leave

Ping An has been 'dead' for three days. During these three days, Qing Ya has stayed by Ping An's side without eating or drinking. She is already on the verge of collapse and it looks like she is about to go with Ping An.

Cui Shenzhi did leave, but his soul was gone. After finishing his official duties, he would come back to guard the place. Qingya wouldn't let him in, so he would stand outside the door and stare blankly. He did eat, but not much, and in just three days he lost a lot of weight.

Cui Lingxian cried every day. Although she ate more than the other two, her body couldn't take it from crying all the time. Lu Fengping tried to coax her to drink some calming soup and sleep, but she still cried after waking up.

Besides the three of them, Ping An's life is also in danger. Qing Ya is by his side at all times. How can he possibly feed Ping An the antidote for the fake death drug? If Ping An's fake death turns into a real death, he won't be able to explain it.

He could only take advantage of Qingya's weakness and inability to move to forcibly pull the group into the room and close the door.

He cleared his throat and, amidst the three people's puzzled, sad, or distressed gazes, whispered somewhat guiltily, "Ping An... she's not dead."

After hearing Lu Fengping's words, the three of them looked away, clearly disbelieving.

Seeing this, Lu Fengping quickly added, "I'm telling the truth. Haven't you noticed that it's been three days and Ping An is still the same as it was on the first day? It hasn't hardened or shown any signs of smelling bad or rotting."

"So you know what happened to Ping An? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and save Ping An!" Cui Lingxian rushed up anxiously and said.

“Ping An doesn’t need saving,” Lu Fengping gritted his teeth. “She took the fake death drug I made. As long as I give her the antidote in the next two days, she will wake up.”

The three of them were stunned, their faces full of confusion.

A drug to fake death? Why would Ping An take a drug to fake death? Why?

Lu Fengping noticed their confusion and frowned as he said, "I don't know why she wanted to fake her death and leave, but she threatened me with Ling Xian's life and the safety of the world, so I had no choice but to comply."

The three were still somewhat skeptical, but feeling Ping An's body, which was cooler than the average person but hadn't completely cooled down, they were unsure whether to believe it or not.

“This is the antidote for the fake death drug. You can feed it to her and you’ll know whether I’m telling the truth or not,” Lu Fengping said, taking out a bottle of medicine and placing it on the table. “As for her fate… you are her adoptive mother, her sister, and her husband. I’m just an outsider, so I won’t get involved.”

After saying that, Lu Fengping walked out.

Cui Lingxian remained silent for a moment before also leaving.

Qingya touched Ping An's face, sighed, and turned to leave.

Cui Shenzhi went to Ping An's side, stared at Ping An's face for a long time, and then said softly, "Ping An, do you really not want to be with me? I've tried so hard, but you still can't see my heart for you. Are you willing to give up everything and fake your death rather than stay by my side?"

Since Ping An had taken the drug to fake his death, he naturally couldn't give a response, but Choi Shin-ji hadn't expected one either.

He lowered his head and kissed Ping An's face tenderly and affectionately: "Ping An, I promised you that I would never let you suffer. Since you have decided to leave, then I will see you off."

*****

Qiao Siyu sighed heavily when she heard that Cui Shenzhi had summoned her.

She had guessed that Ping An would feel uneasy because she didn't trust Cui Shenzhi, and she also anticipated that Ping An would do something uncontrollable, such as acting recklessly in the court. But no matter what, she never expected that Ping An would go to such extremes as choosing death.

Human hearts are unpredictable. She was arrogant, otherwise she wouldn't have made such a big mistake.

When she arrived in front of Cui Shenzhi, she knelt down without saying a word.

"Your Majesty, it was I who..."

"Ping An is alright."

Qiao Siyu was stunned.

Instead of answering her question, Cui Shenzhi lowered his head and continued, "I'm about to change dynasties. Does your Qiao family want to become the top merchant family in the new dynasty?"

Qiao Siyu quickly regained her composure, put aside her doubts, and said decisively, "Of course!"

"Then help me take good care of Ping An, make sure everything goes smoothly for her, and that she won't notice anything amiss."

"yes."

As for why the emperor, Cui Shenzhi, needed her to send someone, Qiao Siyu didn't ask.

Curiosity is not as important as the interests of the Qiao family.

*****

Two days later, Ping An woke up in Qing Shi Town, some distance from the capital. Looking at the little girl busy in the room, she asked with a hint of wariness and curiosity, "Who are you?"

“Young lady, you’re awake? I was sent by Young Master Lu to take care of you. Young Master Lu saved my mother’s life and asked me to take care of you when you woke up, and also to give you this.”

After saying that, the little girl handed Ping An a box.

When Ping An opened it, he found a thick stack of silver notes, several land deeds (some for houses, some for shops and fields), and an identity document.

She smiled with a hint of melancholy.

She knew that Lu Fengping would do anything for Cui Lingxian. She had already said that she would only leave after obtaining enough wealth to live a free and comfortable life. Lu Fengping would naturally find a way to get it for her. However, since these things were arranged by Lu Fengping, if Lu Fengping had a backup plan to take them back, she would have gained nothing.

So Ping An only had to rest for half a day before he managed to find a broker, negotiated a lower price, and sold all the houses, shops, and fields. With all his money, he hired a carriage and left Qing Shi Town.

But after leaving Qing Shi Town, she fell into confusion, not knowing where to go. Born in the palace and raised in the cold palace, she was completely unfamiliar with the capital, let alone the world outside the capital. Where should she go? Where could she go?

Ping An didn't want to ask the driver, so she found a teahouse to rest and eavesdrop on the conversations of passersby to see if there was a good place to go. Then she overheard the conversation of two old ladies.

"You're going to Qingshui Town? You're so old, why would you go all the way to Qingshui Town?"

Another old lady replied with a hint of pride, "It's all because of my daughter. She married someone there, and she said it's a major transportation hub where merchants from all over the country stop. It's very lively, with great shows during festivals and temple fairs on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. She told me to go there and have some fun."

Ping An's thoughts stirred slightly.

Qingshui Town… that name sounds good. There are many merchants coming and going from the north and south, so wouldn’t she be able to find whatever she wants to eat or buy? There are also shows to watch and temple fairs to play at. Why doesn’t she go and have some fun? If it’s suitable, she can settle down there. If it’s not suitable, she can find a suitable place to settle down from the merchants coming and going from the north and south.

Ping An returned to the carriage and excitedly instructed the driver to head to Qingshui Town.

Seeing that they were heading in the right direction, the two 'old ladies' breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed their clothes to follow behind.

Upon arriving in Qingshui Town, Ping An hadn't even had a chance to find the broker when she heard from passersby about her 'death,' as well as the news that Cui Shenzhi had changed the dynasty, renamed the country An, and even adopted two sworn sisters.

One of the adopted sisters, surnamed Shen, was betrothed to Lu Fengping, a once-famous but now controversial physician, while the other adopted sister, surnamed Qiao, was betrothed to the minister Lin Yimo.

She paused for a moment, then laughed.

Cui Shenzhi was being far too hasty. The dynasty had already changed before the seven-day mourning period was even over. What would the world think? Even if no one said anything now, there would inevitably be conspiracy theories in later generations, saying that her 'death' was inseparable from Cui Shenzhi. Wasn't Cui Shenzhi worried at all? However, Cui Shenzhi might not care about that.

As for the country's name... "Peace and prosperity for the nation" is an auspicious name.

The two adopted sisters, one surnamed Shen and the other with Lu Fengping, must be Cui Lingxian. The other surnamed Qiao was betrothed to Lin Yimo. It seems that Qiao Siyu got what she wanted.

With her gone, everyone is happy and fulfilled.

No wonder she uncontrollably handed the bowl of sweet soup without the drug to Cui Shenzhi that night. It turns out she was blocking too many people's way, and everyone was eager for her to get out. In that case, Qingya should be extremely happy now, since she 'died' at the best time in terms of public opinion. Qingya no longer has to worry about her doing anything to damage Fu Yunjin's reputation.

However, she didn't lose out. Although she didn't gain any power or influence, she still had enough to eat and wear. Her future life was much better than when she was in the cold palace, having to be subservient to Guo Shu. It was all good.

Ping An looked up at the boundless sky, her expression a mixture of confusion, relief, and a faint hint of loss, so much so that she herself was unaware of it.

After a long while, Ping An, having recovered his senses, found the broker.

"I want to buy a house and a few shops here."

The broker from the Qiao family didn't ask any further questions after hearing the vague description. He smiled and nodded, then pretended to rummage around for a while before handing over the prepared item to Ping An.

"Madam, you've come at just the right time. The Li family, one of the wealthiest families in Qingshui Town, is in a hurry to move due to business reasons. Their houses and shops are being sold at a discount. Do you have any that interest you?"

Ping An took the booklet and looked at it, his eyes filled with confusion.

She knew nothing about the number of courtyards in a house, its layout, the number of floors in a street-facing shop, or what kind of business it was suitable for.

The broker, having already received instructions, remained unfazed by Ping An's bewildered expression and said with utmost consideration and respect, "Madam, shall I take you to see her?"

"good."

The broker quickly found a sedan chair and took Ping An for a tour of the house prepared by the Qiao family, and then to the shops prepared by the Qiao family.

Ping An didn't know how much those shops and houses were worth, or whether she had enough silver notes to buy them. In short, she bought whatever she thought was good. The Qiao family's brokers would naturally know better and push the prices down to a level that Ping An could afford without being strapped for cash.

As for the servants, Cui Shenzhi and Qiao Siyu had already made preparations. The broker led Ping An to choose from the people she could pick. The maids were all trained by the Qiao family and were very good at reading people and doing things their way. The servants were all Cui Shenzhi's secret guards, always putting Ping An's safety first.

The cook was hired by the Qiao family at great expense. No matter what kind of dish Ping An wanted to eat, the cook could quickly prepare it. As for the makeup artist and embroiderer, they were always on standby. As long as Ping An gave the order, they would do her makeup and sew new clothes for her day and night.

She no longer needed to get up before dawn to attend court with Cui Shenzhi at the Taihe Hall, nor did she need to accompany Cui Shenzhi to handle government affairs in the Qianqing Palace or argue with the ministers. Instead, she could sleep until she naturally woke up, wash up, eat and drink her fill, and then go for a stroll outside. She would either go to a jewelry store, a clothing store, or go to the opera house to join in the fun and listen to the opera, or browse the roadside stalls. Her life couldn't be more comfortable.

With such thoughtful care, Ping An, who was feeling down, quickly recovered her spirits.

However, such good days did not last long before setbacks occurred.