The paper doll has been reborn!
Following the vague description of the location of Prince Zhao's mansion in her memory, and after carefully inquiring along the way, she finally stood in front of the unassuming yet elegant and noble gate of Prince Zhao's mansion before it got completely dark.
Composing herself, she stepped forward and handed the gatekeeper a jade pendant she had casually torn off, engraved with the Prime Minister's residence's mark. It was a risky move, and she tried to keep her voice low: "Please inform His Highness that I have something extremely important to discuss and need to see Prince Zhao." She dared not reveal her real name and could only use this vague identity to test him.
Seeing her extraordinary bearing, and knowing that although her clothes were ordinary, the things in the Prime Minister's residence were not ordinary items, and that she spoke earnestly and nervously, the gatekeeper dared not be negligent. He said "Wait a moment" and went in to announce her arrival.
The wait felt incredibly long. Jiang Wanzhi's palms were covered in cold sweat, and she almost regretted her impulsive decision.
Just as she was about to turn and run, the gatekeeper returned, his attitude much more respectful: "Young master, His Highness requests your presence. Please follow me."
Jiang Wanzhi's heart tightened, and she became even more uneasy. She took a deep breath and followed the attendant into the Prince Zhao's residence.
The pavilions and towers within the mansion are exquisite and elegant, just like the feeling one gets from King Zhao, with a gentle demeanor that reveals an extraordinary depth.
The servant led her to the outside of a secluded study and bowed, saying, "His Highness is inside. Please come in, young master."
Jiang Wanzhi pushed open the door, and inside the study, Zongzheng Zhaoran was sitting behind his desk, holding a book in his hand, seemingly reading.
He looked up and saw Jiang Wanzhi, dressed as a man and looking slightly flustered. A fleeting look of surprise flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into a deep and unfathomable curiosity.
He didn't immediately reveal her identity. Instead, he put down his book, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and said in a soothing voice, "This... young master, what brings you here?" His gaze swept over her, his eyes seemingly able to pierce through her clumsy disguise and reach her very essence.
Jiang Wanzhi felt uncomfortable under his gaze. With a determined heart, she simply raised her hand and removed the hairpin that held her hair back, letting her cloud-like black hair fall down, restoring her girlish appearance.
She raised her eyes and looked directly at Zongzheng Zhaoran, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness, yet carrying a desperate courage: "Your Highness, let's not beat around the bush. I am Jiang Wanzhi."
"Your Highness Prince Zhao, was the 'Drunken Butterfly' flower at the Hundred Flowers Banquet truly orchestrated by Prince Ming? Could he possibly possess such meticulous and ruthless methods?"
Zongzheng Zhaoran merely raised an eyebrow slightly. Jiang Wanzhi's words must have aroused her suspicion. The usual gentle smile on his lips seemed to deepen and become even more elusive.
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he gently put down his book and walked slowly toward her, his gaze like a precise probe.
“Miss Jiang always manages to surprise me every time we meet.” Zongzheng Zhaoran stopped in front of her, his voice gentle yet carrying an all-knowing pressure.
"The Hundred Flowers Banquet... I cannot comment on the methods employed by Prince Ming. However, Miss Jiang seems to have a different answer regarding what happened that day? She even seems unusually concerned about me? And even seems to have an inappropriate understanding of me?"
Jiang Wanzhi's heart skipped a beat! He really did have something to hide!
Moreover, this response was completely beyond her understanding of the "original King Zhao"! This attitude, which seemed to be looking down on the whole situation from a higher position and even subtly turning the tables on her, was definitely not what a completely "gentle and benevolent" King Zhao should have!
Could it be... that he really isn't the "original" one?!
Could it be that he, like me, is...
The immense shock and a frantic expectation of finding her "kindred spirits" almost made her blurt it out.
She suppressed her wildly beating heart and decided to take a more risky approach. She deliberately adopted a casual, modern tone, incorporating internet slang, and stared intently into his eyes.
"Your Highness is joking. How could I possibly have any 'understanding'? I just think this whole thing is a bit too 'melodramatic,' like a murder mystery game with forced stupidity, full of 'bugs.' It's like the Prince of Ming is playing the villain and forcing his way in, while Your Highness... seems to have a god's-eye view, sitting calmly and watching his performance."
She stared intently at Zongzheng Zhaoran, not missing a single change in his expression.
"So dramatic", "scripted murder mystery", "bug", "God's perspective".
These modern terms are completely incomprehensible to people from ancient times. If he were a time traveler, no matter how well he disguised himself, there would always be a hint of something strange in his eyes!
However, Zongzheng Zhaoran's gentle smile remained unchanged upon hearing this, but a clear trace of pure doubt and confusion flashed across his deep eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, as if carefully considering these unfamiliar words, then gently shook his head, his tone carrying just the right amount of confusion: "Miss Jiang's choice of words... is always so novel and unique. 'Soap opera'? 'Murder mystery game'? 'BUG'? 'God's perspective'?"
"I am of limited learning and have never heard of this before. This seems... not to be a literary allusion. I do remember the word 'handsome man,' may I ask Miss Jiang, what do these all mean?"
His reaction was incredibly natural; the genuine confusion he felt towards unfamiliar words was something that could never be easily faked.
The burning flame that had just ignited in Jiang Wanzhi's heart, the belief that he was a "modern fellow townsman," was instantly extinguished by more than half, replaced by a deeper sense of confusion and disbelief.
He's not a modern person. He doesn't understand.
But... if he wasn't a time traveler, how do you explain his all-knowing gaze and his ability to manipulate the Ming King?
Having ruled out the possibility of "time travel," another, even more unbelievable idea, existing only in the setting of novels, crashed into her mind like a beast breaking free of its shackles!
Her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled slightly, and as she looked into Zongzheng Zhaoran's seemingly gentle yet unfathomable eyes, a word almost uncontrollably escaped her lips, filled with extreme horror and uncertainty:
"You...you could be...a...reincarnated person?"
The moment the word was uttered, the air in the study seemed to freeze.
The gentle smile that Zongzheng Zhaoran always wore, like a mask, finally disappeared completely.
His pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, and the relaxed and indifferent aura around him suddenly became heavy and sharp.
He looked at her silently, his gaze no longer probing, but filled with an extremely complex scrutiny!
Shock, realization, disbelief, and a deep-seated weariness and coldness after weathering many storms.
This long silence, and the dramatic change in his eyes, was undoubtedly the best answer.
Jiang Wanzhi's legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up. She grabbed the flower stand next to her, her voice trembling like a leaf falling in the wind: "You...you really...died once? And you're back?"
Jiang Wanzhi gasped in shock, her pupils contracting sharply! This answer was far more shocking to her than the fact that she was a transmigrator!
"Yes, reborn." Zongzheng Zhaoran's voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried a weight that was etched into one's bones.
"I died once, by conspiracy, by betrayal, by... the hand of the person I once trusted most. Then, when I opened my eyes, I was back in my youth, several years ago."
So that's how it is! So that's how it is!
It's not her butterfly effect, but rather that the very foundation of this world has been completely overturned!
A reborn protagonist, a vengeful avenger who knows the entire trajectory of the future and is determined to change it all! This is the root cause of all the plot deviations!
After the immense shock, an indescribable excitement and...sense of security inexplicably welled up in my heart!
She wasn't alone! In this completely unfamiliar and perilous world, she unexpectedly encountered someone like her who also knew the "plot"!
Although he was reborn and she transmigrated into a book, they were both extraordinary individuals who knew about "destiny"!
The ecstasy of finding her organization instantly broke down her defenses. The secrets, fears, and loneliness she had carried alone for so long found an outlet in that moment.
"Do you know... this world is just a book... and I... I am a transmigrator..." she murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face without warning, not from sadness, but from a great sense of relief and excitement.
"I knew it... everything in the book world is messed up... the plot has completely collapsed... I don't know what to do... I'm so scared..."
She grasped at a straw and began to pour out her heart, almost incoherently: "I don't know how I got here... I know the fate of all of you... I know Prince Heng is the villain, I know you will win... I know that the one who should have been embarrassed at the Hundred Flowers Banquet was another official's daughter... I know I shouldn't have married Prince Heng... so I fled the mansion and have been trying to avoid him..."
Zongzheng Zhaoran listened quietly without interrupting her. His gaze fell on her tear-streaked face, his eyes filled with complex and shifting emotions.
He couldn't help but reach out, but stopped in mid-air, finally placing his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, saying, "So... Miss Jiang, do you understand? It wasn't your arrival that changed everything. It's because this world had already collapsed and rebuilt the moment I was reborn."
"The 'plot' you mentioned is my previous life, but it has ended. In this life, everyone's fate will naturally be reshuffled and start anew."
The overwhelming amount of information, like a tsunami, instantly engulfed Jiang Wanzhi. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out; she could only stare at the man before her in disbelief.
Zongzheng Zhaoran's voice returned to its previous gentleness, but seemed to have gained a subtle warmth, "You knew I would win, but you didn't know what happened after I won. You also didn't know why I had to change all of this."
Zongzheng Zhaoran's gaze turned deep and cold, as if recalling extremely painful memories: "The victory in that life came at a heavy price. I lost too much, and what I gained in the end was nothing more than a mirage, vanishing in the blink of an eye. In this life, I will never repeat the same mistakes."
He looked at Jiang Wanzhi, his eyes sharpening: "And you, Miss Jiang, your arrival is a huge variable. What you know may help me, or it may... ruin my plans."
Jiang Wanzhi's heart skipped a beat.
One is a time traveler who is holding the script, panicked, and only wants to defy fate!
One is a reborn avenger with a deep mind and memories of his past life!
Even with her special abilities, this soul from another world was still caught up in this vortex that spiraled out of control because of his rebirth.
Zongzheng Zhaoran took out a plain handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. His gentle tone carried an undeniable air of authority: "Now, you know my greatest secret. And I know yours. Tell me, what should we do?"
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