When Xie Qingwan saw Zhou Shengsheng return unharmed, she was so furious that she could almost grind her teeth to dust. How could she come back alive? Could it be that His Majesty had softened his heart?
The claim that Zhou Shengsheng was a harbinger of disaster had been a scheme she concocted with Lord Liu. Yet, now, this woman was still alive and kicking right under her nose?
Xie Qingwan had long noticed that among the two women His Majesty had brought back, Zhou Shengsheng was the one he truly cared for, far more than Jiang Zhiyu, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Yu Yanyan.
She had finally managed to persuade His Majesty to offer Zhou Shengsheng as a sacrifice, yet here she was, alive and well! What kind of bewitching potion had she fed His Majesty, who was always devoted to the nation?
"Your Majesty," Xie Qingwan greeted with a soft, delicate bow.
Yet, Ming Siran didn’t even glance at her, sitting down without a word.
Xie Qingwan, unwilling to give up, spoke again, "Your Majesty, someone from the Zhu Kingdom has arrived."
Only then did he react, "Someone sent by the Consort?"
Of course, His Majesty’s thoughts were entirely consumed by that wretch Zhou Shengsheng!
Forcing a stiff smile, Xie Qingwan replied, "No, it’s a messenger sent by General Jiang Huaide of the Zhu Kingdom."
Ming Siran took the letter. Though a military man, General Jiang’s handwriting was elegant and refined.
The letter was brief, stating simply that he wished to take his unfilial daughter, Jiang Zhiyu, back home.
After reading it, Ming Siran fell into a long silence, so prolonged that Xie Qingwan almost thought he had dozed off.
Finally, his cold, emotionless voice broke the silence, "Give the order. Tomorrow, Zhou Shengsheng is to leave the Yong Kingdom with Jiang Zhiyu."
Xie Qingwan could barely contain her joy, quickly responding, "Yes, Your Majesty."
---Cue the scene break---
"Shengsheng, are we really leaving?" Jiang Zhiyu lay on the bed, staring intently at the golden fish wind chime swaying in the breeze above her.
It was something Zhou Shengsheng had made especially for her.
"Yes," Zhou Shengsheng replied absentmindedly, continuing to pack their belongings.
While sorting through their things, she stumbled upon the heather flower hairpin Duan Fusheng had given her.
As she delicately held it, Xiao Ji, who had been sleeping somewhere unseen, flew out and landed on Zhou Shengsheng’s hand, gazing intently at the hairpin.
Lately, for some reason, he had become even more lethargic than usual, barely opening his eyes throughout the day.
Seeing his interest, Zhou Shengsheng gently stroked the hairpin and spoke nostalgically, "Isn’t it beautiful? It was given to me by another version of you in this world."
The "another version of you" in question: "........."
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Shengsheng pinned the hairpin into her hair.
She hoped the upcoming events would go smoothly.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, right!
As the masked man with a sword approached step by step, Zhou Shengsheng was on the verge of panic.
Where was the hero who was supposed to save the damsel in distress?!
Where was the brave soul who would defy his master’s orders and risk his life to protect the heroine?!
Clearly, someone in the Jiang family didn’t want Jiang Zhiyu to return safely to the Zhu Kingdom.
Their carriage had barely left the Yong Kingdom when these assassins pounced.
In the original story, Jiang Zhiyu had been saved at the critical moment by a young guard from her father’s household, a boy who had harbored a secret crush on her. He had escorted her all the way to the Zhen Kingdom.
But now, with danger looming, where was this crucial character?!
Zhou Shengsheng was ready to scream. This wasn’t the first time a supporting character had failed to show up on time. Could this world get any worse?!
Fine, it seemed she would have to step up herself.
[Ah Fat! Get me a gun!] Zhou Shengsheng urgently called out to Ah Fat.
Ah Fat sighed, [Shengsheng, you know we can’t exchange for firearms.]
[Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t use cold weapons!]
In her moment of despair, Zhou Shengsheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
She quickly tugged at Jiang Zhiyu beside her, "Xiao Yu, swear an oath!"
Jiang Zhiyu looked at her in terror.
Seeing her confusion, and with the assassin’s blade about to strike, Zhou Shengsheng shouted, "Repeat after me! I swear to the heavens! If these people intend to harm me, may they be struck by lightning!"
Remembering the rainstorm back in the Yong Kingdom’s palace, Jiang Zhiyu immediately understood and repeated the oath.
Sure enough, as the assassins looked at them as if they were idiots, the once clear sky suddenly darkened with thick clouds.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
A bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens, and where the lead assassin had stood, there was now nothing but a pile of black and white ash, blown away by the wind.
The remaining assassins were utterly dumbfounded, staring at Jiang Zhiyu as if she were some kind of monster.
Holy cow.
As the assassins fled in terror, Zhou Shengsheng stood with her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly.
"Who do you think you are, daring to disrespect the chosen one of the heavens? You’ve got a death wish!"
Was this what it felt like to borrow someone else’s power?
Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
Truly, a sparrow pecking at a bull’s behind—utterly impressive.
With the danger gone, Jiang Zhiyu also laughed happily, though she naively asked, "Shengsheng, what does ‘chosen one of the heavens’ mean?"
Zhou Shengsheng affectionately patted her clueless head, "It means you’re the embodiment of heavenly lightning."
It seemed she would have to take on the role of protector herself.
The carriage horse was dead, and the carriage itself was useless.
The only living creature left was the lazy bird in Zhou Shengsheng’s sleeve, and of course, she couldn’t expect it to pull the carriage. So, she gathered their belongings, packed their bags, and set off with Jiang Zhiyu toward the Zhen Kingdom.
It wasn’t yet time to return to the Zhu Kingdom. In the original story, Jiang Zhiyu only went back after winning Song Weiqing’s affection, using the influence of both Ming Siran and Song Weiqing to humiliate the Jiang family.
"Shengsheng, where are we going?" Jiang Zhiyu asked, her mouth full of candied fruit as Zhou Shengsheng held her hand.
Zhou Shengsheng gazed at the now clear sky and declared, "The Zhen Kingdom!"
"But... isn’t the Zhen Kingdom in the opposite direction?"
Zhou Shengsheng turned sharply, "You remember?"
Jiang Zhiyu shook her head.
"Then how do you know this isn’t the way to the Zhen Kingdom?" Zhou Shengsheng asked suspiciously.
Swallowing the candied fruit, Jiang Zhiyu mumbled, "I don’t know, I just feel like we should go that way." She pointed in the exact opposite direction of where Zhou Shengsheng was heading.
Zhou Shengsheng frowned in confusion. Wasn’t Jiang Zhiyu supposed to be terrible with directions in the original story?
Still, she decided to follow Jiang Zhiyu’s lead.
After all, prioritizing the heroine was the hallmark of a good supporting character.
---Scene break, stay tuned for more excitement---
"Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged!" A disheveled woman, covered in blood, knelt before Ming Siran, a far cry from her usual cold and elegant demeanor.
Li Rong sneered and threw a stack of letters onto the floor before her, "As the palace’s head maid, you conspired with officials from the previous dynasty to frame an innocent person. The evidence is irrefutable. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Xie Qingwan let out a bitter laugh, "Yes, I conspired with Lord Liu to frame Zhou Shengsheng as a harbinger of disaster. But was I wrong? As soon as she arrived, a plague broke out at the border. If she’s not a harbinger of disaster, then who is?"
Seeing her unrepentant attitude, Li Rong kicked her to the ground, "What do you know? It was the so-called ‘harbinger of disaster’ who saved countless lives of our Great Yong Empire’s border soldiers!"
Xie Qingwan’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had cured the plague?
Impossible!
She began to mutter frantically, "No way... no way..."
The ruler above cast a cold glance at the woman who had been by his side since his ascension to the throne.
"Execute her by beating."
