Chapter 7: Double Rebirth (7)

His heart had already been in turmoil, and now, seeing Jiang Jiang wanting to pass a message to Jiang Yun, his grip on her hand subconsciously tightened—drawing a startled yelp from her.

“Sorry.” Lu Zheng immediately let go and began gently rubbing her wrist, his tone low and filled with guilt. “I couldn’t control myself.”

See, this was what he was like—sensitive, self-abasing, yet desperate for warmth.

Jiang Jiang could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face. She grabbed his wrist and gave it a firm squeeze in return, then smiled. “Don’t overthink it. No matter who he married, I would’ve done the same. They deserve to know the truth.”

If she didn’t tell them, wouldn’t that make her complicit? But she didn’t want trouble either, which is why she told Fengxin to pass the message through multiple hands.

She didn’t want to meddle too much in Jiang Yun’s affairs either. The disasters of their past life had been partly their fault. She shouldn’t have stolen official documents for Lu Mingxuan, and the Jiang family shouldn’t have prioritized ambition over their daughter’s well-being.

But Lu Zheng was innocent. If he wanted revenge against Jiang Yun, it would be justified.

He hadn’t asked for this marriage. Even after Jiang Yun betrayed him, he hadn’t blamed her, nor did he hold it against Prime Minister Jiang.

Jiang Jiang gently hugged him. “From now on, I’ll stay far away from them. Your Highness just focus on your own matters.”

She wouldn’t let him be caught in the middle.

The carriage suddenly fell silent. Lu Zheng absentmindedly stroked the red mark on her wrist, shadows flickering in his eyes. Suddenly, he let out a quiet chuckle. “That robe Sixth Brother wore today—it was made of cloud-patterned brocade from Jiangnan, wasn’t it?”

Jiang Jiang was confused at the sudden change of topic. Then she saw him pull out a finely crafted dagger from a hidden compartment. The gem-inlaid scabbard gleamed coldly in the dim light.

“Forged from black steel tribute from the Western Regions last year,” he said, pressing it into her palm. “Much more useful than that fancy brocade.”

Only then did Jiang Jiang realize he was comparing gifts—and her heart softened.

She deliberately twirled the dagger in her hand and teased, “It is nice… but—” she suddenly leaned in close to his ear, “not as good-looking as Your Highness.”

The tips of Lu Zheng’s ears instantly flushed red, and the gloom around him dissipated.

He pulled her tightly into his arms, muttering, “You’re getting smooth with your words.”

“I’m serious.” Jiang Jiang cupped his face, her fingers tracing his delicate features. “This little mole at the corner of your eye…” she gave it a light peck, “…is more beautiful than any ruby from the West.”

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With knowledge from his past life, Lu Zheng quickly regrouped all his former loyal followers.

In no time, the ministers at court began to take notice of the Ninth Prince, startled by his growth and progress.

Yet many still sighed with regret—such a pity he was crippled.

But their regret didn’t last long, because soon news leaked from Prince Cheng’s estate:

The Ninth Prince’s legs were healed!

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingxuan shattered an entire wall of porcelain and roared at his advisor, “Didn’t you say there was no need to worry about him? That his legs couldn’t be cured?!”

The advisor cursed his luck and replied, “Logically speaking, with a childhood leg injury untreated, once grown, the bones would be set. There’s no way to stand again.”

Lu Mingxuan cursed him as useless, but he didn’t suspect that Lu Zheng had been pretending all along—because he had watched with his own eyes as Lu Zheng’s legs were broken.

It couldn’t have been faked.

That bastard just had tough luck and survived.

Things hadn’t been going his way lately—first, his father-in-law refused to help him; then that idiot Jiang Yun somehow caught wind of his secret meeting with Jiang Jiang at the Empress Dowager’s banquet and had quarreled with him several times.

Then, that incident with his estate in the eastern suburbs was exposed to the Emperor. Even though he’d already moved most of the evidence, they still got a hold of something—and the Emperor had been giving him strange looks ever since.

Damn Lu Zheng!

Lu Mingxuan’s eyes burned with hatred. He didn’t dare strike at Lu Zheng directly now—he didn’t know how many cards his brother held—but he could go after the woman he loved.

Just like how his mother once forced Lu Zheng’s mother to her death.

“Go find some men. Kidnap the Princess Consort of Cheng. I want Lu Zheng to understand that he was born to be utterly alone.”

“And that old traitor Jiang! When I take the throne, I’ll have the entire Jiang family executed!”

Outside the room, Jiang Yun—who had come to deliver dessert—clapped a hand over her mouth, terrified she might scream if she loosened her grip.

What had she just heard?!

The man she’d loved across two lifetimes was planning to hurt her sister and wipe out her family.

But he had said in the past life—it didn’t matter if the Jiang family didn’t help him; her father was still his father-in-law, and he would always respect them!

The door creaked open. Jiang Yun quickly dove into a nearby bush.

It was spring, but she felt as if her whole body had turned cold. The venom in the man’s voice struck her like lightning, slicing through the fog in her mind.

Jiang Yun had never felt so clear-headed in her life.

In the past, he’d sweet-talked her into stealing her father’s documents, saying it was just for a petition. Then he killed Lu Zheng and seized the throne. After that, the Jiang family fell, and she fell seriously ill.

Everything now made sense.

Jiang Yun held her mouth tightly shut, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She stumbled back to her courtyard, unaware she had lost a shoe. Trembling, she opened the hidden drawer in her vanity and took out a jade pendant—Lu Mingxuan’s token of love. But now it felt like a branding iron in her hand.

“Prepare the carriage! I’m going back to the Prime Minister’s estate—immediately!” Her voice was so hoarse it startled her maid into almost dropping a basin.

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Prime Minister Jiang smashed his teacup to the floor after hearing his daughter’s disjointed story.

“Yun’er, are you sure you heard correctly?” His face was dark with fury. “If these words spread…”

“I swear on my life!” Jiang Yun knelt on the floor, her makeup streaked with tears. “He even said he’d force her like they forced Consort Rong back then…”

Consort Rong—Lu Zheng’s birth mother.

The Prime Minister shot to his feet, his desk rattling from the impact. He finally understood why the Ninth Prince had kept such a low profile all these years—he must’ve known the truth about his mother’s death.

“Someone come!” His voice trembled. “Send a message to Prince Cheng’s residence. No—forget it. I’ll go myself.”

Then he looked at Jiang Yun again. Though still angry that she hadn’t listened before marriage and insisted on marrying Prince An, he softened his tone and said, “Stay at home for now. Lu Mingxuan’s surely watching your movements. If you return, there’s no telling what he might do.”

She was his legitimate wife, so he wouldn’t touch her openly—but in the shadows, all kinds of sinister tricks could be used.

Jiang Yun nodded through her tears. She didn’t dare confess her mistakes from the past life—she could only hope things would be different this time.

She clung to one desperate hope: What if she was the only one who’d been reborn?

If that were true, she’d bury the truth in her heart.

Yes. Yes. Jiang Yun forced herself to calm down. No one else knew. So it never happened.

She would spend the rest of her life making it up to her parents.