Chapter 8 Reborn! Please, just live! I…
For the seventh time, Qi Jingxuan subconsciously stopped Shen Yan from committing suicide, but then he didn't know what to do next.
He had tried every possible method before, and last time he even managed to reach his fiefdom, but in the end he still couldn't escape death.
It seemed like the other party had some kind of blood feud with him, a fight to the death, and was determined to get rid of him.
In the main hall, the emperor listened to the accusations of his ministers, and looking at his son's "whatever you say, I don't care" attitude, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
He knew his son all too well. Although he was unreliable and caused trouble all the time, he would never do anything to humiliate a respectable woman, let alone the daughter of a court official.
Moreover, even if he had really caused trouble, he would usually try to find a way to exonerate himself and defend himself. Today, he was probably framed, so why did he become so silent and let others throw mud at him?
Just as everyone was about to determine the guilt of the Prince of Jin, the emperor could no longer sit still. Ignoring the objections of his ministers, he ordered the Prince of Jin to be dragged to a side hall alone.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you saying anything? Could it be... could it be that what they said is true? Did you really get drunk and take advantage of Miss Shen?"
Qi Jingxuan stared blankly and slowly shook his head, indicating no.
"If you haven't, why don't you defend yourself? Your demeanor is as if you're admitting it, making it impossible for me to clear your name!"
Qi Jingxuan remained stunned, muttering, "It's no use saying anything; we'll all die anyway."
Since that's the case, why waste time arguing?
Seeing that he looked utterly hopeless and muttering about being dead, the emperor was furious and slapped him on the head.
"What nonsense are you spouting? How can you say you're going to die? If your mother hears this, she'll think I'm not protecting you!"
Upon hearing the words "Mother Consort," Qi Jingxuan's blank expression finally softened.
His throat tightened, his eyes reddened, and he finally burst into tears, recounting his previous experiences, including the last one.
Finally, he sobbed, "Do you understand now? No matter what I do, it's useless. As long as Shen Yan dies, I will surely die. Even if you send someone to safely deliver me to my fiefdom, I will still die."
"And Shen Yan... I've tried so many times, whether it's having her parents watch over her, or having someone else watch over her, she always dies in the end. Once she dies..."
At this point, Qi Jingxuan couldn't help but shed tears again, kneeling at the emperor's feet and clutching his robes, crying, "Your son will no longer be able to serve you and Mother. Mother is unwell; please, Father, take good care of her and don't let her grieve for your son. In my next life..."
When the topic of the next life came up, he choked up again, and his sobs grew louder.
There's no such thing as a next life; he'll be trapped in this timeline for all eternity.
The emperor was bewildered and only believed two-tenths of what he said. This belief stemmed from the fact that the man's explanation was detailed and reasonable, and did not seem to be something he had made up on the spot.
Hearing the crying from inside the main hall, Lin Chengfeng and the others felt that Prince Jin was deliberately showing weakness to the emperor in an attempt to gain his favor and protection. To prevent the emperor from believing Prince Jin's sophistry, they had already sent eunuchs to urge him two or three times.
The emperor left the side hall with a solemn expression, glanced at the people in the hall, but ultimately said nothing. Instead, he readily issued an edict to confine Prince Jin to his residence to await further instructions.
But as the officials were preparing to leave, he kept Lin Chengfeng behind for a private conversation.
No one knows what the two said, but after Lin Chengfeng returned from the palace, he selected two maids from his own home and sent them to the Shen family to help take care of Madam Shen and Shen Yan. The palace also sent a royal physician to show its concern for the Shen family.
A few days later, with no progress in the matter, some students from poor families gathered on Imperial Street to "seek justice" for the Shen family.
The emperor ordered the imperial guards to drive the people away, and to prevent them from being injured, he specifically instructed them to remove their swords beforehand.
The imperial guards carried neither swords nor clubs, and pushed and shoved to disperse the crowd on the Imperial Street.
Because they were unarmed, no bloodshed occurred at the scene, and the students were quickly driven away. However, about half a day later, news suddenly came from an academy in the capital that one of their students had been beaten by the Imperial Guards and suffered internal injuries, which he could not cure.
The coroner's examination confirmed that the student died from internal bleeding. According to his classmates, he felt unwell after returning from the Imperial Street that day and had been resting in the dormitory without going out again. Therefore, the internal injuries must have been caused by being beaten during a dispute with the Imperial Guards.
The Imperial Guards killed a student, causing an uproar at several major academies. Students went on strike and took to the streets, demanding an explanation from the imperial court.
In order to expedite the investigation, the Dali Temple wanted to summon witness Shen Yan to the prefectural government office. However, Lin Chengfeng, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, learned of this and said that Shen Yan was a victim and not an ordinary witness. He suggested that the prefectural government should send someone to the Shen family to question her.
The Dali Temple officials who proposed bringing Shen Yan to the government office dared not object and immediately ordered someone to go to the Shen family.
The matter continued to rage for several days, and the calls for severe punishment of Prince Jin grew louder in the capital, but the emperor refused to budge, citing insufficient evidence.
While the situation remained deadlocked, a fire suddenly broke out at the Shen family's residence one night without any apparent cause. If it weren't for the alert maid sent by the Lin family who wasn't fast asleep and immediately woke everyone up and escaped upon seeing the flames, the Shen family of three, along with the others, would likely have perished in the fire.
The Lin family maid, still shaken by the fire, was relieved to have escaped with her life when she discovered that Shen Yan was missing.
Everyone was in a panic and searched everywhere, but eventually found only a body in a nearby well.
The following day, rumors spread throughout the capital that the fire was set by Prince Jin's men in order to get rid of Miss Shen.
Miss Shen knew that Prince Jin was after her, and in order not to implicate her parents, she chose to commit suicide even though she had already escaped.
In no time, Shen Yan's reputation for filial piety spread throughout the capital. The incidents of Prince Jin drunkenly abusing virtuous women and the emperor sending imperial guards to injure people in order to protect Prince Jin once again stirred up a storm in the streets and alleys. The Qi royal family was subjected to verbal and written attacks by literati.
To appease public anger, the emperor finally relented, demoting the Prince of Jin to a county prince and sending him out of the capital to his fief.
When Qi Jingxuan learned of this news, he was already numb. Even when he entered the palace to bid farewell to the emperor, he still had a dejected look on his face, as if to say, "I knew it, just as I thought."
Seeing his pathetic state, the emperor almost couldn't resist slapping him again, but he held back because Lin Chengfeng was there.
That day, after Qi Jingxuan told him that "nonsense" about repeated rebirths, the emperor did not believe it, but just in case, he still kept Lin Chengfeng behind and told him the same "nonsense".
Lin Chengfeng naturally didn't believe it, finding it utterly absurd. How much must the emperor dote on his own son to believe such nonsense?
However, out of caution, he still agreed to send two maids to the Shen family, in case anything happened to Shen Yan.
Unexpectedly, what happened next matched Qi Jingxuan's "absurd" remarks one by one.
Some impoverished students gathered and caused trouble on the Imperial Street. Even though the Imperial Guards drove them away without weapons, a "death" still occurred in the end.
Afterwards, several major academies went on strike, and the Dali Temple, in order to make progress in the case, wanted to summon Shen Yan to the prefectural government office for questioning...
Fortunately, Lin Chengfeng had already become suspicious of the Dali Temple because of Qi Jingxuan's words, and sent people to keep a close watch in advance, which stopped the incident in time. Otherwise, Shen Yan might have died that day.
Since everything Qi Jingxuan said had come true, the emperor and Lin Chengfeng were now convinced that someone was behind the trouble and were relentlessly investigating the truth by following the known clues.
Just when they had a few clues, a fire broke out at the Shen family's residence, and Miss Shen committed suicide by jumping into a well.
Everything seemed to have returned to its original state. Under the pressure of the court, even with Lin Chengfeng's support, the emperor could no longer keep Prince Jin in the capital.
But the Prince of Jin is his son, and he cannot simply ignore the fact that the Prince of Jin has been framed. So, the reason he summoned him to the palace today to "take his leave" was actually to give him some other instructions.
The emperor gave Qi Jingxuan some instructions, which Qi Jingxuan initially listened to blankly. But as he listened, his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Father, you're so smart! Otherwise, why would you be the emperor!"
The emperor was speechless, while Lin Chengfeng, standing to the side, frowned with a look of disgust.
To prevent the planned scheme from being discovered in advance, the emperor did not allow Qi Jingxuan to stay in the palace for long. After he went to bid farewell to Consort Shu, he let him leave the palace.
The next day, Qi Jingxuan left the capital. This time, he did not bring many people with him, nor did he have three thousand elite soldiers. He was just a regular prince.
On the way, Qi Jingxuan was indeed attacked again. A group of assassins rushed out from the side of the mountain road and headed straight for the man wearing a helmet who was surrounded by guards.
But in reality, the man was just a guard in disguise. The real Qi Jingxuan had already disguised himself as a servant of the Prince's mansion and pretended to be scared during the assassination attempt, escaping into the nearby mountains and forests.
Several other guards, also disguised as servants, "escaped" with him. Their duty was to protect Qi Jingxuan, take him to the nearest safe location, and then, together with the people waiting there, escort him back to the capital.
Once back in the capital, with overwhelming evidence and witnesses, Qi Jingxuan's assassination will be an indisputable fact. Even if Shen Yan's situation remains unclear, he can be kept in the capital until the assassin's case is thoroughly investigated.
Based on his account of his past life, it appears that the people who assassinated him were the same group who framed him for abusing Shen Yan. They deliberately used Shen Yan to frame him in order to force him out of the capital and assassinate him.
In other words, once the assassin was identified, his affair with Shen Yan was also solved, and all suspicion against him was cleared.
Qi Jingxuan fled swiftly through the forest, the shouts of battle fading into the distance behind him, and the piercing sound that clung to him like a bone-deep sore no longer followed him relentlessly.
The more he ran, the brighter his eyes became, convinced that he would finally escape this damned cycle. He even had time to recall that the archer, despite being shielded by a shield, had managed to pinpoint his location among the infantry's legs; it was probably because his shoes were different from the others.
Even though he wore similar black boots to the others for convenience, his shoes were much cleaner than those of the guards who either rode horses or walked, as he always rode in a carriage.
Among a pile of dusty shoes, this pair, spotless, is sure to stand out.
If the guards hadn't reminded him to change his shoes when he changed into the servants' attire, he wouldn't have remembered this.
Qi Jingxuan, panting, patted the shoulder of the guard beside him as he ran: "Brothers, you guys are really experienced!"
The guard felt a little uneasy being called "brother," and gave an awkward smile. Just as he was about to say something polite, his ears suddenly twitched.
"Someone is chasing us."
He whispered, then pushed Qi Jingxuan forward and instructed the others, "You take the Prince and keep going forward. We'll go and distract them."
The group responded in hushed tones and, without another word, led Qi Jingxuan on their way, while the guard led another person in the opposite direction.
Qi Jingxuan's heart tightened, and the slight sense of luck that had just arisen vanished quickly.
He had only escaped for a short time, how could he have been caught so quickly? Had his identity been discovered, or was the other party specifically pursuing him to eliminate him completely?
To prevent anyone from discovering that he had switched identities with someone else, it was indeed him who was initially sitting in the carriage, and it was also him who went down to wander around a few times wearing a helmet.
Later, as he moved further and further away from the capital, the forests along the official roads became denser, increasing the possibility of assassins hiding there. It was then that he found an opportunity to change his clothes and blend into the ranks of servants.
He was so cautious, yet he was discovered so quickly. Wasn't he incredibly unlucky?
Qi Jingxuan's face was pale and his lips were dry. He followed the guards in a daze, not knowing where to go. He hadn't run far when he heard a whooshing sound behind him, followed by a cry of pain.
Qi Jingxuan's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down on the spot.
Here he comes! The archer is here again!
Several more whooshing sounds rang out as his guards fell to the ground, struck in the legs by arrows, unable to continue escorting him forward.
Amidst shouts of "Your Highness, run!", Qi Jingxuan fled in a panic, stumbling and tumbling down the hillside. An arrow missed its mark, whistling past the spot where he had just run.
As Qi Jingxuan rolled down the hillside, he felt dizzy and disoriented until his back slammed into a tree with a thud.
He felt dizzy and awkwardly knelt up, looking up at the top of the hillside as if he sensed something.
In the setting sun, a person stood upright, his features obscured, drawing a bow with an upright posture.
Thinking of how he had died at this man's hands seven times, and was about to be shot dead for the eighth time, Qi Jingxuan choked up and couldn't help but look up to the sky and cry out, "Heavens!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than an arrow pierced his head, pinning him to a tree.
In his last moments before dying, Qi Jingxuan vaguely saw a bluish-black mark on the man's left forehead through his blurred vision.
………………
When he opened his eyes again and returned to the courtyard of the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, Qi Jingxuan instinctively rushed over and stopped Shen Yan from committing suicide.
Shen Yan's hairpin was taken away, and she wished for death but could not. She cried and tried to break free, but suddenly felt something dripping onto her face.
She looked up blankly and saw that the Prince of Jin also had red eyes and tears streaming down his face. He was looking at her with a sob in his eyes, as if he had a thousand grievances but didn't know how to express them.
Shen Yan was confused, but Prince Jin suddenly knelt down, hugged her legs, and wailed, "Grandma, please, live well! I really beg you..."
Suddenly, someone grabbed Shen Yan's leg, and she panicked, "You...you let go of me."
Qi Jingxuan shook his head, still holding her legs tightly: "I won't let go, I can't let go, if I let go you'll die..."
Shen Yan is only sixteen this year. She has never experienced anything like this before. Moreover, in her memory, Prince Jin was very arrogant and domineering. In her previous life, he had clearly mocked her in this situation. How could he have become like this now?
"You...you get up first."
Shen Yan was unable to break free, so she had no choice but to speak for the time being.
Qi Jingxuan, however, refused to let go, crying uncontrollably and heartbroken: "I won't get up unless you agree!"
Eight times already! Eight times! Who can bear to die like this over and over again? Even a quick death would be better than being torn between life and death!
Shen Yan struggled several times but couldn't pull her leg back, while the footsteps in the courtyard grew closer and closer, and the door creaked open.
A chill ran through her as the image of collapsed houses in the snowstorm and blood seeping from beneath the rubble flashed before her eyes, turning her face deathly pale.
Xu Jinyu pushed the door open and saw Qi Jingxuan kneeling on the ground, tightly hugging a woman's legs, his face covered in tears and snot, which had dirtied the girl's skirt.
He was stunned for a moment, and stammered, "What...what are you doing?"
Qi Jingxuan was about to say "I did nothing wrong" as he had done before, but for some reason, a thought flashed through his mind, and he grabbed Shen Yan's leg with one hand and waved the other behind him, shouting to the newcomer, "It was me! I kidnapped her! I love Miss Shen, and after getting drunk, I forcibly kidnapped her to the front yard and bullied her! It's all my fault, it has nothing to do with Miss Shen!"
He then abruptly turned his head back to look at Shen Yan: "Miss Shen, I love you. Marry me! I will definitely take responsibility for you, in this life and the next, and in all the next life!"
Since no matter who he handed Shen Yan over to, it wouldn't stop her from committing suicide, he would do it himself this time!
He refused to believe that he could kill her again, even if he personally watched her day and night without blinking an eye.
A note from the author:
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