Chapter 2
That was until she turned eight and met Ruan Linshuang for the first time.
Ruan Linshuang was two years older than Chai Zheng. Born into a wealthy and distinguished family, she had also received an exceptionally strict upbringing. While Chai Zheng was still at the age of climbing onto rooftops and tearing off tiles, Ruan Linshuang had already thoroughly studied the Four Books and Five Classics, along with poetry and classical literature.
For a long time, Chai Zheng had been convinced that Ruan Linshuang must have grown up eating books. How else could she have developed such extraordinary grace and refinement, with an elegance all her own? It had come as no surprise when Ruan Linshuang outranked her in the palace examination.
Besides that, eight was also the age when Chai Zheng first accompanied her father onto the battlefield. From that moment onward, the turbulent years came crashing toward her, entangling themselves with her life and refusing to let go until the very end.
For the first few months after Chai Zheng emerged from the nightmare of her previous life, she woke in terror almost every night. She could roughly determine that she was only about two years old. Even her father, who would later beat her as mercilessly as though he were thrashing a dog, now showed her a fair amount of affection. He called her his “precious daughter” and gave her anything she asked for.
News of her nightmares spread throughout the enormous Duke Chai’s residence. To take better care of her, Madam Chai even went so far as to move into separate quarters from Duke Chai. The more Chai Zheng thought about it, the more secretly delighted she became.
Everyone knew how deeply devoted Duke Chai and his wife were to each other. Even while fighting wars, her father would somehow find time to write a romantic letter or compose a love poem. Yet now, because of her, he had been forced to move into another courtyard and live a life of abstinence.
Chai Zheng had always possessed a carefree attitude, taking life as it came. Her current soft, squishy little body was incapable of supporting her grand ambitions. She couldn’t even speak properly, as though her tongue and her thoughts belonged to two completely different people. Rather than suffocate herself with frustration, she might as well seize this opportunity to make up for the childhood she had missed.
“Mother…” Chai Zheng had strong legs. At two years old, she could already walk quite steadily and even run. This was also why Duke Chai would later insist on teaching her martial arts. Such excellent natural talent would be a shame to waste.
For now, however, Chai Zheng had none of those worries. She tripped over a small stone beneath her foot and fell onto the corridor floor. It didn’t hurt, but her nose still tingled, and she immediately began making a fuss.
“Mother… want a hug!”
“Your mother is still holding something, so it’s inconvenient for her. How about your uncle carries you instead?”
That voice sent a chill through Chai Zheng’s entire body.
She hastily wiped the tears from her face with her hands and raised her eyes toward the man standing before her.
It was Zhao Qian.
The young Zhao Qian wore a black robe embroidered with gold thread, his hair gathered beneath a jade crown. His appearance was equal parts regal splendor and carefree, romantic charm.
In the past, Chai Zheng had heard people say that she bore some resemblance to the reigning emperor. She had never paid much attention to such remarks. Yet seeing him now, even Chai Zheng could no longer deny the connection of blood between them.
The back of Chai Zheng’s neck began aching faintly again.
She didn’t even bother getting up. Instead, she scrambled backward on her hands and feet.
Unfortunately, no matter how she moved, a small child’s actions only looked adorable. Moreover, Chai Zheng had been a rosy-cheeked little beauty since birth. Zhao Qian simply reached down and scooped up his youngest niece.
“…”
Unable to break free, Chai Zheng stretched out her hand and, with an expressionless face, grabbed a fistful of Zhao Qian’s hair and yanked.
“Imperial Brother, what brings you here?”
Chai Zheng’s mother was named Zhao Linlang. She was Zhao Qian’s only younger sister and the sole Grand Princess of the Great Jing Dynasty.
While attempting to pry his hair out of Chai Zheng’s grip, Zhao Qian replied, “I’ve brought an old friend to see Yuandao. There are also some matters of state I’d like to discuss with him.”
Hearing this, Chai Zheng glanced behind him.
Only then did she notice another person standing a short distance away. The man wore a scholar’s robe in shades of black and white and held a scroll and a book of chess strategies in his arms. He wasn’t particularly old, but he appeared calm and composed. He was also holding the hand of a little girl.
The moment Chai Zheng saw that little girl, her heart suddenly clenched so tightly that it almost leaped out of her chest.
She had originally planned to spend the next couple of years enjoying a peaceful childhood. Once she reached four or five, she would gradually begin considering how to take revenge and stage a rebellion. After all, she still retained the memories of her previous life. All the military strategies and tactical decisions her father had taught her were already firmly rooted in her mind, so there was no need to learn them again.
Although the extermination of three generations of her family was a blood feud as deep as the sea, Chai Zheng was no inexperienced youngster. Unless a child of only a few years old somehow became a divine child or an evil deity, no one would believe them if they started talking about “rebellion.” Worse still, people might assume the child’s family had taught them such things. Instead of waiting another dozen years, their entire household might be confiscated and executed right now.
But something had gone wrong with her plans.
First Zhao Qian, and now Ruan Linshuang. They had somehow gathered together far sooner than she expected.
Chai Zheng tapped her little head, thinking, “So children’s memories really are this terrible… What happened in the first year of Qizhao that would make Zhao Qian lower himself enough to come seek advice from my old man?”
She searched through her personal experiences but found nothing that offered any clues.
However, another fragment of the past surfaced in her mind.
As a child, Chai Zheng had been an indiscriminate reader, devouring every kind of book she could find. She had also skimmed through the history of the current dynasty, which included the following account:
“In the first year of Qizhao, the Kingdom of Musang repeatedly harassed the coastal waters, burning, killing, and plundering, leaving the once-prosperous and fertile region in misery… In the autumn of the first year of Qizhao, Duke Chai was appointed commander and led an expedition. In the sixth year, his forces advanced deep into enemy territory, compelling the Kingdom of Musang to relinquish control of the disputed waters and sign a treaty requiring annual tribute. However, Duke Chai sustained a severe injury to his right leg, leaving him with a chronic ailment.”
“What are you thinking about?”
Ruan Linshuang, dressed in a bright green outfit, stood behind Zhao Qian.
“Father asked me to take you out to play so they can discuss important matters in peace.”
Chai Zheng had barely returned to her senses when she found herself looking directly into Ruan Linshuang’s eyes.
Those eyes had yet to acquire the depth and cool detachment they would possess in later years. They were still innocent and filled with a faint smile, regarding Chai Zheng as though she were a little sister who didn’t know any better.
Chai Zheng hesitated for a second before stretching her arms toward Ruan Linshuang.
“Sister, pretty… want a hug.”
“…”
Ruan Yuzhang, who was currently serving as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Grand Scholar of the Hongwen Academy, suddenly felt a profound sense of impending danger.
“So our little Zheng’er likes Yuzhang’s daughter this much?”
Zhao Qian finally put Chai Zheng down on the ground.
He continued, “If Yuzhang had a son, I could arrange a childhood betrothal for the two of you right now.”
Chai Zheng stopped dead in the middle of rushing toward Ruan Linshuang.
Zhao Qian’s casual remark about “Zheng’er liking her” had frightened her.
More than ten years later, this very man would mercilessly eradicate everything Chai Zheng loved.
“Let’s go over there.”
Seeing Chai Zheng suddenly freeze, Ruan Linshuang assumed she had become embarrassed. She took the initiative to hold Chai Zheng’s hand and led her away from the corridor and into the courtyard.
Chai Zheng’s heart was completely consumed by fear.
Ruan Linshuang was the only person in this world she still held dear. Yet Zhao Qian’s careless remark had inadvertently drawn Ruan Linshuang into the matter as well.
If Chai Zheng made even a single wrong move from now on, causing the tragedies of her previous life to repeat themselves or implicating even more people, then even a hundred deaths would not be enough to atone for her mistakes.
Ruan Linshuang walked very slowly, accommodating the unsteady steps of a two-year-old child.
Yet when she turned around, she still discovered that Chai Zheng’s face had gone pale and that she was cautiously staring at their joined hands.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Ruan Linshuang asked.
Chai Zheng shook her head.
Her Little Ruan was extraordinarily intelligent, but right now, she was only a four-year-old child. She could barely speak in complete sentences, and her manner had only just begun to show traces of composure.
She was still far removed from the Ruan Linshuang who would one day be so determined to rebel.
It was far too early to tell her certain things.
“My name is Ruan Linshuang. Your name is… Chai Zheng, right?” Ruan Linshuang continued. “What do you like? I’ll take you to play.”
Chai Zheng turned to glance back toward the corridor.
The people who had been standing there were already gone. It seemed they had left to discuss serious matters.
Only then did she dare relax slightly.
She spread her little arms and hugged Ruan Linshuang.
“I like you… and I also like climbing onto rooftops and tearing off tiles!”
“…”
Four-year-old Ruan Linshuang actually smiled.
“I like that too.”
Chai Zheng was instantly horrified.
“You like that too?!”
In her mind, Ruan Linshuang had always been a delicate scholar. The most wicked thing she had ever done in her life was probably wasting a single grain of rice during a meal.
As for a hobby like climbing onto rooftops and tearing off tiles, which would certainly earn someone a thorough beating, Ruan Linshuang ought to have firmly opposed it.
Then Chai Zheng would have coaxed and pestered her for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before finally getting her way.
Chai Zheng thought, “After all, I was so adorable as a child. Who could possibly bear to refuse me?”
Yet Ruan Linshuang’s response was completely unexpected.
Not only that, she even looked at Chai Zheng with an utterly righteous expression and said, “You’re younger than me. If the adults catch us, I’ll tell them it was your idea. You should prepare yourself.”
“?”
Chai Zheng blinked her large eyes.
Wait a minute! I know I’m thick-skinned and tough enough to withstand a beating without learning my lesson, but you don’t have to throw me under the carriage like this, do you?!
Ruan Linshuang continued, “Father and His Majesty have something very important to discuss. Father has been sighing about it all the time lately. I want to climb up there and eavesdrop on their conversation.”
“…”
Chai Zheng trembled.
She seriously suspected that Ruan Linshuang had only chosen to tell her this because she intended to silence her permanently afterward.
Ever since Ruan Linshuang had proposed rebellion before Chai Zheng’s death, Chai Zheng had felt that perhaps she had never truly understood this woman.
Years of holding herself back and maintaining a careful distance had ultimately created a gulf between them, leaving neither of them able to see the other for who she truly was.
Ordinarily, Chai Zheng was looked after by a wet nurse. However, everything had happened so suddenly this time that no arrangements had been made. With Ruan Linshuang accompanying her, the two children were free to wreak havoc around the residence. Even if the servants noticed, they could only turn a blind eye.
The little young miss had shown signs of being a troublemaker almost from the moment she was born.
By the age of one, she had already learned how to torment Duke Chai. She would pull the bristles out of writing brushes and scatter them inside his clothes. If he wasn’t careful, the bristles could prick him so badly that he nearly died from the pain.
Before long, Chai Zheng found a ladder in a corner.
The gardener at their residence had always had this habit. Whenever he finished using the ladder, he would simply lean it against a wall and leave it there, forgetting to put it away regardless of how much wind and rain it endured.
Before her rebirth, Chai Zheng had often used this very method to climb onto rooftops.
The two children stared at each other.
Neither of them could move such a large thing.
“Caught you two doing something naughty, haven’t I?”
Zhao Qian’s voice suddenly sounded behind Chai Zheng.
Goosebumps spread across her entire body.
Even when facing thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers in her previous life, she had never experienced such bone-chilling terror.
Her entire body felt as though it had sunk into a swamp, leaving her unable to move.
She thought, “When did Zhao Qian get here? Did he see how close I was being with Little Ruan? Why did he suddenly speak up? Could it be that he noticed something?”
A moment later, Ruan Linshuang was the first to speak.
“Imperial Uncle, we want to climb a tree and collect some bird eggs. Could you help us?”
Ruan Linshuang poked Chai Zheng, snapping her out of her daze.
The two little girls raised their eyes, looking utterly innocent and carefree.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!