Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The exiled group left the capital and headed northwest.

The sweltering heat made the dust on the official road scorching hot, and the iron shackles on the prisoners' feet dragged over the gravel, making a harsh, scraping sound.

Xie Yihua had never traveled such a long distance in her life.

Her feet were blistered and bleeding, breaking and scabbing over, only to break again. Every step she took felt like walking on a knife's edge.

The escorting officers finally gave the order, allowing the prisoners to rest by the roadside for half an hour. Xie Yihua almost collapsed onto the earthen slope by the roadside, leaning against a half-withered old locust tree, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

Chu Shaoyuan sat three feet away from her, holding a water pouch in his hand, but did not hand it to her.

Yu was helped by Chu Zhiyin to sit on a rock not far away, her face tanned dark and red from the sun.

Xie Yihua, with her eyes closed, suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse but her tone calm: "You're blaming me."

Chu Shaoyuan did not answer, but instead tilted his head back and took a sip of water.

Xie Yihua opened her eyes, her once clear and elegant eyes now bloodshot, staring straight at him: "Why do you blame me? Your mother blames me, your sister blames me, and now even you blame me! But what does what your Chu family did have to do with me? It's you! You're the one who dragged me into this!"

Xie Yihua retorted sharply, "It was clearly Chu Shaoyuan who dragged her into this, so why is he acting like she owes him something?!"

Chu Shaoyuan's grip on the water pouch tightened abruptly. He turned to look at her: "It has nothing to do with you? If you hadn't repeatedly harmed people and angered your elder brother, even if the Chu family committed a heinous crime, he wouldn't have stood idly by! If he had just said a word, neither of us would be in this situation. But your elder brother said nothing. Because he wasn't willing to say another word for you. Why did you have to harm her? Why did you have to push her to her death? Why?!"

Xie Yihua was startled and looked at Chu Shaoyuan in surprise at his heartbroken expression.

He...he found out?

He knew all along?!

Xie Yihua sat bolt upright, her voice sharp: "I hurt her? Why would I hurt her? It's all because of you! You have that bitch in your heart, do you think I don't know? Every time you mention her, you look like you've lost your parents, do you think I'm blind? Chu Shaoyuan, you are my husband, but you've never had me in your heart! You've always had that Jiang Sese in your heart!"

Chu Shaoyuan was so angry that his face turned red.

Even though he had feelings for Jiang Sese, he never wavered in his position as Xie Yihua's legal wife!

She said she liked him, but her liking was so narrow, so selfish, and so intolerant.

Chu Shaoyuan suddenly stood up, smashing the water pouch on the ground, spilling water everywhere: "You're utterly unreasonable! If you were just content to be the young mistress of Chu, wouldn't your elder brother protect you? But what have you done—you've fallen to this state entirely of your own making! My Chu family has been ruined by you!"

Xie Yihua's lips trembled, and her eyes were filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Just then, Yu, who had overheard the two arguing, suddenly broke free from Chu Zhiyin's support, rushed over, and delivered a resounding slap to Xie Yihua's face, knocking her cheek to the side.

Madam Yu grabbed her hair and began to tear it downwards, yelling, "It's all your fault, you jinx! Your older brother could have saved us with just a word—but he didn't! Why didn't he? It's all because of you! Because you're useless! You can't even appease your own brother, what's the point of you being alive!"

Xie Yihua was pulled to the ground, a large clump of her hair was pulled out, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Xie Yihua suddenly stood up and slapped Madam Yu in return. The two of them started to fight.

Chu Zhiyin stood a few steps away, her eyes lowered, not stepping forward to break up the fight, her face expressionless and calm.

A moment later, she turned around, walked to the roadside alone, sat down, and looked at the desolate mountain ridge in the distance, thinking that she would probably never return to the capital in her life.

We will never see that bright moon again.

Chu Zhiyin gave a neurotic smile.

At night, Xie Yihua huddled in a drafty corner of the dilapidated temple. His ankles, worn raw by the shackles, had become infected, and his whole body was burning hot.

Xie Yihua closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep in a state of chaos, and then had a dream.

In her dream, she was still the aloof and noble fourth daughter of the Xie family.

Her plan succeeded.

Upon receiving the news, Wang threw the purse at Jiang Sese's face, cursing her as a shameless merchant, and then ordered Jiang Sese to be beaten to death.

In her dream, she married Chu Shaoyuan.

Their married life was just as she had imagined: tender and affectionate, and they treated each other with utmost respect.

Later, the Chu family was implicated in the Shuoyun case, and Chu Shaoyuan was imprisoned. She rushed back to the Xie family that very night, knelt before her eldest brother, and cried, begging him to save Shaoyuan. In her dream, her eldest brother did not hesitate for a moment, reached out to help her up, and said gently, "Yihua, don't be afraid, your eldest brother is here."

As expected, nothing happened to the Chu family.

Chu Shaoyuan returned home unharmed. The day he returned from the imperial prison, he hugged her and apologized for making her worry so much.

She shook her head, crying, saying that as long as he was safe, that was enough.

Later, Chu Wei died in prison, and Chu Shaoyuan inherited the title of Duke of Ying. After the mourning period ended, Xie Jue arranged for him to take charge of the capital garrison. On the day the imperial edict was issued, the whole capital was saying that Xie's son-in-law was indeed different.

She gave birth to a son and a daughter; the eldest son was robust and chubby, while the youngest daughter was exquisitely beautiful.

Shao Yuan hugged his daughter and said he would choose a husband for her that was even better than his older brother. She laughed and playfully punched him.

Later, Chu Shaoyuan made military achievements, and the emperor bestowed upon her the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree.

On the day of her investiture, she wore her official robes and a pheasant crown. All the noble ladies and noblewomen in the capital came to congratulate her. Even her mother-in-law, Madam Yu, who had previously been distant from her, held her hand and said that she was the lucky star of the Chu family.

This is the life she deserves.

A life without Jiang Sese.

Then Xie Yihua woke up.

Above him were leaky, broken tiles; beneath him lay moldy, dry straw; and cold shackles pressed against his festering ankles.

It was still dark outside the window, and the harsh, unpleasant cawing of crows could be heard in the distance.

Xie Yihua felt a chill run through her body. She stared at the dark rooftop with her eyes wide open, the glory and wealth of her dream still lingering before her eyes.

To know the causes of your past life, look at what you are experiencing in this life.

To know the outcome of the next life, look at what one does in this life.

Xie Yihua slowly raised her hand, which was covered in cracks and frostbite, as rough as tree bark.

No, this isn't right!

Xie Yihua suddenly sat up.

That wasn't a dream; that was everything that was supposed to happen.

It was Jiang Sese—that bitch used some kind of sorcery to steal her life!

Jiang Sese should have died long ago!

She took away her elder brother, her husband, and her life, which should have been perfect!

Xie Yihua's eyes burned with a dark fire. Suddenly, he grabbed Chu Zhiyin, who was half-asleep beside him, his nails almost digging into her wrist: "Paper! Is there any paper? And a pen—I need to write a letter to my brother!"

Chu Zhiyin was jolted awake by the pinch, her eyes wide as she stared at her: "Junheng went to Jiangnan, why are you writing to him now?"

Xie Yihua looked at Chu Zhiyin in surprise: "You—what did you call him?"

Chu Zhiyin lowered her eyes and smiled shyly, saying, "...After I married your older brother, he allowed me to call him that."

Xie Yihua's pupils contracted sharply. Suddenly, he grabbed Chu Zhiyin's collar and pulled her forward, almost pressing her face against his. He squeezed out each word through clenched teeth: "He didn't marry you! He's going to marry Jiang Sese! Look where you are! Look at what you're wearing! Look at what's tied to your feet!"

"Go borrow paper and pen from the constable—I must write a letter! I want to tell my elder brother that Jiang Sese is a demon, that she stole my life, that she deserves to die—my elder brother will believe me, he definitely will!!"