If the truth were indeed exposed, the relationship between Chu Dingjiang and the Hua Clan couldn't be easily dismissed.
Even the battle-hardened Prime Minister Hua found himself sweating profusely. With the situation unclear, he could only brace himself and say, "This subject knows not."
"This man inexplicably appeared by my side, clearing obstacles for me, yet now he has vanished just as mysteriously," Zhao Huo murmured by the end, as if speaking to himself. "Could it truly be heaven aiding me?"
Prime Minister Hua exhaled imperceptibly in relief. Despite Chu Dingjiang's monumental achievements, the prime minister wasn't foolish enough to reveal the truth to the young emperor. The Hua Clan had barely managed to extricate one leg from the quagmire—he couldn't let the emperor think "the Hua Clan giveth, and the Hua Clan taketh away." Since the emperor believed it was heaven-sent, then so be it. "Heaven naturally ought to safeguard the true dragon."
Even Zhao Huo, who normally detested flattery, found these words quite pleasing.
Currently overwhelmed with work, he had no time to dwell on this matter, yet he tucked it away in the depths of his heart.
With the new emperor's ascension, the world seemed bustling with excitement—everywhere except Plum Blossom Village, which remained as quiet as ever.
On the fourth day of An Jiu's unconsciousness, Chu Dingjiang's expression darkened for the first time—An Jiu had lost control of her bladder.
Adults typically don't experience such accidents during sleep due to their mental strength. An Jiu had been unconscious before but had never lost control, which had given Chu Dingjiang a glimmer of hope. For those with formidable mental strength and unwavering will, even the faintest remnant meant a chance of awakening. But now... it seemed there wasn't a shred of mental strength left.
Mei Yanran silently cleaned An Jiu's body and changed the bedding. Once everything was done, she stood motionless by the bed, just like Chu Dingjiang. After much deliberation, she recalled how An Jiu had inexplicably appeared within Mei Jiu's body—perhaps there was some mysterious connection? With no other options left, she decided to try anything, no matter how unlikely. It couldn't hurt to try!
Mei Yanran left the island to fetch Mei Jiu, hoping she could rouse An Jiu.
With the late emperor's passing, the Crane Control Army had disbanded, easing tensions between Hua Rongtian and Mei Jiu. Leaving the estate wasn't difficult, but traveling while pregnant posed some challenges. Hua Rongtian assigned numerous servants to accompany her, and it took a full day of preparations before they could set off smoothly.
Mei Jiu had died in Plum Blossom Village, and the place evoked indescribable emotions in her—fear, yet also an odd sense of relief.
Perhaps her past life had been too powerless—like dodder, clinging to others for survival. Now, though she still relied on her husband, she had clearly found her place. When her relationship with Hua Rongtian had been strained, she couldn't intervene in household affairs, but now she took to the role of mistress as if she had been doing it for years, swiftly bringing the servants to heel.
Having died once, Mei Jiu had undergone a profound transformation in mindset.
Upon reaching the lakeshore, most of the Hua Clan servants were left behind. Mei Jiu took only two trusted attendants with her as she followed Mei Yanran onto the island.
When Mei Jiu saw An Jiu again, she never imagined it would be like this. Staring at An Jiu's tightly shut eyes, tears welled up uncontrollably. Since her rebirth, she hadn't cried like this in a long time."Mother, An Jiu has had a tragic life." Mei Jiu recalled the hellish scenes she witnessed while sharing a body with An Jiu. Her heart ached even more with grief. She had originally intended never to speak of An Jiu's matters to anyone else, but now she couldn't hold back and recounted An Jiu's background in detail to Mei Yanran.
Chu Dingjiang listened nearby, his throat feeling as if something was stuck there, making it unbearably uncomfortable.
Mei Jiu sat on the edge of the bed and took An Jiu's hand. "The good days have only just begun—you can't sleep through them. I know you've found someone who loves you, and I was so happy for you. I bought you a large horse ranch where you can raise many sheep, as well as an exquisite estate in Jiangnan. I wanted to give them to you as wedding gifts. If you keep sleeping like this, who am I supposed to give them to?"
Mei Yanran glanced at Mei Jiu. She knew that life in the Hua Clan had been difficult at first, and even if Mei Jiu had managed to save some private funds, it would have been hard to secretly arrange such things. The fact that she had accomplished this showed she was no longer the naive girl she once was. Mei Yanran felt both melancholy and relief.
"You said you wanted to herd sheep, didn't you?" Mei Jiu held An Jiu's slightly cold hand, feeling as if she were holding her own—as if, for a moment, they had returned to the days when their souls shared one body.
Stupid human, my ambitions have long since changed!
Mei Jiu's face lit up with joy. "An Jiu, can you hear me?"
Seeing Mei Jiu's expression change, Chu Dingjiang tensed up, his gaze fixed on An Jiu's face, which showed no sign of movement. He seemed to be searching for any subtle change he might have missed.
Mei Jiu waited for a long time, but An Jiu gave no further response, as if the earlier words had been an auditory hallucination.
Mei Jiu smiled bitterly. "If you can still speak, I wouldn’t mind you mocking me every day."
"What happened just now?" Chu Dingjiang asked hoarsely.
"I heard her say, 'Stupid human, my ambitions have long since changed!'" Mei Jiu thought back and suddenly found it odd. "She used to say she wanted to herd sheep—did her preferences change later?"
An Jiu suddenly realized that since Chu Dingjiang and Mei Yanran hadn’t been present that day, they wouldn’t know about her conversation with Lou Xiaowu, and Mei Jiu certainly wouldn’t know either.
"I know, I know!" Lou Xiaowu burst in, wailing. "Shi Si said that even if she were a mouse, she’d want to be a mouse living freely in the sunlight."
"What does that mean?" Mei Yanran asked.
Lou Xiaowu shook her head but faithfully recounted the details of that day’s conversation to the three of them.
While the others were still confused, Chu Dingjiang understood. An Jiu had once spoken to him about the "mouse" analogy—she had compared herself to a filthy mouse living in darkness. She had said she wanted to herd sheep, but without breaking free from the shackles of her mind, she would still be nothing more than a mouse herding sheep in the night.
Chu Dingjiang looked at her pale face, his eyes stinging as if pricked by needles. She had lived in such pain all this time, and now, just as she had finally found clarity, this had to happen. Was this the meaning of her rebirth—to realize this truth? Then what about me? What is my purpose?
"A Jiu," Chu Dingjiang said softly, "do you really still have consciousness?"
Mei Jiu was convinced it hadn’t been a hallucination, so she decided to stay on the island longer, waiting until she could communicate with An Jiu again.
However.
Day after day passed, and not another word was heard. It was as if that day had truly been nothing more than Mei Jiu’s imagination.Mei Jiu was also stubborn, diving headfirst into whatever she believed in. Every day, aside from eating and sleeping, she stayed by An Jiu's bedside, even pushing Chu Dingjiang aside.
Yet, she had too many worries now—aside from the one in her belly, there was another at home pacing anxiously.
Although Mei Jiu had sent word back, and Hua Rongtian had always been a man of great composure, after half a month, he could no longer hold back and galloped straight to Plum Blossom Village. (To be continued...)
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