“Si Lang, that year during the light rain and apricot blossoms, you said you were the Guo Junwang.”

“Maybe everything was wrong from the very start.”

Zhen Huan often thought of this line in her later years, and every time, it caused her unbearable heartache.

Looking back on her life, she realized that the Emperor had not treated her poorly.

Perhaps, in the beginning, the Emperor saw her as a substitute for Chun Yuan.

But as time went on, he gave her a love, care, and favor that no one else had.

She knew in her heart that the Emperor’s affection for her surpassed what he gave to many others.

He knew she was afraid of thunderstorms. Even after retiring for the night, he would brave the wind and rain to visit Sui Yu Xuan, just to put her mind at ease.

Fearing she might fall victim to Nian Gengyao’s faction, the Emperor made excuses to send her to Peng Lai Zhou, all to ensure her safety.

The Emperor cared deeply for her, but he couldn’t always follow her wishes in everything.

As the ruler of a nation, he had his own dilemmas and burdens.

Yet over time, his indulgence spoiled her—

She began to lose sight of her place and sought a heart that belonged solely to her from him.

She dreamed of marrying the best man in the world, of having a love where two hearts beat as one, a love that lasted till old age.

But this kind of love was something she should never have expected from the Emperor.

Even later, could the Guo Junwang have truly given her such love?

Not entirely—

For someone in the Emperor’s position, personal feelings could never be the priority.

As an emperor, his lifelong responsibility was to bring peace and prosperity to his people.

“Every day in the palace, every moment I’m with you, it makes me feel utterly disgusted.”

But her return to the palace had been her own choice; the Emperor hadn’t forced her.

She hated him, yet still sought him out.

She needed his power to give her child a legitimate name, to provide her family with safety and stability…

But after using him to achieve her goals, she turned around and resented him…

She even claimed another man’s child as his own. For any man, that would be the ultimate humiliation.

Zhen Huan couldn’t understand what she was thinking back then or why she had become like that.

Once, even the smallest doubt from the Emperor would make her cry like pear blossoms in the rain, feeling he didn’t trust or love her.

Yet she herself had betrayed him with his own brother.

After entering the palace, she carried herself as if she were entirely justified.

In her mind, everything the Emperor did had to prioritize her; otherwise, it meant he didn’t love her and had wronged her.

Yet everything she did was somehow excusable.

The more Zhen Huan thought about it, the more guilt she felt toward the Emperor. Over time, her guilt turned into illness, and she succumbed to it, passing away in the first month of the 42nd year of Qianlong’s reign from a cold that had seeped into her body.

After her death, her soul lingered in the Forbidden City, unwilling to disperse due to her deep regrets.

Then one day, a flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and when she woke up again—

“This Wen Taiyi, really peculiar. Doesn’t everyone know that without imperial orders, a Taiyi can’t examine or treat anyone outside the royal family? Yet here he is, coming to our manor every ten days or so.”

As Zhen Huan walked, a sharp pain struck her head, and she seemed to hear Liu Zhu’s voice.

Before she could process it, she looked up and saw Wen Shichu standing before her.

For a moment, Zhen Huan was utterly confused.

But looking at Wen Shichu, and then at Liu Zhu and Huan Bi’s attire, she realized it seemed like she had returned to the time before she was married.

She glanced back at the temple behind her and silently thought:

“It feels like I’ve returned to the day I went to the temple to make a wish to avoid being chosen during the selection.”

Zhen Huan raised her arm and bit down hard.

The pain told her that this was no dream.

Could it be that the heavens had truly given her another chance at life?

Realizing this, Zhen Huan felt a flicker of joy in her heart.

In her previous life, though she had achieved much, she had made countless mistakes and lost many people. This time, she was determined to make amends for it all.

She glanced at Liu Zhu, the silly girl who had risked her life to bring a Taiyi to her aid.

Huan Bi, though she had committed wrongs, had later stood by her side through countless hardships without complaint.

And the man before her—Wen Shichu—who had protected her his entire life, only to end up castrated in the end…

Seeing these vibrant lives appear before her once more filled Zhen Huan with a deep sense of happiness.

In her previous life, she had been too focused on her own desires, neglecting everyone who truly loved her.

This time, she was determined to protect them all, no matter what.

Snapping back to reality, Zhen Huan playfully poked Liu Zhu and Huan Bi on their foreheads and teased:

“You two talk too much. I should ask Wen Taiyi for a prescription to cure your chatter.”

With that, she walked straight toward Wen Shichu and said:

“Shichu gege.”

Wen Shichu spoke the same words as in her previous life.

Zhen Huan understood his feelings but also knew she had never loved him. So, she rejected him directly.

With Wen Shichu’s character, looks, and medical skills, he could find someone who truly loved him to spend his life with.

Better to end things now than to prolong the pain.

Only by letting him completely let go of her could Wen Shichu truly have a life of his own.

As for Shen Meizhuang, in this life, they were destined not to have any romantic ties, just as Zhen Huan and the Guo Junwang were.

Love that was destined to end in tragedy was better left unstarted.

She couldn’t have everything; it wasn’t realistic, nor was it fair.

After returning from the temple, Zhen Huan rushed back home.

Many years had passed, and she deeply missed her parents, brother, and sister.

Her mother was startled by her daughter’s sudden enthusiasm. Stroking her hair lovingly, she said:

“Huan’er, why are you acting so differently today? I’ve only been away for a few hours, and here you are, acting all clingy.”

Zhen Huan looked up, her face full of smiles, and said:

“Mother, do you think I’m too clingy? I don’t care; I just want you to hold me like this.”

Her mother could only shake her head fondly, saying, “Alright, alright.”

Meanwhile, Liu Zhu and Huan Bi laughed together in the background.

Happy times were always fleeting, and soon the selection day arrived.

Zhen Huan wasn’t worried about whether she’d be chosen; to her now, it was all a small matter she was confident she could handle.

However, regarding the people she was about to meet, she couldn’t help but start planning.

Shen Meizhuang went without saying; in her previous life, Sister Mei had cared for her and supported her all her life. Their bond was unshakable.

It was An Lingrong who gave her the most headache.

In her last life, she and An Lingrong had been as close as sisters for most of their lives, only for it to end in bitter rivalry and mutual destruction.