At the height of Qin Buwen’s glory, she entered Chang’an in a grand procession. Three thousand soldiers cleared the way for her, and every civil and military official in the imperial court bowed their heads in submission. She commanded an army of three hundred thousand, wore her sword into court without restraint, and even the man seated upon the imperial throne regarded her with no small measure of fear.
At her lowest, however, everyone abandoned her. Her allies betrayed her, the man she loved turned his back on her, and her three hundred thousand Chengping Army soldiers were trapped, massacred, and buried alive. She herself was beheaded.
Now she stood alone atop the walls of Xunyang City, her robes whipping violently in the wind.
Below the city walls stood the man who had once been the love of her life. Clad in gleaming silver armor, he sat proudly atop a magnificent warhorse, full of youthful confidence.
“Qin Buwen! You plotted rebellion and harbored treasonous ambitions. Your crimes deserve nothing less than death! Open the city gates and surrender yourself at once!”
Li Yunmu was no longer the man she had known.
Now, he had become the Second Prince’s most trusted right-hand man.
She should have realized it sooner. A man who had always despised her to the bone had suddenly been willing to humble himself, keep her company night after night under the lamplight, and serve as her study companion. Of course he had ulterior motives.
Qin Buwen had spent her entire life calculating every move with painstaking precision.
Yet in the end…
She had still lost by a single move.
“Li Yunmu,” she called down with a smile, “after climbing to your current position by stepping over the corpses of my three hundred thousand Chengping soldiers… can you truly sleep with a clear conscience?”
She smiled, but the wind carried sand into her eyes until they stung.
“Your men were stubborn beyond reason. They deserved to die!”
“They deserved to die?”
Qin Buwen tilted her head, as though she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“You said… they deserved to die?”
A tear landed on the back of her hand.
She stared at the man below, her eyes bloodshot with fury.
“Li Yunmu!”
“You’d better guard the woman you love with your life!”
“If I survive this… I swear I’ll make her ‘deserve to die’!”
“How dare you!”
As though she’d struck his greatest weakness, Li Yunmu’s expression changed instantly.
“Archers, ready!”
How exhausting…
Qin Buwen had spent years plotting and fighting. She had always known death might come for her one day.
She just hadn’t imagined it would be so humiliating.
A bitter smile touched her lips as she slowly closed her eyes.
She wanted nothing more than to sleep.
“Loose!”
Thousands of arrows rained down.
Every one of them pierced her heart.
“…!”
A tearing pain suddenly ripped through her chest.
The sickly sweet taste of blood flooded her mouth, thick and suffocating. The agony was so overwhelming that Qin Buwen couldn’t breathe.
Her eyes flew open.
The city walls and the army she’d seen moments before had vanished without a trace.
Instead, directly before her was an incomparably handsome face.
A long sword was buried deep in her chest.
The man before her looked equally shocked.
Only then did Qin Buwen realize someone was restraining her from behind.
A black-clad assassin had dragged her over to use her as a human shield.
The instant the assassin saw the handsome swordsman freeze in surprise, he spun around and fled.
With nothing supporting her anymore, Qin Buwen found it difficult to breathe. She staggered backward, only to be caught effortlessly in the man’s arms.
“Someone!”
His voice was deep and commanding.
A man dressed in blue hurried over and dropped to one knee.
“My lord!”
Qin Buwen had no strength left.
Just before darkness swallowed her consciousness again, she vaguely heard the man holding her speak.
“Summon the Imperial Physician. Take her back and treat her immediately!”
…
The room was filled with the faint fragrance of sandalwood.
When Qin Buwen opened her eyes again, she had no idea how much time had passed.
What… was going on?
Hadn’t she died?
The pain of countless arrows piercing her heart still felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.
So where… was she now?
She cautiously tried to move.
The maid who had just entered carrying a bowl of water saw her stir, and her eyes lit up instantly.
“Miss! You’re awake! Please wait—I-I’ll go fetch my lord immediately!”
Without waiting for Qin Buwen to respond, the maid hurried out at a run.
Miss!?
Had her identity as a woman been exposed?
Qin Buwen immediately looked down.
The chest bindings she had worn for years had completely disappeared.
In their place was a set of clean, plain-colored robes.
…Wait.
Why were her breasts so big?
She distinctly remembered they had never been this well-developed…
The Qin family had enjoyed unmatched military prestige for generations.
Her ancestors had followed the founding emperor into battle, pacified the borderlands, conquered enemies in every direction, and established unparalleled merit that laid the foundation for Yaoyun’s century-long prosperity.
Later, when civil unrest erupted throughout Yaoyun, her father had ordered her to grow up disguised as a boy.
At twelve, she first entered the battlefield, slew enemy generals, eliminated traitors, and executed corrupt officials. That same year, she was granted the title of a prince from outside the imperial family, given honors equal to those of royal blood, and bestowed the title—
Prince Chang’an.
She had lived as a man for sixteen years.
So when the little maid had addressed her as “Miss,” every instinct in her body had gone on alert.
What exactly had happened?
Hadn’t she been shot through the heart by thousands of arrows atop Xunyang City’s walls?
As she turned her head, her eyes landed on the bronze mirror sitting on the dressing table.
The face reflected in it…
Wasn’t hers at all.
A startling thought flashed through Qin Buwen’s mind.
Had she…
…been reborn?
Her gaze swept across the room once more.
An incense burner stood in the center, thin wisps of sandalwood smoke drifting through the air.
That scent…
It felt strangely familiar.
Before she could think further, the little maid returned, smiling brightly as she ushered someone inside.
“My lord, please come quickly! Miss has finally awakened!”
Qin Buwen immediately looked toward the newcomer, her gaze sharp with vigilance.
The felt curtain was lifted.
A man dressed in moon-white robes stepped inside with measured grace.
His features were flawless, refined almost beyond belief. His expression remained calm and detached. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling upon his long robes, making him seem almost haloed in soft radiance.
His bearing was as gentle and polished as the finest jade…
Yet as cold and pure as snow.
Why did this man…
Look so familiar?
Qin Buwen frowned slightly, searching her memories.
“Miss, are you feeling any better?”
Even his voice was exceptionally pleasant, as clear and soothing as flowing spring water.
Qin Buwen remained guarded.
These people knew she was a woman, yet she still had no idea whether they were friend or foe.
“…Do you know me?”
she asked cautiously.
The man frowned ever so slightly, though no emotion showed in his eyes.
“Do you know who I am?”
she asked again.
At last, the man slowly stood.
He glanced at her before calmly instructing the maid beside him,
“Go summon the Imperial Physician.”
“Yes, my lord.”
After the maid left, only the two of them remained in the spacious room.
The man inclined his head politely.
“Miss, there is no need to fear. Three days ago, while I was fighting an assassin, I accidentally injured you. Fortunately, the Imperial Physician said that as long as you regained consciousness, your life would no longer be in danger. I will also compensate you properly for the harm I caused.”
Qin Buwen listened in utter confusion.
Then her gaze suddenly fell upon the jade token hanging from his waist.
It was unmistakably…
The official insignia of the Grand Secretary of Yaoyun!
W-Wait…
The man standing before her…
Was the current Grand Secretary?
That couldn’t be right.
When she died, the Grand Secretary had been someone else entirely!
“…May I ask your honorable name, my lord?”
No matter how hard Qin Buwen searched her memories, she couldn’t remember such an extraordinarily handsome man serving in court.
If someone with a face like his had truly been an official, there was no way she could have forgotten him.
The man was silent for a moment before answering calmly,
“My name is Ji Junjiao.”
“Ji… Ji Junjiao!?”
Qin Buwen nearly shouted.
Receiving his confirming gaze, shock filled her eyes.
Wasn’t Ji Junjiao supposed to be the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor?
How had he become the Grand Secretary instead?
Suddenly, as though realizing something, Qin Buwen looked at him intently and spoke in a low voice.
“My lord… may I ask you one more question?”
“Please.”
“What year of the Yong’an era is it now?”
Though puzzled by the question, Ji Junjiao answered truthfully.
“It is the twelfth year of Yong’an.”
Five years later…
She had awakened in Yaoyun…
Five years after her death.