Chapter 1: Rebirth_1

Bai Qingyan drank a bowl of bitter medicine. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and leaned against the bed, staring in a daze at the white jade vase filled with red plum blossoms.

She had clearly died. How could she open her eyes and return to the fourteenth of the twelfth lunar month in the fifteenth year of Xuanjia?

She remembered that on the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, her second sister Bai Jinxiu got married, and the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage arrived half an hour earlier for the bridal procession. The seventeen sons of the Duke of Zhen's family had all gone to the southern border battlefield. The elders who had arranged for relatives to block the entry were unsuccessful, as they were gathered in a remote part of the backyard, gambling on cricket fights. No one was there to block the entrance, causing Bai Jinxiu to leave an hour early.

Just that one hour early, the procession encountered assassins targeting King Liang. Bai Jinxiu, upon hearing of the attack, protected King Liang but lost her life to the knife.

Thinking of King Liang...

Bai Qingyan closed her eyes, gripping the bedsheet tightly. Her breathing became unsteady.

Her mind was filled with the indifferent, mocking gaze of King Liang before her death. His sharp features were terrifying.

He knelt in front of the bloodied and weak Bai Qingyan, who couldn't even lift her head. He said many things.

He spoke of how he had conspired with her grandfather's deputy general Liu Huanzhang to kill all the men of the Bai family. He described how he used the military book Bai Qingyan had given him, with her grandfather's handwriting, to forge letters proving the Bai family's treason. He even forced the Bai clan's remaining orphans into a dead end.

In her past life, she was foolish enough to believe that King Liang's feelings for her were unparalleled. She thought he aimed for a high position to clear the Bai family's name. She willingly followed him into battle, achieving great military merit for him, helping him secure the position of Crown Prince.

But he not only killed her grandfather, father, and brothers, but also didn't spare her sisters. Thinking of the tragic fate of her seven sisters at King Liang's hands, a surge of anger and grief filled Bai Qingyan's heart. Her stomach twisted in pain, and she wished to tear apart the heartless beast that was King Liang.

"Miss..." Chun Tao, the head maid, called out softly. Holding a box, she said in a low voice, "Mr. Hong's medicine is very effective but too bitter. Miss, please have a piece of candied fruit to change the taste."

Bai Qingyan picked a piece of ginger plum candy, putting it in her bitter mouth. She looked at Chun Tao, who was placing a soft pillow behind her back. Chun Tao was the daughter of her mother's wet nurse, Mrs. Dong. She had been by Bai Qingyan's side since childhood and was utterly loyal.

"Second Miss, the roads are slippery with snow. How did you come over?"

Outside, a cleaning woman cautiously flattered.

Inside the warm room, Chun Yan, who was about to bend down to stoke the fire, put down the fire tongs and stepped out to greet with a tone of displeasure, "Second Miss."

The Bai family's Second Miss, Bai Jinxiu, stepped onto the porch, removing her cloak. She softly asked Chun Yan, who had just greeted her, "Is our eldest sister feeling better?"

"Thanks to Second Miss's concern, the eldest is doing well. Second Miss is getting married to the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage tomorrow and has many things to prepare. Why come to Qinghui Courtyard in such heavy snow?"

Chun Yan's tone was unpleasant, her words sharp.

Originally, the Princely Heir was betrothed to their eldest sister. But because the eldest suffered an injury on the battlefield at sixteen, leaving her with a difficult condition, the engagement was transferred to the second sister. Chun Yan couldn't accept this.

Hearing the commotion, Chun Tao glanced outside the partition. She tucked the quilt around Bai Qingyan and asked, "Miss, Second Miss is here to see you. Do you want to meet her?"

Bai Qingyan clenched her fist, remembering how King Liang had said that he spared her life because Bai Jinxiu, on her wedding day, protected him and begged him to take care of Bai Qingyan.

Her heart ached, and she hoarsely instructed, "Go welcome the Second Miss."

Chun Tao answered and went to greet the Second Miss properly, gesturing for her to come in. "The eldest just drank her medicine and is feeling much better. She instructed me to welcome you. Please come in, Second Miss!"

Chun Tao personally lifted the curtain for Bai Jinxiu.

Bai Jinxiu entered, the warmth hitting her as she entered. Afraid of bringing in the cold, she warmed herself by the fire at the entrance before going inside. "Eldest sister..."

Seeing Bai Jinxiu's pure and delicate face again, feelings of shame and guilt surged within Bai Qingyan. It was her hesitation with King Liang that made Bai Jinxiu think she loved him, leading to her death protecting him. She felt she had let down Bai Jinxiu and the entire Bai family.

Chun Tao had the maid bring a stool and place it by the bed. Before Bai Jinxiu could sit, the bitter-tasting Bai Qingyan, with reddened eyes, beckoned to her, "Jinxiu...come closer!"

Bai Jinxiu lifted her skirt hem and sat on the edge of the bed. She felt Bai Qingyan seemed aged and grave. Holding Bai Qingyan's hand with concern, she asked, "Eldest sister, is it because of tomorrow that you..."

Before Bai Jinxiu could finish, Bai Qingyan shook her head, choking up, "Jinxiu, I hope you promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you must protect yourself. Got it?"

"Big sister?" Bai Jinxiu was puzzled.

"Promise me!" She tightly grasped Bai Jinxiu's hand.

Seeing Bai Qingyan's unstable breath, Bai Jinxiu quickly nodded, "I understand, eldest sister!"

With many things to prepare for her wedding tomorrow, Bai Jinxiu sat briefly and then left.

After seeing Bai Jinxiu off, Bai Qingyan dismissed all the maids. Lying in bed, she rethought everything concerning King Liang and the Bai family. It felt like a cold nightmare.

From Bai Jinxiu's death, the Bai family was gradually pushed into an abyss.

Heaven had allowed her to return to the day before her second sister's wedding. No matter what, she couldn't let Bai Jinxiu and the Bai family repeat the past.

With Bai Jinxiu leaving tomorrow, she needed thorough preparation. If their incompetent cousins gambled on crickets again, someone reliable must take charge.

And the assassination on Changan Street involving King Liang, which was concluded as the work of Nanyan spies.

Now that she thought about it, what would motivate Nanyan spies to infiltrate Dadu City and assassinate a prince with a weak reputation?

Moreover, she needed to send trustworthy people to the southern border. If possible, it was best to save her grandfather and father. If not, she needed to gather evidence early to prevent King Liang from framing the Bai clan.

She couldn't hide the possibility of losing the Bai family's men in the southern border from her grandmother. She had to prepare her grandmother gently in advance.

Thus, when the battle reports came back to Dadu City, her grandmother wouldn't be too shocked to pass away.

As long as her grandmother, the emperor's aunt, remained, the Bai family wouldn't be as vulnerable as before.

Bai Qingyan's body was still weak, and the excessive thinking made her tired. Half asleep, she dreamed of her grandfather, father, and her seventeen brothers.

She also dreamed of her grandmother, with tears streaming down her face, holding her and her mother's hands on her deathbed, saying she felt useless for not being able to support the Bai family during its hardest times. She entrusted the responsibility of protecting the Bai family's widows to her mother Mrs. Dong and Bai Qingyan.

"Grandmother!" She screamed, sitting up, her chest heaving violently.

Seeing she was still in her bed at Qinghui Courtyard, her pounding heart slowly calmed down. Her white underclothes were soaked with sweat, and her embroidered pillow was wet with tears.

She closed her eyes, remembering the scene in the dream. She couldn't delay...all plans needed to be arranged quickly.

Trying to muster her energy, she threw off the quilt and called out hoarsely, "Chun Tao..."