Chapter 4 — Han Yen's Rebirth

I motioned for bright moon to escort ming nan out of the room. As I administered the medicinal brew, I seized the opportunity to probe so ding.

Ultimately, who desires your demise? Can you enlighten me?

I needed to uncover the origins of those assassins. Otherwise, sheltering so ding might inadvertently invite a fatal calamity upon myself. So ding paused briefly, then spoke in a measured tone.

Those hunting me are the sworn blades under the command of the prince of ping.

What transgression have you committed to provoke the prince of ping?

Drawing from the memories of my past life, I knew the prince of ping was the emperor’s own flesh and blood. He possessed a dissolute and extravagant disposition, indulging in wine and women day and night, running amok in the capital with utter impunity. Yet who could have anticipated that such a thoroughly useless scoundrel, following the emperor’s demise, would exploit the crown prince’s youth as a pretext and vehemently oppose his ascension? He raised an army in rebellion, plotting to usurp the throne. However, useless remained useless—within less than two double-hours, the mutiny was crushed by the imperial guards. Ultimately, an imperial decree ordered his execution. I was intensely curious: what on earth had so ding done to drive the prince of ping to such lengths? So ding stared at me in silence before slowly uttering.

Because of you.

Me?

On the day you departed the so estate, you instructed me to personally investigate whether the father of liu jiang yue was genuinely upright. Consequently, I conducted the inquiry.

What was the outcome?

At the old liu residence, I discovered a hidden chamber concealing secret correspondence between liu senior and various imperial officials. These letters were written in cipher, rendering them undecipherable to me.

I could only trace the clues based on the names of the senders and recipients. Yet the deeper I probed, the more I realized that these individuals were all linked to the prince of ping in varying degrees.

Today, I intended to visit a pleasure house frequently patronized by the prince of ping to gather intelligence, but who could have foreseen...

At this juncture, he abruptly halted his narrative. I knitted my brows and pressed him.

What happened next? Speak quickly!

So ding lowered his voice, responding with utmost caution.

I discovered that the prince of ping was secretly manufacturing imperial dragon robes, harboring the intent to rebel.

I could not help but cast a sidelong glance at him, my expression fraught with astonishment. Within a mere fortnight, he had unearthed evidence of the prince of ping’s treason? Either so ding possessed extraordinary fortune, or the prince of ping was utterly devoid of sense. Perhaps my reaction appeared excessively composed, arousing so ding’s suspicion.

You... why do you show not a trace of shock?

I was compelled to feign panic and soothe him.

I was so astounded that I momentarily lost all capacity to react, that is all.

The assassins had been silenced permanently, and given the prince of ping’s limited intellect, he surely lacked the means to track my whereabouts. I let out a breath of relief and unceremoniously poured the remaining medicine down his throat.

Focus entirely on your recovery; ten days hence, you will be able to move about freely.

With those words, I turned and strode out of the chamber. Outside, the gentle and refined physician qin awaited my teasing—I had no leisure to waste upon so ding!

Lately, I exerted relentless effort to flirt with qin ming nan. Yet regardless of my persistence, he remained as unyielding as forged iron, entirely impervious to my advances. Stoking the fire in the kitchen, I silently bolstered my own resolve.

When heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a mortal, it invariably frustrates their spirit, exhausts their sinews, and starves their flesh...

What significance did these minor trials hold? han yan, you must place your faith in yourself; you can accomplish this! The white-sugar pastries in the steamer were thoroughly cooked; I lifted a plate and stepped into the room with a cheerful demeanor.

Ming nan, I have prepared your favorite delicacy, partake of it quickly!

In my bygone existence, while confined within the so manor, I diligently perfected this culinary art solely to curry his favor. Yet who could have predicted... Upon catching sight of me, qin ming nan bolted upright as though beholding a manifestation of the underworld.

Lady han, I... I must ascend the mountain to gather herbs, let us consume these pastries at a later time!

Having spoken, he darted out the door like a swirling gale sweeping through the modest courtyard. I stood frozen in utter bewilderment. In the previous life, he exhausted every conceivable method to win my affection, defying all obstacles for my sake. Why is it that in this incarnation, I initiated the pursuit upon his very doorstep, yet he refused to grant me a single glance? Whence arose such a vast disparity?! As simmering anger rose within me, so ding’s languid voice drifted from the bed.

Han yan, could it be that your affections have settled upon that delicate scholar qin ming nan?

I instinctively retorted.

Did you perceive it that clearly?

So ding emitted a cold scoff.

Your current attendance upon him bears no difference from the way you hovered around me in days past. When you once labored to embroider a sachet for me and cajoled me into accepting it, you wore this exact expression!

I nearly dropped the plate of pastries clutched in my hands. Whether in the past life or the present, prior to our nuptials, I had indeed harbored a one-sided infatuation for so ding. Provided it brought him joy, I was willing to endure anything. Yet he treated me with chilling indifference until he abruptly proposed marriage himself, reducing me to sleepless nights of pure ecstasy. Nevertheless, those events constituted merely a trap woven by him to inflict endless torment. The memory caused a searing pain in my heart, as though pierced by a thousand needles. I pinched my own cheek, striving to steady my expression.

Was my demeanor truly so transparent? Am I acting with excessive forwardness, terrifying him in the process?

I stared fixedly at him.

Do you men universally prefer demure and bashful maidens? How ought I to pursue him so as to appear reserved? Instruct me, and I shall share these pastries with you.

So ding’s complexion darkened visibly.

Han yan, you desire your former husband to instruct you in the art of seducing another man? Have you entirely lost your capacity for rational thought?

I slowly withdrew my hands, feeling a tinge of awkwardness. Ever since reuniting with qin ming nan, my heart had drifted completely toward him, nearly erasing the reality that so ding and I remained former spouses. I lowered my head in contrition.

Forgive me, I ought not to have posed such a question to you.

So ding’s countenance remained exceedingly grim. After a protracted silence, he abruptly questioned me. han yan, if liu jiang yue had never existed, could you and I... begin anew? Hearing this, I clenched my fists tightly. In an instant, the agonies of my past life rushed back upon me. I answered with unyielding resolve. Impossible! Between you and me, reconciliation is eternally barred!

Upon learning of my resolute rejection of so ding, bright moon was utterly astounded.

Mistress, was your recent deliberate intimacy with physician qin not merely a stratagem to provoke young master so’s jealousy? Now that he has conceded, why remain entirely unmoved?

I regarded bright moon with mild surprise. You imagined I was merely playing a game of catch-and-release, intentionally seducing so ding? Bright moon remained silent, but her gaze betrayed her inner thoughts: indeed, that was precisely what this servant surmised. I was amused to the point of laughter. Bright moon maintained absolute conviction. You have known physician qin for mere days; how could you so swiftly bestow your heart upon a stranger? Without doubt, young master so simply failed to express sufficient remorse! She stubbornly believed my actions were solely designed to awaken so ding’s conscience, thereby mending the broken mirror of our union. I lacked any means to articulate my possession of past-life memories, leaving me no choice but to let time itself provide the answers. True character reveals itself over the passage of days, and my genuine sentiments would inevitably be comprehended in due course. From that juncture onward, I deliberately maintained a respectful distance from so ding, refusing to grant him any further audience. When the day of his departure arrived, I refrained from stepping outside to bid him farewell. I understood that he lingered before the gates for an extended duration, yearning solely to hear a parting word from my lips. Yet my heart remained steeled. In my previous existence, I endured a surfeit of sorrow; in this life, I would definitively deny him any glimmer of hope for reviving our extinguished bond. Following so ding’s departure, I gradually established a harmonious dynamic with qin ming nan. He possessed a profound obsession with medical arts; befriending him required nothing more than delving into intractable maladies alongside him. We frequently engaged in analytical discussions regarding therapeutic techniques. The knowledge I exhibited stemmed from the teachings he bestowed in our prior life. Certain medicinal approaches he had yet to articulate were brought forth by me for examination, eliciting his endless admiration. Gradually, his initial aloofness dissipated entirely, eventually viewing me as a kindred spirit and nearly proposing a sworn sibling pact. Had I not recognized this perilous deviation in trajectory, I might well have transformed from his romantic idealized love into his trusted sisterly confidante! While qin ming nan and I lived in reclusion within the mountain valley to pursue medical mastery, a rebellion abruptly erupted within the capital. So ding, acting in his capacity as a hanlin academician, submitted an official memorial accusing the prince of ping of illicitly manufacturing dragon robes and conspiring with factions to instigate treason. With irrefutable evidence presented, the imperial court swiftly executed the prince of ping. Capitalizing on his merits in resolving the conspiracy, so ding earned the emperor’s profound favor, propelling his official career upward like a kite caught in a gale. At that precise juncture, the region of ung chau suffered a catastrophic drought. The emperor appointed so ding as an imperial commissioner, dispatching him on a mission of relief. Hearing this intelligence triggered memories of the past—ung chau had indeed suffered severe drought in my former life. Yet because the commissioner dispatched at that time colluded with corrupt officials and embezzled relief provisions, that territory was consumed by widespread starvation and rampant pestilence. In the present incarnation, although so ding served as commissioner, I resolved to undertake preventative measures to avert any foreseeable catastrophe.