Upon meeting the Emperor, young Master Zhang began to weep and cry out his grievances: "Your Majesty, I am wrongly accused. I have always been loyal to you; how could I possibly betray the country? I beg Your Majesty to see through this deception and restore innocence to my family."
The Emperor cast him a meaningful glance and sat on a chair that had been prepared.
"You say you have no intention of rebelling, but this piece of paper in my hand tells me your heart is not pure. At the very least, the statement that you are loyal to me is greatly discounted."
Upon seeing the paper the Emperor produced, young Master Zhang, though he couldn't make out the content clearly, knew what it contained. It was written by him. His whole body trembled with regret for leaving such crucial evidence. Primarily, he had thought that should he ever divorce his wife, he wouldn't forget what was to come; he would still live well without her.
"Your Majesty is wise. I kept this paper not out of disloyalty to you, but to do what I could in the future when these events unfolded. After all, my wife is reborn, and this matter is too incredible to speak of," he quickly kowtowed to the Emperor, trying to shift the blame.
The Emperor believed him. If he had harbored rebellious thoughts, his life would not have been spared.
"Tell me honestly, when did you find out she was reborn? Also, regarding future events, besides what's on the paper, what else do you know?" The Emperor posed two questions consecutively.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, at first I didn't know her secret. I thought she truly loved me, which is why she overcame all obstacles to be with me. I discovered she was reborn during the last battle. She traveled all the way to the border to tell me the enemy would launch a surprise attack that night. I refused to believe her, and in her haste, she let slip the truth." Speaking of this, young Master Zhang felt regret. At the time, he thought his wife, with her foresight, could help him in his career.
After much thought, he continued, "I've asked for so long, and I've only managed to glean the content on this paper. There's nothing more. Your Majesty, I too am a victim. The reason she wanted to marry me was likely because I was the most successful among the people she interacted with. She manipulated me; I beg Your Majesty for mercy."
Before discovering her secret, his relationship with his wife had been quite good. Upon learning she was reborn, he found it somewhat terrifying. Then, considering their relationship, he surmised she was after status and fortune, and from then on, he had intentionally or unintentionally distanced himself from her.
Shortly after, a young eunuch approached the Emperor and whispered something in his ear.
Unbeknownst to young Master Zhang, his wife was being tortured. Initially, she held firm, refusing to confess. Later, unable to bear it any longer, and thinking that since she could foresee the future, she might be useful to them, and they wouldn't be able to do much to her, perhaps even treating her well. Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, she confessed everything cleanly.
As expected, after her confession, they began questioning her about future events. This young eunuch was reporting the results of those interrogations to the Emperor, which bore little difference to what was written on the paper.
The Emperor nodded, indicating he understood. He then turned and left without a word. Young Master Zhang, seeing this, panicked and quickly pleaded, "Everything I said is the truth. I beg Your Majesty for mercy, I beg Your Majesty for mercy..."
Initially, Miss Wang was pleased with her usefulness, but soon she was in agony. Different people came to torture her daily, forcing her to recall every detail of future events.
What could a sheltered young lady possibly know? She only understood major events that were widely discussed. Finally, seeing she was of no further use, the Emperor ordered her secretly executed. The Zhang and Wang families also met a grim fate. They were exiled three thousand miles to Lingnan. With the Emperor's specific instructions, they largely succumbed to illness or exhaustion before even reaching their destination.
At this time, Wu Caiwei purchased some gifts and went to visit the parents of the An family. Upon meeting her, Mother An took an instant liking to her. Having lived for over half a century, she considered herself a good judge of character, and her future daughter-in-law was extraordinary, clearly not an ordinary person.
Things unfolded much as she had expected. Not long after, the two were married. Wu Caiwei managed all the businesses, with An Yuchen assisting. Years later, their enterprises spread across the nation, making them the undisputed wealthiest family.
Of course, in every lifetime, they never forgot to help others. When the country was in need, they donated ninety percent of their fortune to aid displaced disaster victims.
Their lives in this lifetime were also full of significant events. After seeing An Yuchen off, she too left this world. Watching the golden liquid in the bottle slowly rise, she suddenly felt a sense of panic. What if the bottle filled up, and she could no longer meet him, no longer be together?
To free herself from this anxiety, she immediately initiated the next mission.
"How do you feel, Miss? If our arrangements are not to your satisfaction, please point them out, and we will do our utmost to please you," a woman dressed as a wet nurse said to her respectfully.
"What did you just say? I was a little distracted and didn't hear clearly." Hearing the woman's address, she knew she was their mistress. She could have boldly made an excuse, but looking at her surroundings, she was somewhat bewildered.
The low adobe walls, the pitted ground, and the barrenness of the house all reminded her that this was a typical farmhouse.
Furthermore, although this body was called "Miss," she wore patched cloth garments, and her hands were calloused from long hours of work.
"Your servant just said that the items here are unworthy of your status, Miss. We will present these two hundred taels of silver as a token of gratitude to the Lin family for raising you all these years. We will then return home, as the Master and Madam are waiting." The wet nurse repeated patiently, after all, she was the legitimate young lady of the manor.
"Oh, I've lived here for so many years; I'm a little reluctant to leave. Please give me some time to bid them a proper farewell." Seeing the wet nurse's accommodating attitude, Wu Caiwei made a reasonable request. From their conversation, it was evident that the original owner was likely a young lady who had been left with a farming family. She wanted to buy herself some time to accept the original owner's memories.
The wet nurse hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement. "We will come to pick you up again at this time tomorrow."
Wu Caiwei nodded. The wet nurse gestured to the maids behind her to bring forward the silver. "This silver is for you to handle, Miss."
Seeing the poor condition of the household, Wu Caiwei quickly accepted. To refuse money when it's offered would be foolish.