Chapter 1: Fate's Return

　　Chen Zhi felt a splitting pain in her forehead, her consciousness wavering as if submerged in murky waters. Voices swirled around her - men's furious roars, panicked denials, a woman's trembling voice, and accusatory male tones sharp enough to pierce stone.

　　When she finally pried open her eyes, she saw a golden-crowned man in embroidered robes, his regal attire disheveled as though he'd been dragged through battle. A stunning woman stood opposite him, her beauty marred by fear that somehow enhanced her delicate vulnerability. Between them stood a battle-hardened general clutching a sword, his warrior's frame radiating grief that etched permanent sorrow between his brows.

　　Chen Zhi lowered her lashes. Had transmigration become so effortless these days? She'd merely silently complained about the overused tropes in popular reincarnation novels during her colleagues' discussion. Now she found herself sprawled on cold stone steps, her throbbing head suggesting this body's original owner had met a violent end.

　　A quick survey confirmed her location - the Cold Palace, that indispensable setting in every harem drama. The fragmented arguments around her pieced together her circumstances: high status, catastrophic fall.

　　The original host, Yue Chen, had been an empress dethroned within months. Her blind trust in her husband had doomed her entire clan. Annihilated within a moon's cycle, the final blow came when she lost her unborn child upon hearing the news in this very prison. Today's fatal collision with the palace pillar stemmed from that beautiful woman's "mercy" - ensuring the empress didn't die ignorant.

　　Chen Zhi scoffed internally. The fool got herself and her family killed, but why must I clean up this mess? She'd merely mentally critiqued a few overused novel tropes, yet here she was inheriting a corpse. If the original soul was gone, did that mean this story had veered off the standard reincarnation plot? Perhaps the female lead had truly met her end.

　　Blood seeped from her forehead as strength ebbed. "Pardon the interruption," she rasped, "but could someone fetch a physician... no, a doctor? This wound... hurts like hell."

　　Yu Su rushed forward, hands trembling as he supported her. Desperate joy flooded his eyes - he'd thought her dead. His spies had risked everything to report Yu Qian's betrayal: the massacre of Yue clan, the purge of his own Beijing forces. Riding day and night from the northern frontier, he'd arrived to find her lifeless body, heart stilled, blood congealing at her temple.

　　Had he known this outcome, he'd have kidnapped her long ago. Better mutual hatred in the northern wilds than this unknown path stretching before them.

　　Rong Li's earnest counsel did nothing to soothe him. His gaze hardened upon seeing the culprits standing unharmed - Yu Qian shielding that woman whose eyes gleamed with poorly concealed triumph. She, a distant Yue relative who'd parasitized the household, now stood pristine amidst the bloodbath.

　　Yu Qian is now the emperor of a country. Even though he (Yu Su) is the emperor's uncle, holds the military power of the Great Yan Dynasty and divides half of the country with the emperor, he still has to find an excuse. Killing the emperor of the Yan Dynasty without reason is bound to invite condemnation. But this would only be a temporary situation. A simple stab to death is too pity. He wants them to watch as everything they obtained by unscrupulous means gradually slips away.

　　In an instant, Yu Su composed himself, walked up to the two of them, stood upright, and demanded the price they should pay. Even though Yue Chen had been consigned to the cold palace, she couldn't be casually killed. He wanted Yun Lian in Yu Qian's arms to pay the price.

　　Yue Chen's voice came from behind, like the sound of nature. The ecstasy of regaining what was lost was too much for Yu Su to bear. He took a half - step back. After coming to his senses, he rushed towards Yue Chen. Seeing the wound on Yue Chen's forehead, he no longer cared about anything else and immediately picked up Yue Chen and rushed to the Imperial Medical Office.

　　The way Yue Chen looked at him and the tone of her speech made Yu Su certain. The Yue Chen he had lost had finally come back.

　　All the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Office were in a flurry. Everyone kept their mouths shut and buried themselves in their own tasks, not daring to take an extra look. The Prince Regent had long been stationed in the northern border and never set foot in the capital. Now, he entered the capital without an imperial edict, holding the empress who had been consigned to the cold palace in his arms. The urgent look on his face didn't seem to belong to the rumored King of Killers who was above ten thousand men and showed no emotions.

　　The affairs in the palace are tortuous and cannot be put into words. If one wants to live long enough here until they leave the palace, sometimes it's essential to be like a deaf - mute.

　　Chen Zhi woke up slowly, reached out to touch her head. There was already a bandage wrapped around it. She should have been treated. She sat up and looked around. The smell of medicine lingered in her nostrils. As expected, this should be the Imperial Medical Office. Chen Zhi looked at the person sitting beside the bed, very close to her. From his eyes, there was an unhidden concern and worry. This person should be the one who treated the female lead of the rebirth story sincerely but was missed in her previous life.

　　Chen Zhi didn't have much affection for such a woman who was stupid half her life. A person who couldn't even tell the difference between sincerity and falsehood had no right to be reborn. All the way, she leveled up, abused scumbags and fought against villains. Whether her feelings for the person who treated her sincerely were true love or just compensation out of regret, it wasn't clearly stated in the rebirth story. Maybe even the female lead herself couldn't figure it out.

　　Chen Zhi had another guess. Perhaps the female lead's rebirth wasn't just for herself, but to correct the life trajectories of all those who were implicated because of her.

　　Only then did Chen Zhi start to take a good look at the person in front of her. She had been drowsy just now. This person was the Prince Regent with real power, the King of Killers on the battlefield who could divide the world with the emperor, and also someone who loved Yue Chen with restraint.

　　Back then, Yu Su left the capital. The reason was unknown to anyone. His sudden departure meant he didn't participate in the power - grabbing struggle, which gave Yu Qian an advantage. Yu Qian got half of his throne because of Yue Chen. It hadn't been long since he ascended the throne, and he already started to discard those who had helped him. Although this kind of ending is common in history, it always makes people feel extremely sad whenever they read about it.

　　Yu Su reached out and tightly held Yue Chen's hand. His hand was warm and big, covering her entire palm. Chen Zhi could feel the scars in his palm and the calluses between his phalanges. People who came from the battlefield were all covered with old wounds. Chen Zhi had always respected those soldiers who dedicated their lives to the country.