Yanxi Palace.
After Zhen Huan left, An Lingrong could no longer bear the abdominal cramps and collapsed to her knees, knocking over the plate of bitter almonds on the table.
Her cheeks were swollen and red, a punishment personally ordered by the emperor, who made the palace servants slap her every day.
She was insecure her whole life, and what she cared about most was her self-esteem. Yet, her final fate was so humiliating, devoid of any dignity.
An Lingrong recalled her absurd and pathetic life, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Her breath was weak, and her words came out in breathy whispers: "This life, this breath, has never been in my own hands. This time, I can finally take control of my own destiny."
As the poison was about to take effect, she closed her eyes as if relieved.
If there is an afterlife, she never wants to enter this cannibalistic Forbidden City again.
As An Lingrong breathed her last, her soul left her body and saw a strangely dressed woman.
"Hello, my name is Fugui. I can tell you were quite unwilling before you died. Let's make a deal."
"But I have nothing, nothing to give you."
An Lingrong was not afraid of wealth and status. She had nothing to lose, so what else was there to lose besides her life?
Fu Gui raised a finger and shook it: "No, no, no, don't worry. Since I came to you, I definitely want what you have."
An Lingrong asked, "What do you want? And what can you give me?"
Fu Gui countered, "What do you want?"
An Lingrong stated her wish, and Fugui clapped his hands: "Easy, leave it to me."
Fu Gui also made his own request, adding at the end, "I know you're an expert in this field, you must know the recipe."
An Lingrong nodded: "That's right, I know. But I have to warn you, it's not a good thing, you'll see what happened to me."
Fu Gui laughed heartily: "It's alright, it's alright. Times have changed. You have no idea how popular that thing would be in later generations. It would be priceless."
She looked An Lingrong up and down: "What a pity, you were born in the wrong place. If you had been born in that era, you would have lived a better life than anyone else."
A master of embroidery, perfumery, ice skating, and herbal medicine; possessing exceptional intelligence, a strong learning ability, and a heavenly voice.
Anything he pulls out is a top-tier item, deserving of the title of intangible cultural heritage master.
She'd be someone who could make the entire audience lights up if she participated in The Voice of China.
Such a configuration in modern times would make one feel inferior, and even if one didn't walk sideways, one would have to admit to being humble.
It's a pity she was born in the wrong era; all her amazing talents were wasted competing with countless women for the emperor's fleeting favor—a complete waste of her potential.
She wasn't the protagonist who would have the last laugh; she was trapped in the Forbidden City, slowly withering away.
Looking back on her life, it is clear that humility was ingrained in her very being, and she had no control over her own destiny whatsoever.
An Lingrong said, "Okay, I promise you."
The deal was struck, and a small golden pagoda appeared in Fugui's hand.
She used her spiritual senses to communicate with Ata: "Ata, get to work."
In another dimension, the little kid reluctantly said, "Okay."
Ata has advanced; this is a Chaos Tower clone he cultivated. It is not as powerful as the main body, but it can be controlled by him as a medium.
The child was so precious that it was only after Qi An spoke up that the money was lent to Fugui.
The tower began to spin rapidly, and a blinding golden light flashed before An Lingrong's eyes. She closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back on the day of the talent show, and she saw Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang smiling brightly.
An Lingrong's eyes welled up with tears; she had actually traveled back to the past.
At that time, they had no conflicts or barriers. Although she felt somewhat inferior in front of them, she still wanted to be close to them.
Thinking about what happened later, An Lingrong felt complicated and couldn't explain her feelings towards the two of them.
After a long pause, she walked up to Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang and bowed respectfully: "My apologies, elder sisters."
That "I'm sorry" was the only thing she could say to them.
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang quickly helped her up and asked her why she apologized for no reason, but An Lingrong changed the subject.
As the three chatted and laughed, Zhen Huan picked a crabapple blossom and tucked it into her hair.
An Lingrong reached out and touched the crabapple blossom. In her past life, she had longed to be selected, but the emperor had not taken a liking to her.
Just when she was feeling disappointed, the crabapple blossom in her hair attracted butterflies, which also piqued the emperor's interest, and she finally got what she wanted.
In the end, she and Zhen Huan fought to the death, and it's unknown whether she regretted her unintentional actions that day.
The talent show finally began. An Lingrong walked forward with the crowd, and behind her, the pink begonia fell to the ground.
A gust of wind blew, and the petals scattered in all directions.
One of the petals was carried by the wind, drifting over the vermilion palace walls and flying into the vast world.
An hour later, An Lingrong stood timidly before the emperor. The eunuch announced loudly, "An Lingrong, put down your plaque and be granted flowers."
An Lingrong breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She was finally leaving this cannibalistic Forbidden City, whose endless palace walls were her lifelong nightmare.
After bidding farewell to Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang and offering them a few more reminders, An Lingrong left the palace.
She and these two people will probably never see each other again in this lifetime.
I wish them the best of luck in the end, and that they get what they want.
At the palace gate, An Lingrong looked up at the sun in the sky, feeling the free wind brushing against her cheeks, and the pent-up frustration in her chest was swept away.
She should enjoy this beautiful sunshine.
An Lingrong straightened her back, relaxed her shoulders, and raised her head, which had always been lowered. Her timid and petty demeanor quickly disappeared.
She wanted to live her life for herself.
Fu Gui watched her departing figure and waved.
"Mission accomplished, time to go back and find Sister An'an."
At this moment, Qi An was sitting in a small restaurant, looking at the table full of small bowls and plates, utterly speechless.
"Isn't this just a side dish? Can this stuff fill you up?"
Ata said, "It looks quite appetizing, all red and spicy. Why don't you try some, boss?"
Qi An took a bite and ate it, his brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a fly.
"These look like eight dishes, but they all taste the same. Why waste so many bowls and plates? It would be better to just put them in one bowl and not have to wash so many dishes."
Ata chuckled: "Maybe they just like the sense of ritual."
Finally, a bowl of ramen was served.
Qi An looked pale and sickly: "Have I really fallen so low that I have to live on instant noodles?"
Ata whispered, "Boss, this country is resource-poor, and the food is always the same few things. Do you think this is China? Just make do."
Qi An threw down his chopsticks: "I'm not eating anymore, it's all pickled vegetables, which are carcinogenic."
Ata: "..." Are you kidding me? You're going to get cancer?
After searching for a while, Qi An finished his lunch with fried chicken in one hand and iced cola in the other.
Ata also ate with relish: "Actually, boss, this isn't much healthier than that table of kimchi."
"At least it's meat. If you don't want it, just throw it away. I'll buy you kimchi instant noodles."
Ata stuffed the rest of the fried chicken into his mouth in one bite.
After finishing her meal, Qi An bought a watermelon, cut it in half, and sat on a bench eating it with a spoon, while passersby kept staring at her.
Qi An was completely baffled. It was just eating a watermelon; what was there to see?
Later, she realized how luxurious it was for someone to eat a whole watermelon here.
This time, the person making the prayer was a Korean, a girl from South Korea.
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