Chapter 2: I was reborn on this very day. ...
Spring weather is changeable; it may be sunny during the day, but suddenly it rains heavily at night.
The eaves lamp had long been blown out by the wind, leaving only a skeletal frame swaying precariously. Rainwater flowed down the eaves, forming a rapid stream that cascaded down the stone steps with a thud.
A deep rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, the wind grew stronger, and the rain poured down harder, like a tidal wave, covering the sky and the earth.
Lou Xueying opened her eyes on such a rainy night.
The room was damp and stuffy. She slowly sat up, panting heavily.
Listening to the pattering rain outside and looking at the hazy black shadows inside the house, I wondered, is this what it looks like after a person dies?
The next moment, the doorway lit up.
A maid came in from the outer room with a lamp lit. When she saw Lou Xueying sitting on the bed, she exclaimed, "Miss, were you also woken up by the thunder? I was also woken up by the thunder and couldn't fall back asleep, so I came to see you."
Lou Xueying stared blankly at her.
The maid walked up to Lou Xueying, bent down to look at her, and said with some surprise, "Oh, Miss, you're sweating a lot. I'll go get some water to wipe you down."
She put down the oil lamp and turned around, but Lou Xueying hugged her tightly.
"Cailing!" she choked out, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "You...you're here too...I missed you so much..."
"Miss, what are you talking about?" Cailing turned back with a confused look, frantically wiping away her tears. "Didn't we just see each other before bed?"
“It’s better to be dead…” Lou Xueying sobbed uncontrollably, “I’m finally free…”
"Miss, what nonsense are you talking about!" Cailing exclaimed in shock, covering her mouth and spitting out a few words. "What do you mean by dead or alive? We're all perfectly fine!"
Lou Xueying froze, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, reflecting fragmented light and shadow.
Cailing touched her forehead worriedly and muttered, "You don't have a fever... Miss, did you have a nightmare? Dreams are always the opposite of reality, so don't say such unlucky things. Calm down first, I'll go fetch some water."
Cai Ling's palms were very warm, and she had a shadow, so she wasn't a ghost.
She ran out quickly, leaving Lou Xueying alone on the bed, stunned.
She's not dead... But how could she not be dead... Since the late emperor passed away and she was imprisoned by the new emperor, she has never seen Cai Ling again. There is no doubt that she was killed by the new emperor.
And she herself...
Lou Xueying lowered her head and examined her hands by the candlelight. Her hands were long and slender, with a faint pink tinge at the fingertips, and even bright red nail polish on her nails—she only liked to dress herself up like this before she was married.
She raised her head again and slowly looked around.
So familiar, yet so strange, she never imagined she would one day return to her parents' home, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Perhaps... this is what a different world looks like.
She suddenly jumped out of bed, grabbed the oil lamp, and rushed to the dressing mirror.
The girl in the mirror had black hair, dark eyebrows, rosy lips, and full cheeks. Even without a trace of makeup, she looked like a beautifully crafted jade sculpture.
Lou Xueying slowly sat down on the dressing stool, pinched herself, her heart pounding like a drum.
She was reborn, reborn in her unmarried teenage years.
An innocent face, a healthy body, and a... soul riddled with wounds.
"Miss, why are you sitting here?" Cailing came in carrying a basin of water and a towel. She was puzzled for a moment, but didn't think much of it.
She lit a few more oil lamps, and the room was immediately brightened.
Lou Xueying sat up straight, letting Cailing wipe the sweat from her forehead and the back of her neck. She clasped her hands tightly on her knees, her throat bobbing several times before she finally asked, "Mother...and Father...and everyone...are you all alright?"
Cailing asked blankly, "What could be wrong? Didn't Miss just have dinner with them tonight? Are you perhaps worried that they'll be woken up in the night?"
Lou Xueying let out a soft sigh of relief, and slowly loosened her fist.
Even though she knew she wouldn't get the answer she wanted for that specific time, she still stubbornly asked, as if asking would put her mind at ease in that time.
"Miss, you should worry about yourself." Cailing looked at her with a worried expression. "When the day comes, you will have to attend the Grand Princess's flower-viewing banquet. Not to mention the rain, your eyes are all swollen from crying. Alas! How can you show your beauty like this!"
Lou Xueying shuddered suddenly.
"A flower-viewing banquet?" She looked up and asked Cailing in a trembling voice, "What year and what day is it now?"
“March 18th of the sixteenth year of Jinghui.” Cailing paused for a moment, then thought, “Oh, it’s past midnight, so it should be March 19th.”
March 19th, the sixteenth year of Jinghui. He had been reborn on this very day.
On this day, she met the new emperor—no, he was still the crown prince.
In the spring of her eighteenth year, the Grand Princess sent invitations to the ladies of various households, announcing that her Huaichang Garden was in full bloom and she would be hosting a flower-viewing banquet, inviting everyone to enjoy the beauty. However, while the flowers in Huaichang Garden bloomed every year, no flower-viewing banquet had ever been held before. Anyone with a modicum of sense could guess that the Crown Prince was coming of age this year, and after that, he should be married. This ostensibly flower-viewing banquet might actually be a meeting to find a spouse for the Crown Prince.
The Lou family had been prominent families for generations, with a strong academic tradition. Lou Xueying was of marriageable age, so it was natural that she would receive an invitation from the Grand Princess. She wasn't particularly keen on marriage, always feeling like a child herself. Her parents had spoiled her and kept her by their side, and she was already eighteen without a betrothal. However, since the Grand Princess had sent her an invitation, she couldn't very well refuse.
That day, just like now, it was raining heavily, and even into the daytime, there was no sign of it letting up.
She reluctantly boarded the carriage.
The streets were deserted, with hardly any pedestrians. The Grand Princess's Huaichang Garden was built specifically for appreciating flowers and trees, and it covered a vast area. Therefore, it was located in a corner of the capital. Even on a sunny day, it would take half an hour to drive from the Lou Mansion to Huaichang Garden.
Unfortunately, the weather turned bad, and Lou Xueying's carriage broke down on the way.
There was standing water on the ground, and the driver didn't see the road clearly. The wheels got stuck in a ditch and he couldn't push them out no matter what he did.
Lou Xueying and Cailing, each with an umbrella, stood under the eaves of a roadside house, watching the coachman busy in his raincoat, their faces grim.
Cai Ling said with concern, "With such heavy rain, we can't just walk over. But if we just wait here and it doesn't get fixed, wasting time is a small matter, but if we anger the Grand Princess and she thinks we broke our promise without reason, wouldn't that be a big problem?"
Just when they were at a loss, another carriage slowly drove up through the thick rain.
Two horses, both with thick, glossy coats, rode side by side. The carriage shafts were carved with patterns, incense balls hung from the four corners of the carriage, and even the curtains were made of brocade. Most importantly, several people, whether guards or servants, were attached to the back of the carriage. Such a entourage could not belong to a wealthy merchant, but rather to some noble family.
Lou Xueying was overjoyed.
Although there was no family crest and it was impossible to tell which family's carriage it belonged to, she was the eldest daughter of the Lou family, so the other party would surely not refuse her this courtesy. Moreover, it was raining heavily now, and those traveling on this road might also be women going to Huaichang Garden, so borrowing a carriage would be extremely convenient.
She lifted her skirt, held up her umbrella, and hurried onto the road.
The carriage stopped, and the driver looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Lou Xueying slightly raised the umbrella, looked at the tightly closed carriage curtain behind the driver, and said softly, "It is truly unfortunate to disturb you, and I hope you will understand. I am Lou Shu, the daughter of the Junior Supervisor. Today I am on my way to a banquet in the Grand Princess's garden, but the carriage has broken down, and I am in a dilemma. May I ask which household you belong to and where you are going? If it is convenient, could you give me a ride?"
The carriage curtain remained still for a moment, then someone lifted a corner of it.
The person sitting in the carriage was not a woman, but a man. He wore a jade crown, a rhinoceros horn belt, and a brocade robe with a bamboo shadow pattern. The hand he used to lift the curtain had distinct knuckles, indicating that he was a pampered young nobleman.
In the dim light, his features were sharp and refined, like a beautiful painting unfolding quietly before her eyes.
Her face flushed, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
The young man said, “Miss Lou, you are too kind. We are not going the same way, so it is not appropriate for us to ride in the same carriage. I am going to take care of some business, but I am not in a hurry. The Grand Princess cannot be neglected. If Miss Lou does not mind, you can take my carriage. My men can fix yours.”
She looked up in surprise, meeting his gentle, smiling gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she whispered, "How...how could you do this..."
"In times of emergency, one should act expediently; why worry about trivial matters?" He smiled and stood up from the carriage.
Lou Xueying eventually boarded the other party's carriage.
A faint, elegant fragrance lingered in the carriage, likely from the incense he had used. Blushing, she lifted the curtain and saw his men holding umbrellas, standing with him by the roadside. She felt even more embarrassed and said, "Young master hasn't told me which household we live in yet. I'll have someone return the carriage once the rain stops."
He shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Meeting is fate, there's no need to repay it."
Lou Xueying arrived at Huaichang Garden on time that day, but it was pouring rain and the petals were falling. The original place was no longer suitable for staying, so the noble ladies who were vying for attention had to squeeze into the narrow pavilion corridor to have a banquet. In the end, the Crown Prince did not appear, and everyone went home after staying in Huaichang Garden for a short time.
The flower-viewing banquet was actually a matchmaking event, which was just everyone's speculation. The Grand Princess had never said that the Crown Prince would come. Lou Xueying didn't care that she didn't see the Crown Prince, but she often leaned against the window, wondering which family the young man she had seen that day belonged to. If there were such a handsome and distinguished young man in the capital, she should know him.
A few days later, someone from the palace came and said that the Empress wanted to see Lou Xueying.
The entire household was astonished, since the Lou family had no prior relationship with the Empress. Could it be that the matchmaking banquet that day was actually attended by the Grand Princess?
Lou Xueying entered the palace with a heart full of trepidation. Fortunately, she had been well-mannered since childhood, and even when meeting the Empress, she was dignified, poised, and composed.
The Empress summoned her to the palace, but didn't say anything important. She simply chatted with her like an ordinary junior, asking her about her family life and what she usually did.
Lou Xueying answered truthfully.
The Empress smiled and said, "Actually, I have heard of your name for a long time. Not only are you naturally beautiful, but you are also proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Only a family of scholars and literati like the Lou family could raise such an outstanding daughter."
Lou Xueying hurriedly said she dared not.
The Empress then said, "I have been living in the deep palace for a long time, and it is quite boring. I rarely see any of the younger generation. Now that you are here, let's play a game of chess."
Lou Xueying then played chess with the Empress. After a few rounds, she realized that the Empress's chess skills were mediocre, so she began to rack her brains to try and draw the game.
The game went on for a long time, until it was time for lunch, when a palace maid came in to remind them. The Empress tossed the chess pieces back into the box, shook her head and smiled, "I know my own skill level very well. It must have been difficult for you, child. Since it's already this late, please stay and have lunch."
Lou Xueying had gotten up early to dress up in preparation for entering the palace, and now all she wanted was to go home and take a nap. She declined a few times, but the Empress did not insist that she stay and had her personal maid escort her out of the palace.
Lou Xueying only breathed a sigh of relief after stepping out of the Empress's palace.
The entire morning was spent either chatting about everyday things or playing chess; not a single word was mentioned about the Crown Prince. What on earth was he doing here? Was he testing her character?
Lou Xueying was deep in thought when she suddenly saw the palace maid in front of her stop.
"Your Highness," the palace maid bowed.
Lou Xueying was startled and looked up, only to see a face that had been lingering in her mind every day.
The young master she had met on that rainy day was now wearing a light gold robe, smiling at her.
"This humble woman... greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." After a brief moment of shock, she quickly composed herself and bowed to him.
"No need for formalities," he said kindly. "Is Miss Lou leaving the palace?"
"Indeed, Your Highness." She lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye, her heart pounding wildly.
Perhaps it was because the sun was too bright, her face grew hotter and hotter, and she could hardly withstand the prince's gaze.
After a long while, the Crown Prince chuckled and said, "Since there's nothing else to do, I'll escort Miss Lou out of the palace."
-
March 19th, the sixteenth year of Jinghui. If she hadn't attended the flower-viewing banquet on this day, she wouldn't have met the Crown Prince, and she wouldn't have embarked on a path of no return.
The young girl, filled with the joy of first love, secretly harbored feelings for the prince, and indeed, she spent a wonderful time with him. But since fate had granted her a second chance at life on this day, this time, she would never again have any entanglement with the prince.
She was only eighteen years old, and had not yet met the Crown Prince or the Emperor. She was at the prime of her life and should not be trapped by this father and son.
Having been given a second chance at life, she wants to start a new one.
"We're not going," Lou Xueying said calmly, looking at Cailing. "We're not going to the flower-viewing banquet."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com