Yu Lingxi opened her eyes and returned to the thirteenth year of Tianzhao.
One moment she was floating in the secret chamber of the Regent Prince’s mansion, filled with resentment and panic.
The next moment she fell into darkness, waking up crying in her chamber in the General’s mansion.
The bronze mirror on her dressing table reflected her delicate, weak face, with cheeks so tender they seemed to drip with moisture, displaying the fresh radiance that only a young girl possesses.
She pinched her palm—it hurt.
She had indeed returned to when she was fifteen years old.
After a brief daze, immense joy surged into her heart.
She took several deep breaths, and when her eyes were no longer red, she got up and pushed open the door, rushing eagerly toward the flower hall.
Did she resent Ning Yin? Of course, she did.
Without a grave or tomb, the terror of becoming a wandering ghost still lingered in her heart. She wanted nothing more than to find Ning Yin immediately and bite a piece of flesh from his body!
After all, she had already died once. Seeking revenge had nothing to fear.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know where Ning Yin was at this time.
Even in her previous life, Ning Yin had kept his past tightly hidden. No one knew where he had fled during those five years after being expelled from the palace, or what kind of life he had lived.
People only remembered how he returned from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, step by step, turning the imperial palace into his battlefield of revenge.
Only now did Yu Lingxi realize how little she knew about Ning Yin.
She missed her father and mother, missed this home that had not yet fallen!
The Great General’s mansion was magnificent and prosperous, with autumn colors in full bloom—just as she remembered it.
Yu Lingxi breathed rapidly, her cheeks flushing red, wishing she could fly to her parents’ embrace.
Just as she crossed the courtyard, she heard a familiar, gentle female voice from the flower hall: “When will you depart?”
A deep, strong male voice replied: “In ten days.”
It was her father and mother!
Yu Lingxi’s heart leaped with joy as she lifted her skirt and rushed up the stone steps.
The woman in the hall paused for a moment, then complained: “…Must my husband accept the order to go to war at this time? Our eldest daughter isn’t home, and Suisui is still ill. How can I support everything alone?”
The man comforted her: “The Emperor’s verbal command has been given. How can I disobey? It’s just a small battle, my wife. Don’t worry.”
Like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, Yu Lingxi froze outside the door.
She had nearly forgotten that in the autumn of the thirteenth year of Tianzhao, her father and brother had been ordered to march north, but were betrayed by traitors and died in battle.
Calculating the time, what her parents were discussing… must be about this matter.
Her elated heart had barely begun to soar before its wings broke and it fell back into the abyss.
This northern expedition was the source of all disasters.
If her father and brother had not gone north, the Yu family would not have fallen, and she would not have become an orphaned girl that anyone could bully, mysteriously dying on Ning Yin’s bed…
“Suisui, you’ve just recovered from your illness. Why are you out catching the wind again?” The woman noticed her standing outside the door and hurriedly put down her needlework to stand up.
The familiar childhood name gave her a steadying strength.
Because she had been frail and sickly since childhood, and countless medicines had failed to improve her condition, her mother had gone to Ci’an Temple to seek these two characters for her, hoping she would be “safe and peaceful year after year.”
“Mother!” Yu Lingxi’s emotions overflowed as she tightly embraced this delicate, gentle woman.
Everything seemed to settle like dust.
“What’s wrong, Suisui?” Madam Yu stroked her back, thinking she was just being affectionate.
“I just… missed you.” Yu Lingxi shook her head. The experiences of her previous life rushed to her lips, but she couldn’t speak them. Everything was in the past, and she didn’t want to make her mother sad.
Yu Lingxi then looked at the tall man walking toward her, her eyes growing moist: “Father.”
Her father still looked as she remembered—a rugged face, temples slightly frosted with gray, the lion embroidered on his official robe appearing majestic and imposing.
Behind him, her eldest brother Yu Huanchen wore a teal-colored military uniform with tight sleeves. With his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he crossed his arms, smiling at his sister: “After being sick for a while, have you become silly?”
These were the two pillars of the Yu family, Yu Lingxi’s shelter from the storm.
Yu Lingxi’s gaze fell on her father’s index finger, where the beast-headed ring that symbolized the family’s honor gleamed brilliantly in the candlelight.
In her previous life, her mother had given her this ring, instructing her to live well no matter what, but she had failed…
In this life, she was determined to remedy all regrets!
Yu Lingxi gathered her courage and said softly: “Father, Brother, could you not go north?”
General Yu, with tenderness in his tiger-like eyes, coaxed: “That’s not possible, my good daughter.”
Yu Huanchen leaned against the window cleaning his sword, saying in a clear voice: “The Emperor has appointed us personally. It’s a sign of trust in the Yu family. How can we refuse to go?”
Yu Lingxi stepped forward, unable to hide her urgency: “What if it’s a trap? There are many military officers at court, yet the Emperor specifically chose Father and Brother. For a small disturbance, is it necessary to send two great generals from our family together?”
General Yu smiled.
He raised his rough, large hand and stroked his daughter’s hair: “My good daughter is still young and doesn’t understand. The country’s prosperity brings peace to its people. Your father is a military officer. How can I fear death and cherish life?”