That very afternoon, Mu Hanhe packed a small bundle and rode alone out of the capital.
He brought no attendants. Dressed in coarse homespun clothes and mounted on an old horse, he looked no different from an ordinary countryman heading into town.
By dusk, he arrived at Willow Tree Village, fifty li outside the city.
It was a village he had chosen long ago.
Small, with barely twenty households, it lay hidden in a mountain hollow. Farmland surrounded it on all sides, and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoed peacefully through the countryside. It was as tranquil as a secluded paradise.
For twenty taels of silver, he purchased three thatched cottages and several mu of poor farmland from a farmer who was moving away. Then he registered his household with the village chief, officially becoming a resident of Willow Tree Village.
The village chief was an old man in his sixties surnamed Wang. His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and whenever he smiled, two gold teeth gleamed.
“Daniu,” Chief Wang said warmly, patting him on the shoulder, “you’re living here all by yourself now. If you ever need anything, just come to me. Our village may be small, but everyone looks out for one another.”
Mu Hanhe simply nodded without saying much.
He spent the next three days tidying up the thatched house and planting vegetables in the fields.
Gradually, the villagers learned that a newcomer had settled in the village. His name was Ye Daniu. He had supposedly come from another province, both of his parents had passed away, and he lived alone.
No one questioned his identity.
After all, who would ever imagine that the mighty Prince of Zhenbei would come to such a remote backwater just to farm?
Standing on the ridge between the fields, Mu Hanhe looked at the vegetable seedlings he had planted with his own hands. For the first time in a long while, he found this simple life surprisingly satisfying.
As for Prince Ning…
He hadn’t forgotten the debt from his previous life.
But now was not the time to settle it.
Hoisting his hoe onto his shoulder, Mu Hanhe was about to head home when Chief Wang came running toward him from afar, grinning so widely that every wrinkle on his face bunched together.
“Daniu! Daniu! Wonderful news! The greatest news!”
Mu Hanhe stopped and looked at him.
Chief Wang finally caught up, panting heavily before saying excitedly, “The Xiao family in the capital—you know them, right? The family of that high-ranking official! They’re marrying one of their daughters into our village!”
For a moment, Mu Hanhe thought he’d misheard.
“The Xiao family? Which Xiao family?”
Chief Wang laughed until his wrinkles nearly disappeared.
“What other Xiao family could there be? The Xiao family in the capital! Lord Xiao Yuanshan’s family! They’re marrying their daughter—to you!”
Mu Hanhe’s grip on the hoe tightened.
Xiao Yuanshan.
The Xiao family.
Immediately, a woman’s face surfaced in his mind.
Xiao Shuwan.
A flash of murderous intent flickered through his eyes before he suppressed it.
“I’m not marrying.”
His voice was calm, but absolute.
Chief Wang froze before stomping his foot anxiously.
“You foolish boy! Do you know what kind of family the Xiaos are? They’re one of the capital’s most prestigious households! For their daughter to marry you is a blessing you’ve earned over eight lifetimes! And you’re still being picky?”
Mu Hanhe ignored him and continued walking with the hoe over his shoulder.
Chief Wang hurried after him, grabbing his sleeve and lowering his voice.
“Daniu, I’ll tell you the truth. The Xiao family said that if you refuse, they’ll accuse you of dishonoring a respectable young lady and report you to the authorities.”
Mu Hanhe’s footsteps halted.
Dishonoring a respectable young lady?
He turned to look at Chief Wang, his gaze growing cold.
The old chief shrank under that stare and stammered, “D-Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea. That’s exactly what the Xiao family’s people said. They even said the marriage contract has already been delivered. Whether you want to marry or not, you’re marrying.”
Mu Hanhe fell silent.
Right now, he was merely “Ye Daniu,” an ordinary farmer with no power or influence. If the Xiao family truly accused him of violating a respectable woman, no matter how he defended himself, no one would believe him.
And if the matter reached the authorities…
His true identity…
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the anger boiling inside him.
“Which daughter is the Xiao family marrying off?”
In his previous life, Xiao Shuwan had become his princess consort.
Could he really not escape that fate in this life?
Chief Wang scratched his head.
“Well… they didn’t specify. Just said it was one of their daughters. Oh, right—they mentioned she’s the second daughter born of a concubine. Her name is… Guiwan? Yes, Xiao Guiwan.”
Mu Hanhe’s fingers twitched.
Not Xiao Shuwan.
Xiao Guiwan.
He remembered seeing her once from afar during a palace banquet in his previous life.
She had sat quietly beside Prince Ning, head lowered, silent and composed.
After Prince Ning ascended the throne, she became Empress.
Whenever the officials spoke of her, they described her with the same words—
Virtuous.
Gentle.
Gracious.
How could a woman like that possibly be married off to a poor country farmer?
No matter how heartless the Xiao family was, they wouldn’t throw their own daughter into such misery.
Unless…
Someone deliberately wanted to ruin her.
“Fine. Then I’ll marry her.”
He finally nodded.
His tone revealed neither joy nor anger.
Chief Wang was overjoyed, clapping him on the shoulder repeatedly before rushing off to prepare the wedding.
Left alone on the field ridge, Mu Hanhe stared toward the distant rolling hills, a trace of icy determination flashing across his eyes.
Instead of returning home, he turned into the woods behind the village.
A low whistle escaped his lips.
A dark figure descended soundlessly.
“Master.”
“Investigate everything about the Xiao family.”
Mu Hanhe’s voice was quiet but carried unquestionable authority.
“Especially why they’re so determined to force Xiao Guiwan to marry a farmer.”
“Understood.”
The shadow disappeared.
Mu Hanhe remained standing in the forest for a long time.
The next morning, Mu Hanhe was splitting firewood in the courtyard.
A man dressed in black landed silently inside and knelt on one knee.
He was one of Mu Hanhe’s eight elite death guards, code-named Shadow.
“Master, I’ve investigated everything.”
Mu Hanhe set down the axe, sat on a chopping block, and took a sip of water from a rough clay bowl.
“Report.”
Shadow lowered his head.
“After Your Highness left the capital, news came from the palace. His Majesty bestowed marriage decrees upon both the Prince of Zhenbei and Prince Ning. Both were to marry daughters of the Xiao family. However, the Xiao family divided the matches themselves. The eldest daughter, Xiao Shuwan, will marry Prince Ning. The second daughter, Xiao Guiwan, is to be married elsewhere.”
Mu Hanhe frowned.
In his previous life…
Xiao Shuwan had been his princess consort.
This time…
She had chosen Prince Ning instead.
Interesting.
He raised his eyes.
“Why did Xiao Shuwan choose Prince Ning? Did you find out?”
Shadow hesitated before replying.
“A servant from the Xiao residence overheard Xiao Shuwan speaking privately to Madam Zhou—her birth mother.”
“Go on.”
“She told Madam Zhou, ‘Mother, I know exactly what I’m doing. Prince Ning is the true Son of Heaven. That sickly prince won’t die. He’ll become Emperor. The Prince of Zhenbei may look glorious now, but he’s walking a dead-end road.'”
Mu Hanhe’s fingers clenched tightly.
So…
Xiao Shuwan had been reborn as well.
Shadow continued.
“Madam Zhou was startled and asked how she knew. Xiao Shuwan replied, ‘Don’t ask. Just know that every word I say is true… In this lifetime, I’ll make her suffer eternal damnation.'”
Shadow lowered his head.
“I don’t know who she meant.”
But Mu Hanhe knew.
Xiao Guiwan.
Silence settled over him as turbulent emotions churned beneath his calm exterior.
Eternal damnation.
So Xiao Shuwan wasn’t merely stealing Prince Ning away.
She intended to completely destroy Xiao Guiwan.
By marrying her off to a country farmer, Xiao Guiwan would spend the rest of her life trapped in the mud, never able to rise again.
What a vicious woman.
Yet Xiao Shuwan believed Prince Ning was destined to become Emperor.
She believed marrying him would make her Empress.
How laughable.
In his previous life, Prince Ning had only survived to ascend the throne because of Xiao Guiwan.
She had tested countless prescriptions, sampled hundreds of medicinal herbs, and cured his chronic illness.
Without Xiao Guiwan…
Whether Prince Ning would even live long enough to claim the throne was another question entirely.
But in this life…
Xiao Guiwan would become his wife.
Without her…
That sickly Prince Ning could simply wait for death.
As for Xiao Shuwan…
Mu Hanhe took another sip from the clay bowl.
A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
Better that she and Prince Ning stay tied together.
That would save him the trouble of hunting them down one by one.
“Anything else?”
His voice was unnervingly calm.
Shadow nodded.
“Xiao Shuwan has already spread word that Xiao Guiwan is ‘uncouth and ill-mannered, unable to read even a single character.’ She claims that marrying her into the countryside proves the Xiao family’s upright values and that they aren’t greedy for wealth or status.”
Mu Hanhe let out a cold laugh.
What a remarkable Xiao Shuwan.
She ruined someone else’s life, yet still wanted to win praise for her own virtue.
“Keep watching her.”
He tucked the folded report into his sleeve.
“And investigate Xiao Guiwan as well. I want to know everything she went through while growing up on that rural estate.”
How had a concubine-born daughter, trampled so mercilessly, managed to climb from the mud and become Empress in his previous life?
“Understood.”
Shadow vanished over the courtyard wall.
Mu Hanhe remained seated alone beneath the gloomy sky, unmoving for a long while.
Xiao Guiwan.
In his previous life, they had never crossed paths.
Now…
They were about to become husband and wife.
For the first time, Mu Hanhe found fate utterly absurd.
Still, he wanted to know.
What kind of woman was Xiao Guiwan?
A woman who had cured Prince Ning’s incurable illness…
Who had clawed her way from the depths of despair to the imperial throne…
Who inspired such fear in Xiao Shuwan…
Would such a woman truly resign herself to marrying an ordinary farmer?
No matter what…
He would bring her home first.
As for everything that came afterward…
That could wait.
At the same time, in the Xiao Residence…
Xiao Shuwan sat before her dressing table, delicately drawing her eyebrows as she gazed into the bronze mirror.
Her beautiful reflection smiled slowly back at her.
Tomorrow…
Xiao Guiwan would be married off to Willow Tree Village.
She had already sent someone to inspect the place.
The mud walls of the cottage were cracked.
The roof leaked.
The courtyard didn’t even have a proper well.
A sheltered young lady who had never done manual labor wouldn’t last long there before becoming a disheveled village wife.
As for herself…
In just a few days, she would marry into Prince Ning’s residence.
Prince Ning might be frail now…
But she knew it was only temporary.
If Xiao Guiwan had been able to cure him in the previous life…
There was no reason she couldn’t.
She had secretly sought out several renowned physicians and prepared medicinal prescriptions in advance.
Once Prince Ning recovered and ascended the throne…
She would become Empress.
The thought made her smile grow even brighter.
“Miss.”
Her maid, Cui’er, entered carrying a bowl of bird’s nest soup.
“The drug is ready. Tomorrow we’ll mix it into the nuptial wine. Just as you ordered, I bought the strongest one available—the kind with no antidote sold anywhere.”
Xiao Shuwan accepted the bowl and leisurely took a sip.
“Very good. Just remember…”
“If word of this ever gets out…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She simply looked at Cui’er.
The maid shuddered and immediately fell to her knees.
“I’d sooner die than reveal a single word!”
Satisfied, Xiao Shuwan nodded.
Setting down the bowl, she walked to the window and looked toward the back courtyard.
Inside a woodshed there…
Xiao Guiwan was still locked away.
“Little sister,” Xiao Shuwan said softly, her voice as gentle as though soothing a child.
“Don’t blame your elder sister for being cruel.”
“When you became Empress in our previous life… did you ever stop to think about what I suffered on the road to exile?”
“This lifetime…”
“It’s your turn, little sister.”
Her voice remained soft.
Tender.
But her eyes were filled with venom.