After returning to Dang, Chao Ning was granted a princely title and a fief ahead of his brothers. Both his father the Emperor and Lady Song had some reservations about Yuan Lian’s background, only agreeing to let him marry her as a secondary consort. After the wedding, he would take his people to his fief. Lady Song, being favored, would remain in attendance on the Emperor and would not accompany him to the fief for the time being.
Jiang Nong ignored Yu Lingxin’s expression and sent Chao Ning a lavish wedding gift.
She could never quite figure out why Yu Lingxin kept giving Chao Ning the evil eye.
Before Chao Ning could even marry, memorials impeaching him landed on his father’s desk, accusing him of colluding with Xi while in Song.
Chao Ning had indeed received a letter from Jiang Nong’s mother—but he had immediately sent it back to his father for a decision. Yet the letter inexplicably ended up in his elder brother’s hands.
The current Crown Prince, having lost his birth mother early and never being favored, was in a precarious position—and despite Chao Ning’s attempts to mediate, having foreknowledge of the previous life’s outcome, he still ended up confined to his residence to reflect on his mistakes.
The Crown Prince’s position was already shaky, while Chao Ning not only enjoyed the Emperor’s favor but had also been the first to receive a noble title—clear evidence that he was being groomed for greater things.
Chao Ning felt deeply wronged. His brothers had all seen how he was from childhood—they’d grown up together. He’d volunteered for the campaign purely in hopes of marrying a wife! Why were his brothers so suspicious of him? He truly had no designs on the throne.
His father summoned him to the palace and gave him a thorough dressing-down, calling him all height and no brains, telling him to go home and lie low while the matter was quietly suppressed.
Before Chao Ning could even breathe a sigh of relief, he returned to his residence and ran into his mother’s nanny delivering pastries to Yuan Lian. He reached for one to snack on—but was stopped. The nanny’s expression was one of terror, and Chao Ning instantly knew something was wrong. Sure enough, poison was found in the pastries.
The nanny was his mother’s trusted confidante—without her instruction, she would never have dared such a thing. For the first time, Chao Ning realized that his gentle mother was capable of such murderous schemes.
His mind reeled for a long while. He wanted to go to the palace and demand an explanation—but couldn’t even get past the gates. His father had fallen gravely ill the moment he’d left the palace and had ordered the gates sealed.
Frantically worried about his father, Chao Ning desperately wanted to see him. The former Crown Prince’s people kept signaling him frantically, but he didn’t catch on—until he was surrounded by a group of men accusing him of plotting against the Emperor. Only then did he realize he’d walked right into a trap.
In the previous life, his father had only suffered minor ailments at this time—but in this life, he had suddenly fallen “gravely ill.”
Everything came crashing down on him at once. Chao Ning was stunned senseless, his limbs numb, utterly lost.
He was temporarily confined to his princely residence—worried about his father and mother, and also about his own future and life.
High walls enclosed a square of sky that only birds could cross.
Chao Ning sat under the eaves, looking up at the birds flying past, his heart full of tangled emotions.
He had never once coveted the throne—not in the past, not now, and not in the future.
In his previous life, when he died, his brothers had still been respectful and affectionate toward one another. So why, in this life, did everyone jump to destroy him the moment he received a title?
Chao Ning couldn’t understand it. He also felt guilty toward Yuan Lian—if he’d known this would happen, he should have sent her away when his mother disapproved of their marriage.
Yuan Lian also felt she’d drawn the short straw. If she’d known attaching herself to Chao Ning would lead to this, she’d have rather endured life at home. Now she was young, barely having enjoyed any wealth or glory, yet about to die alongside him.
She was clever, yes—but not clever enough to navigate a succession struggle in a foreign land without allies or familiarity, and emerge victorious.
She rested her head by the window, watching the fiery sunset, resigned to her fate—but still thinking of how to survive.
“Yuanyuan, I’ve dragged you down…”
“Yuanyuan…”
Yuan Lian found him annoying. At this point, there was no need to keep up the act. She simply turned her head away and ignored him.
Chao Ning propped his chin and watched her for a while. He had a good temper and didn’t get angry. He fetched a cloak and draped it over her shoulders: “The evening wind is chilly.”
Yuan Lian dozed off without realizing it. In the dead of night, she was shaken awake by Chao Ning, who told her to be quiet and handed her clothes to change into.
She thought they were both escaping—but after changing, she realized Chao Ning hadn’t moved. He only sent his trusted men to take her out.
She couldn’t help asking: “What about you?”
Chao Ning rubbed his hands together and smiled: “It’s hard to get two people out. You go first—I’ll probably catch up soon.” He handed her a plain gray garment. “There are some banknotes sewn into the clothes. Don’t be stingy with them once you’re out.”
Before Yuan Lian could say more, Chao Ning waved her off. Several burly attendants covered her mouth and half-dragged, half-pushed her out.
A great fire suddenly broke out in the rear courtyard. The guards clashed with several eunuchs and attendants attempting to flee—and in the chaos, Yuan Lian was shoved out through a small hole in the back wall.
She kept looking back as she walked, but even after the fire in the prince’s residence died down, Chao Ning never appeared. The streets were quiet, with no signs of a manhunt for fugitives. Only then did she realize—Chao Ning had only sent her out.
If Chao Ning disappeared, the capital would descend into chaos—and she might not even be able to escape.
Two serving women gripped her arms, dragging her forward as they ran for their lives. The night wind lashed across her face, whipping her hair into disarray.
Yuan Lian shivered—only then feeling the cold.
Chao Ning, the night wind really is chilly.
Chao Ning, will I ever see you again?
“Go on, Lady Yuan, why have you stopped?”
“We need to get out of the city before dawn…”
Yuan Lian suddenly froze in place. The two serving women urged her on in anxious whispers.
Yuan Lian stripped off the cloak with the banknotes sewn inside, tore open the lining, and tucked a few notes into her bosom. She handed the rest to them: “Please deliver these to my mother.”
With that, she turned and ran back the way she came.
“She’s going back? Should we take the opportunity to…”
“Don’t presume to guess His Majesty’s intentions.”
“Wait a little longer—let the spies from the Fourth Prince’s and the Crown Prince’s households make their move first, then we’ll take Chao Ning.”
“So what exactly does His Majesty want? He prompted the Fourth Prince to target Chao Ning, yet wants to save him? He went through all this trouble just to make Chao Ning grateful to us?”
“…I said, don’t presume to guess His Majesty’s intentions.”
At the end of the alley, several men disguised as humble vegetable farmers spoke in low voices. They glanced briefly in the direction Yuan Lian had run, then looked away.
Separated by an entire kingdom, the last news Jiang Nong had received of Chao Ning was that he was about to marry. Who would have thought that six days later, the news would be that Chao Ning had colluded with Xi—with solid evidence—and, to cover his tracks, had attempted to harm his own father. The Fourth Prince of Dang, Chao Xi, had reacted swiftly and placed him under house arrest. Yet Chao Ning, along with his fiancée and followers, had fled in the night. Now, a five-kingdom warrant had been issued for the capture of the traitor Chao Ning—dead or alive.
Jiang Nong asked twice before she could fully absorb the news.
She knew Chao Ning’s character well—he would never do such a thing. He had been framed.
With rebirth, everything had changed. Such a thing had never happened in the previous life.
There weren’t many places Chao Ning could flee. Jiang Nong guessed that if he sought asylum, his first choice would be Tan.
She dispatched people to intercept and protect him, ordering them to secretly escort him to Fengye the moment he entered the kingdom.
The moment she gave the order, Wei Xiao’s expression turned troubled. He exchanged glances with his colleagues before finally speaking truthfully: “Your Highness would be wise to discuss this with His Majesty first. What exactly should we do? This humble one and the others are truly in a difficult position.”
In a flash, Jiang Nong remembered the assassination attempt Yu Lingxin had ordered on Chao Ning not long ago. The very fact that Wei Xiao was so troubled meant her orders clashed with Yu Lingxin’s. She wanted Wei Xiao to protect Chao Ning—so Yu Lingxin must have commanded…
Yu Lingxin’s order was still to eliminate Chao Ning.
In an instant, fury rose from her chest and shot straight to her head, making her forehead burn.
Indeed, this was a perfect opportunity. Even if Chao Ning died, Yu Lingxin could shift the blame to Song. There were plenty of people who hated Chao Ning even more than Yu Lingxin did.
Even if it was discovered—so what? Chao Xi had already issued a five-kingdom warrant. Executing Chao Ning upon capture was entirely within reason.
Heavy clouds gathered in the sky, blocking every ray of light, sealing everything shut. The air itself seemed wrung dry by the clouds, growing thin, making breathing difficult. Tree branches shook violently with their leaves and blossoms, scattering petals on the ground.
One drop, two drops, three drops of rain, the size of beans…
Then it turned into a downpour, crashing down in a torrential roar. Jiang Nong pushed away the umbrella Tongye offered and charged into the thickening rain, letting the drops pound down on her, mingling with the falling apricot blossoms that slapped against her face and body.
Jiang Nong knew that reasoning with Yu Lingxin wouldn’t work. She just wanted to find him and fight—to smash everything around him. She wished she could push him out into the rain to be battered to death, struck by lightning.
She gathered her skirts and ran, her body growing heavier and colder as the rain pounded her—but the cold also cleared her mind. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped. Rong Mian caught up and hastily held an umbrella over her head.
Compared to her, Wei Xiao was more loyal to Yu Lingxin. If Yu Lingxin had given an order contradicting hers, Wei Xiao would have kept silent and reported only to Yu Lingxin—not tipped her off.
Yu Lingxin was doing something she didn’t understand. Or rather, Yu Lingxin was forcing her again.
From the last assassination attempt on Chao Ning to this—Wei Xiao’s deliberate revelation—Jiang Nong couldn’t help but suspect it was all orchestrated by Yu Lingxin.
What exactly was he trying to do? What did Yu Lingxin mean by this? Did he truly want to die?
But Jiang Nong could never be certain that Yu Lingxin harbored no real murderous intent toward Chao Ning. Given the opportunity, Yu Lingxin was absolutely capable of going along with it.
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