Chapter 7 : My lady, look what I’ve brought back

Cui Yunzhao initially thought Huo Tan would ask why.

But to her surprise, Huo Tan didn’t ask anything and instead laughed, “Great. I was planning to arrange a feast in the barracks, but it seems this saves me the trouble.”

“You’re truly a supportive wife. Thank you for your help.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled but didn’t respond.

With things to attend to, Huo Tan couldn’t sit still. He said, “Then I’ll go inform the barracks.”

The Bo Ling cavalry barracks were located five miles west of the city.

Since it was a stationed army and many soldiers had families living in the city, senior officers, including the military envoy, generally lived at home rather than in the barracks.

During peacetime, those with families could still be called to train, but the barracks wouldn’t provide food, so they needed to bring their own provisions.

This way, the pressure on the military administration was significantly reduced.

Many of Huo Tan’s subordinates lived in the city, so he needed to go to the barracks to notify them and request leave from his superiors.

As Cui Yunzhao needed to settle down as well, she said, “Then come back early, my lord.”

Huo Tan agreed, casually putting on a robe before leaving.

Once he was gone, Li Qing and Tao Fei came to help Cui Yunzhao with her belongings.

She had a lot of clothes, and the wardrobe and two baskets were already full, with more to be unpacked.

Tao Fei remarked with a smile, “It just so happens that there are a few new baskets here, clearly newly made.”

Cui Yunzhao nodded and laid out her commonly used cosmetics and hair accessories. She then examined the headpieces prepared by her second aunt and couldn’t help but snort.

Tao Fei was quite upset, “Miss, they’re really bullying us too much.”

“It seems they think they can push us around because we don’t have any elders here.”

Even the usually mild-mannered Li Qing said, “The second madam says she will still teach the second young master and fourth young lady, but this is truly excessive.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled faintly, not very angry.

“It’s okay. There’s no rush. The things are all there and they can’t be lost.”

However… there are some issues with my sister-in-law’s upbringing.

With that thought, Cui Yunzhao tried to distract herself and focused on understanding how she had died.

Once everything was packed up, she had Li Qing and Tao Fei check the kitchen. They had learned some cooking skills, so she wanted them to give a few pointers to the cook.

After everyone left, Cui Yunzhao entered the small study and sat down quietly.

In the winter… The morning sunlight fell gently on her face, warm and serene, casting a soft orange-red glow.

In the study, Cui Yunzhao had lit her favorite pear-scented candle, which exuded a sweet and elegant fragrance that brought calm to her heart.

She slowly closed her eyes, letting the warm sunlight bathe her face. Her thoughts raced as she forced herself to return to that cold and painful night. She meticulously reviewed every detail of the events, slowly searching for clues.

That night, Tao Fei had changed the incense. The scent was unfamiliar, with a strong jasmine aroma, unlike her usual fruity and sweet fragrances. It was overly intense.

Then there was the bowl of medicine brought by Ning Zi.

After Li Qing passed away, Cui Yunzhao was somewhat disheartened. At that time, she didn’t want to think about anything and decided to part ways with Huo Tan.

After the separation, she lived alone and did not return to the Cui family. Possibly due to Huo Tan’s lingering influence, no one troubled her.

Two years later, Huo Tan became emperor. He soon bestowed upon Cui Yunzhao the title of Lady An Ning and granted her residence at the Changle Villa at the foot of the Fulu Mountain, with a salary higher than a prince’s.

Ning Zi left the palace at that time and went to Changle Villa to serve her. Ning Zi’s demeanor was similar to Li Qing’s,reserved and indifferent so Cui Yunzhao liked her very much and quickly made her the housekeeper.

During those four years, Cui Yunzhao never saw Ning Zi show any anger or dissatisfaction toward her.

Cui Yunzhao slowly opened her eyes.

She quietly gazed at the intricate play of light and shadow outside the window, continuing her recollection.

At the time, she found the medicine too bitter, so Ning Zi said she had prepared some candied fruit. She drank the medicine, ate the candied fruit, and then used the handkerchief provided by Cui Zhu to wipe her mouth.

Before her death, she had interacted with only three people and four items.

Tao Fei had been with her for over twenty years, from childhood. She had even been injured in battles for her. Regardless of who might have harmed her, Tao Fei could not be the culprit.

Thus, the ones worth suspecting were Ning Zi and Cui Zhu.

Cui Yunzhao wrote the characters “Zi” and “Zhu” on the paper and continued to think.

The items she had encountered were the new incense, the medicinal potion, the candied fruit, and the handkerchief.

These four items were new that day, especially the bowl of medicine, which had a very bitter taste, completely different from what she usually consumed.

Cui Yunzhao deepened her gaze and wrote down these four items. She had been reborn yesterday, and her current memory was the most vivid. Thus, she needed to record every detail to avoid forgetting. With that thought, Cui Yunzhao…

Cui Yunzhao suddenly remembered there had been another person outside the palace that day.

She closed her eyes and began to replay every scene and detail from yesterday in her mind. Suddenly, she recalled a particular detail.

Ning Zi had come to deliver the medicine with that person.

She remembered that Ning Zi had stood outside the palace, and behind Ning Zi, there had been another figure. It was this figure who had uttered the last words Cui Yunzhao heard in her previous life. The person had said, “That person’s heart is truly cruel.”

Because she had parted ways with Huo Tan, and since Huo Tan had not remarried while she had not taken another husband, and because Huo Tan had become emperor and granted her such a fine villa, the servants in the villa had begun to harbor strange thoughts.

Some feared she might resent the situation or blame them for not recognizing her worth, and thus were reluctant to mention His Majesty in her presence.

Others, particularly the younger ones, harbored dreams and hoped she might reconcile with Huo Tan, perhaps even return to Bianjing and the magnificent Lingxiao Palace with him.

These conflicting sentiments among the servants had led them to refer to Huo Tan as “that person” in whispers.

In her previous life, Cui Yunzhao had heard this term many times, but she had ignored it as mere idle chatter of the palace servants, not considering it significant.

Besides, no one frequently visited the Changle Villa, so she wasn’t worried about any potential taboos being breached.

But now, as the voice echoed in her ears, Cui Yunzhao’s immediate assumption was that Huo Tan intended to kill her.

However, after a night had passed and she had calmed down, she began to reconsider the situation.

For example. Why would Huo Tan want to kill her?

Her separation from Huo Tan was a matter of the eighth year of Jingde. There was no deep enmity between them. Later, when Huo Tan ascended the throne, he even reinstated her.

As a woman who had never involved herself in political affairs and who had been separated from Huo Tan, her death would not affect the state’s governance. It was unnecessary and excessive for anyone to go to such lengths to kill her.

In fact, many people in the capital had long since forgotten her.

Aside from the Cui family members who had benefited from her position and her brother, who had become the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, no one else came to visit her at Changle Villa.

Cui Yunzhao lowered her gaze and gently traced the characters on the paper with her fingers.

Now, she needed to clarify two things, who wanted to kill her and why they wanted to kill her.

Only by understanding these two points and eliminating all potential dangers in advance could Cui Yunzhao ensure her own safety.

She closed her eyes again, recalling the events of her previous life, and a very absurd thought crossed her mind.

Could she really have an impact on state affairs?

Huo Tan is someone who can both take and let go. Cui Yunzhao doesn’t believe that just because they separated, he would remain unmarried for life he still has the throne to inherit. His current celibacy is merely because the world is newly stabilized, and he has many more important matters to attend to. He is a very planned and methodical person.

But what about later?

In the third year of Jian Yuan, she missed the palace banquet due to illness, so she didn’t see Huo Tan that year. By the fourth year of Jian Yuan, the year she died, it had already been two years since she last saw him.

She lived far away in Changle Villa and was not well-informed about the capital. Perhaps…

Perhaps there were many changes happening out of her sight, and those changes ultimately led to her death. But with time’s return, all clues have been obliterated with Heaven’s favor.

Yet those people and events still exist.

As long as Huo Tan wants to be emperor, things will inevitably follow the trajectory of her past life.

Cui Yunzhao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

What she needed to do now was to identify who that person accompanying Ning Zi was.

During her years at Changle Villa, she had never seen him or heard his voice, meaning it was his first time stepping foot in Changle Villa.

Following the only clue she had, she would eventually uncover the hidden dangers. And that person was the most crucial lead she had.

Huo Tan is a nostalgic person.

When he first ascended to the throne, he rewarded those who had been with him.

Whether they were soldiers or officials, relatives or old friends, even his ex-wife, Cui Yunzhao, was not overlooked.

Based on the only plausible hypothesis, if Huo Tan had indeed wanted to kill her, he would have sent someone he trusted.

So that person, hidden outside the palace, likely now appeared beside Huo Tan.

Cui Yunzhao narrowed her eyes. No matter what, she needed to find this person first.

Additionally, she needed to probe Huo Tan’s true intentions.

In their previous life, they rarely spent time together, and their relationship was quite cold. Later, when Cui Yunzhao proposed a separation, Huo Tan agreed decisively without much hesitation.

She had thought Huo Tan was indifferent to romantic love. But having been reborn and testing him from yesterday to today, she began to think it might not be the case.

At least with regard to her, his new wife, Huo Tan had shown clear enthusiasm. This might also be a common behavior for a young groom. But if Huo Tan truly cared for her, he would never have her killed. Despite their cold relationship, Cui Yunzhao trusted Huo Tan’s character. He only killed those who deserved it and would not act out of baseless malice.

With this thought, Cui Yunzhao’s mind began to clear.

As she was about to write down her thoughts, she heard Huo Tan’s cheerful laughter from outside “My lady, look what I’ve brought back.”