“Father, Mother, the War King is a hero of our Great Chu Nation. I am willing to marry him to celebrate his recovery.”
Seeing Ruan Yihe’s sudden change in attitude towards the "celebration of recovery," Ruan Xincheng knew that she had also been reborn.
Madam Ruan, Cui Yun, looked at her in disbelief. "He’er, do you know what you're saying?"
"Mother, I do. The War King was severely injured while defending against invading enemies. He is a hero of our Great Chu Nation. I am willing to marry him."
"But he..." Madam Ruan looked around, making sure all the servants were dismissed before she dared to continue.
"He's dying. I've inquired about it—over a dozen imperial physicians say he won't survive. The Empress Dowager is trying the 'celebration of recovery' remedy out of desperation. If you marry him, you'll be a widow, and your life will be over."
"That won't happen. The War King is a good man, and heaven will protect him. He will get better."
As she spoke, she glanced at Ruan Xinchen nearby.
Silently, she thought to herself, In my previous life, I married the person you were meant to marry and suffered endlessly in Prince Gong's mansion.
Meanwhile, you stole my life like a rat and became the one cherished by the War King.
You see, even the heavens couldn’t stand it and granted me a rebirth before the marriage to ward off ill fortune, giving me a chance to change my fate.
In this life, our destinies will be switched back.
Ruan Xinchen knew her too well. Just one look at her expression, and she immediately understood what she was thinking.
Ruan Xinchen feigned concern and said, "Elder sister, the imperial physician has already declared that he’s beyond saving. You mustn’t take such a risk. My status is lowly, so being a widow doesn’t matter. But you’re different. You’re of noble birth and engaged to the heir of Prince Gong. You shouldn’t throw away your future for the Zhan Prince."
"Shut your mouth!" Ruan Yihe's expression changed drastically as she shouted sternly.
"You wretched little ingrate, how dare you curse the Zhan Prince to his death? Let me tell you, this time, you’ll be the one rotting in that gutter, while I become the dignified Zhan Prince's consort!"
Her sudden, frenzied outburst startled Ruan Hong and Cui Yun. Before they could say anything, Ruan Yihe spoke again.
"Father, Mother, I know you let Ruan Xinchen take my place in the marriage to ward off ill fortune for my sake, but I’ve received reliable news—the Zhan Prince won’t die. Once he recovers, this wretched girl will flaunt her triumph right in front of us. This time, no one will stop me from marrying the Zhan Prince."
She directed her final sentence squarely at Ruan Xinchen.
Perhaps the misfortunes of her previous life had twisted her heart.
As she spoke, it was as if she had become a different person.
Her expression turned dark and vicious, and her once-beautiful face was distorted with malice.
Watching Ruan Yihe’s crazed demeanor, Ruan Xinchen appeared frightened on the surface, but inside, she was smiling coldly.
This spark had been perfectly timed, fanning the flames of Ruan Yihe's resolve to marry into the Zhan Prince’s residence at all costs.
At this moment, Ruan Hong and Cui Yun were taking turns trying to persuade her in various ways.
Unfortunately, Ruan Yihe refused to listen to a single word, stubbornly insisting that she was determined to marry into the Zhan Prince’s residence.
Did she really think the Zhan Prince’s residence was such a wonderful place? Did she believe that Zhan Prince Chu Li was a good man? True, he wouldn’t die.
But the so-called 'virtuous and upright Zhan Prince' and 'his loving, harmonious relationship with his princess' were nothing more than a show for outsiders.
Because Zhan Prince Chu Li had someone he truly loved, his so-called virtue was simply him staying faithful to that woman.
However, out of gratitude for a life-saving debt and pressure from all sides, he didn’t dare divorce his wife and remarry lightly.
Of course, Chu Li was at least honest. After recovering, he directly laid everything out for her.
After hearing the story of him and the woman he loved, even Ruan Xinchen was moved. She felt that breaking apart a pair of true lovers was indeed wrong.
Then she and Chu Li reached an agreement: she would hold the position of Zhan Princess for his beloved, helping him secure the throne.
Once his goal was achieved, he would give her a sum of silver to fake her death and escape the turmoil of the capital.
Initially, their cooperation was smooth. Though they couldn’t be husband and wife, they became like-minded friends.
During their free time, they could even sit together, drink a little wine, and chat. Everything went without a hitch, even up until Chu Li ascended to the throne.
However, to her surprise, after Chu Li ascended the throne, he unilaterally overturned their friendship.
Once in power, he quickly took action against the entire Ruan family, executing some by beheading and exiling others.
Ruan Xinchen had already packed her belongings, but she never received the news that she would be released from the palace.
Just as she was about to escape on her own, she was blocked by Chu Li’s little white flower, Xu Mo'er, who came with the tools for self-harm, ready to prevent her from leaving.
They had agreed that she could choose her own way to die, but this venomous woman actually had a eunuch force-feed her with a deadly poison. Her death was excruciatingly painful.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back to the day the Empress Dowager's decree sent her to the Ruan family.
Originally, she had been troubled, trying to think of a way to avoid the marriage to ward off ill fortune. But to her surprise, Ruan Yihe had also been reborn.
She felt as though she had taken her life’s script, always envying her for marrying well. Ruan Xinchen wanted to say,
'It’s a pity you died too early and didn’t get to see how Chu Li, after rising to power, turned on everyone.'
If Ruan Yihe was willing to jump into this fire pit, Ruan Xinchen was more than happy to do so.
"He'er" Cui Yun gritted her teeth, her face filled with frustration and disappointment, looking at Ruan Yihe with the expression of someone who wished they could change her stubbornness.
Ruan Yihe said firmly, "Mother, I’ve always made sure I don’t let myself suffer. Trust me, I’m not wrong. The Zhan Prince won’t die."
Seeing her determination, which even a thousand oxen couldn't pull back, Cui Yun was ultimately swayed. She could only hope that the news of the Zhan Prince's recovery was true.
Initially, the idea of sending her biological daughter to marry and remain a widow to ward off ill fortune was something Cui Yun strongly opposed.
So, she had her illegitimate daughter, Ruan Xinchen, registered under her name as a legitimate daughter, so she could replace Ruan Yihe in the marriage to ward off ill fortune.
Earlier, when discussing with Ruan Yihe, she had agreed to the plan.
But unexpectedly, that very night, she had someone alter the family records, registering Ruan Xinchen as the legitimate daughter.
Now, her daughter’s attitude had completely changed, and she refused to listen to any advice.
Madam Ruan looked at Ruan Xinchen, who was standing nearby, still stunned, before turning her gaze to Ruan Hong.
"What do you think, husband?"
Ruan Hong had been worried about the plan to switch daughters.
He thought that if the marriage to ward off ill fortune succeeded, everything would be fine.
But if it failed, and the Emperor and the Empress Dowager held them accountable, blaming the Ruan family for the Zhan Prince's death, they would be in deep trouble—no one would be able to explain their way out of it.
Now that the switch was no longer needed, Ruan Hong was, of course, willing to agree.
"Yihe has always been blessed with good fortune since she was young. Perhaps if she marries and performs the ritual to ward off ill fortune, she could truly save the Zhan Prince's life. Madam, why not listen to Yihe?"
"What if?" Madam Ruan replied testily, "What if the Zhan Prince dies?"
"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau's divination says that with a Ruan family daughter performing the ritual, the Zhan Prince will surely turn the tide," Ruan Hong insisted.
"Even the Empress Dowager believes it, so what harm is there in us believing it as well?"
Madam Ruan thought to herself, The Empress Dowager is just betting on a dead horse, hoping for a miracle.
But if we gamble, it’s not just a bet on fortune—it’s our daughter's entire life on the line.
"But what about the heir of Prince Gong..."
Upon hearing that, the madwoman Ruan Yihe trembled all over.
"Mother, I won’t marry the heir of Prince Gong. I’d rather remain a widow, or even die, than marry him. I’m willing to perform the ritual to ward off ill fortune for the Zhan Prince. He will get better, and in the future, he will ascend to..."
Hmm? Madam Ruan acted quickly, covering Ruan Yihe’s mouth.
This girl really dared to say anything. Both Madam Ruan and Ruan Hong stared at her in shock.
Ruan Yihe kept winking persistently. With Ruan Xinchen present, there were some things she couldn’t say directly.
Seeing this, Madam Ruan thought her daughter had learned some shocking insider information.
Surely, she wouldn’t do something foolish to harm herself, right?
So, Madam Ruan reluctantly agreed, though still doubtful. "Alright, we’ll listen to Yihe."
Ruan Yihe finally let out a sigh of relief and gave Ruan Xinchen a provocative glance.
What she didn’t know was that Ruan Xinchen also breathed a sigh of relief.
Great, my wicked sister is going to marry that bastard Chu Li.
Chu Li, Xu Mo'er, in our past life, you burned your bridges after crossing them.
In this life, you want my evil sister to marry him? Let’s see whether she ends up destroying you, or you destroy her.
Don’t even think that she’s not looking forward to it.
Forget it, I won’t stick around for the spectacle. She’s planning to leave the capital far behind before Chu Li ascends to power. This time, she won’t play along with them.
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