The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

The female lead was orphaned at a young age, while the cannon fodder female supporting character caused all sorts of trouble. In the end, the female supporting character was defeated, and her ending was tragic.

The key point is that the female supporting character was reborn and decided to turn over a new leaf, but the evil she did in her previous life does not mean that she can become a good person in this life. Even if she does nothing in this life and tries her best to make amends, her ending is still tragic.

She hadn't taken it seriously at first, but the characters and plot, whether in terms of background or experience, were a perfect match for her.

Ruan Xianrong's hands were ice-cold as she asked her cousin, "Who wrote this script?"

Ruan Tinglan was still engrossed in the play and didn't notice her expression. "I don't know. If you're interested, I can ask for you later."

She lost all interest in listening to music or watching plays; all she could think about was the ending of Ruan Xianrong in the book.

Even if she doesn't do evil, even if she hasn't done anything right now, she will still die.

This person knows everything; she knows that she committed many evil deeds in the book, and she knows that she has changed and no longer causes trouble.

Who could it be?

He returned to the Ruan family home in a daze and had a nightmare that night.

In her dream, her aunt, the Empress, always wanted her to marry Xie Chengyan, but she was unwilling, and so was Xie Chengyan.

Xie Chengyan stared at her coldly, his eyes seeming to want to devour her whole.

They also wanted to cut off her hands and feet, put her in a jar, and turn her into a human pig.

She cried and screamed that she wanted to run away and not marry Xie Chengyan, but she couldn't escape no matter what she did.

He hadn't left the house for several days in a row. After keeping a low profile for more than a decade, he was extremely uneasy at this moment.

He ordered his men to investigate who wrote the script, but there was still no news.

The script described it word for word, as if her fate was already sealed and could not be changed.

Lying in bed, eyes glazed over, I've completely given up.

Since no matter how hard she tries, she can't change anything, what's the point of her trying? She might as well just give up.

For several days in a row, I couldn't muster any energy, feeling like a lump of mud, unwilling to move at all.

And so it went until New Year's Eve, when she finally met Ruan Zhaoyuan.

Ruan Zhaoyuan was studying at the Ruan family school. He returned today, went to Shou'an Hall to pay his respects, and had a rare smile on his face.

But the smile vanished the moment he saw her.

He didn't even glance at her when he came out, and walked straight past her.

Ruan Xianrong laughed; she was so young, yet so profound.

"stop."

The boy did not stop, so she had no choice but to follow him and block his path.

"Ruan Zhaoyuan, I'm talking to you."

Ruan Zhaoyuan then looked over. "What is it?"

Ruan Xianrong frowned. Although this boy was mature beyond his years, he was very dependent on her. When he was little, if his mother wasn't paying attention, he would come to her with a pillow and ask her to tell him a story before he would fall asleep.

But today, the way I looked at her even carried a hint of disgust.

"I've been in Minnesota for so long, why haven't you come to see me?"

Ruan Zhaoyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression still indifferent. "What's there to see? It's not like we haven't seen it before."

After saying that, he turned to leave again.

Ruan Xianrong got angry. "Ruan Zhaoyuan, what kind of attitude is this?"

"This is my attitude. Stay away from me from now on." Despite his young age, Ruan Zhaoyuan's face showed a coldness and sternness that was beyond his years.

"Zhaoyuan, what's wrong with you?"

Ruan Zhaoyuan frowned slightly. "It's none of your business."

The small figure gradually disappeared into the distance. Although Ruan Xianrong couldn't understand it, she knew something was wrong.

Although this little brother is not very talkative, he is cute, chubby, and looks like a porcelain doll.

But now... he's like a complete stranger.

She took the opportunity to ask her older cousins, "Did anything happen to Zhaoyuan in Mingzhou?"

Ruan Tinglan shook her head. "No, he's been like that ever since he came to Mingzhou. He's never smiled, he doesn't play with the children in the family, he's focused on his studies, and he's even more diligent than my second brother."

Ruan Zhaoyu coughed lightly, embarrassed. "Could you please stop undermining me?"

He tried his best, but Zhao Yuan was just too hardworking, and he really couldn't keep up.

However, he did have some recollection of what happened.

"Nothing else, except that he was sick a year ago, and he seemed a little different after he woke up."

"The doctor said he was too tired and too young, and told him to rest more, and he actually rested at home for a few days."

"After that, he spoke even less, and apart from paying his respects to his grandmother, he rarely interacted with us."

Did you change after waking up from an illness?

"Haven't you met any other people?"

"Probably not."

Ruan Xianrong fell into deep thought. This plot seemed familiar, but it couldn't be.

Meanwhile, Ruan Zhaoyuan returned to his courtyard and asked his attendants, "Have things been arranged at the theater?"

"Don't worry, young master. The people at the theater have never seen my face, and the young lady hasn't found out anything."

"Keep an eye on her."

After a moment's hesitation, the attendant finally asked, "Young master, this young lady is your own sister, why would you...?"

Ruan Zhaoyuan glared at her coldly, "What, are you going to pledge allegiance to Ruan Xianrong?"

The attendant quickly knelt down, "Please forgive me, young master, I'll go right away."

The attendant couldn't understand it either. The young master clearly liked the girl the most, so why was he so indifferent to her?

He couldn't figure it out either, so he could only do as instructed.

*

On New Year's Eve, firecrackers crackled and popped outside. After having a reunion dinner, the family stayed up all night to welcome the new year.

After the New Year, she tried to talk to Ruan Zhaoyuan several times, but the boy avoided her.

At this time, a letter arrived from Kyoto, informing her that her parents wanted her to return home.

Going back is impossible.

During this time, she thought about how to stay in Mingzhou. In the end, after thinking it over, there was only one way: to find someone to marry so that she could stay here legitimately.

Once she marries here, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, he can't make her go back.

Her primary task was to find someone willing to marry her.

But this person is really hard to find.

When the second letter arrived from Kyoto, several academies in Mingzhou were holding a poetry gathering together, which was the perfect opportunity.

When they arrived, the teahouse was already filled with many talented young people. Ruan Zhaoyu led them to a private room upstairs, where the fighting arena downstairs was clearly visible.

"Second brother, you have to be strong and you must win!" Ruan Tinglan said.

Ruan Zhaoyu shook her head helplessly, "A poetry gathering isn't a competition, so there's no such thing as winning or losing."

Ruan Xianrong's attention was downstairs. She glanced around and subtly asked her cousin about a few people.

Finally, they set their sights on a student surnamed Cheng.

Calm and composed in the face of adversity, and most importantly, good-looking.

Back at the manor, he sent Yinque out to gather information, and Yinque was efficient, finding out the information in just two days.

"This student surnamed Cheng came from a poor family. His father died early, his mother was ill, and he had younger siblings to support. He never drank with his classmates for entertainment. Whenever he had free time, he would help a shop copy books to earn some money for his family."

What's his character like?

"I asked his classmates, and they said he is a man of noble character and upright conduct, a truly rare and good person."

"Is he married?"

"It shouldn't be. I even had someone go to his neighborhood to ask, but I haven't heard anything about an engagement."

The family is too poor, so there probably aren't many women willing to marry into that family.

"Young lady, why are you investigating this student Cheng? Could it be...?"

Ruan Xianrong pondered for a moment, "Don't worry, they don't know me. I won't ask them to marry me right away."

Silver Sparrow was shocked. "Young lady, how could you marry a poor scholar?"

"Why not?"

She had thought it over and decided to find an ordinary person. Cheng Qing's family was poor and desperately needed money, so she could help him. If he was truly willing to marry her, that would be best. If not, she would make a deal with him: as long as she helped him through his difficulties, they could get a divorce afterward.

"Miss, you mustn't!" Yinque said anxiously, "What if Madam finds out? Someone of your status wouldn't stoop to dating a poor scholar."

Ruan Xianrong sighed, "Yinque, to tell you the truth, I have no intention of going back this time."

"Why do you think I brought Miaoyin back to the Prime Minister's residence?"

Yinque was confused, but then heard her young lady continue, "I am indeed not the biological daughter of the Ruan family; Miaoyin is."

"Now that she has already acknowledged her ancestors, there is no need for me to go back. So, we need to make plans for ourselves."

Silver Sparrow was startled. Was Miaoyin the real biological daughter of the Ruan family?

How could that be? Miaoyin was rescued by her daughter, how could she be the daughter of the Ruan family?

But the girl looked serious, not like she was bluffing, and her nose instantly stung with tears.

"girl......"

"Don't worry, I've already made plans for myself, I won't suffer."

"Is the girl going to stay in Minneapolis?"

Ruan Xianrong smiled and said, "How could that be? Once we find the right person, we'll leave the Ruan family."