Reborn Nine Times, the Tyrant Always Wants to Imprison Me - Chapter 13

The golden splendor and incense-warmed quilts of the Yilan Palace always made Fangru feel suffocated when she woke in the dead of night. That “imperial favor” was like exquisite shackles, constantly reminding her of the price she had paid. On this day, having obtained Zhou Ling’s permission, she finally left the palace to visit the villa where Su Wanqing was staying.

The villa was tranquil, filled with the scent of medicine—a world apart from the palace’s extravagance and opulence.

Pushing open the door, Fangru saw Su Wanqing lying quietly on the daybed by the window, covered with an elegant, thin quilt. Her once mesmerizing face had grown much thinner, yet it carried a serene beauty stripped of all adornment. Sunlight streamed gently through the window lattice, casting a warm glow on her, but it could not illuminate the legs that would never stand again.

Fangru’s heart clenched in sudden pain, her eyes instantly reddening. The person before her, who should have been dancing gracefully on stage, drawing crowds as the star performer of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, was now…

“Wanqing…” Her voice choked with emotion as she hurried to the bedside and grasped her friend’s cold hand. A thousand words lodged in her chest, but she didn’t know where to begin.

It was her—she was the one who had reduced Wanqing to this state.

Yet Su Wanqing smiled first, her smile still carrying traces of her former charm, but now tinged with a newfound equanimity. She gently squeezed Fangru’s hand in return. “Look at you, already the Consort Chen, yet your eyes are red as a rabbit’s? I haven’t even cried, and you’re already weeping for me?”

Her tone was light, even teasing, as if being bedridden were nothing more than a minor chill.

Fangru’s tears fell even harder. “I’m sorry, Wanqing… It’s all because of me… If not for saving me…”

“Stop.” Su Wanqing raised a finger and lightly pressed it to Fangru’s lips, feigning annoyance. “If you keep saying such distant words, I’ll be angry. In that situation, could I have just stood by and watched you get stabbed? If it were you, you would have done the same.”

She paused, her gaze drifting over her motionless legs, her tone heartbreakingly calm. “It’s just a different way of living. Before, I made my living by dancing. Now… I can finally be lazy and enjoy a life of leisure lying down.”

Fangru knew she was putting on a brave face, and her heart ached even more. Glancing around, she couldn’t help but ask, “That… that scholar who often visited you…” She remembered that after Wanqing had let go of her obsession with Zhou Ling, she had grown close to a scholar and had spoken of her hopes for the future.

Hearing this, Su Wanqing showed no surprise or sorrow, only a faint smile that held the resignation of one who had seen through everything. “Him? He hasn’t been seen since my accident. It’s just as well—saves us from holding each other back. Most romantic affections in this world are like this: easy to add flowers to the brocade, hard to offer fuel in snowy weather. I’m used to it by now. It doesn’t hurt.”

She spoke with such detachment, as if discussing a trivial matter unrelated to herself, which only made Fangru’s heart ache more. The more indifferent Wanqing appeared, the more guilt and self-blame Fangru felt.

“Don’t worry,” Fangru said firmly, gripping her hand tightly. “His Majesty has promised the best medicine and the finest imperial physicians. They will surely cure you! And I will always be by your side…”

Su Wanqing looked at the stubbornness and pain in her eyes and sighed softly. She took Fangru’s hand and guided her to sit by the couch, her voice gentle yet firm: “Fangru, you really don’t need to carry my burdens in your heart all the time. Saving you—I’ve never regretted it. And the way things are now—it’s fate.”

Gazing into Fangru’s eyes, still brimming with worry, she shifted the topic lightly: “But you… how have you been faring in the palace? Has His Majesty… been treating you well?”

The question seemed to strike at Fangru’s most vulnerable thoughts. In the harem, she had to tread carefully at every step, walking on thin ice under the emperor’s favor—none of which she could speak of to outsiders. Only with Wanqing could she let her guard down slightly.

Seeing the sudden dimness in Fangru’s eyes and the bitter hesitation on her lips, Su Wanqing understood. She didn’t press further, only squeezed Fangru’s hand firmly and said softly, “No matter what, protect yourself. Don’t worry about me—see, I’m doing just fine, aren’t I?”

When she left the villa, Fangru’s heart grew even heavier.

Wanqing’s strength and open-mindedness were like a mirror, reflecting her own wretched struggles in the palace. It made her see more clearly that she had to find a way to break the deadlock as soon as possible—not just for Gu Zhou, but also to live up to the life Wanqing had saved at the cost of her legs, and the forced “serenity” Wanqing now wore.

Not long after the carriage departed from the villa, it was stopped.

A maid reported that Zheng Yu, the Director of the Ministry of Justice, sought an audience.

Fangru was slightly taken aback, then motioned for Zheng Yu to approach.

The carriage curtain lifted, revealing Zheng Yu’s somewhat pale but still upright figure. Though recently recovered from his injuries, his brow carried a new weight of gloom. He bowed respectfully. “Imperial Consort Chen.”

Fangru dismissed her attendants, leaving only the two of them standing by the carriage.

“How is your injury, Lord Zheng?” she asked, her tone carrying genuine concern, for he had been gravely wounded while investigating a case.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It is no longer serious.” Zheng Yu paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Fangru. “I have come today presumptuously regarding the assassination attempt. Your Highness, are you aware that the captured assassin has ‘taken his own life’ in the Ministry of Justice prison?”

Fangru’s heart tightened. “Suicide? The Ministry of Justice prison is heavily guarded—how could someone easily take their own life?” She keenly sensed something unusual.

“Indeed, the trail seems to have gone cold.” Zheng Yu lowered his voice and stepped closer. “But I have not given up. While repeatedly examining the assassin’s belongings, I discovered a mark drawn with a special solution on the inside of his collar—invisible under normal circumstances, but revealed when exposed to blood. Upon verification, it is the insignia of a core death warrior of the ‘White Sun Society.’”

“White Sun Society?” The name felt both unfamiliar and unsettling to Fangru, but her mind raced.

“A sinister and ruthless cult that operates in secrecy, often inciting civil unrest and opposing the court.” Zheng Yu’s expression was grave. “More importantly, I re-examined this death warrior’s movements and found he had connections with a guard at the Xuanji Banquet. That guard has confessed that during the banquet, he allowed this assassin to infiltrate the Xuanji Banquet.”

He took a deep breath and continued, “Moreover, records show that during the banquet, several laborers responsible for transporting wine were ‘temporarily replaced,’ but when their identities were verified, although their names were on the roster, no one could clearly recall their appearances. Additionally, there were supposed to be three teams of guards patrolling the outer perimeter in overlapping shifts. However, about an hour after the dance competition, the western patrol route was delayed for a full half-cup of tea time due to an ‘accident,’ coincidentally creating a brief blind spot.” A flash of understanding crossed Fangru’s eyes as she interjected, “Are you suggesting that the assassin, the ‘Shadowless One,’ first infiltrated the banquet disguised as a laborer to spy, while the real threat—the ambushing death warriors—sneaked into the periphery during the patrol gap to set up an ambush? An inside-outside collaboration?”

A trace of admiration flickered in Zheng Yu’s eyes as he nodded gravely. “Your Majesty is astutely observant. That is precisely it. If that day… I had noticed these subtle anomalies earlier instead of focusing solely on the activities within the banquet, perhaps I could have taken preventive measures. Many subsequent tragedies… Miss Su…” His words trailed off, the unspoken meaning crystal clear, laden with deep self-reproach.

A chill shot up from the soles of Fangru’s feet.

The chaos of the Xuanji Banquet, the Shadowless One’s espionage, the precise ambush… all pointed to a meticulously planned conspiracy, definitely not a spur-of-the-moment act.

Zheng Yu’s next words made her heart pound even more. “Based on the clues I’ve uncovered so far, the White Sun Society seems to know that His Majesty holds Your Majesty… in extraordinary regard. Their target this time was clear—directly aimed at His Majesty and you. With their failure, there’s no guarantee they won’t cause further trouble. I fear they may attempt to harm you again to… coerce His Majesty.”

All the clues converged explosively at this moment!

Fangru suddenly recalled Zhou Ling’s whispered past that night, his obsession with power and control.

So, she had long become a target for others to attack him!

And Wanqing had borne this unwarranted disaster in her stead!

Overwhelming fury and resentment instantly flooded her—directed at the White Sun Society, but even more profoundly, at Zhou Ling! If not for his forceful demands, if not for the numerous enemies he had made, why would she have become the bullseye, and why would Wanqing have suffered so!

She looked at Zheng Yu, the words almost bursting out, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion and sarcasm. “So it’s all because of him! If he hadn’t provoked these desperadoes, if he hadn’t placed me in this precarious position…”

She poured out her fear, resentment, and the sordid details of Zhou Ling’s past in the sharpest terms, as if doing so could alleviate her own inner pain and guilt.

Zheng Yu had never seen Fangru so emotionally out of control, nor had he ever heard anyone dare to criticize the emperor so bluntly.

He was first shocked, then a complex mix of emotions flashed in his eyes—sympathy, understanding, and an indescribable stirring.

In her most vulnerable and furious moment, he saw the genuine pain hidden beneath her Consort Chen halo.

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Yu seemed to have made some resolution. He suddenly stepped forward, his gaze burning as he looked at Fangru, his tone unprecedentedly solemn: “Your Highness… Fangru! Leave the palace! This kind of life isn’t meant for you! I…” His voice lowered, carrying a barely perceptible tension, “I can help you! No matter how difficult it is, I…”

Under his intense gaze and unfinished confession, Fangru abruptly snapped back to reality! She realized she had spoken carelessly, and Zheng Yu’s reaction had shocked her even more.

She couldn’t drag anyone else into this quagmire.

“Lord Zheng!” she sharply interrupted him, stepping back as her expression instantly returned to aloofness and composure, “I shall pretend I never heard today’s words. With many matters awaiting in the palace, I must take my leave now.”

Without giving Zheng Yu a chance to speak further, she quickly turned and practically fled back to the carriage.

As the carriage rocked, she leaned against the soft cushions, her heart pounding wildly. Zheng Yu’s words, Wanqing’s injury, the immense pressure and danger brought by Zhou Ling… everything made her feel suffocated.

Despair washed over her like tidal waves.

With trembling hands, she removed the Amethyst Rosary from her wrist. This object had already allowed her to be reborn twice before. Perhaps… perhaps one more time could break the shackles of this fate.

Without further hesitation, she swallowed one of the prayer beads.

Excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed her, consciousness rapidly fading away…

She didn’t know how much time had passed when Fangru’s eyes snapped open.

The blinding sunlight made her dizzy.

She found herself not in the carriage, nor within the palace walls, but standing before the gates of a familiar residence – the Prefect’s mansion. The clamor of crowds filled her ears, and looking down, she saw she was wearing the exact same dress she had worn on the day of the Xuanji Banquet.

On the steps above, the grand feast was about to begin.

She had returned once more to the very beginning – the moment when the Xuanji Banquet was convened!