The Emperor died, and before his death, he enfeoffed Feng Chengye as Regent, and the Crown Prince ascended the throne.
She could have saved him, but she didn't.
She hated this capital, she could not forget what she had suffered, and she held grudges.
The new Emperor was wary of the Regent, and even more fearful of the Divine Maiden, because she had said that she was the guardian Divine Maiden of Jingguo, and her anger would bring disaster to Jingguo.
The new Emperor's abilities were inferior to Feng Chengye's, only possessing the advantage of being born of the Empress.
Almost all the court officials sided with the Regent, even though he had done nothing.
Jingguo suffered a severe drought, and she gathered clouds with her bare hands, bringing rain for three days.
The common people only knew of the Divine Maiden, not the Emperor.
The court officials proposed that the Divine Maiden and the Emperor be honored equally, establishing a Divine Maiden's Mansion, and the Imperial Observatory should record the Divine Maiden's deeds daily, and select a consort to promote among the people.
In fact, Futu Nian knew that although her divine miracles were real, they were not omnipotent, and behind it all was the Regent, who held military power.
But he was willing to stand behind her, suppress his prestige, and be only the Great Radiance Divine Lord to the Divine Maiden.
He greatly enjoyed this title.
He said, "Xiao Nian should stand in the highest place, radiating light like the sun."
He taught her to ride horses, shoot arrows, and hunt foxes in the mountains.
Then they ran on the grass and tumbled in the mountain hollows.
But every night when it was quiet, she would remember the child who had not yet been born, the blood that flowed uncontrollably, and her body growing cold to the bone.
This was a fear ingrained in her bones. She had lived in this world, in a poor mountain village, for nearly ten years, but she had lived a comfortable and peaceful life.
Why could a mere village bumpkin protect her, while a prince with heavy troops could not?
Looking at his peaceful sleeping features, her heart ached as if being twisted.
"A Ye, can you leave all this behind and leave with me?"
Now she was honored as the Divine Maiden, but she could still see the undercurrents behind her. The Empress Dowager's smiles hid daggers. Unlike the Emperor, she did not believe her words.
She was like a venomous snake, always hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Her heart was weary.
She missed her father.
So she returned to the small mountain village where she had lived before.
However, the entire village had disappeared, leaving only ruins scorched by fire.
She had lived here for nearly ten years. She knew every face, the cheerful ones, the ones who liked to haggle, the ones who liked to curse. Every vibrant life flashed through her mind, incredibly clear.
Now, this place had become ruins. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
She was considered a demon.
The entire village were her protectors.
It was the former Emperor's doing.
She remembered Feng Chengye's complex and incomprehensible gaze when she was recovering from her injuries, his repeated affectionate kisses, but it turned out...
Distraught, she returned. Halfway, she saw rows of beautiful women entering the Regent's Mansion.
Needless to say, they were sent by the Empress Dowager under the guise of serving the Divine Maiden.
She turned and left.
Feng Chengye, when you grow old and die, I will come back to retrieve the Fire Spirit Pearl, which will also fulfill our marital bond.
This life ends here.
She didn't know where to go. She had no home anymore, just like eight years ago, wandering everywhere.
This time, would someone pick her up and take her home?
She saw people worshipping her divine statue in their homes, and heard stories of her and the Regent in tea houses.
She didn't want to see or hear, and began to walk towards remote areas.
She met a small child, sitting by the roadside crying alone, so pitiful. He looked so much like her brother.
She suddenly hugged him and burst into tears.
For her dead child, for the love she had buried with her own hands, for the lives of the entire village.
A woman and a child cried earth-shatteringly.
Until the child's mother found her.
"Sister Yuzi?"
The woman was Yuzi, who had liked her brother. She was still alive, she had a child, and he looked like her brother...
Yuzi did not want to say more, picked up the child, and fled.
Futu Nian followed, chasing after her, and entered a secluded village.
The village houses were arranged neatly, all newly built. Children were playing, making noise, and the villagers were all familiar faces.
They were not dead.
Was it Feng Chengye's doing?
After three years, she finally saw her brother again. He hadn't changed at all. The only change was his attitude towards her.
"Divine Maiden, why have you come here alone?"
"Brother..."
"This commoner is lowly and dares not be the Divine Maiden's brother."
"Father," she called into the house.
Yuzi pursed her lips and said, "The old man passed away a year ago."
Before he died, he kept calling for Xiao Nian, Xiao Nian...
It was Luo Xuan who took out the Divine Maiden's portrait before he closed his eyes.
Futu Nian was stunned. She cried heartbrokenly before Futu Gaoli's tombstone.
The old man who had raised her for eight years, who had coaxed her to drink medicine for years, was gone.
"Father, Xiao Nian wants to be born into the Futu family again in the next life."
She fainted before the tombstone. When she woke up, she was on a low bed, and a small child was looking at her with innocent eyes.
She bit her finger and dotted it on his forehead.
"My little darling, may you live a long life, free from illness and disaster!"
Luo Xuan stood at the door, watching her, holding a bowl of medicine, his expression dazed.
"Brother, I'm leaving," she said, getting up.
Luo Xuan threw the bowl in his hand, both in pain and anger, "Where else do you want to go!"
She didn't know either. Perhaps, there was still a sliver of a thought to see Feng Chengye again.
"Go! Let's go! You are the noble Divine Maiden, how can a small mountain village keep you!" He entered the room, shaking the door.
Futu Nian left the village, and Yuzi chased after her.
"Xiao Nian, I have something to tell you."
"Sister-in-law," she called.
Yuzi looked ashamed, gritted her teeth, and said, "That year, I pulled your brother into the cornfield deliberately for you to see. He didn't do anything else. I saw Er Laizi hiding there, intending to do something improper to you, so I pulled your brother in to beat him. I, I... I saw you run away, and your brother didn't know..."
"Also, marrying me was forced by Father. Father just didn't want him to continue to be so decadent. He doesn't love me, he's just fulfilling his duty as a son. If you..."
"Sister-in-law, please don't say any more. He is just my brother. It would be the same even without you. Live well with my brother. I'm leaving."
In fact, she had known it long ago, on the night her brother got drunk.
She cursed him as a fickle beast, and he mumbled incoherently that he had not had any improper relations with Sister Yuzi.
Her brother, who had been the most honest and well-behaved since childhood, she couldn't not believe what he said?
It's just that she had met that person!
No one else could catch her eye anymore.
She left, and Yuzi, as if a burden had been lifted, turned back.
Luo Xuan stood behind her, looking into the distance, his expression a mixture of wistfulness, bitterness, and some relief.
"Xuan, Brother Xuan." Yuzi's gaze flickered, and she tightly clenched her fingers in fear.
This girl, who was once very bold, was now like a startled bird.
Luo Xuan smiled and took her hand for the first time.
"The child is looking for his mother, hurry back."
In this life, she no longer had the ability to love, so she would give her as much tenderness as possible.