Later on, Xu Wu passed away on a continuous rainy night, leaving very quietly.
However, she could not leave the imperial palace. She stayed inside a crystal bead belonging to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for seven years. During those seven years, Xu Wu saw through everything concerning Li Jingling and Lu Mingfang.
When Li Jingling was seventeen years old, he went hunting with the heirs of the Duke of Zhenguo and the General Defending the Frontier. Li Jingling accidentally shot an arrow into Lu Mingfang’s shoulder. Lu Mingfang winced in pain, covering her shoulder, her clear and delicate eyes brimming with tears. Amidst the lush, green hillside, she looked as pure and adorable as a young fawn.
At a single glance, Li Jingling fell for those tear-filled eyes.
Later on, the wife of the Duke of Huiguo forced Lu Mingfang to marry the forty-two-year-old Count Yichang as his second wife. At the critical moment, Li Jingling stepped in to save her, and the two pledged their love for three lifetimes. Lu Mingfang was gentle and knew how to indulge a man, which Li Jingling liked immensely.
Yet, Lu Mingfang’s background as the daughter of a kept mistress made her completely unfit for high society. Li Jingling secretly worked to elevate her status, but this matter was discovered by Consort Wang.
Consort Wang sent palace matrons to invite Lu Mingfang into the palace. However, as Lu Mingfang passed by Chenlong Spring, she happened to encounter torrential rain. The surging river waters instantly washed away the wooden bridge. By the time Li Jingling rushed over, Chenlong Spring was already a vast expanse of open water, with fragments of the wooden bridge floating on the river.
The emotions of youth are the most sincere. A woman who has never been attained, never held in one’s arms, naturally becomes the white moonlight of one’s heart. One cannot stop yearning for her, cannot stop searching for the trace of that old friend in other women.
Therefore, at the imperial banquet in the tenth year of Gengshou, when Li Jingling saw Xu Wu’s cold, breathtakingly gorgeous eyes, they instantly merged with Lu Mingfang’s eyes in his mind.
After their grand wedding, Li Jingling’s kindness toward Xu Wu was actually because he treated her as Lu Mingfang. Later on, the two reunited, and Li Jingling bestowed upon Lu Mingfang the title of Noble Consort Wan, granting her residence in Chunxi Palace and favoring her immensely.
After that came her own betrayal by Lu Mingfang, her entanglement in the witchcraft case, and the execution of the entire Xu family.
Upon learning this news, Xu Wu felt deeply suffocated and depressed. She departed with that continuous winter rain on New Year’s Eve, without any warning or illness, leaving just as cleanly.
Waking up once more, heavy snow had been falling continuously for two days.
She saw Pei’er walking in with a cup of tea with a smile. “Miss, what are you thinking about? Yesterday, the old lady sent a night-pearl, saying she wants it embroidered onto your wedding shoes.”
Hearing this, Xu Wu felt a shock in her heart. Looking around at the furnishings in the room, she suddenly realized that she had actually returned to the age of fifteen.
Xu Wu slowly closed her eyes, and after a long while, stared blankly at the pots of red plum blossoms placed on the corner flower stand. Scene after scene of Li Jingling and Lu Mingfang’s past life flashed through her mind.
After she passed away, she spent another seven years inside the crystal bead at the Astronomical Bureau, watching the bustling crowd. She knew that Lu Mingfang eventually gave birth to a son, was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort Wan, but persistently failed to be made Empress. In the end, she forced the Astronomical Bureau to use celestial phenomena to compel Li Jingling to install her as Empress.
Xu Wu rubbed her aching temples. She never wanted to get mixed up in these two people’s affairs ever again, and as for Li Jingling, they were even. It would be best if they never met again.
When all was said and done, she had never owed anyone anything.
Everyone said she had a good life: her biological mother was Princess Huayang, and her aunt was Consort De in the palace. But who truly knew the inside story?
It was true that her mother was Princess Huayang, but she was not the biological daughter of the Xu family. Princess Huayang had divorced her former husband, and having fallen out with her own mother, she later brought eight-year-old Xu Wu along to marry Xu Sushun, a judge in the Astronomical Bureau, as his wife.
Xu Sushun was an honest man who had remained a rank-six official after eight years at the Astronomical Bureau. Although he was very good to Xu Wu, an inner courtyard was always an inner courtyard. Old Madam Xu always kept her at arm’s length, treating her with only superficial politeness, while bestowing any benefits upon Xu Jiaran and Xu Jialan, the children left behind by her stepfather’s deceased wife.
Princess Huayang also had an unyielding disposition and did not get along with Old Madam Xu at all. Xu Wu did not want to put her mother in a difficult position, so she exercised patience everywhere and never complained even when she was wronged.
Later on, the sixth prince, Li Jingling, took a fancy to her, and Consort Wang gave a verbal promise of betrothal. Such family standing and class leap caused everyone in the Xu residence to start showing respect to Princess Huayang.
Therefore, when she was promised in marriage, Xu Wu was genuinely happy.
Yet, Xu Wu discovered that certain things had changed, especially regarding Lu Mingfang.
Before New Year’s Eve, Lu Mingfang had visited the residence once. Completely contrary to the humble and gentle demeanor of her past life, she instead possessed quite a bit of the dignified air belonging to Noble Consort Wan from her previous life.
Lu Mingfang took Xu Wu’s hand and told her about a dream. “Wu Younger Sister, I had a dream. I dreamed of someone who looked just like my sister. She kept a vicious hound that bit a palace maid to death. It was so bloody.”
Hearing Lu Mingfang recount this, Xu Wu felt a chill run through her entire body. She quietly looked at Lu Mingfang and asked gently, “Why use such a heavy hand?”
Lu Mingfang looked at Xu Wu’s clear, elegant brows, paused slightly, and said softly, “Because that maid was a spy who came here deliberately to cause harm.”
Xu Wu withdrew her hand from Lu Mingfang’s grip and cast her a silent, sideways glance. What Lu Mingfang spoke of was the incident involving the imperial concubine and the imperial guards. After Xu Wu was placed under house arrest, Pei’er went to Chunxi Palace and knelt, hoping Noble Consort Wan would come out and clarify things. However, Lu Mingfang, despite being a noble consort, had palace servants release a vicious hound that bit Pei’er to death.
Yet Lu Mingfang claimed that the person who released the vicious hound looked just like herself. This showed that Lu Mingfang did not consider her a friend at all, and moreover, was deeply driven by jealousy. Lu Mingfang seemed to love imposing malicious acts upon her.
Furthermore, Lu Mingfang did not go to Chenlong Spring this time at all. Instead, she claimed illness and skipped Consort Wang’s invitation, which meant that Lu Mingfang had also been reborn.
The incident where her younger sister, Xu Runyue, offended Imperial Concubine Yi had also happened in her past life, yet in that life, she had still smoothly married Li Jingling.
In this life, however, her engagement was suddenly broken off because of this matter. That could only mean that after Lu Mingfang rejected Consort Wang’s invitation, she had gone to find Li Jingling.
When Li Jingling saw the white moonlight of his heart, Xu Wu, who served as a substitute for that white moonlight, would naturally have her engagement broken off.
Pei’er turned to look at Xu Wu, hurriedly getting up to tightly close the eastern window. A thread of sunlight crossed the snow and shone onto Xu Wu’s smooth face, instantly casting a soft, gentle glow over half of her face. Her brows were slightly furrowed, making her look exceptionally charming and alluring.
That sixth prince must be blind. Her young miss was clearly the most beautiful woman in the capital.
He severed ties and broke the engagement just like that. Even though the emperor clearly intended to show leniency, he deliberately sought out this excuse, plainly using royal authority to bully people! He wanted her when he pleased, discarded her when he no longer did, and fabricated a reason to dismiss her without caring whether others lived or died.
Pei’er cursed the sixth prince, Li Jingling, a thousand times over in her heart, yet she could not detect a trace of angry emotion on Xu Wu’s face.
On the contrary, Xu Wu had Banxia fetch many beautiful winter garments. Princess Yongqing’s household was hosting a small banquet and had invited Xu Wu to attend. In fact, the noble ladies of the capital all assumed Xu Wu would be depressed and dejected over being jilted by the sixth prince and wanted to make a laughingstock of her, but she refused to give them the satisfaction. She deliberately dressed herself up exquisitely and beautifully, determined to be happy and carefree.
A young woman should rightfully live for herself; the men of this world were not limited to Li Jingling alone. Why on earth should she become a tearful, love-obsessed fool? Who said that having an engagement broken meant one had to be miserable!
Xu Wu selected for a long time before finally picking a begonia-red dress embroidered with lotus patterns. The color was a soft, bright hue—neither overly red nor bland—and Banxia styled her hair into a welcoming-spring bun, pinning it with a hair-clasp dangling gold tassels. It made her look exceptionally charming, opulent, and radiant.
Banxia stared at Xu Wu in the bronze mirror, her eyes shining with brilliance as she proudly declared, “I said it before, our young miss is the absolute prettiest in all the capital.”
Xu Wu chose a water-red lip tint and pressed her lips together in front of the mirror. She was naturally gorgeous, but in order to avoid drawing too much attention in the household, she usually dressed plainly. Now that she was living her life over again, she was going to live it more vibrantly and brilliantly. However, upon hearing her maid speak thus, no matter how thick-skinned and confident she was, she still blushed a little. She simply reached out, poked Banxia lightly on the forehead, and laughed, “Aren’t your words sweet!”
She knew Banxia said those things to cheer her up, and likewise, her acceptance of those words was also meant to comfort Banxia and the others so they wouldn’t worry about her.
Xu Wu twisted the handkerchief in her hand, thinking to herself: She would attend Princess Yongqing’s small banquet with dignity, and she would reclaim her lost pride with grace!