After the heavy rain, the air felt damp.

Inside the quiet pavilion, Shang Changge and Shang Changze sat playing chess.

There was no one around. Qingyao and the others stood guard about thirty paces away.

Those guards, assassins, and secret agents with better hearing retreated to even more distant positions.

"Clatter".

The soft white stone that Shang Changze played made a crisp sound as it landed on the chessboard, a pleasant sound in the quiet environment.

No one spoke around them; only the chirping of birds and insects could be heard from among the flowers and grass.

Shang Changge didn't care about winning or losing, or rather, she simply didn't know how to play chess.

One thing he can do is follow the original owner's memories, copying and applying what he's learned on the spot, casually placing a black stone.

Looking at the chessboard with its crisscrossing pieces, he picked up the enigmatic chess piece and began to deceive the beautiful younger brother.

Shang Changge: "Has Aze ever heard of rebirth?"

Shang Changze paused, his hand still holding Bai Zi, not understanding why his older sister would suddenly bring up something that only appeared in folk tales.

Recalling what her elder sister had told her about precognitive dreams and the third eye, she hesitated for a long time before saying:

"I have heard of it; some storytellers who tell strange tales have mentioned it."

Shang Changge didn't respond, just quietly looked at Shang Changze.

Shang Changze never believed in such fantastical and strange tales, but his sister's dream did indeed happen.

For example, there were spies planted by his father, and several ministers in the court who seemed to support him but actually harbored ulterior motives.

Or perhaps his elder sister said that the Southern Liang and Jin Lou would unite to rebel two years later, and he used this to unravel the mystery.

As expected, Xiao Ji captured the Southern Liang general, who had been hiding his identity in the capital city for half a year, at the Drunken Flower Pavilion.

Pile and piece,

Forcing Shang Changze to believe it, he remained silent for a long time before looking at Shang Changge and guessing:

"Could it be that my elder sister did not open her third eye, but was reborn?"

The word "rebirth" weighed heavily on Shang Changze's heart when he uttered it. Rebirth, rebirth—how can one be reborn without dying?

So the day my sister's food was poisoned...

No wonder my sister changed so much after she woke up, no wonder she suddenly knew martial arts, no wonder she didn't let him ask too many questions...

Shang Changge: "Yes."

He admitted it with absolute certainty, showing no shame whatsoever for repeatedly deceiving the beautiful younger brother.

Without batting an eye, he recited a series of prepared statements, trying to deceive her:

"My elder sister lived two lives. In her previous life, she died on the day her food was poisoned..."

Shang Changge put herself in the original owner's shoes and went on and on about the script she had in her hands to Shang Changze.

To avoid suspicion, he previously only said that he had developed a third eye and dreamt of some future events.

It doesn't recount every event from the original story, such as the tragic death of the beautiful younger brother and Shang Rui's ascension to the throne.

Things are different now.

Shang Rui is a reborn person; she must tell Shang Changze this, and she must let Shang Changze know the whole plot.

This way, the chances of winning the succession battle will be greater, and the beauty's younger brother will be more wary of Shang Rui.

But she couldn't say that she was an outsider who transmigrated into the book and replaced the original owner, so she had to put herself in the original owner's shoes and say that she was also a reincarnated person.

Otherwise, what if Shang Changze turns his back on the original owner, given his feelings for her?

Why did she tell the handsome younger brother about the script? Why did she agree to stay and get engaged to Xiao Ji?

Isn't it all for the sake of Shang Changze ascending the throne in the future, so that he can give his 'elder sister' the greatest possible wealth, honor, freedom, and happiness?

So can you say that you are not the original owner?

cannot!

Otherwise, if her plans fall through, wouldn't all her efforts have been in vain?

She's not stupid, nor is she the kind of person who would selflessly dedicate herself; she wouldn't do something so foolish.

So what if she makes up stories about being a reincarnated person? Shang Rui was reborn, and so was she. Isn't that perfectly reasonable?

Shang Changge not only fabricated stories about being a reincarnated person, but also added fuel to the fire by making things up.

After recounting all the original plot points from the book, he also shared his own guesses and thoughts with Shang Changze.

Shang Changge: "This struggle for the throne has resulted in the loss of many capable ministers in the court."

After his third brother ascended the throne, he neglected state affairs and indulged in sensual pleasures all day long.

The people were filled with resentment, and riots broke out frequently in the region. Seeing this, other countries took advantage of the situation and launched a joint uprising.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the court was soon besieged by armies from various countries, and my Qingyan Kingdom was destroyed.

To fit the occasion,

Shang Changge's eyes reddened, and with a wave of her hand, she completely shattered and disrupted the chessboard where the two pieces were facing each other.

The game of chess is no more, just like the Qingyan Dynasty that she spoke of ultimately perishing.

For a very long time,

Shang Changze remained silent; the cheerful chirping of birds and insects still lingered among the flowers, plants, and shrubs surrounding the pavilion.

In contrast, the pavilion was eerily quiet and oppressively silent.

Shang Changze: "Sister, what you said... is all true."

Shang Changze's statement wasn't a question, but rather an expression of his unwillingness to believe.

Who would believe that a glorious and prosperous dynasty would collapse and cease to exist in just a few years, especially...

He, Shang Changze, is the crown prince of Qingyan.

He was designated as the crown prince at birth, and from a young age, he was taught the ways of being a ruler and the fundamentals of governing a country.

From a young age, I clearly understood the responsibilities I bore, and all my ambitions were for Qingyan.

Tell him now,

His elder sister will die, his mother will die, and he will die a tragic death.

Those capable and extraordinary officials who followed and supported him were all eventually executed and beheaded.

All of this was done by the Emperor to remove obstacles for his third brother.

However,

The third brother ascended the throne a few years ago, and Qingyan was destroyed by the iron cavalry of another country.

This is absolutely a huge joke!

They, Qingyan, were ultimately destroyed by their own hands!

The most ridiculous thing is that even so, the third brother was able to be reborn. Heaven really does favor the third brother as always!

Shang Changge, being an outsider, didn't have as many feelings or experiences as Shang Changze.

He gave an affirmative answer, and then went on to say that it was all just nonsense to fool the beautiful young man:

"If my sister hadn't had a second chance, how would she know so much?"

I lied to you before, saying I had gained a third eye and could foresee the future, because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept such an absurd fact as rebirth.

"But on the very day that the imperial decree for my third brother's marriage was issued, my elder sister noticed something was wrong with him."

Just yesterday, I confirmed that my third brother was also a reincarnated person.

So even though these things may be cruel to you, your older sister has to tell you these facts.

Shang Changge placed the black stone he had been playing with back into the chess box and looked directly at Shang Changze:

"Your elder sister knows that you have always been kind and gentle, and have never had any rebellious thoughts such as patricide or harming your siblings."

But sometimes you have to be ruthless and decisive, just like how our father didn't hesitate to kill our mother, and even you and me, for the sake of our third brother.

Shang Changge deliberately made her fingers tremble slightly, then suddenly reached out and gripped Shang Changze's wrist tightly, her voice trembling, as if filled with both fear and resentment:

“Aze, my sister has already died once. She can die a second time, and she can die a second time.”

But I never want to experience that lingering resentment and wandering soul after death again, watching helplessly as you all died tragically one after another.

We watched helplessly as our Qingyan people were destroyed, our nation ruined, our homes destroyed, and we were displaced, yet we were powerless to stop this suffering.

"So in this life, I hope that the person who will ultimately sit in that position is you!"

This wasn't the first time Shang Changge had said these things, nor was it the first time she had instilled this kind of thinking in her beautiful younger brother.

Yes, she did it on purpose.

To put it nicely, she was training a ruthless and decisive emperor.

To put it bluntly, she was manipulating Shang Changze's mindset.

For what? For personal gain.

If it were any other matter unrelated to life and death, then her actions would undoubtedly be hateful and wrong.

But this is a power struggle where the victor takes all and the loser is condemned; knowing full well that mercy will lead to a tragic end...

She felt her approach was reasonable. In a fight where it's either you or me, if you can win, why choose to lose?