“Boom—!” Thunder cracked across the mountain valley.
Meng Yao snapped awake from a nightmare, greeted by the pitch-black void of a cave.
Slowly turning her head, she looked toward a spot not far away.
A man was huddled in the corner, his hands clamped over his ears, trembling violently.
He had handsome features and a tall stature, yet his demeanor was that of a toddler.
Meng Yao stood, walked over, and seized his wrists with her slender fingers, pinning his hands down with sheer force.
“Scared…” The man looked up in a daze, a hint of helplessness in his glistening eyes.
Meng Yao glared at him viciously. “Remember this! My name is Meng Yao, and I am the greatest benefactor of your entire life! If you mistake me for someone else again, see if I don’t kill you!”
“Yes… Meng Yao… my benefactor,” the man stammered, casting down his long eyes.
A flash of lightning split the night sky, casting Meng Yao’s breathtaking face into a sharp, demonic brilliance.
…
This was the second day since Meng Yao’s rebirth.
Braving the pouring rain, she had charged into the perilous mountain range along the Chu-Wei border to save this foolish man once again.
Then, she had locked him in this cave, forcing him to engrave her name into his mind.
Only in this way could she reclaim everything that belonged to her in this life!
Only then could she make the Meng clan pay in blood for destroying her maternal grandfather’s entire family in her past life!
…
In her previous life, Meng Yao had rescued the Eldest Imperial Prince, who was being hunted down by the State of Wei.
Chu Moyuan.
Because of her, the Meng clan soared to prosperity.
Yet she herself had been completely in the dark.
It was not until two years later, when she returned to the capital, that she discovered her family’s fortunes had been entirely transformed.
The Emperor had bestowed upon the Meng family a grand vermilion-gated estate, accompanied by an imperial plaque inscribed “Loyal and Righteous General’s Manor.”
Her grandfather, Meng Pingliang, had been promoted to Grand General for the Pacification of the West, holding the Rank 2a military title.
Her father, Meng Huaiyi, who had always indulged in luxury in the capital, had become the Palace Guard Commander.
Her grandmother, Lady Meng Jiang, and her stepmother, Wu Lian, had both been made decreed noblewomen.
Her half-sister, Meng Rou, had been conferred the title of County Princess, becoming one of the most sought-after noble ladies in the capital.
And yet she, Meng Yao, had nothing.
Because…
The General’s Manor had allowed Meng Rou to falsely claim her merit!
The fabricated story presented to the world was that the Meng family’s second young mistress had saved the Eldest Imperial Prince while visiting her grandfather at the border.
Heh!
Bullshit!
Yet the Emperor believed it without question.
The foolish Chu Moyuan could not distinguish one person from another; when the General’s Manor told him his savior was Meng Rou, he remembered her as Meng Rou.
It was not as if she had not fought back.
Yet what did they say to her?
Meng Huaiyi asked her: Does it matter who saved the Eldest Imperial Prince? If you expose this, every last soul in the General’s Manor will face certain death.
Her stepmother, Wu Lian, told her that the Eldest Imperial Prince was a fool who would sooner or later die an unnatural death in the predatory imperial harem of Chu. Saving him might bring fortune or disaster; let Meng Rou bear that risk for her.
Even her fiancé, Min Wu, advised her: A woman’s reputation is paramount. Your seven years in the army are already scandalous enough; if people learn you rescued an unrelated man in the dead of night, who knows how much gossip you will endure?
Three years later, Chu Moyuan regained his wits, was invested as the Crown Prince, and took Meng Rou as his Crown Princess.
And what about her?
She was locked away in the Meng Manor’s rear courtyard, forced by her stepmother to drink medicinal concoctions that not only ruined her martial foundation but gradually rendered her foolish.
In a state of half-stupor, she sent her maidservant, Qingluan, to seek help from her maternal grandfather’s family. Yet within half an hour, Qingluan’s corpse was thrown back before her eyes.
Soon after, her maternal grandfather’s family was convicted of colluding with the enemy. Except for her cousin, the entire clan was sentenced to execution by waist chop.
Her cousin, who had managed to escape, was discovered when sneaking into the General’s Manor to rescue her, and was ultimately shot through the heart with ten thousand arrows.
Thus…
Meng Yao lost her mind completely.
Mad and delirious, living a life worse than death, she survived in the Meng Manor’s rear courtyard for ten years.
She died on a snowy New Year’s Eve.
And then, she was reborn to the day before she had saved Chu Moyuan.
Since she was alive once more, the grudges of her past life would be settled starting now.
…
Half a month later.
A Special Envoy from the imperial palace arrived at the Changshan Military Camp along the Chu-Wei border.
At the age of twelve, the Eldest Imperial Prince, Chu Moyuan, had been sent to the State of Wei as a hostage, where the Wei people poisoned him into idiocy, subjecting him to six years of relentless abuse.
Fortunately, he had escaped.
Now that he had broken free and returned to Chu, the Noble Consort had dispatched her personal Chief Eunuch, Jiang Yu, to welcome him back to the palace.
“Watch your step, Eunuch Jiang. His Highness is in the rear tent,” Liu Chuang, Deputy General of the Changshan Camp, guided Jiang Yu forward.
Just as they entered the camp quarters, they saw a woman in striking red strides approaching, a silver whip gleaming coldly in her hand.
“Greetings, Young Mistress,” Liu Chuang hurriedly bowed.
The woman in red nodded and walked straight past.
Watching her receding figure, Jiang Yu frowned. “Why is there a woman in the army?”
“That is our Meng family’s young mistress. She has guarded Changshan alongside our Old Master since the age of ten; her martial arts prowess and mastery of strategy rival that of any general.” Admiration was evident in Liu Chuang’s eyes, and his rough cheeks flushed slightly.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu’s displeasure deepened. “Even if she is General Meng’s granddaughter, a woman joining the military is fundamentally improper!”
Seeing his reaction, Liu Chuang said no more. He led Jiang Yu to the entrance of the rear tent and took his leave.
Jiang Yu gathered his emotions, then let out a wailing cry: “Oh, my poor Highness!”
He pulled open the tent flap, but in the next instant, his wailing caught in his throat.
Inside the tent, Chu Moyuan’s robe hung slightly open, the collar crumpled into a mess as if it had been forcefully yanked.
His eyes were blank, their rims red, and he muttered incessantly under his breath: “My benefactor is Meng Yao, Meng Yao is my benefactor; my benefactor is Meng Yao, Meng Yao…”
“Your Highness! This old servant has arrived late!” Jiang Yu rushed forward several steps.
Chu Moyuan stopped muttering and stared blankly at Jiang Yu. “You…”
Overjoyed, Jiang Yu exclaimed, “This old servant is Jiang Yu! Does Your Highness remember—ah!”
Before he could finish, Chu Moyuan shoved him away with such force that Jiang Yu was sent sprawling flat on his back.
“You interrupted me!” Chu Moyuan paced the tent in a frantic rush. “Which time was it? What count was I on?”
Every single day, that woman in red would grab him by the collar with a fierce scowl.
She forced him to recite “My benefactor is Meng Yao” five hundred times.
Today… which time was it?
…
That afternoon, Meng Yao finished her camp patrol and returned on horseback.
Her maidservant Qingluan hurried forward to help her strip off her armor. “The Old Master has sent for you again, Young Mistress.”
Meng Yao nodded. “Understood.”
Then she asked:
“How is that fool?”
Qingluan was momentarily taken aback before realizing who she meant. “The Eldest Imperial Prince met with the people from the palace today.”
In her past life, no one from the palace had come.
The day after rescuing him, her grandfather had dispatched men to escort the prince back to the capital.
In this life…
Well, she had cornered him in the cave for an entire night amid a raging thunderstorm; it was only natural that the fool would catch a chill.
After all, he possessed a body of royal blood. No matter how eager her grandfather was to claim credit, he could not send him away while ill. He had no choice but to send a carrier pigeon to the capital with the news, which led to the arrival of the palace envoy.
“I’ll go take a look,” she said.
“Young Mistress, aren’t you going to see the Old Master? They’ve already come to summon you twice over the past few days.”
Meng Yao looked back with a smile, her red dress blazing with presence. “Looking at an old man is nowhere near as amusing as looking at a fool.”
…
However, the fool had no desire to see her.
Seeing her burst briskly into the tent, Chu Moyuan straightened his posture at once, placing both hands obediently upon his knees.
“I finished reciting,” he said, his eyes clear, carrying a touch of ingratiation.
Over the past half-month, he had been thoroughly terrified by Meng Yao’s torment.
Meng Yao patted the top of his head with a smile. “Not bad. Continue tomorrow.”
“Miss Meng, you must not be insolent!” Jiang Yu snapped from the side. “His Highness possesses an exalted body; how can you treat him with such disrespect!”
Meng Yao’s sharp gaze swept over, sending a chill through Jiang Yu.
Meng Yao narrowed her eyes, seemingly recalling something.
She retrieved a fine piece of jade from her waist and presented it with both hands. “Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch. I nearly committed a grave error! This jade was seized from Wei; please accept it, Eunuch.”
Jiang Yu glanced at it, then sucked in a breath of cold air—
This was top-grade Hetian Mutton-fat Jade!
She truly was an inexperienced slip of a girl, giving away such a priceless treasure so casually.
He adopted an imposing demeanor as he accepted it, his tone remaining stern: “Since you recognize your fault, Miss Meng, see to it that it does not happen again.”
“His Highness will be returning to the capital shortly. Grandfather has a personal letter he wishes His Highness to carry back; would it be convenient for you to accommodate us, Eunuch?”
Having taken a bribe, Jiang Yu caressed the mutton-fat jade in his palm and withdrew.
With only the two of them left in the tent, Meng Yao took another two steps closer.
Chu Moyuan sat even straighter. “I… I recited it all!”
Meng Yao poked his chest with a fingertip. “Recite it every day after returning to the capital, too! Wait for me to come check!”
“It hurts…” Pained by Meng Yao’s poke, Chu Moyuan quickly clutched his chest, looking like a thoroughly bullied child.
“Only pain makes you remember.” Meng Yao poked him with even greater vigor. “That way, you won’t mistake me for someone else!”
In her past life, had he not forgotten her, the Meng Manor would not have been able to steal her merit and subsequently murder her.
Though he, Chu Moyuan, was not the mastermind, he was an accomplice all the same!
…
On the day the Eldest Imperial Prince departed for the capital.
Meng Yao stood behind her grandfather, Meng Pingliang, kneeling alongside the soldiers of the Changshan Camp to see the prince off into the distance.
Layers of armor could not conceal the striking brilliance of her red dress. Chu Moyuan took only a single glance before lowering the carriage curtain.
Internally, he cursed: Don’t kneel, I can’t afford to accept it!
Acting like a fool was truly exhausting.
And as for bullying a fool—Meng Yao, you really are wicked!
If you’re so worried about your merit being stolen, why don’t you just return to the capital with me!