Chapter 2 Strategies

Summary: After rebirth, her family was still broken and she entered the palace and was forced to get involved in a fight.

From a slave in the laundry department to the emperor's side,

The real competition has just begun.

The strategy for being a queen is not only to protect the country, but also to win the heart of the king:

If you want me to live and die with you, please get rid of all the desires for me!

Preview:

Early summer of the 24th year in Qingyang

Liu Mengting, the prime minister of Dongxing State, was used as a scapegoat by the fifth prince Zhao Ziqing, who fully supported him, because he participated in the dispute over the throne among the princes. The entire Liu family was executed.

In May of the same year, Qin Ruhai, the Minister of Rites of the Daewoo Kingdom, was framed and imprisoned. He died in prison soon after. His family was also implicated. The men were exiled to the frontier and the women were taken into the palace as slaves.

"Hurry up, drink if you want to drink, otherwise follow me! How long are you going to dawdle?" A rude and impatient scolding suddenly rang out, followed by a chaotic and panicked cry.

What a noise! ​​Why is my brain, which shouldn't feel anything anymore, still sending waves of pain? Isn't it said that when you die, you know nothing?

Liu Ruyun finally opened her eyes, and in her daze, she was shocked by what she saw. The unfamiliar hall was filled with people.

There were soldiers with swords, middle-aged men in official uniforms, and six or seven crying women standing or sitting. She herself was sitting alone, leaning crookedly on a chair nearby, and the pain on the back of her head was becoming more and more real.

She tried to sit up a little, but as soon as she moved, all eyes in the room were on her.

"Yu'er, are you okay?" A woman in her thirties, dressed in fine clothes, quickly approached her. Her face was dignified, her brows furrowed. Her cold hands tightly grasped hers, her worry evident.

Yu'er? Isn't she Liu Ruyun? Who are these people? Why do they all look so sad?

Liu Ruyun was stunned for a moment, her mind in a mess, completely confused as to what had happened. Was she dead or alive? Was she Liu Ruyun or the Yu'er the woman was talking about?

"Oh, Miss Qin Wu is not dead yet. She was fighting and making a lot of noise just now. I was wondering how she could have died so easily after just a slight push."

The rude voice sounded again, but this time it was filled with sarcasm and disdain.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Liu Ruyun's head suddenly twitched before she could take a closer look. Then, different pictures flashed by one after another, gradually forming a strange yet complete memory.

Her consciousness became clearer and clearer, and the expression on her face became more and more complicated.

After a while, the memories that suddenly filled her mind and everything she saw before her clearly told her a fact that she had to believe - she was resurrected! Carrying the memories of her past life and the injustice of the eighty-three dead souls of the Liu family, she was reborn into the body of this woman named Qin Yu.

She breathed a sigh of relief and tried to calm herself down. She had always been a calm person, and now that she had even died before, nothing could really scare her anymore.

Wide-eyed, Liu Ruyun scanned everyone around her, quickly taking in everything that was happening. Households raided, people arrested—a familiar scene. Only this one was even more brutal. The entire family of eighty-three was executed, no one spared.

"Sister, are you okay?"

Seeing that Qin Yu didn't say anything for a long time and her expression was unpredictable, the other women who looked younger stopped crying and asked her with sad faces.

"It makes no difference whether she's in trouble or not. If I were her, I would have just died and it would have been more comfortable. I wouldn't have to be as torn as you, unable to make up my mind for a long time." The middle-aged man spoke again, with a ruthless smile on his lips. He was so cold that it made people's hearts numb.

Sure enough, when those women heard this, the expressions on their faces immediately dimmed again, and the deep despair spread rapidly among them silently.

"Madam Qin, please make your choice quickly. I have other things to do and don't have time to waste here with you. If you don't have the courage to drink this wine, then just say it. The people in the palace are still waiting outside!" The middle-aged man seemed to have no patience left and yelled at Madam Qin who was standing next to Liu Ruyun in a bad tone.

After hearing this, Madam Qin sighed, slowly opened her hand to hold Liu Ruyun's, and walked towards the opposite table woodenly. On the table were several glasses of wine that had already been poured. Once it entered her throat, there was no longer any pain.

She no longer hesitated, reached out and picked up one of the cups, calmly bringing it to her lips. The women next to her started crying quietly again, but no one spoke up to stop them.

"Mom, don't drink!" Liu Ruyun stood up subconsciously, walked quickly to Mrs. Qin, and wanted to snatch the wine glass from her hand.

At this moment, she could no longer tell whether she was Qin Yu or Liu Ruyun, but the word "mother" came out naturally in her subconscious.

She knew that Qin Yu's consciousness was at work at that moment. But even if Qin Yu's thoughts weren't at work, she didn't want to see the same scene happen again.

Madam Qin paused, glanced at Liu Ruyun, then at the others, a kind and relieved smile on her face. "Yu'er, you're all grown up now. Whether to live or die, to go or stay, you can make your own decisions. Your father died unjustly. He was too lonely on his way to the underworld. Mother is going to accompany him."

As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly poured the wine into her mouth. As soon as it entered her throat, she fell down with a plop.

"Mom!" Liu Ruyun hurriedly squatted down and was about to help her, but saw the two concubines wiped their tears and then picked up the wine and drank it.

Before they could say a word, the two sisters-in-law actually stretched out their hands and intended to drink the wine on the table.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, please don't do that! If you drink, you'll never see my brother and the others again." Liu Ruyun shouted at them, instinctively wanting to stop them. No matter what, there was always hope in life, but nothing in death.

"You can see him without drinking? What a joke! I've never heard of anyone being exiled to the frontier returning alive, let alone anyone who was enslaved in the palace due to a crime being able to leave alive!"

The middle-aged man said coldly, "Lord Li is kindhearted. He specifically ordered me to prepare these wines so that you can have a choice. After all, you are all noble masters. A dignified death is better than suffering in the palace."

The two sisters-in-law had already thought of committing suicide, and after hearing this, they no longer held any hope. They ignored the persuasion and drank the wine directly.

Liu Ruyun could no longer hold back the tears, silently falling. In just a few moments, five lives had already been laid to rest on the ground. She glanced at her sister, the only one still standing across from her. The woman, already pale with fear and weeping in despair, was staring at her tremblingly.

"Yu'er, I don't want to die. I don't want to die!" The voice, filled with fear of death and despair of life, echoed deep in Liu Ruyun's heart.

"Sister, we won't die, we will live well!" Liu Ruyun tried hard to force a smile, supported the trembling body, and tried to give her courage and strength.

"Yu'er, I'm afraid of death, but I don't want to enter the palace as a slave and suffer humiliation, which would be worse than death! I don't want to, I don't want to..." She murmured, and suddenly she didn't know where she got the courage from, she reached out and picked up a glass of wine, closed her eyes and drank it all.

"Sister..." Liu Ruyun hurriedly supported the body that was falling rapidly, and her vision was already blurred.

She knew that it was not easy for the Qin family to survive in their current situation, but since they were not afraid of death, why were they afraid of living? If you were all dead, who would pity you? Who would come to clear your name from the injustice you had suffered in this life?

She had absolutely no choice in her previous life and was destined to die. But at least you still have a chance to choose between life and death. Why give up so easily?

"Okay, Miss Qin Wu, there is still a cup on the table. Do you want to drink it or not?" The middle-aged man's relaxed tone sounded, forming a huge contrast with the corpses lying on the ground.

Liu Ruyun took a deep breath, gently placed the stilled figure in her arms on the ground, and silently wiped away the tears from her eyes. After a while, she stood up expressionlessly, staring motionlessly at the middle-aged man in front of her who looked completely indifferent.

The middle-aged man was taken aback by Liu Ruyun's sudden look, and a sense of fear suddenly rose in his heart. He glanced back and forth at the ground, paused, and then said, "Why are you looking at me like that? They wanted to drink this on their own. I didn't force them to drink it."

Seeing that Liu Ruyun hadn't said anything for a long time, the middle-aged man frowned and shouted at her angrily, "What are you still dawdling about? This official kindly advises you to drink quickly and go with them as soon as possible, so as to avoid going to the palace alone to suffer that punishment. If you die then, it will be more difficult than it is now..."

With a bang, the middle-aged man hadn't even finished his words when Liu Ruyun lifted the last glass of wine high up and dropped it to the ground, splattering it. The scattered debris and the bubbling poisonous liquid made the entire hall suddenly dead silent.

"You, you..." The middle-aged man's face turned green. This Qin Yu was really bold. Not drinking would be fine, but she even dared to throw the cup in front of him. "Well, since you don't appreciate Lord Li's kindness, then I won't force you. If you find yourself in a dilemma, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"

"I can't afford this favor, and I don't want this opportunity." Liu Ruyun spoke coldly, and her eyes looking at the middle-aged man became colder and colder.

She had already died once before, and now that she was reborn, no matter how difficult the road ahead was, she would continue to live well. She didn't want to continue the cowardice and helplessness of her previous life, and didn't want to repeat her previous fate and sorrow.

From now on, she is Qin Yu. She wants to live well, hoping that one day she can get out of the predicament and help Liu Ruyun and Qin Yu clear the grievances of these two lives.

"Humph, I didn't expect Qin Ruhai to have such a stubborn daughter." The middle-aged man said disdainfully: "You keep talking tough, but you'll have a lot of trouble to suffer in the future!"

"I have died once, so I am not afraid of death anymore. If I am not afraid of death, why would I be afraid of living?" She spoke word by word, without a trace of cowardice or fear in her eyes.

Whether before or now, she understands one thing: only by living can there be hope. As long as there is even the slightest chance, she will bravely choose to live.

"Come, take her away!" The middle-aged man snorted coldly. He didn't take Qin Yu's words to heart at all. He turned around and walked out.

"Don't touch me." She calmly glanced at the two soldiers who wanted to come and take her away, lowered her eyes and took one last look at the people lying on the ground, then resolutely walked away.