Kill That Dark Moonlight - Chapter 1

To bring good fortune, I was forced to marry the dying Old Prince Yong.

Months later, I was tragically murdered by his illegitimate son, Jiang Qin.

When I awoke again, I found my soul unexpectedly transmigrated into Jiang Qin’s long-pined-for “white moonlight.”

He willingly handed me the knife of revenge; how could I let it slip away!

The Fate of a Bride for Good Fortune

The capital’s top diviner casually calculated my birth characters, and they were a perfect match for Prince Yong.

So, I was to marry him to bring good fortune.

My mother had passed away early, and my stepmother was cruel. She threatened my younger sister’s life, leaving me no choice but to compromise.

In this county magistrate’s manor, the only person I couldn’t bear to leave was my sister, with whom I had depended on each other for years.

Upon seeing the magnificent Prince Yong’s Estate, I could only gasp in astonishment, my mouth agape.

At that moment, a sinister face brushed past me.

He was Jiang Qin, Prince Yong’s illegitimate son.

Since I married into Prince Yong’s Estate, everyone believed in this prophecy and treated me with great respect.

I also knew the diviner’s background: he was Wen Yao, the legitimate son of Grand Tutor Wen of the court.

The Crown Prince and his consort were both killed by bandits on their journey back to Dingbei Province for a family visit.

The estate was in chaos, arranging funerals for the Crown Prince and his consort.

A few days after the funerals, it was late autumn, and the weather was exceptionally pleasant.

The servants in the estate were given leave, so I pushed the Old Prince Yong to the backyard to sunbathe.

I saw a late lotus blooming in the lotus pond, so I went down to pick it, broke it off, and slowly came ashore.

Just then, I saw Jiang Qin holding something, feeding it to the Old Prince Yong.

I was puzzled when I heard Jiang Qin say, “Big Brother is dead; you should go and accompany him.”

The Old Prince Yong angrily twitched twice, then closed his eyes.

I was startled, and the lotus in my hand dropped to the ground, alarming Jiang Qin.

I was too scared to speak, and Jiang Qin walked towards me.

“Young Master…”

Before I could finish, he strangled my neck, lifting me off the ground.

Tears streamed down my face, my eyes pleading with him not to kill me.

But his eyes were cold; he truly meant to kill me.

Jiang Qin forcefully poured the medicine bottle in his hand into my mouth.

I fell to the ground, the medicine burning my throat, unable to make a sound, only struggling in vain.

I accidentally tore off the jade pendant from his waist, and the name “Yan Wan” was carved on its back.

Jiang Qin looked at me with disgust, then carefully picked up the jade pendant and wiped it in his embrace.

He crushed the soft lotus on the ground with his foot, just like helpless me.

He said nothing, watching me slowly lose my breath.

Breathing was difficult. Why did I feel like I was being hanged?

Hadn’t I already been poisoned by Jiang Qin?

“Miss…” The servants burst through the door, pulling me down.

“Wan’er, how could you try to kill yourself? You’re going to kill your mother…” A luxuriously dressed woman came and embraced me.

What did she call me?

Wan’er?

But I was Yuan Xia.

I glimpsed an unfamiliar yet striking face in the brass mirror.

I pushed her away, rushed to the mirror, and touched my face; this was not my face at all.

I couldn’t hear the sounds around me, frantically pushing away everyone who approached me.

They speculated whether I had gone mad.

Only I knew that the former Yuan Xia was dead; now I was Yan Wan.

Yan Wan, this was the very name carved on Jiang Qin’s jade pendant.

I knew something incredible yet real had happened.

I had died, but I was reborn in Yan Wan’s body.

She was the esteemed legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence.

A top beauty in the capital, doted on by her parents, and exceptionally bold in her actions.

Her legitimate elder brother was a General who had married the Eldest Princess.

Prime Minister Yan wanted her to marry the current Crown Prince, but she was enamored with Wen Yao.

After her confession was rejected, she, having been raised pampered, had a fiery temper, which led her to attempt suicide by hanging.

The original Yan Wan had already hanged herself; I don’t know what twist of fate led me to occupy her body and become her.

Perhaps the former Yan Wan had done too many absurd and willful things.

No matter how I insisted I wasn’t Yan Wan, my current parents simply thought I was being temperamental.

Only my nominal younger brother, Yan Xiu, looked at me with understanding.

The Conspiracy of Prince Yong’s Estate

“Sister, something big has happened in Prince Yong’s Estate. The Old Prince Yong was poisoned by the concubine who was brought in for good fortune, and then that concubine also committed suicide out of fear of punishment,” Yan Xiu said when he came to see me.

Yan Xiu was talking about me.

Jiang Qin was truly malicious, using others to commit murder, leaving no witnesses.

“Such a wicked woman deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces, and her family has also been implicated,” Yan Xiu said indignantly.

“What will happen to her family members…” I had already guessed the worst answer.

“Of course, they’ll be executed on the spot, their entire family,” Yan Xiu said lightly.

My younger sister, she was only twelve years old. What wrong had she done?

Scenes of my time with my sister flashed before my eyes.

My sister always saved the best things for me, and no matter how hard or tiring it was, she always smiled.

All of this was caused by Jiang Qin.

I clutched my aching chest.

I must kill Jiang Qin, I must!

My quiet nature made my “mother” praise me for becoming well-behaved.

But I had never changed, because I was not Yan Wan at all.

It was a beautiful autumn day. In the backyard, under the begonia tree, I draped a silk scarf over a branch, shielding myself from the dazzling sunlight.

“Yan Wan, what are you doing?” A clear male voice sounded.

He wore a brocade robe of green, pulling down my raised hand.

His gaze fixed on my neck, “Are you trying to hang yourself again? If you truly don’t want to marry this Crown Prince, this Prince will certainly not force you.”

Was he Crown Prince Jiang Sheng?

“I’m not…” I wanted to explain.

“This Prince knows you’ve admired Wen Yao since childhood. This Prince merely came to see you; later, I will certainly fulfill your wish.” The Crown Prince no longer looked at me.

It was said that Yan Wan’s admiration for Wen Yao began when she was a child and always followed him.

Only at Yan Xiu’s reminder had I seen Yan Wan’s portrait of Wen Yao, a refined and scholarly man.

“Your Royal Highness, you’ve heard hearsay. When did this humble daughter ever say she admired Wen Yao?” I tried to argue.

“You said it. At this year’s Lantern Festival, you told all the noble sons of the capital that you had admired Wen Yao for a long time,” the Crown Prince said, displeased.

I was embarrassed. This Yan Wan truly dared to love and hate, acting as she pleased.

I was speechless, but still said, “Times are different now. In any case, Wen Yao’s future has nothing to do with this humble daughter.”

The Crown Prince looked at me again, closing in.

I retreated nervously, but he reached out to steady me, “This Prince doesn’t believe it.”

“This humble daughter will prove it to Your Royal Highness,” I did not back down.

My marriage to the Crown Prince hadn’t materialized, yet Jiang Qin arrived with betrothal gifts to propose.

Hearing of his arrival, I felt both fear and hatred, but I still chose to face him.

I appeared in the main hall, where my current “parents” sat enthroned, sipping tea.

“Wan’er,” Jiang Qin called me tenderly.

I suppressed my hatred and coldly replied, “Thank you for Young Prince Yong’s affection, but this humble daughter’s heart belongs to another. Please take all these betrothal gifts back.”

Jiang Qin was now the Young Prince Yong; he had conspired to kill the Old Prince Yong and the Crown Prince.

After speaking, I bowed and left.

I hadn’t even stepped into the backyard when Jiang Qin pursued me, pressing me against the openwork screen.

“Wan’er, why did you go back on your word? You used to despise this Prince for being illegitimate, but now that this Prince is Young Prince Yong, why are you unwilling to marry this Prince?”

Hearing him speak, I wanted to sneer.

He, too, had this day, humbly pleading with me.

I was quite grateful for Yan Wan’s previous disdain for Jiang Qin.

This allowed me to see his two faces.

Facing the former me, Yuan Xia, he was ruthless and decisive, but now that I was Yan Wan, he was humble to the dust.

“I just said it casually; it’s amusing that you took it seriously,” I laughed, pushing him away.

He tried to embrace me again, but I raised my hand and slapped him hard.

This slap was just the beginning.

“Please respect yourself, Young Prince Yong. This is the Prime Minister’s residence, not your Prince Yong’s Estate, no matter how wicked you act, others won’t know,” I said, with a veiled threat.

Jiang Qin’s expression subtly changed.

I no longer looked at him, returning to the backyard.

The Mystery of Rebirth

During the autumn harvest, Yan Xiu dragged me to the suburban garden to fly kites.

“Sister, you used to love flying kites so much. Why are you completely uninterested now?” Yan Xiu asked, flying his kite and looking at me.

“I’m going to wander elsewhere,” I ignored him.

I hadn’t walked far when I encountered a familiar figure, dressed in blue hunting attire, riding a horse.

Two men accompanying him spotted me first, “Oh, isn’t that the Prime Minister’s daughter? Look, Brother Wen, she really came looking for you by scent.”

Wen Yao looked at me, and I looked at him.

It was his casual calculation of my birth characters that led to me losing my life.

“When will Grand Tutor Wen, who has divined so many fates, calculate his own demise?” I spoke with ill will.

Perhaps my unfamiliarity made him frown as he looked at me.

“Your casual divination cost someone their life! What kind of ‘top diviner’! Any dog found on the street would be better than you,” I cursed him without reservation.

He looked at me with even more confusion; Yan Wan must have always tried to please him before.

“Look, she’s even angry now. Our Brother Wen…”

The man beside Wen Yao continued talking about me.

“Then why don’t you let him tell me when he will die?” I pressed him.

“Yan Wan, I just never cared about you. Today, you’re so out of character, trying to ruin me like this,” Wen Yao finally spoke.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m going to marry the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness is a hundred, a thousand times better than you. You don’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Crown Prince,” I said casually.

Applause sounded from behind me. I spun around to see Crown Prince Jiang Sheng.

He wore red hunting attire and looked at me. Wen Yao and his companions immediately dismounted and bowed to him.

“What? Grand Tutor Wen, the divine diviner, couldn’t even calculate that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would arrive?” I pressed Wen Yao relentlessly.

Jiang Sheng’s horse approached me. He leaned down and extended his hand, “Your words just now, this Prince found them quite pleasing.”

Indeed, no one dislikes being praised.

I looked at Wen Yao kneeling on the ground, then extended my hand towards Jiang Sheng.

He pulled me onto his horse. I gasped, and he galloped away with me, raising dust.

He rode very fast, the wind whistling past my ears.

Was he punishing me for talking nonsense just now?

“Your Royal Highness, may this humble daughter invite you for a meal another day to apologize?” I whispered.

He leaned down close to hear me speak.

I felt a little shy. Jiang Sheng smiled, “You spoke the truth; what wrong is there?”

He actually took it seriously.

“However, since you’ve invited this Prince for a meal, this Prince accepts. Tomorrow, at shenshi [3-5 PM], at Xiangyun Tower in the city.”

Jiang Sheng set up a dinner appointment.

The next day, I kept the appointment.

Jiang Sheng was late.

While observing from the second floor, I overheard the shopkeeper instructing a waiter, “The Heaven-ranked private room will soon be for the divine diviner. You must serve him carefully.”

Wen Yao was also coming; how unlucky.

As I was about to return to my private room, I saw Jiang Qin arrive as well.

I felt even more unlucky returning to my private room.

He and Wen Yao being here at the same time today was very suspicious.

I waited a little longer, then opened the door, only to run straight into Jiang Sheng.

He was about to speak, but I covered his mouth, whispering, “Forgive me, Your Royal Highness.”

Jiang Sheng was momentarily stunned, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Your Royal Highness, would you like to come eavesdrop with this humble daughter?”

I figured it would be better to take Jiang Sheng to eavesdrop together. If anything happened, he, as the Crown Prince, would bear the responsibility.

Jiang Sheng nodded, looking bewildered.

I secretly observed, and indeed, Wen Yao and Jiang Qin had both entered the Heaven-ranked private room.

I pulled Jiang Sheng and pressed him against the door.

Though he didn’t understand my actions, he remained silent and stayed with me.

“Now that the scapegoat is dead, you are firmly seated as Prince Yong,” Wen Yao’s voice was heard first.

Wen Yao was truly a hypocrite.

He and Jiang Qin were birds of a feather.

Their sitting together was strange. One was admired by Yan Wan, and the other admired Yan Wan, like rivals in love.

They were equally matched, but Jiang Qin was more cunning.

Once bitten, twice shy.

I was a living example.

Poisoned by him, and my entire family executed.

“Not enough, this Prince must marry Yan Wan,” Jiang Qin suddenly mentioned “me.”

Jiang Sheng looked at me even more strangely.

“What’s so good about Yan Wan? Her personality is fiery and arrogant; a wife shouldn’t be like that,” Wen Yao spoke ill of “me.”

“It’s precisely her arrogance that makes this Prince interested in her,” Jiang Qin continued.

This Jiang Qin must be sick; he loved it when Yan Wan gave him a cold shoulder.

After listening, I pulled Jiang Sheng back to the private room.

“The ‘scapegoat’ they mentioned, was it the concubine brought for good fortune? So, His Imperial Uncle and the Crown Prince’s deaths were all planned by Jiang Qin?” Jiang Sheng hadn’t eavesdropped in vain; he had caught the key point.

I understood that whether it was the Crown Prince, Jiang Qin, or Wen Yao.

Their love and their disdain for me were all because I was now Yan Wan.

If I were merely Yuan Xia, a county magistrate’s illegitimate daughter…

For instance, in the past, how could I have had such an honor and been able to sit and eat with the Crown Prince?

Jiang Sheng looked at me, “How did you know they would be here today? And why did you drag this Prince to eavesdrop with you?”

Jiang Sheng was suspicious.

“Because I’m not Yan Wan at all; I’m that dead concubine brought for good fortune,” I couldn’t hold back, my eyes reddening.

Jiang Sheng was stunned for a long time. I felt bored, “Your Royal Highness, this humble daughter will return first.”

I opened the door to leave, but Jiang Sheng held me back, “What if this Prince believes you?”

“I don’t believe it.”

I looked at him. Who would believe such a thing?

I wouldn’t believe such an absurd thing.

“This Prince will prove it to you,” he replied with certainty.

After Xiangyun Tower, I spent sleepless nights thinking about how to quickly kill Jiang Qin to relieve the hatred in my heart.

The Flames of Revenge

Yan Xiu happened to obtain a precious gunpowder stone from my legitimate elder brother.

After much coaxing, I tricked him into giving me that gunpowder stone.

I found a slingshot; Yan Wan used to love collecting such small trinkets.

Three days later, on the street, I stood on the second floor of a restaurant opposite Xiangyun Tower, watching Prince Yong’s carriage pass by.

I aimed at the top of the carriage, shot the gunpowder stone, and it landed squarely on the carriage roof.

The gunpowder stone had been sealed. It wouldn’t explode immediately after being shot, but would explode after being shaken and rubbed by the carriage.

The power of this gunpowder stone was not great, but it was enough to blow Jiang Qin half to death.

Just as I was feeling pleased, I saw a little girl about to be hit by Prince Yong’s carriage.

Without thinking, I leaped from the window, twisting my ankle, but still rushing towards the little girl.

I closed my eyes and darted over to protect her, while the carriage also suddenly stopped.

The shouts of alarm from the common people and the sounds of horses neighing after being startled.

The little girl in my arms cried from fright. I looked back and saw that Jiang Sheng had used his own horse to force Jiang Qin’s carriage to stop.

Seeing it was me, Jiang Qin quickly got out of the carriage, “Wan’er, are you alright?”

Jiang Sheng also dismounted, frowning as he looked at me.

Jiang Qin tried to touch me, but I pushed him away in disgust.

A sudden explosion rang out. Jiang Sheng crouched down, shielding me in his arms.

He covered my ears, but his heartbeat drowned out even the explosion.

I looked up at the carriage, which had been blown into four pieces.

Just a little more, and I would have succeeded; I would have sent Jiang Qin to his death.

“Oh, who is so daring as to blow up Prince Yong’s carriage?” Wen Yao stood on the second floor of Xiangyun Tower, holding a fan.

He stood by, watching the fire from the other side of the river.

The lingering flames from the explosion illuminated Jiang Qin’s face. He roared, “Who dares to seek this Prince’s death?”

Jiang Sheng, seeing my twisted ankle, took me away first.

Jiang Qin called out to me, but I ignored him.

“That explosion just now was your doing,” Jiang Sheng stated definitively.

“Yes,” I admitted without pretense.

“If you hadn’t saved that child, your revenge would probably have succeeded. Do you regret it?” He asked if I had any regrets.

“But you were too reckless,” Jiang Sheng shook his head.

He said I was reckless because I almost died under the horses’ hooves.

Jiang Qin contacted me again through Yan Xiu to arrange a meeting.

The backyard of Prince Yong’s Estate, it happened to be the last place I had been on the day I died as Yuan Xia.

“Wan’er, what will it take for you to marry this Prince?” Jiang Qin cut to the chase.

Seeing my close relationship with Jiang Sheng, he seemed a bit anxious.

“I want you dead. I want you to dig out your heart and show me what color it is!” I said with hatred.

Jiang Qin took out a dagger and handed it to me, “If you want it, then take it.”

His love was so obsessive. Was he truly so deeply devoted to Yan Wan, without regret?

Not hesitating to kill so many people, just for Yan Wan’s casual words.

My hatred for him was deep. I took the dagger.

And without hesitation, stabbed it into his chest.

“Jiang Qin, even if you put your heart in front of me, I wouldn’t care,” I didn’t stab very deep.

If I truly killed him tonight, tomorrow would be my death.

I needed to find a proper excuse, a legitimate way to kill him.

Jiang Qin pulled out the dagger. Blood seeped through the front of his clothes, and he fell to his knees.

He deserved it!

Even this didn’t diminish my hatred in the slightest.

My deceased sister, and myself, who had already died once.

Jiang Qin’s death a thousand, ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough.

The Confrontation of Identities

As winter approached, I accompanied my mother to Xiling Temple to offer incense.

I coincidentally met Wen Yao. He was respectful and polite when he saw my mother.

I scorned him, but he wanted to speak with me for a few words.

My mother looked at me, “Go on, Wen Yao is actually a good child, just too proud.”

I wanted to see what kind of trick Wen Yao was up to.

Had he perhaps realized that the carriage explosion that day was my doing?

“Yan Wan, come with me to release lotus lanterns,” Wen Yao bought lotus lanterns.

He knelt down, lit the lantern, and placed it in the river. The lantern slowly drifted away.

I remained silent. Wen Yao looked at my cold demeanor, “You’ve really changed your temperament now, like a different person.”

And he called himself the top diviner, yet he couldn’t even tell that I wasn’t Yan Wan.

“I must return to the manor,” I turned to leave.

“Yan Wan, Yuan Xia’s death was an accident,” Wen Yao began to voice his grievances.

That day at Xiangyun Tower, he hadn’t said that to Jiang Qin.

“An accident? Your casual divination led to her selection, costing her life. You men’s court intrigues must sacrifice women’s lives. You’re truly too innocent,” I said sarcastically.

Wen Yao was stunned, looking at me shrewdly, “I suspect you’re not Yan Wan. The former Yan Wan wouldn’t say such things.”

It was my turn to be startled. I flicked my sleeve, intending to leave.

He grabbed me. In our struggle, we both fell into the water.

I was fine; I knew how to swim and quickly came ashore. However, Wen Yao was slowly sinking.

I wished he would die and just watched him flail in the water with cold eyes.

The winter water was bone-chilling. I shivered with cold.

If Wen Yao didn’t drown today, he would freeze to death.

A passerby jumped in to rescue him. His hair was drenched, and he coughed violently, a complete drowned rat.

I mocked him, and he grabbed my wrist, “Yan Wan doesn’t know how to swim; you’re not Yan Wan.”

He had tested me with his life.

Exposed by him, I sneered, “Yes, I’m not Yan Wan. Go tell everyone; do you think anyone will believe you? Do you think you can still keep your title as the capital’s top diviner?”

I shook off his hand. Even Yan Wan’s own parents didn’t believe I wasn’t Yan Wan, let alone outsiders.

I just threw caution to the wind.

On a snowy winter solstice day, my legitimate elder brother returned to the manor with his wife for dinner.

My sister-in-law, the Eldest Princess, saw me and said, “Wan’er is already seventeen; it’s time for her to marry. The Crown Prince is quite good.”

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arrives…” The eunuch’s shrill voice rang out.

“Imperial Sister, are you really worried your Imperial Brother won’t find a Crown Princess?” Jiang Sheng’s voice preceded his appearance.

Why was he here?

Today was clearly a family banquet.

During the banquet, Jiang Sheng chatted well with my legitimate elder brother, and my father flattered him.

After eating a few bites, I excused myself, saying I was full.

The red plums in the backyard were in full bloom. Amidst red plums and white snow, I stood under the tree.

Today was my sister Yuan Dong’s birthday, but she would forever remain twelve years old.

As I was lost in thought, the plum tree behind me shook, as if someone had kicked it.

I turned around, and snowflakes fell all over me.

This Jiang Sheng was quite childlike.

“Yuan Xia,” Jiang Sheng suddenly called me Yuan Xia, and I was momentarily lost.

I thought only I remembered I was Yuan Xia, not Yan Wan, the esteemed daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence.

What I had said that day, he had taken it seriously and listened.

The Crown Prince and the Concubine’s Entanglement

“This Prince wasn’t well acquainted with the former Yan Wan. I saw her once in childhood, once at Imperial Sister’s wedding, and once at this year’s Lantern Festival. This Prince only found her flamboyant and arrogant.”

What was Jiang Sheng’s intention in saying this?

He was made Crown Prince at seven and raised in a detached palace, personally tutored by Wen Yao’s father, Grand Tutor Wen, as if under house arrest. He only gained freedom last year.

Successive Crown Princes of the Jiang Kingdom were all like this, enduring psychological trials.

They had to adapt to the emperor’s ruthlessness and grow accustomed to the loneliness at the top.

“To this Prince, whether you are Yan Wan or not is unimportant. What’s important is that this Prince believes you can be this Prince’s Crown Princess,” Jiang Sheng looked at me.

He was the Crown Prince, the future heir, and his legitimate sister was my sister-in-law.

If I were Yan Wan, I would truly be an equal match for him.

But to marry him as Yan Wan would be against my true self.

Even if he accepted that I wasn’t Yan Wan, but Yuan Xia.

How could a mere county magistrate’s illegitimate daughter be worthy of the future emperor?

I wasn’t being self-deprecating; it was a fact.

“This humble daughter is not worthy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince,” I said bluntly.

“This Prince believes you are worthy.”

Jiang Sheng had already investigated my background thoroughly.

“Regarding Jiang Qin’s matter, this Prince is already investigating. This Prince is willing to help you bring down Jiang Qin.”

Jiang Sheng said he would help me bring down Jiang Qin.

I looked up at him. He didn’t say he would do it for me, but rather help me.

He was speaking from a position of power and influence.

Jiang Sheng suggested we go for a walk. We stood on the city wall, looking at the myriad lights of the capital.

None of these lights were burning for me. The only one burning, the Prime Minister’s residence, was burning for Yan Wan.

I had nothing left; my only beloved sister was also dead.

“That’s Prince Yong’s Estate,” Jiang Sheng pointed to the brightly lit area.

Looking at that brightly lit place, the hatred in my heart became increasingly difficult to suppress.

I made an excuse to return to the manor but, in fact, used looking for Jiang Qin as a reason to enter Prince Yong’s Estate again.

In the study, Jiang Qin was delighted to see me, “Wan’er.”

My erratic behavior, in his eyes, was simply Yan Wan’s charming willfulness.

His expression showed clear shyness.

I forced a strange smile, and before I could even exchange a few feigned pleasantries with Jiang Qin.

I heard the butler report, “Young Prince, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

Why would Jiang Sheng visit so late at night?

Jiang Qin, though annoyed, instructed me, “Wan’er, please wait a moment; this Prince will be back soon.”

I nodded with a false smile. After Jiang Qin left, a maid brought some pastries.

I had brought a tinderbox and lampblack, which I scattered around the room.

“Oh no, fire! Help!” I shouted, then feigned a cough.

Tonight, even if it meant mutual destruction, I wanted Jiang Qin dead.

Outside, there were chaotic footsteps. The servants said, “It’s over, the Prime Minister’s daughter is still in the study.”

I wasn’t foolish enough to truly die with him. I just wanted him to mistakenly believe I was still in the study.

Then, in his desperate attempt to rescue me, he would be consumed by the flames.

The fire started from all sides, but to those outside, the blaze seemed enormous.

I took off my outer garment and immediately jumped out of the back window.

Prince Yong’s Estate had a dog hole, which I had discovered by accident before.

I crawled out of the dog hole, performing a “golden cicada shedding its shell” trick.

I stood on a pavilion near Prince Yong’s Estate, watching the chaos within the manor, and suddenly understood Wen Yao’s “watching the fire from the other side of the river” that day.

It was none of my business; I would keep my distance.

My wrist was suddenly grabbed. I turned around to see Jiang Sheng.

“I told you last time, don’t be so reckless.”

Jiang Sheng’s face had smoke smudges.

He, too, had entered the fire?

“How’s Jiang Qin? Did he die in the fire?”

My eyes sparkled with excitement.

Jiang Sheng shook his head, “This Prince entered the study first and found you weren’t in the room, and the back window wasn’t properly closed. The people from the estate and those this Prince brought quickly put out the fire.”

“Jiang Qin even covered for you, saying you love playing pranks and jokes, and that it was fine if a study burned down.”

Jiang Sheng’s face was covered in grime.

“Why did you help him?” I asked him back.

“This Prince was afraid you would truly choose a scorched-earth tactic, destroying everything.”

Jiang Sheng’s face was dirty, but his eyes shone like stars.

He had anticipated my move, which was why he came to Prince Yong’s Estate late at night.

He and Jiang Qin were equally concerned for my safety, rushing into the fire first.

Jiang Qin was concerned about Yan Wan; he was concerned about…

I took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his face. Jiang Sheng clasped my lower back, pulling me towards him.

“Promise this Prince, don’t be so reckless next time. This Prince cannot guarantee every time…” he said, frowning.

The silk handkerchief I held was blown by the night wind, like a layer of mist between us.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Royal Highness. I can protect myself,” I interrupted him.

I quietly retreated, maintaining my distance from him.

Jiang Sheng didn’t force it. He took the silk handkerchief from my hand and wiped his face, “Yuan Xia, you must believe this Prince; this Prince means what he says.”

He had promised to help me bring down Jiang Qin.

One plan failed; I could only wait for another opportunity.

The Palace Banquet Storm

At the Flower Festival palace banquet, a hundred flowers bloomed, and numerous daughters of officials vied for attention.

My brother Yan Xiu told me that in the past, I would always make a grand entrance at such events.

This year, however, I wore extremely plain clothes, a subtle color, even the hairpins in my hair were simple.

I saw Wen Yao, and he also saw me. It had been several months since the night at Xiling Temple.

I turned and walked away, only to see Jiang Qin again. It was truly a case of “out of the frying pan, into the fire.”

Yan Wan, your situation is too complicated. You like Wen Yao, Jiang Qin is devoted to you, but you might marry the Crown Prince.

I retreated as quickly as possible and began to pretend I was blind.

Jiang Qin walked directly towards me, “Wan’er, you’re dressed too thinly today.”

“Sister…” Yan Xiu called me.

I scurried over, completely ignoring Jiang Qin.

At the palace banquet, I saw the current Emperor and Empress. The Eldest Princess whispered something to the Empress.

The Empress looked at me, “Your Majesty, they say the Prime Minister’s daughter has changed from her former arrogance. Now she is indeed gentle and graceful, and a good match for Sheng’er.”

I was already apprehensive, and with the Emperor and Empress looking at me, I became even more flustered.

“We also think so, Prime Minister Yan, what do you think?” The Emperor directly addressed my father, the Prime Minister.

“This humble subject naturally thinks it’s excellent, but my daughter is untalented and would be elevated too high by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince,” my father quickly knelt.

I knew he was being humble; he truly wanted to be a national in-law.

Yan Wan had been instilled with the idea of marrying the Crown Prince since childhood, but even to her death, her own father couldn’t train her to be obedient.

“This humble subject calculated Miss Yan’s birth characters long ago, and they indicate a noble phoenix destiny sent by heaven.”

Wen Yao had defected. Wasn’t he in league with Jiang Qin, like rats in a nest?

Had their alliance gone their separate ways?

Jiang Qin’s face indeed changed drastically, and he looked at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao’s action was truly strange.

Jiang Sheng chuckled, “It’s just that I don’t know if this Prince’s and Wan’er’s birth characters are compatible, and whether we can live in harmony in the future.”

Wen Yao replied, “To Your Royal Highness, it is naturally a most auspicious match.”

I watched as the Emperor stood up, probably about to bestow marriage upon Jiang Sheng and me.

With a clang, the food platter held by a young palace maid spilled entirely onto Wen Yao.

Wen Yao stood up in shock.

He was truly unlucky, looking so disheveled in front of everyone.

I saw clearly that Jiang Qin had secretly tripped the palace maid just now.

The imperial marriage decree was thus interrupted.

After the palace banquet, fireworks were set off inside the palace. Yan Xiu and I stood side by side, watching.

Jiang Sheng walked past me, and I again used the excuse of going to the restroom to avoid him.

When I came out again, I saw a man standing far off in the covered walkway, with his back to me.

I smelled a peculiar fragrance in the air, very unique.

The man turned his head; it was Jiang Qin. He walked towards me.

The scent, the more I smelled it, the stranger it became, like…

I felt my body abnormally heating up. Could it be?

I tried to escape, wanting to scream loudly.

Jiang Qin covered my mouth, dragging me into a narrow grotto in the rockery.

I punched and kicked him.

“Jiang Qin, you can’t do this to me.”

My face was burning, my whole body feverish.

The scent was an aphrodisiac.

“Wan’er, you can only be this Prince’s; the Crown Prince can forget about getting you,” Jiang Qin said, attempting to kiss me.

Compared to Wen Yao, Crown Prince Jiang Sheng posed a greater threat to him.

After all, most people would yield to power.

I desperately tried to evade him, but he started to undo my dress.

“You’re very hot, aren’t you, Wan’er? Let’s go to cloud and rain together.”

Jiang Qin’s methods were despicable.

At such a bustling palace banquet, he was trying to ruin my innocence, then make everyone aware, forcing me to marry him.

Yan Wan was his cherished “white moonlight,” yet tonight he was going to profane his bright moon.

I still had a shred of reason, pushing him away.

But I couldn’t overpower him; he was a man. He removed my outer garment, his lips moving across my earlobe and neck.

My body grew increasingly weak, powerless to resist.

Clothes scattered on the ground, hairpins strewn everywhere. I bit my lip, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Jiang Qin lifted my skirt and said, “Wan’er, don’t be afraid…”

He kissed away my tears.

I took off the last hairpin from my hair, “Jiang Qin, I’m not Yan Wan, I’m Yuan Xia, the concubine brought for good fortune whom you poisoned to death.”

I resolutely stabbed the hairpin into his eye.

He screamed, releasing me. His cry was too loud, alarming those outside who might have been looking for me.

I collapsed powerlessly onto the ground.

“Yuan Xia,” Jiang Sheng walked in, holding a lantern. He noticed my disheveled clothing.

And Jiang Qin, lying on the ground, clutching his bandaged but bleeding right eye.

“No one is allowed to enter,” he commanded loudly to the people outside.

He knelt, covering me with his cape, then grabbed Jiang Qin’s collar, “What did you do to her? This Prince thinks you don’t want to live.”

“Your Royal Highness,” I called him sweetly. He turned to look at me.

I leaned in close to his lips and kissed him fiercely, like fire.

He noticed my abnormality and pushed me away, “No.”

The medicine had completely taken over me. I had completely lost my reason, completely disregarding Jiang Qin next to us.

I craved, like a fish dying without water.

“Jiang Sheng, give it to me, I feel so awful.”

I forcibly pressed him against the stone wall.

“Mmm…” Jiang Sheng was forcefully kissed by me, losing his ability to resist.

My hand reached into his clothes, touching his hot skin.

Why was his body also so hot?

The Truth of the Rockery Cave

He kissed me back, the sounds of our lips meeting clearly audible.

My body fit perfectly with his. In this cramped rockery cave, it only added to the sensuality.

I felt as if there was nothing else in the world, only Jiang Sheng and me.

A sharp pain hit the back of my neck, and everything went black.

I woke up in an unfamiliar palace hall. I turned over and caught a glimpse of Jiang Sheng.

I immediately rolled back, ashamed.

“Last night, you were quite passionate when you forced a kiss on this Prince. This Prince almost couldn’t control himself,” Jiang Sheng chuckled.

He poked my back. I frantically pulled the blanket over myself to hide.

“That doesn’t count. I was drugged then,” I was too ashamed to face Jiang Sheng.

He lifted my blanket and turned my body over, “What about now?”

He leaned down and lightly pecked my lips, like a passing breeze.

I blinked, but then I thought of Jiang Qin, “Where’s Jiang Qin? He should be blind now, right?”

“He’s in prison. This Prince now has evidence and his actions from last night. Yuan Xia, it’s just your final push,” Jiang Sheng said, stroking my face.

I was a little lost in thought.

This body, this face, all belonged to Yan Wan.

I pushed away Jiang Sheng’s hand and said, “Your Royal Highness, this face belongs to Yan Wan, but I am Yuan Xia.”

“Yuan Xia, appearance is fleeting. Only feelings are real. This Prince has never cared who you are, whether you are Yuan Xia, a county magistrate’s illegitimate daughter, or even a cat or a dog. This Prince only knows that I am very much interested in you.”

Jiang Sheng took my hand, clarifying his feelings.

“But I do care, Your Royal Highness.”

I pulled my hand away.

The address “Your Royal Highness” distanced us.

“This Prince still prefers it when you called this Prince Jiang Sheng last night,” Jiang Sheng said earnestly.

I was speechless, but was soon summoned by the Emperor.

I knew it was for me to recount last night’s events and then determine Jiang Qin’s guilt.

Jiang Sheng accompanied me into the Emperor’s study. As soon as we entered, my legitimate elder brother and father were already there.

I knelt and bowed, “This humble daughter Yan Wan greets Your Majesty.”

The Emperor scrutinized me, “Recount last night’s events in full detail.”

I looked sorrowfully at the Emperor, looking utterly pathetic, “Last night, this humble daughter went to relieve herself, but was drugged with an aphrodisiac by Prince Yong. He dragged me into the rockery, attempting to defile this humble daughter. This humble daughter fought back with all her might, injuring him, and thus preserved her purity.”

I cried, tears streaming down my face, looking as pitiful as could be. Anyone who saw me would feel pity.

I then revealed the scratches on my wrist and my intact cinnabar mark.

My father was heartbroken, “Your Majesty, please deliver justice for my daughter. My daughter has suffered such great injustice and was almost defiled by Prince Yong.”

Yan Wan’s family loved her deeply. They had always tolerated her rudeness and willfulness, yet still doted on her.

“Sheng’er, is the memorial you submitted this morning truly accurate? There are doubts about the deaths of your Imperial Uncle and the Crown Prince,” the Emperor asked Jiang Sheng.

“Reporting to Imperial Father, every word spoken by your son is true. You may summon Grand Tutor Wen for questioning.”

Jiang Sheng intended to catch Wen Yao and Jiang Qin in one swoop.

Wen Yao arrived quickly, but when questioned by the Emperor, he denied it, “This humble subject has no deep personal ties with Young Prince Yong; there is no need for me to do such a thing for him.”

“Good, no deep personal ties. This Prince heard you conspiring with Jiang Qin that day at Xiangyun Tower. Is this Prince’s hearing faulty? Or is this Prince trying to frame you?” Jiang Sheng raged.

“Enough, Sheng’er. There’s no need to rush to pursue Wen Yao. We trust Grand Tutor Wen and Wen Yao’s character; there must be some misunderstanding. As for Jiang Qin, you may deal with him as you see fit.”

The Emperor actually chose to favor Wen Yao.

Jiang Sheng and I exchanged confused glances.

The Emperor had already spoken thus; if we continued to hold on, we might anger him.

We could only choose to let the matter rest.

It seemed fair enough; sacrificing one to save one. Jiang Qin was entirely left to Jiang Sheng, the Crown Prince, to handle.

Jiang Sheng and I went to the prison.

Pushing open the cell door, Jiang Qin covered his bandaged but bleeding right eye.

He squinted at Jiang Sheng and me, looking pathetic and comical, but I only felt hatred.

I had completely changed my demeanor. As docile as a little white rabbit in the imperial study before, I was now as vicious as a snake and scorpion.

“Jiang Qin,” I called his name, filled with hatred.

“Wan’er,” Jiang Qin still tentatively called me.

I said with strong words, “I’m not Yan Wan.”

Last night in the rockery cave, his right eye was pierced, but he also heard Jiang Sheng call me Yuan Xia, and witnessed me under the aphrodisiac, kissing Jiang Sheng like dry wood and raging fire.

He stood up and looked at me, “How can you not be Yan Wan? You are clearly the Yan Wan who, as a child, saw me bullied by Big Brother and repeatedly used a slingshot to stand up for me.”

This was why he admired Yan Wan. He pulled the jade pendant, carved with Yan Wan’s name, from his waist.

It was the last thing I held onto before I died, when I was still Yuan Xia.

“I’m not Yan Wan, I’m Yuan Xia, the concubine brought for good fortune whom you personally poisoned to death. The real Yan Wan, after being clearly rejected by Wen Yao, had already hanged herself.”

My eyes were red, my hatred for him deeply ingrained.

Such a life-taking hatred, a hatred for killing my sister, I wished I could devour his flesh and blood to quell the hatred in my heart.

Jiang Qin frantically grabbed my shoulders, shaking me, “Impossible, you are Yan Wan, you are Yan Wan! Why are you lying to me?”

I was shaken until my vision blurred, but I sneered.

Jiang Sheng kicked him far away, and he fell heavily to the ground.

“Stop losing your mind. We’re here to send you on your way.”

I took out the prepared “Red-crowned Crane’s Top,” staring at Jiang Qin intently.

Walking up to him, I pinched his mouth shut, “Jiang Qin, Red-crowned Crane’s Top, truly a good thing. However, you probably won’t have my luck to survive by borrowing someone else’s identity.”

I poured all the “Red-crowned Crane’s Top” into Jiang Qin’s mouth, watching him choke and clutch his throat in pain.

He still tried to touch me, still tried to speak.

I stepped back resolutely.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch me, hoarsely calling, “Yan Wan…”

The Yong Prince’s Demise

His hand dropped, and after two convulsions, he exhaled his last breath.

He died with his eyes fixed on me, still clutching that jade pendant and calling Yan Wan’s name until his last breath.

Throughout the entire process, I showed no fear or hesitation, acting with extreme ruthlessness.

Jiang Sheng watched me complete all this without saying a word.

Outside the prison, the glow of the sunset stretched our figures long as we walked side by side.

“What, do you think I’m cruel?” Seeing Jiang Sheng silent, I asked him first.

He looked at me and shook his head, “Vengeful. The imperial family is not lacking in such ruthlessness. He killed you, killed your sister and your entire family. You are simply returning an eye for an eye.”

With the great revenge achieved, I felt a sense of loss, suddenly without a goal.

As for Wen Yao, his crime wasn’t punishable by death, but Yan Wan and my former self had indirectly died because of him.

I would settle this score with Wen Yao, not missing a single detail.

But what about my future plans?

Continue to live my life under Yan Wan’s face and identity?

I was very confused. Jiang Sheng tilted his head and looked at me, “What do you plan to do next?”

He really knew how to bring up an awkward topic.

I sighed. He leaned down and embraced me, “Yuan Xia, if you feel lost about the future, would you be willing to let this Prince accompany you to face it?”

“You and I are truly not on the same path. I cannot be Yuan Xia again, but I am also not Yan Wan.”

Facing Jiang Sheng, I always felt unequal.

Even my old county magistrate father married two wives, let alone Jiang Sheng, the Crown Prince.

He would be emperor later, with three palaces and six courtyards, surrounded by beauties.

Even if I became empress, I would only be a pitiful woman trapped in the palace.

“That’s not important. This Prince only asks you one thing: is there a Jiang Sheng in your heart?” Jiang Sheng pointed to my chest.

“Yes,” I answered with certainty.

Jiang Sheng was my ally all this way. Had I not felt a trace of emotion for his help?

“Then I also ask Your Royal Highness, can Your Royal Highness always be interested in me, and only me?” I also pointed directly to his heart.

This time, Jiang Sheng hesitated. Loving someone was not difficult.

But to defy the changeable nature of humans, to love only one person for a lifetime, was a difficult task.

Jiang Sheng loved me now, but a lifetime was so long. Later, beauty would fade, and love would wane, leading to mutual厌倦.

I smiled disdainfully, withdrawing my hand. Jiang Sheng caught my fingertips, “Yuan Xia, this Prince truly doesn’t know how to answer you.”

“Then don’t answer.”

I pulled my hand away, walking freely and unburdened along the palace path.

To crave an emperor’s lasting love was inherently a luxury.

“Yuan Xia, if you don’t believe in this Prince’s heart and are unwilling to marry, this Prince can choose not to marry, but this Prince truly wishes to be with you,” Jiang Sheng said behind me.

That night, I stood before the brass mirror, looking at the face that belonged to Yan Wan, still unfamiliar no matter how many times I saw it.

The face in the mirror suddenly revealed a strange smile, “You’ve used my face, my identity; do you feel guilty?”

Yan Wan in the mirror asked me. I wanted to avoid her gaze, “I feel guilty, but I can no longer be Yuan Xia. I can only be you, the Yan Wan who is not Yan Wan.”

“You know, my life’s obsession has always been Wen Yao…” Her hand seemed to pass through the mirror to touch my face.

In a panic, I picked up a jewelry box and smashed the mirror.

I felt like my soul had left me, collapsing onto the ground.

Yan Xiu knocked on my door, “Sister, Sister, what’s wrong?”

His knocking was frantic. I immediately replied, “Sister is fine, I accidentally dropped something, and I’m already asleep now.”

I didn’t open the door for him. Yan Xiu sighed, “Then, Sister, get some rest early.”

I stayed awake all night. For Yan Wan, marrying Wen Yao was her lifelong wish.

She had died because of Wen Yao, and even in death, she was trapped by her obsession with him.

Since I had taken her identity and face, I should do something for her.

Then, I would fulfill her only last wish: marry Wen Yao.

Maintain the marriage for a year or two, then shave my head and become a nun, accompanying the serene lamp and ancient Buddha.

Eating vegetarian food and chanting sutras, praying for my deceased sister and mother, hoping they wouldn’t suffer so much in their next lives.

The next day, I found Wen Yao.

We stood on the third floor of Xiangyun Tower, looking at the bustling street below.

“What do you want with me?” Wen Yao asked directly.

“Don’t you know how to divine? How can you not know why I’m looking for you?” I still jabbed at him.

“Now, you are no longer Yan Wan,” Wen Yao said at this point, with a hint of regret.

Indeed, since that night at Xiling Temple when we fell into the water, he had confirmed that I wasn’t Yan Wan.

Perhaps because he and Yan Wan had been childhood sweethearts, even if there wasn’t much love, he probably felt sorry for her death.

“Wen Yao, let’s get married,” I looked at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao was surprised for a long time, then said, “Yuan Xia, are you crazy? You clearly are interested in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and His Royal Highness is also devoted to you.”

I smiled sadly, “I am Yuan Xia, not worthy of him, and he will be a monarch in the future, it’s hard for him to have only one woman his whole life.”

“And I am Yan Wan. Yan Wan’s only wish before she died was to marry you. Since I have taken her body, I should fulfill her wish,” I was caught in complex and tangled emotions.

It was like a dead end, a fate that was a dead end from the beginning.

“Actually, you want to force His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to stop being obsessed with you, and also fulfill Yan Wan’s last wish,” Wen Yao understood me for once.

Wen Yao’s expression showed resistance, and I said again, “Wen Yao, you have no reason to refuse. My previous death and Yan Wan’s death were indirectly caused by you.”

The Fickle Hand of Fate

“Your casual divination, combined with your conspiracy with Jiang Qin, led to my being pushed to my death as a scapegoat. You decisively rejected Yan Wan, trampling her true feelings, driving her to despair and suicide. All of this began because of you,” I poured out my grievances.

“Do you think I wanted to? I was merely a chess piece used to control others. The Old Prince Yong’s death wasn’t solely due to my connivance with Jiang Qin; it was also at the current Emperor’s instruction.”

“To rightfully reclaim the hundred thousand troops and tiger tally military authority from Prince Yong, and to thoroughly purge Prince Yong’s old factions in court, even Jiang Qin had to surrender the tiger tally to inherit the title of Prince Yong. The complexities of this matter are all part of the Emperor paving the way for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to control the court in the future,” Wen Yao also spoke of his hardships.

No wonder that day, the Emperor deliberately favored Wen Yao; I felt there was something fishy about it.

“You have your grievances, and I don’t? Do you think I wanted to become Yan Wan?” I vented my anger.

Wen Yao looked at me, “Alright, in any case, I have always been fulfilling others’ wishes from beginning to end.”

Wen Yao and I parted unhappily, but he agreed.

I returned to the manor and told my father and mother that I still liked Wen Yao and didn’t want to marry the Crown Prince; I wanted to marry Wen Yao.

My mother’s reaction wasn’t too strong, but my Prime Minister father’s face stiffened, saying he disagreed.

“Then your daughter will go on a hunger strike until Father agrees,” I said, then returned to my room.

I didn’t eat or drink for two consecutive days. Yan Wan must have done something similar before.

She was so flamboyant and unruly.

As I was practicing calligraphy, the door to my boudoir was pushed open with a clang.

Jiang Sheng walked up to me, grasping my wrist, “Yuan Xia, why do you want to marry Wen Yao?”

“Why not? Because this humble daughter realized she still prefers Wen Yao,” I said without panic.

“You prefer Wen Yao? You prefer Wen Yao?” Jiang Sheng repeated my words, bewildered.

This was clearly a lie. How could I prefer a butcher who indirectly caused my death?

“Then what am I? I ask you, what am I? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?” Jiang Sheng was hurt, his eyes reddening.

“Yes,” I met his gaze, overly clear-headed.

“Yuan Xia, you truly surprise this Prince,” Jiang Sheng released my wrist, flicked his sleeve, and left.

Wen Yao, accompanied by his father Grand Tutor Wen, sought an imperial decree of marriage from the Emperor.

The Emperor hesitated repeatedly but still gave face, personally bestowing the marriage.

Once the imperial decree of marriage arrived, my father had no choice but to accept it, though he kept sighing.

Everything was set in stone; the manor began preparations.

Jiang Sheng and I never saw each other again. Only once did I hear my father say that the Crown Prince had recently been ill-behaved, repeatedly angering the Emperor.

On the wedding day, in a crimson wedding gown, with vermillion lips, and a head adorned with pearls and a phoenix crown.

I looked at myself in the mirror for a long time. This was what Yan Wan had dreamed of her whole life.

To marry Wen Yao in a wedding dress.

The window seemed to be blown open by the wind. I turned around and saw Jiang Sheng jump in.

He reeked of alcohol, his face flushed with a slight tipsiness. He approached me, lifting me to sit on the dressing table.

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, his warm chest pressed against me.

“If Your Royal Highness continues like this, this humble daughter will call for help,” I said.

My wedding was imminent, and Jiang Sheng, as the Crown Prince, had trespassed into my boudoir as a bride-to-be.

If others saw us, it would surely bring disaster upon us.

“Call me Jiang Sheng. I like it when you call me Jiang Sheng.”

He was drunk, speaking nonsense.

As I was about to speak, he leaned in and sealed my mouth.

I couldn’t speak and could only push him hard.

He trapped my wrists against the wall, kissing me with increasing force.

The scent of alcohol spread between our lips and teeth, intoxicating me, making me want to sink into it.

I was dizzy from the kiss when he finally said, “Yuan Xia, how about I elope with you? I won’t be this Crown Prince anymore, and you won’t be Yan Wan either.”

Jiang Sheng was willing to give up everything within his reach for me.

“Jiang Sheng, I am not worthy. I cannot spend my life with you, using Yan Wan’s face and identity.”

I knew I was in the wrong; I was letting Jiang Sheng down.

Jiang Sheng smiled bitterly, “No matter what, you always have a thousand excuses to refuse me.”

“This Prince gives up on you. Even if I cast aside everything, even if this Prince descends from this high position, you are still unwilling,” disappointment and mockery flashed in Jiang Sheng’s eyes.

He was like a sudden storm, coming and going quickly.

I, as Yan Wan, married Wen Yao as wished.

The wedding night in the bridal chamber.

Wen Yao remained silent for a long time. I took off my red bridal veil myself, poured the bridal wine, and handed it to Wen Yao.

Wen Yao’s gaze flickered. He took the wine and drank it all.

I didn’t drink the bridal wine; instead, I spilled it on the ground.

“This bridal wine should have been drunk by Yan Wan.”

Wen Yao finally looked at me, “Yuan Xia, from now on, we can live with mutual respect. When the time is right, I will draft a divorce letter to end this mistake.”

“For you and me, it’s a mistake, but for Yan Wan, it was what she desired until her death,” I brought up Yan Wan again.

The white silk on the wedding bed was pristine. I took off a hairpin, pricked my finger, and spread the blood evenly on it.

“Even getting injured hurts so much. How much pain must Yan Wan have felt before she died? She probably experienced suffocation and then stopped breathing, dying. These days, I suddenly feel as if I’m experiencing the same as her…” I spoke of Yan Wan’s tragic death without reservation.

“Yuan Xia, that’s enough. Don’t say any more.”

Wen Yao tore off his wedding robes, agitated, and prepared to leave.

“Not just Yan Wan. The Red-crowned Crane’s Top that Jiang Qin forced into me burned my internal organs, and then I died,” I said, staring into Wen Yao’s eyes.

We were both pitiful people. My sister, my mother, were all sacrifices that men could discard.

In their pursuit of future and power, we could be cast aside at any time.

Wen Yao’s Repentance

I truly missed Jiang Sheng, who was willing to abandon fame and fortune for me.

After half a year of marriage to Wen Yao, I remained secluded, not bothering to inquire about Jiang Sheng.

Occasionally, Wen Yao would bring him up, and I would try my best to avoid the topic, but I always brought up Yan Wan.

Whenever I faced Wen Yao, I would mention Yan Wan.

Finally, in the seventh month of our marriage, Wen Yao inexplicably hanged himself. His death resembled the way I imagined Yan Wan’s death.

This was what I wanted. I wanted him to see Yan Wan’s face every day.

Subtly, unconsciously, he would continuously think about how painfully Yan Wan died.

After all, besides him, no one knew what he had truly said to Yan Wan that day that caused her to commit suicide.

He was already guilty at heart, and I wanted him to live in fear and guilt for the rest of his life.

“Wen Yao, this is what you owe Yan Wan. Only when you descend to the Yellow Springs will Yan Wan’s wish for an eternal companionship truly be fulfilled,” I said calmly, looking at Wen Yao’s corpse.

After Wen Yao’s death, Grand Tutor Wen was furious, believing I had caused the death of his son, of whom he had always been so proud.

The Prime Minister’s residence, fearing I would be implicated, had my legitimate elder brother pick me up and bring me back to the manor overnight.

Upon my return, the first thing I did was kneel, “You never believed me, but I truly am not Yan Wan. I am the concubine brought for good fortune whom the Old Prince Yong took two years ago. I don’t know why I became Yan Wan, but now all my grudges are settled. I cannot become Yuan Xia again, nor can I return the deceased Yan Wan to you.”

I finished speaking with my head bowed. When I looked up, I saw their disbelieving faces.

They either didn’t believe me or were unwilling to accept the truth that the real Yan Wan had long been dead.

Despite Wen Yao’s death, the Emperor still held me accountable, ordering my exile to the frontier.

My legitimate elder brother and father pleaded for me before the Emperor.

“This humble daughter accepts exile, but this humble daughter wishes to be exiled to Putuo Temple. This humble daughter wishes to shave her head and become a nun, accompanying the serene lamp and ancient Buddha, spending the rest of her life atoning for her sins,” I kowtowed to the Emperor, requesting.

As I spoke these words, Jiang Sheng rushed in abruptly.

He was about to plead for me, but the Emperor had already granted my request, immediately issuing a decree to exile me to Putuo Temple, a thousand li away.

Jiang Sheng’s unspoken words choked in his throat as he looked at me kneeling.

I accepted it willingly, having achieved my wish.

Everyone should bear what they ought to bear.

Jiang Qin should bear the consequences for killing the Old Prince Yong and the Crown Prince, and for killing my entire family.

Wen Yao should be responsible for indirectly causing Yan Wan’s death and ruining my life.

And I, too, should bear the consequences for forcing Wen Yao to his death.

On the day I was exiled, the sun was bright, and the entire Prime Minister’s family came to see me off.

The Nun of Forgetfulness

My legitimate elder brother, fearing I would suffer, obtained an imperial favor and arranged for someone to escort me to Putuo Temple.

The Prime Minister’s family still believed I was Yan Wan, embracing me and weeping for a long time.

Yan Xiu whispered in my ear, “Actually, I knew early on that you weren’t Sister. That day, through the crack in the door, I first saw Sister’s feet hanging down. It’s just that I was unwilling to accept that Sister was dead.”

No wonder that night, when I smashed the mirror, Yan Xiu reacted so strongly.

He was afraid that I, his substitute “Sister,” would also commit suicide like Yan Wan.

When I left the capital, I never saw Jiang Sheng again.

Actually, on the day I married Wen Yao, when he said he wanted to elope with me, I wavered.

I wanted to stop then and wander the world with him.

But then I thought of Yan Wan’s death, and the Crown Prince’s path that the Emperor had paved for him.

I couldn’t be selfish. I believed and knew that Jiang Sheng would definitely be a benevolent and wise ruler who loved his people, an excellent emperor worthy of his subjects’ adoration.

The moment I shaved off my three thousand strands of trouble, it truly felt as if all past regrets and memories were gone.

The abbess bestowed upon me the name “Wangyou” (Forgetfulness), truly a wonderful name.

She wanted me to forget who I was before. I was no longer Yan Wan, and no longer Yuan Xia.

I was just Wangyou.

It was another winter. I was sweeping the snow in the temple courtyard, seeking plums in the snow, reaching out to clear the snow from the plum branches bent under its weight.

This was my third year here. Every year, my heart was as still as water. I chanted scriptures, knelt before Buddha, praying for a smooth and peaceful next life.

It was cold, remote, constantly raining, and filled with an aura of death.

The following spring, I heard that a new emperor was about to ascend the throne. I received a special favor to return to the capital.

That night, Jiang Sheng came to the guesthouse to see me.

The moment he saw me, we both felt very calm.

“These past years, I’ve been well. This life is exactly what I want,” I spoke first, breaking the silence.

“You know, I became emperor also for more women like you, so they can choose the life they want, unburdened by too many worldly constraints.”

Jiang Sheng looked up at the moonlight.

“Yuan Xia, you know, I’m still waiting for you.”

Jiang Sheng’s eyes held some turbulent emotions as he tentatively asked me.

“I know, I know everything. I heard the new Empress is very virtuous, perfectly suited to be the nation’s queen, unlike me, who only desires tranquility,” I said with a smile, politely declining him.

“The Empress is very good, and like me, she cares for all the people of the world,” Jiang Sheng lowered his head, following my words as he spoke of the new Empress.

“Jiang Sheng, as long as we are both well, that is the best,” I said, meeting his gaze with a relaxed smile.

Flower clusters adorned the magnificent imperial carriage as it paraded through the bustling streets.

Behind my veil, I saw Jiang Sheng on the imperial carriage, a slight bitterness in his smile amidst the cheers of the common people.

Beside him sat the woman who was his newly appointed Empress, whom I also recognized as the legitimate daughter of General Yang.

The Empress beside him whispered something to him, and they both laughed.

Their laughter was very sweet, and I also smiled.

How wonderful, what a perfectly matched couple.

—The End—