death bit by bit, without the victim ever noticing. Even the imperial physicians couldn’t diagnose it. Hahahaha!”

Luo Ningsang’s face turned ashen.

How stupid had she been? Her devotion had ultimately killed the person dearest to her. She had personally pushed her own mother toward death.

“Tsk, tsk… Your idiotic imperial brother, whose mind is dull as a pig’s, now has his head hung on the city gate for all to see. The funniest part is that, even as he was dying, he begged me to spare you. Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Did he even deserve to inherit the throne? Only Ze’an Brother is qualified! If you know what’s good for you, hand over the Imperial Seal!”

“Pfft!”

Luo Ningsang could bear no more. She spat out a mouthful of blood, and all the strength drained from her body as she collapsed onto the ground.

She had given Xiao Ze’an everything, yet she had still failed to warm his heart.

Before losing consciousness, Luo Ningsang felt someone lift her into his arms.

A man in red strode toward her, as alluring as a demon in the dead of night. His peach-blossom eyes curved faintly upward, their shifting depths seeming to hold endless charm. As captivating and wickedly beautiful as ever, he could ensnare a person’s heart with a single glance.

“Luoluo…”

The man’s anxious voice called to her softly, worry filling his face.

“Luoluo, hold on. Please… don’t die…”

He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her, the love in his eyes spilling forth without restraint.

He had once been the husband her father had chosen for her, but her heart had held only Xiao Ze’an, and she had rejected him.

She had never imagined that, in the end, it would be he who gave her warmth.

Mo Youli.

…

When Luo Ningsang opened her eyes again, she discovered that she had returned to the year she was fourteen.

She was a princess of the Yan Chi Kingdom. Her imperial father had come to believe that he had been too occupied with state affairs and had neglected his son’s education, leaving the useless prince lazy and without the slightest achievement.

Thus, the emperor had decided to send his one-year-old daughter to the Grand Tutor’s residence, where his own teacher would personally raise and educate her.

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To the outside world, it was announced that the princess was frail and had been sent to the royal estate to recuperate. The emperor had only one empress and only two children—a son and a daughter. His son showed no promise whatsoever, so he hoped that his daughter might one day accomplish something.

That one decision led Luo Ningsang to meet Xiao Ze’an, who was close to her in age, at the Grand Tutor’s residence. She fell hopelessly in love with him, made him her consort, and ultimately brought about the ruin of her country and family.

Luo Ningsang clenched her fists.

Since Heaven had granted her another life, she would change this ending.

At this moment, Luo Ningsang was still trailing after Xiao Ze’an like his shadow. He still possessed the refined bearing of a noble young gentleman. It had been that handsome face which had first stirred her heart.

Several young masters from prominent families surrounded Xiao Ze’an, while Shen Shuwan stood at the center of their attention, adored like the moon among stars.

“Luo Ningsang, go buy some osmanthus cakes. Wan’er wants to eat them.”

“And make sure they’re soft. You have a brain like a pig, so I have to remind you of everything. The ones you bought last time were too hard and hurt Wan’er’s teeth. Her teeth ached for several days because of you. I truly don’t understand how you can’t even manage such a simple task!”

Xiao Ze’an had long since grown accustomed to ordering Luo Ningsang around. The moment she did anything imperfectly or incorrectly, he would heap abuse upon her.

Everyone believed that the only woman worthy of Xiao Ze’an was Yan Chi’s foremost beauty and scholar—Shen Shuwan.

Not only the people of the Grand Tutor’s residence, but all the members of Yan Chi’s aristocratic circle took it for granted that Luo Ningsang was merely a dog at Xiao Ze’an’s side, wagging its tail and begging for scraps.

For years, before dawn each day, Luo Ningsang had moved quietly between the kitchen and the main hall. She brewed scalding tea and carried an exquisite breakfast before Xiao Ze’an, waiting for him to finish so they could walk to the academy together. The chance to remain by his side for even a little longer was enough to satisfy her.

To satisfy Shen Shuwan’s demanding appetite, Luo Ningsang’s frail figure often hurried through the streets, searching every corner of Yan Chi for snacks and sweets. Such things had become routine.

At other times, she followed Xiao Ze’an’s instructions and purchased the finest writing materials. If anything had the slightest flaw, all she received in return were cold looks and contempt, leaving her to apologize repeatedly and beg for his forgiveness.

At dusk, as the lanterns were first lit and everyone else had retired, Luo Ningsang would kneel beside the well in the rear courtyard of the Grand Tutor’s residence, vigorously scrubbing the clothes Xiao Ze’an had discarded. Her hands would be red with cold, yet she never dared utter a single complaint.

Such humiliation and servitude continued day after day, year after year. Everyone considered it perfectly natural—including Luo Ningsang herself.

Now, simply because Shen Shuwan had lingered over the osmanthus-cake stall for a few extra glances, Xiao Ze’an had ordered Luo Ningsang to buy some.

She herself liked osmanthus cakes. She was a young girl with a sweet tooth too. Yet Xiao Ze’an had never once noticed.

Having lived once more, Luo Ningsang found it laughable. How had she failed to see the truth before? She had been ordered about and still scurried off happily, like a fool.

She had even believed that his ordering her around meant they had grown closer. At the very least, she had thought, he thought of her first whenever he needed someone. Otherwise, why would he not order someone else?

But after dying once and seeing Xiao Ze’an’s true face, after recognizing Shen Shuwan’s false purity, Luo Ningsang found it utterly ridiculous.

To debase herself for such a man had been the height of foolishness.

“What are you standing there for? Didn’t you hear me?”

Xiao Ze’an’s expression suddenly turned cold, his brows knitting slightly.

“It’s all my fault. I’ll go myself. Ze’an Brother, please don’t make things difficult for Sister.”

“This is what she ought to do. If you didn’t let her go, she’d be fighting to buy them herself, wouldn’t she?”

Xiao Ze’an looked at Luo Ningsang arrogantly.

In the past, Luo Ningsang would certainly have rushed to buy them, terrified that Xiao Ze’an might become even slightly displeased, and even more afraid that he might ignore her.

Whenever Xiao Ze’an refused to speak to her, she would grow frantic, spending the entire night apologizing outside his room until he forgave her.

That was why Xiao Ze’an now felt perfectly justified, as though her obedience were a matter of course.

Before, she would have bought two portions—one for Xiao Ze’an and another for Shen Shuwan. She knew how close the two were, and because she loved Xiao Ze’an, she had extended that affection to Shen Shuwan as well, trying to please her too.

At this moment, Luo Ningsang’s hands were already laden with gift boxes, all filled with the hairpins and ornaments Shen Shuwan had admired. Xiao Ze’an had purchased them for her with extravagant generosity.

Luo Ningsang struggled to the stall, freed one hand, and laboriously drew silver from her robes. Pointing to her favorite flavors, she told the vendor, “Pack me one portion of each of these two flavors.”

The vendor swiftly wrapped them and handed them over.

Seeing her obediently go to buy the cakes, the young masters around Xiao Ze’an began to jeer.

“She’s nothing but a maidservant at Xiao Ze’an’s side, yet she actually dreams of being worthy of our Young Master Xiao. She should take a look at what she is!”

“Exactly. Our Young Master Xiao is kind enough to treat her a little well, and she really thinks any toad can feast on swan’s flesh? What delusions! Our Young Master Xiao is so outstanding that only the foremost beauty is worthy of him.”

“Exactly. A maidservant exists to serve her young master. You’re so clumsy and incapable, yet our Young Master Xiao is good-natured enough not to hold it against you.”

So that was how Xiao Ze’an described her to others.

She was a princess of the realm, staying at the Grand Tutor’s residence, while Xiao Ze’an was merely an illegitimate son of that household.

His mother had been no more than a lowborn foot-washing servant. Only after the drunken Grand Tutor had taken her by chance and she became pregnant had she reluctantly been granted a place in the household.

The Grand Tutor’s principal wife had always oppressed and tormented mother and son. They had lived without enough food or proper clothing until Luo Ningsang’s arrival finally brought them a turning point.

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It was Luo Ningsang’s bold and undisguised love for Xiao Ze’an that gave mother and son the right to sit at the table and speak.

Out of wariness toward her status as a princess, the household had shown them a little courtesy. Added to that, Xiao Ze’an had indeed proved himself capable, consistently ranking first at the royal academy. Only then had the old Grand Tutor bestowed honor upon mother and son.

Luo Ningsang swept her cold gaze over them all.

She had given him the most ardent love in the world, only to discover that she had placed it in the wrong hands.

Xiao Ze’an frowned and urged her on. “What are you waiting for? Bring the osmanthus cakes over!”

Hearing the impatience in his voice, Luo Ningsang remained utterly still before the stall.

Her next action stunned everyone.

With a swift motion, she flung the gift boxes in her hands onto the ground. Then she leisurely opened the brown paper wrapping around the osmanthus cakes and, before everyone’s eyes, began eating them one bite at a time.

In her previous life, she had liked osmanthus cakes too, but she had rarely been able to eat them because she could never bear to spend the money.

The silver her imperial father gave her had all been spent on Xiao Ze’an. She would rather go hungry than allow herself to see even the slightest unhappiness on his face.

Xiao Ze’an had accepted her money without the slightest qualm, spending lavishly on Shen Shuwan—buying her magnificent jewelry and silk dresses, giving her expensive gifts—all to win a smile from the beauty.

Meanwhile, Luo Ningsang had worn clothes washed until they had faded white for years. Only when she returned to the palace to see her imperial father and mother would she bring out the one decent outfit she owned.

Where did she still look like a princess?

She did, in fact, resemble a maidservant.

“Luo Ningsang, what do you mean by this? If you keep acting like this, I’ll be angry! Don’t blame me for ignoring you, and don’t come begging for my forgiveness!”

In her previous life, the thing Luo Ningsang feared most was being ignored by Xiao Ze’an. If he refused to speak to her for even a few hours, she would go and plead for his forgiveness.

But now?

Heh.

“Young Master Xiao, don’t pay any attention to her. She’s being far too insolent. Give her a lesson!”

“Exactly! How dare a maidservant defy her master? She’s even eating the food she bought for him!”

“She actually threw Miss Shen’s gift boxes onto the ground. How outrageous!”

“Ze’an Brother, don’t be angry. Sister Ningsang must have been hungry, which is why she acted this way. It’s my fault for failing to consider her feelings.”

The false saint continued her performance as steadily as ever. Her affected expression made Luo Ningsang sick to her stomach.

Xiao Ze’an’s face shifted from black to purple with rage. Luo Ningsang had been outrageously bold today. He silently added this offense to the account he kept in his heart.

Once they returned, no matter how desperately Luo Ningsang begged him, he would not forgive her today. He would teach her a proper lesson.

Luo Ningsang had no desire to waste words with this group. She turned and walked in the opposite direction.

What she needed to do now was return to the palace and see her imperial father and mother.

She had taken only two steps when an angry roar sounded behind her.

“Luo Ningsang, aren’t you coming? I say a few words to you, and you throw a tantrum? Hurry up and pick up those gift boxes! You can’t afford to compensate me if any of them are damaged!”

“What does that have to do with me? Not one of them belongs to me. Why should I pick them up?”

Luo Ningsang was nearly laughing from anger. Xiao Ze’an truly had a shameless face.

“Ze’an Brother, Sister Ningsang must be upset because nothing was bought for her. I suppose I was so delighted choosing these things that I forgot about her.”

Shen Shuwan tugged at Xiao Ze’an’s sleeve and spoke with great consideration.

Then she walked over to the pile of gift boxes and casually selected a pair of earrings.

“Sister Ningsang, I was in the wrong. These earrings would suit you beautifully. If you don’t mind, please accept them.”

Shen Shuwan held the gift box out to Luo Ningsang with both hands.

“Miss Shen is truly magnanimous. Unlike Luo Ningsang, who is so petty that she even throws a tantrum in the street.”

“Miss Shen is simply too kind. If a maidservant in my household caused this sort of trouble, I’d have a broker sell her to a brothel.”

The few young masters gathered around Shen Shuwan were all moved by her grace and composure. This was what a daughter of a noble house ought to look like.

“I couldn’t possibly accept it. Miss Shen, you should keep it for yourself.”

Luo Ningsang gave a derisive laugh. Before they could say anything more, she turned and walked away without looking back.

She sneered inwardly.

Shen Shuwan was truly skilled at putting on a show. She had refused to give anything earlier, yet had chosen this moment to display her generosity.

Xiao Ze’an was so furious he nearly exploded.

What had gotten into Luo Ningsang today? How dare she walk away on her own?