Сhaptеr 2: Shеn Zhihеng Наs Also Bееn Reborn
Сui Jin turned arоund аnd sаw thе hаndsоme Shеn Zhihеng strоlling ovеr. When his gаze sweрt оver hеr, it was соndеscеnding, сarrуing а sеnsе оf асcumulаted аuthоrity.
“Ruyue, havе yоu pеrsuаdеd Мinister Cui tо changе thе mаrriаge аrrangеment?” he аskеd.
“Оf соurse.”
Сui Ruyue, her еуеs shуlу lowered, tооk аdvantаge оf the faсt thаt оnlу the threе оf them had bеen in the studу еаrliеr and liеd withоut hesitation: “I told Father I would mаrry nо оnе but уоu. Hоw could he dаre tо refusе? Tоmorrow… will be our wedding day.”
Shen Zhiheng breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes softening. “Rest assured, Ruyue. In this lifetime, I will not let anyone snatch away the marriage that rightfully belongs to you. We will grow old together!”
Cui Ruyue lowered her head shyly, casting a smug glance at Cui Jin.
Cui Jin’s eyes deepened.
So, someone else had also been reborn.
Seemingly sensing her gaze, Shen Zhiheng frowned slightly and met her eyes.
“Cui Jin,” he said coldly, with a hint of condescending warning. “The engagement with you was never my intention. My heart belongs only to Ruyue. I hope you will respect yourself and cease your entanglement with me.”
His words carried a clear warning.
Cui Jin’s lips curled slightly. “A poor scholar living off the Cui family, who can’t even afford a wedding house without the Cui family’s money—how could he possibly be worthy of my entanglement?”
“What do you know!” Cui Ruyue snorted coldly. “Shen Lang will undoubtedly top the imperial examinations after the New Year and rise swiftly to the highest ranks of officials!”
“Ruyue, there’s no need to say more. She is merely jealous that I chose you,” Shen Zhiheng said sharply, his gaze sweeping over Cui Jin with disgust.
An imposing aura surrounded him, carrying the oppressive weight of someone long accustomed to power.
This was the noble air and authority that Cui Jin, in her previous life, had painstakingly built for him using her dowry, connections, and her maternal family’s resources.
She had carefully protected his self-esteem, never mentioning her covert support. But now, it seemed he truly believed it was all his own doing.
“Then I wish you a long and happy marriage, with many children early on,” Cui Jin sneered before turning to leave.
Shen Zhiheng was slightly taken aback.
Cui Jin had been obsessively clinging to him for so long; she surely couldn’t let go so easily. This move… must be a ploy to play hard to get.
A strange feeling inexplicably arose in his heart, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
The events of his past life were over, and he had no desire to dwell on them further.
If Cui Jin behaved sensibly, and when Prince Xin’s Manor fell in the future, he might not be opposed to taking her as a concubine and sparing her life—provided she stopped being jealous of Ruyue.
“Shen Lang?”
Seeing him lost in thought, Cui Ruyue gently tugged his sleeve and said coquettishly, “Tomorrow, when Prince Xin’s Manor comes to fetch the bride, the spectacle will surely be grand. We must not be outshone.”
She would never allow Cui Jin to steal her thunder, even for a moment.
Shen Zhiheng thought for a moment. “My mother has just arrived in the capital, and the preparations were rushed. The wedding ceremony is indeed somewhat simple. I will order preparations immediately—increase twenty more piculs of betrothal gifts, change the bridal sedan to a sixteen-bearer one, and add two more teams of musicians to the procession.”
“But… the expense won’t be small,” Cui Ruyue said tentatively.
“It’s no matter. At most, it will cost five thousand taels of silver,” Shen Zhiheng said gently. “Later, I will also go and hire the best opera troupe from Echo Pavilion. I will ensure you marry me in the most glorious manner.”
Cui Ruyue’s eyes brightened. “Echo Pavilion’s troupe is one that even imperial princes and noble manors find difficult to hire. Can you really get them, Shen Lang?”
Shen Zhiheng smiled. “I am on very good terms with the master of Echo Pavilion. In the future, he will also help me rise swiftly.”
Cui Ruyue felt a surge of pleasant surprise, growing even more smug.She feigned regret and said, “When I suggested swapping marriages earlier, my sister eagerly took the fertility pill without hesitation. How shortsighted! She only sees the immediate glory of being Princess Consort Xin, unaware that Shen Zhiheng is exceptionally talented and will surely rise to the pinnacle of power in the future, wielding immense influence.”
Fortunately, when Shen Zhiheng claimed he had experienced Rebirth, although she didn’t believe him, she didn’t expose him, which allowed him to reveal some future events.
Otherwise, she would have been the one implicated after marrying into Prince Xin’s Manor.
Shen Zhiheng’s eyes darkened slightly as he asked casually, “Did Cui Jin really take the fertility pill immediately? She didn’t try to compete with you for me?”
“No,” Cui Ruyue sighed softly. “She seems quite infatuated with Prince Xin.”
Shen Zhiheng’s expression turned grim with anger. “So greedy for vanity, her character is truly despicable! As for Prince Xin’s Manor… she’ll understand what regret means on her wedding night tomorrow.”
Seeing Cui Ruyue’s curious gaze, he continued, “Prince Xin is devoted to his Secondary Consort. On the wedding night, he won’t even share the ceremonial wine with Cui Jin. The day after the wedding… she’ll be accused of poisoning the Secondary Consort, condemned before the Emperor, and utterly disgraced.”
What was Cui Ruyue’s calamity in the previous life has now become Cui Jin’s.
Once she tastes the bitterness of suffering, she’ll naturally regret snatching the marriage today.
If she’s willing to serve Ruyue as a slave, kowtow, and admit her mistakes, he might overlook her status as a remarried woman and take her as a concubine.
Cui Ruyue looked surprised, but her eyes were filled with mockery. “My sister has always been competitive and eager to climb the social ladder since childhood. This time, she’ll learn her lesson.”
What does being a Princess Consort matter?
Born a lowly servant girl, even if she’s showered with immense wealth, she won’t be able to hold onto it.
The daughter of a foot-washing maid who performed concubine rituals before her mother—she’s only fit to be her foil for life!
…
Returning to her courtyard, Cui Jin went straight to the soft couch and picked up a wooden fish to tap—a habit of hers when deep in thought.
Something felt off.
Cui Ruyue had always been arrogant. In her previous life, she’d rather marry into Prince Xin’s Manor and live as a widow than lower herself to marry a poor scholar. Yet today, she was so devoted to Shen Zhiheng… Even if Shen Zhiheng could become a high-ranking minister in the future, how could he compare to a noble prince with the potential to ascend the throne?
Unless… Shen Zhiheng had told her something.
For instance, using his knowledge from Rebirth to predict a few minor events, gaining Cui Ruyue’s trust, and then telling her… that Prince Xin would face calamity in the future?
And a major one at that.
That would explain why Cui Ruyue abandoned Prince Xin and chose him instead.
Working through the layers, Cui Jin began to piece it together—the matter Prince Xin was most deeply entangled in was the struggle for the throne.
In her previous life, Prince Xin indeed faced difficulties due to having no heirs. Even before her death, he remained childless, with his only two children lost along with Cui Ruyue’s life and her triplets.
Prince Xin’s unstable position and subsequent calamity must be closely tied to his lack of heirs.
No heirs…
Cui Jin smiled.
Cui Ruyue was foolish, enduring six years of hardship in the manor before consummating the marriage and conceiving. But that didn’t mean Cui Jin was equally incapable.
She had supported the arrogant and conceited Shen Zhiheng all the way to the position of Minister. There was no reason she couldn’t succeed in the inner courtyard of Prince Xin’s Manor.
This time, she would become the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and never be controlled by anyone again!
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
Cui Jin rose before dawn and was taken to Cui Ruyue’s courtyard for the marriage swap.
As they passed each other, Cui Ruyue’s eyes were filled with smugness. “Sister, cherish today’s final moment of glory.”
Cui Jin paused slightly. “What do you mean, Eldest Sister?”
Cui Ruyue gently smoothed her sleeve, then merely covered her mouth with a light laugh, saying nothing more.After today’s wedding ceremony, once she exposes Cui Jin’s deliberate scheme to switch brides, Cui Jin will only incur Prince Xin’s greater disdain… She won’t even enjoy the final glory of being the Princess Consort, and will have to endure day and night the torment of the fertility pill’s demands for marital intimacy.
But she, Cui Ruyue, will soon become the wife of a Minister, the wife of the Chief Grand Secretary, basking in endless admiration!