The reason why Gu Sang dared to go to the Li Mansion alone was because she could exploit a bug.
Tomorrow would be the day the system sent her back.
And after midnight, it would technically be the next day.
That's why she wasn't in a rush and was even willing to cooperate in leaving the Li Mansion - she was trying to buy time.
After confirming it was past midnight with the system, Gu Sang no longer hesitated and immediately blinded the middle-aged man's eyes.
They thought Gu Sang would be unable to escape, but they overlooked the fact that she wasn't from this world and could return to her own world.
The system's voice rang out at the most critical moment.
"Ding!"
"Teleportation activated!"
Just as Gu Sang was about to be cut into pieces, the system activated, and she vanished before everyone's eyes.
The assassins couldn't stop their momentum in time and ended up stabbing their own companions.
Outside the Pei Mansion, however, Zhou Qichen had already surrounded it.
He led the Forbidden Army and special forces in, witnessing Gu Sang smiling as she disappeared, seeing the mere ten-meter gap between them felt like worlds apart: "Sang Sang!!!"
"Miss Gu!"
Gu Sang's ethereal figure smiled faintly: "Everyone, I'm going home."
"May you welcome an era of peace, may all beings be equal, may everyone have a chance to step out of their residence and walk towards freedom."
"General Zhou, farewell."
Farewell...
Gu Sang.
That vibrant, brilliant Gu Sang who could never settle for love.
She finally went home with her grandmother.
Zhou Qichen closed his eyes and curved his lips, waving his hand fiercely behind him.
On that day.
Lord Li was captured alive, and the ruler of the Pei Family, with irrefutable evidence against him, was stripped of his position as the Pei Family head by Pei Weiqi.
Although the Pei Family had a new leader, Pei Weiqi restricted the family's development, reducing them to a second-rate family that was gradually surpassed by others.
From then on, the Pei Family could no longer threaten the imperial power and had to rely entirely on Pei Weiqi.
Two years later.
Gu Sang used her scholarship to take her grandmother and sister on a domestic tour.
The three wore heavy down jackets when boarding the plane but had to take them off after landing, as the sun was so warm.
Gu Sang had booked a hotel with a shuttle service, and after checking in, they immediately changed into swimsuits and went to the beach.
At this point, Gu Sang started a live broadcast.
Pei Weiqi was discussing water conservancy projects with the ministers when someone reported a live broadcast appearing on the heavenly screen. She immediately gestured for a pause.
"The live broadcast has started. Everyone, go watch it first."
"If you have any thoughts afterward, you can share them with me."
"Many things from the future are worth learning from."
"But be mindful - kind words lead to kind connections. I don't want to hear any malicious insults."
"We obey Your Majesty's command."
The ministers had already gotten used to live broadcasts and were no longer as shocked as they were the first time.
In Gu Sang's time, it had been two years, but in ancient times, three and a half years had already passed.
During these three and a half years, through the efforts of Pei Weiqi, the prime minister, Zhou Qichen, Ge Qing, and many others, the number of women attending university had reached over a thousand.
The Six Ministries had also welcomed many new faces who were experts in various fields like livelihood, water conservancy, and food production.
The ministers who had opposed Pei Weiqi initially accepted the idea of a female emperor after witnessing the country's prosperity under her rule.
The current nation enjoyed economic prosperity and balanced internal and external development, with a trend toward overseas expansion emerging.
Now, when these ancient people saw Gu Sang and Gu Qing wearing swimsuits, and some even wearing bikinis playing ball on the beach, they no longer considered it promiscuous.
"What kind of ball is that? Your Majesty, I have an idea - perhaps we could learn from the future and introduce more sports activities."
"Your Majesty, I agree with this suggestion."
"Look, someone is actually riding the winds and waves using just a board!"
"Look up, there are people flying in the sky!"
"Wow, what are they sitting on in the water? It looks fun."
In the live broadcast, their grandmother was leisurely lounging on a chair with a parasol, her silver hair blowing in the ocean breeze, a contented smile on her face - a picture of tranquil old age.
Gu Qing found a beautiful seashell on the beach and ran over to show Gu Sang.
"Sis, look at this seashell! It has a rainbow of colors in the sunlight."
"Let me find another one, then we can make matching sister necklaces."
Gu Sang pointed to a vendor selling seashell bracelets. "Why don't we buy some from there instead?"
Gu Qing pouted and shook her head. "No, the ones I find are more beautiful than bought ones."
As they were talking, Gu Qing's phone suddenly chimed with a notification. She glanced at it, her expression a mix of complexity and acceptance as she looked at Gu Sang.
"Lu Mufei is getting engaged."
"He...sent me an invitation. Will you go?"
Gu Sang raised her eyes.
They shone brightly as she patted Gu Qing's shoulder, her smile radiant: "Of course, congratulate him for me."
"Don't you feel a tinge of disappointment?"
"Haha, what are you thinking? This isn't a novel with a male lead who would die if he couldn't have you. I realized a long time ago that there's no such thing as 'you're the only one for me' in this world, only equivalence and compatibility. He has his life, and I have mine. Pass on my congratulations and wish him happiness."
"I will never compromise for anyone else. I will only compromise for my own happiness."
"I see things very clearly. Marriage is good, love is good, and having a complete family is good too. But I feel that to obtain these, I would have to endure a lot of pain and make sacrifices that I'm unwilling to make. Compared to that, I think being free and unrestrained, with no attachments, is better."
"As for the future, it's still far away."
Gu Qing looked at Gu Sang, then gazed into the distant sky.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder, the sunshine bathing them, with their grandmother lounging in a chair by the sea, sunglasses on.
They looked out at the vast ocean.
Endless.
No boundaries in sight.
Just like how one's life should have countless possibilities.
"Love is precious, but life is priceless."
"For the sake of freedom, both can be forsaken."
Gu Sang and Gu Qing exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Ah, humans.
Always yearning for what they haven't obtained and for better things.
Gu Sang had once been confined to a residence, living in constant fear, surrounded by her ancient parents' teachings that a husband was everything, with every woman around her dreaming only of marrying a good man.
She had witnessed with her own eyes a high-born lady who fell into the water and was cruelly rescued by a scoundrel, only to lose her chastity because the benefactor had seen her drenched body and had to marry her.
She had also heard of cases where a young lady was accidentally touched by a servant while dismounting a horse, only for her parents to cut off the servant's hand to prove their daughter's purity.
She had even seen the blood shed during difficult childbirths, where until the very moment of death, the husband would consider it an ill omen and not even step into the birthing chamber.
At that moment, Gu Sang felt only sorrow and dread.
She struggled with all her might to break free from that cage. She kept reminding herself not to succumb, terrified of losing herself to that ancient environment.
What was this "one life, one lifetime, one partner"?
What was this "love stronger than stone"?
She didn't believe it and dared not gamble. She would only ever love herself.
"She was merely a university student who had time-traveled, how could she compete with the noble ladies who had been trained in household and palace intrigues for over a decade?"
"She didn't need to compete. All those so-called powers, status, family honor that they had been taught for over a decade - none of it mattered to her. She had seen the vast world, experienced unconditional familial love. She only wanted to return home, no matter how many deaths she had to face, she persisted!"
- The Grand Finale.
