When it came to venereal disease, Xue Youli perked up: [Go on, tell me more!]
It turned out that after Xue Huaiyuan had redeemed Yan Niang back then, he arranged for her to stay in the most remote courtyard of the Xue estate.
And aside from sending someone over every month with her food, clothing, and daily necessities, he never saw Yan Niang again.
But Yan Niang, accustomed to a life of indulgence, couldn’t stand the loneliness. She secretly seduced quite a few servants in the Xue household.
Recently, she had hooked up with Zhang San and Li Si from the kitchen.
Those two looked honest on the surface, but they were actually lecherous men who often went to brothels together—and ended up catching venereal disease.
After they got involved with Yan Niang, they passed the disease on to her.
“Mother, my sister is frail and weak. How could she endure the lonely days in the deep palace? Better let me go instead!”
Just as Xue Youli finished reading the hidden plot, Xue Qingyao’s urgent voice reached her ears.
She looked up at Xue Qingyao, who stood there with utmost respect, and smiled as she declined, “No need. I’ve thought it through. The hardships of entering the palace are mine to bear. There’s no need to put you through that, sister.”
Hearing this, Xue Qingyao’s pupils contracted, and her hands at her sides clenched involuntarily. “But…”
Before she could finish, Xue Youli raised a hand to her forehead. “Oh dear! Mother, I’m so dizzy. I want to sleep.”
Jiang Ruyun, worried about her daughter’s health, immediately called out, “Someone! Escort Qingyao back.”
Standing guard outside was Xue Youli’s personal maid, Banxia.
She immediately made a gesture of seeing the guest out. “Miss Qingyao, please.”
Xue Qingyao glanced at the white silk hanging from the beam, then stared deeply at Xue Youli before forcing a faint smile. “Rest well, sister. If you change your mind, let me know anytime.”
As she turned to leave, the smile on her lips vanished without a trace.
What was going on?
Xue Youli had clearly hanged herself—why wasn’t she dead?
Could it be that she, like herself, had also… been reborn?
That’s right, Xue Qingyao had been reborn.
In her previous life, for the man she loved deeply, she willingly became his pawn and entered the palace as a spy.
The young emperor had always been frail, and eventually died from overwork and illness.
She seized the opportunity, gained the emperor’s trust, then tampered with the medicine he drank, sending him to his grave ahead of schedule.
Even after she became the Empress Dowager, no one knew that she was the one behind the emperor’s swift death.
She devoted herself wholeheartedly to that man, placing power into his hands, making him the Regent Prince who stood above all but the emperor.
But what was the result?
That man, driven by his own ambition, personally drove his sword through her heart.
Fortunately, heaven had eyes, allowing her to be reborn before she entered the palace.
According to the timeline of her previous life, when she came to find Jiang Ruyun, Xue Youli should have already hanged herself.
Xue Qingyao frowned in deep thought for a long while, then suddenly smiled.
It seemed she had guessed right—she wasn’t the only one who had been reborn.
Now, Xue Youli suddenly wanting to enter the palace had disrupted her plans.
But being reborn didn’t mean getting a new brain. That fool Xue Youli wouldn’t last long in the palace anyway.
Besides, she was madly in love with Meng Xingzhi, so dying for a man a second time would be perfectly in character.
The chance to enter the palace was hers for the taking!
In this life, she would not only become the most honored woman under heaven, but also make that man who killed her with his own hands pay a heavy price!
In the room, only Xue Youli and Jiang Ruyun remained.
Xue Youli also wanted to deal with the female lead before entering the palace.
A stroke of inspiration hit her—she thought of a perfect way to expose Yan Niang’s scandal.
So she took the initiative to pull Jiang Ruyun’s hand and shook it playfully, “Mother, I noticed Sister Qingyao’s dress is getting old. Why don’t we go out for a stroll and buy her some new dresses?”
Seeing her daughter in good spirits, Jiang Ruyun couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Alright, your third brother’s brocade shop just received a new batch of fabric. Let’s go take a look, and we’ll make you some new outfits too.”
Xue Youli had three older brothers above her.
The eldest and second brothers were twins.
The eldest brother, Xue Wuji, had gone to the southern frontier last year with his master, General Yu, to guard the border.
The second brother, Xue Wuyang, was currently at Wanze Academy, focusing on preparing for the imperial examination in a little over two months.
The third brother, Xue Wuyou, had never been interested in studying or martial arts since childhood. At twelve, he was sent to learn business under the Xue family’s head steward. In just six short years, he had already become capable of handling things independently.
As the youngest daughter of the Xue family, Xue Youli had grown up surrounded by love, doted on by every member of her family.
This was also why the original owner had developed a spoiled and willful personality. During the initial selection, seeing Meng Xingzhi getting close to Song Jingsi, she submitted her registration out of spite.
But after being selected, she regretted it, thinking she could resolve the matter of entering the palace with the same tactics of crying, throwing tantrums, and threatening suicide.
How utterly foolish.
Xue Youli followed Jiang Ruyun out of the estate and shopped for quite a while, buying plenty of jewelry and accessories, before finally heading to the brocade shop run by her third brother.
Xue Wuyou was a complete sister-spoiler. The moment he saw Xue Youli, he immediately brought out all the best fabrics in the shop. “Little sister, these are all newly delivered fabrics from Jiangnan. Pick out as many as you like. Once you enter the palace, it’ll be hard for your third brother to send you clothes.”
Xue Youli replied, “Third brother, it’s not that exaggerated. As long as I don’t make mistakes, I can apply for family members to visit me in the palace every year.”
In this novel, her best friend’s setting was quite humane—not only did imperial concubines get family visitation leave, but favored ones could even come and go freely from the palace with the emperor.
“That’s good then. My little sister is bound to receive countless favors and honors once she enters the palace! When you soar to greatness in the future, that blind dog Meng Xingzhi will have to kowtow three times and bow nine times before you! Oh, by the way—yesterday Meng Xingzhi brought his mother to buy fabric, and I fleeced them good and proper. Little sister, aren’t I amazing?”
Jiang Ruyun had noticed that Xue Youli had been emotionally stable ever since being rescued after her suicide attempt, so she had deliberately avoided mentioning Meng Xingzhi in front of her.
Her daughter had finally managed to step out of her heartbreak, and this brat Xue Wuyou actually dared to bring up Meng Xingzhi—he was asking for a beating.
Seeing Xue Wuyou rambling on without stopping, Jiang Ruyun quickly shot him a look.
Xue Wuyou completely missed her meaning and instead asked with concern, “Mother, what’s wrong with your eyes? Got a twitch?”
Jiang Ruyun smacked him directly on the back of the head, her face full of disdain. “You blockhead!” Utterly hopeless.
After being hit, Xue Wuyou looked completely bewildered. “Mother, why did you hit me? I’m not smart to begin with—if you hit me dumb, I won’t even be able to read the account books anymore. Then who’s going to earn money for you and little sister to spend?”
Watching the lighthearted banter between mother and son, Xue Youli chimed in with a smile, “That’s right, Mother. Don’t hit third brother. Let’s pick out some clothes.”
Xue Wuyou nodded immediately. “See? Little sister is the one who loves me most! Come, let your third brother take you both upstairs to choose the finest and most expensive clothes!”
Jiang Ruyun looked at her third son’s antics, caught between exasperation and amusement. “Fine, for your sister’s sake, I’ll let you off this once.”
“Thank you, Mother! Thank you, little sister!”
Xue Wuyou picked out dozens of beautiful dresses and had the shopkeeper wrap them up. If not for Xue Youli stopping him, he would have emptied the entire family shop.
After shopping, on the carriage ride back.
Jiang Ruyun held Xue Youli’s hand and advised earnestly, “Li’er, have you thought this through clearly? Once you step through those palace gates, there’s no turning back.”
Xue Youli nodded firmly. “Mother, I’ve thought it over very carefully. I won’t regret this.”
Entering the book was already a done deal, so she might as well use the Book of Heavenly Secrets—her Golden Finger—to change her own fate and that of the Xue family.
Her goal was crystal clear: outlive the Emperor, become the Empress Dowager, walk the female lead’s path, and leave the female lead with no path to walk at all!
Jiang Ruyun saw that her daughter had become sensible and her gaze grew even more tender and loving. “Li’er, whatever decision you make, your mother supports you.”
Perhaps entering the palace wasn’t a bad thing after all—that Meng boy was weak-willed and spineless, hardly a worthy match.
That evening, when Xue Huaiyuan returned and learned that Xue Youli had agreed to enter the palace, he too looked gratified.
After the family finished dinner, Xue Youli mentally consulted the Book of Heavenly Secrets: [What’s going on with Yan Niang right now?]
The Book of Heavenly Secrets: [Yan Niang is in the backyard right now, having a secret rendezvous with Zhang San and Li Si!]
Xue Youli looked up at the sky that had just begun to darken and really wanted to give Yan Niang a thumbs up.
Yan Niang truly lived up to her reputation as a woman who’d weathered the world of pleasure—her stamina was impressive. The sun had barely set, and she was already rushing to fool around with wild men.
And the key thing was, she could handle two men at once. Impressive!
Xue Youli’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she decided to bring the family along to witness the drama firsthand. “Father, Mother, Third Brother picked out quite a few dresses for me today. I’d like to give a few to Sister Qingyao.”
Xue Wuyou had never gotten along with Xue Qingyao and her mother. “Little sister, keep those dresses for yourself. Why give them to that wild girl? It’d be a waste of good things!”
Jiang Ruyun saw her third son speaking without restraint and shot him a warning glare. “Wuyou, don’t talk nonsense. Qingyao is your sister too.”
Xue Wuyou muttered rebelliously under his breath, “What kind of sister is she? I only have one real sister—Li’er!”
Xue Youli felt warmth in her heart seeing how he defended her, and said in a coaxing tone, “Third Brother, I know you’re the best to me, but I can’t possibly wear all these dresses. Let me give a few to Sister Qingyao.”
Xue Wuyou, the devoted older brother, immediately caved. “Fine, if my sister wants to give them away, then give them away. I’ll save even better fabric for you in the future anyway.”
“Thank you, Third Brother!”
Xue Youli flashed a sweet smile, then turned to look at Xue Huaiyuan and his wife. “Father, Mother, will you come with me too?”
Although Xue Qingyao was the same age as Xue Youli, she was a few months older.
As the mistress of the Xue household, Jiang Ruyun might have been magnanimous, but she still found the presence of Yan Niang and her daughter grating.
Still, she didn’t show it, and instead agreed with a doting expression. “Alright.”
Xue Wuyou didn’t like Yan Niang and her daughter either, but he still trotted happily along behind Xue Youli.
And so, the four of them headed to the backyard together.
As they drew closer to the backyard, Xue Wuyou suddenly grabbed Xue Youli’s arm. “Little sister, do you hear some strange noise?”
Before Xue Youli could respond, an ambiguous voice drifted out from the courtyard.
“Naughty man… go slower… ah…”