The Empress And The General: A Modern Reunion - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The General Reunited

Yun Ni stopped her pace. In an instant, she adjusted her expression—her mouth parted slightly as she asked with feigned surprise, “Sister Zhang, what are you doing here?”

Zhang Lingyu stopped in front of her and asked aggressively, “Why didn’t you pick up when I called you?”

“Did you call me, Sister Zhang?” Yun Ni muttered while pulling out her phone. She let out a low “Ah,” then smiled. “I set it to silent right before my audition and forgot to turn it back on after I came out.”

Zhang Lingyu only half-believed her, but then remembered that the old Yun Ni never had the guts to lie to her. “Remember to keep it on next time.”

“Understood.” Yun Ni shifted the topic. “Sister Zhang, did you need something?”

“I just wanted to ask about the audition.” Zhang Lingyu’s eyes flickered slightly. “How did it go?”

Yun Ni took note of her expression. “The director praised my acting and told me to go home and wait for news. I think I have a good chance of landing the role.”

She wasn’t lying; she was told to wait for news. However, judging by Zhou Sheng’s later reaction, the news she was waiting for might not be good.

Without a second thought, Zhang Lingyu blurted out, “Impossible.”

Seeing Zhang Lingyu’s certain expression combined with the director’s earlier behavior, Yun Ni became even more convinced that there was foul play involved. She understood the situation perfectly but kept a calm facade. “Why are you so sure it’s impossible, Sister Zhang?”

Zhang Lingyu was momentarily stumped. Her eyes darted around, refusing to look at Yun Ni. “It’s not that I’m trying to bring you down, but you know your own acting skills. I’m just afraid you’re getting your hopes up too high and the disappointment will be too much when the results come out.”

“It’s just a palace maid; it doesn’t require much acting prowess,” Yun Ni countered. “If you didn’t believe in me, why did you recommend me for the audition in the first place?”

Zhang Lingyu choked. Seeing Yun Ni talk back repeatedly, her frustration boiled over. “I said it’s impossible, so it’s impossible! Why are you talking so much?”

Yun Ni let out a mocking laugh. “Since you knew it was impossible, why did you send me to the audition at all?”

She was tall, standing a full half-head taller than Zhang Lingyu. As Zhang Lingyu looked up, she saw that the seductive “peach blossom” eyes were filled with irony. The slight tilt at the corners of those eyes had lost their flirtatiousness and gained a chilling sharpness, making her feel as if she were facing a powerful, authoritative CEO. For a moment, she was genuinely intimidated.

It took a while for Zhang Lingyu to snap out of it. Seeing Yun Ni’s composed, winning posture, she felt as if she were being played. She pointed a finger at Yun Ni in a rage. “If it weren’t for me managing you, who else in this company do you think would want you? I was willing to give you a chance to audition; if you aren’t burning incense and praying to Buddha in gratitude, what’s with this attitude?”

“What attitude? The attitude one gives to trash,” Yun Ni sneered. “Everyone in the company knows you’re just a pimp. If I didn’t have you managing me, I’d be the one burning incense to thank God instead.”

This was the first time Zhang Lingyu had seen Yun Ni so sharp-tongued. It was as if her previous submissiveness had been nothing but a mask. Infuriated, Zhang Lingyu shoved Yun Ni’s shoulder.

Yun Ni was not a generous person. She took a step back to steady herself, then sidestepped, grabbed Zhang Lingyu’s arm, and pulled it forward. Zhang Lingyu stumbled in the very direction she had pushed, crashing straight into the company wall.

Stunned and dizzy from the impact, Zhang Lingyu touched her head only to find a trace of blood. She let out a panicked scream.

“You were the one who pushed first. I was merely acting in self-defense,” Yun Ni spoke first. She pulled out a tissue and calmly wiped her fingers with a wet wipe, her disdain expressed with utter clarity.

Zhang Lingyu gnashed her teeth in anger. She tried to stand up but felt dizzy and had to lean against the wall. By the time she recovered, Yun Ni was gone. She spat out several curses in a rage.

As an artist with no resources or popularity, Yun Ni naturally didn’t qualify for a company car. She followed her memory to the roadside. Even with the original owner’s memories, seeing carriages that moved without horses or oxen was still a shock to her system.

Watching the cars drive past, a thought flashed through her mind: Could I take a car apart and study it? Even if she couldn’t go back, learning a new skill wasn’t a bad thing. However, she quickly searched her memories and realized these cars were expensive and the original owner was poor. She had to suppress the urge.

Screech— A taxi pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a driver with a square, honest face. “Beautiful girl, need a ride?”

Yun Ni nodded. Recalling the process of taking a car, she slowly reached out. With a click, the back door opened. A glint of joy flashed in her eyes, and her tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly.

The driver glanced at her. Seeing her expression over such a simple action as opening a door, he found it odd. Why does she look so happy just opening a door?

After Yun Ni gave the address, the car started moving. The driver looked in the rearview mirror and saw Yun Ni sitting bolt upright, looking straight ahead as if extremely nervous. He reached out and turned on the music. “Little girl, don’t worry, my driving skills are excellent.”

Yun Ni couldn’t explain the real reason, so she just hummed in response. Seeing she wasn’t in the mood for small talk, the driver stayed quiet.

In less than ten minutes, they arrived. Yun Ni was still in a daze until the driver called out to her. She pushed the door open to get out. As the driver prepared to leave, he realized something and shouted, “Little girl, you haven’t paid yet!”

Yun Ni, who hadn’t needed to carry silver since becoming Emperor, had completely forgotten about payment. She bit her lip, pulled out her phone, and started fumbling through her pockets.

The driver looked at her. “If you don’t have cash, you can just scan the QR code with your phone.”

QR codes were foreign to her. Though she had the memories, it was easy to slip up. After fumbling for a while, she only found a single coin.

Giving up on the struggle, Yun Ni looked at the driver sheepishly. “How do I scan the QR code?”

Five or six minutes later, Yun Ni successfully paid under the driver’s incredulous gaze. As she left, she heard him muttering: “I can’t believe there are still young people who don’t know how to scan for payment… how did she survive until now?”

She didn’t care. Instead, she was quite happy to have mastered another skill. This payment method is so convenient. If I could promote this, people wouldn’t have to carry heavy silver anymore. Then, it hit her—she was dead. She couldn’t go back. The small spark of joy turned into melancholy.

The original owner’s apartment was small due to her lack of money. It had pink walls and didn’t even have a living room. A pale yellow sheet covered the bed; across from it was a small light-blue sofa. By the door stood a tall wardrobe and a small desk, with a bay window opposite.

It was small but functional and clean. Yun Ni sat on the sofa, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes. She intended to plan her next move after a short rest, but the energy required to merge the memories had exhausted her. She fell asleep immediately.

It was an uneasy sleep. She kept dreaming of her past life—specifically her mother.

Her mother was originally a maid who used her ambition to gain the Emperor’s favor. After becoming pregnant, she was promoted. Back then, the Emperor was old, and no new children had been born for years. Her birth brought her mother great favor, but palace life was dark. Her mother had been pushed down a flight of oiled stairs while pregnant, causing Yun Ni to be born over a month premature.

Because her mother knew she might not conceive again, she lied and claimed Yun Ni was a prince. Yun Ni had to live as a man from birth. Without a powerful family to back her, she learned to hide her brilliance and act submissive to survive while her brothers died off one by one.

The images were fragmented—her multifaceted mother, the citizens bowing at her coronation, and finally, the moment before her death.

The battlefield was covered in corpses. The only thing in the air was the scent of blood. As Emperor, she didn’t need to lead the charge, but she had ignored her ministers to seek revenge for her General who had died in battle. She killed the enemy, but fell to an ambush of poisoned arrows.

Thinking of Lin Zijin, Yun Ni’s brow furrowed even in her sleep.

Lin Zijin was different from her mother. She was born a “daughter of heaven.” Her father was the Great General of the State, her mother was a Princess, and her brothers were high-ranking officials. While her brothers were frail scholars, Lin Zijin loved swords and was eventually named a female General by the Emperor.

Such a woman should have married a Prince or a high official, but she fell in love with Yun Ni. Even after being told Yun Ni was a woman, Lin Zijin refused to give up and stood by her side during the struggle for the throne. Her support was the primary reason Yun Ni successfully became Emperor.

As the country prospered, war broke out at the borders. Lin Zijin volunteered to lead the army. On the night before her departure, standing heroically in her armor under the moonlight, she made a bet with Yun Ni.

If I win this war, you must name me your Empress, and you shall take no other concubines.

Yun Ni didn’t know what she was thinking then—perhaps she was bewitched by those determined eyes—but she agreed.

However, the invincible Goddess of War fell into a trap and never returned.

Yun Ni snapped her eyes open, her pupils dilated as she gasped for air. She was drenched in sweat as if she had been pulled out of a lake.

She stared at the pink bed for a long time before slowly coming back to her senses. She wiped the sweat from her brow, her thoughts drifting.

Even her mother had only treated her well so that she could become the Empress Dowager. Only Lin Zijin had loved her wholeheartedly. Toward Lin Zijin, she felt affection, but even more, she felt guilt. If not for her, Lin Zijin wouldn’t have gone to the border and wouldn’t have perished.

It was this guilt that drove her to lead the army personally. She reclaimed the borders in less than three months, but the desperate enemy set a poisoned ambush.

The memories tangled in her head like someone stirring her brain. Yun Ni gave up on thinking and let her mind go blank until she caught her breath.

The room was hot, and she had forgotten to turn on the air conditioner. Feeling sticky, she grabbed a set of pajamas and headed to the bathroom. She needed a shower before she could plan her future.

Judging by the reactions of the director and Zhang Lingyu, the palace maid role was likely a lost cause. Whether she should continue acting and how to move forward were things she needed to consider.

As for the people and events of her time as Emperor… they were like passing clouds now.

And as for the possibility of Lin Zijin transmigrating with her—she hadn’t even dared to think about it.