Hearing this, Cheng Chi frowned and said: “When did this happen?”

Zhou Shaojin lowered her head: “It was on March 24th the year before last. I tripped and fell by the lake. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I had returned to when I was twelve years old…”

Cheng Chi nodded.

This matched what Huai Shan had said.

He glanced at Zhou Shaojin and said: “Then why did you start meddling in the Lin and Mu families’ affairs? Is the Lin family connected to you, or is the Mu family connected to you?”

All these matters originated from this, and Zhou Shaojin knew this was a topic she couldn’t avoid.

She couldn’t help saying softly: “Lin Shisheng was my husband in my previous life!”

Cheng Chi raised an eyebrow: “Former husband?”

More or less…

Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed bright red.

But Cheng Chi said: “Did you steal Miss Mu’s marriage, and then because of the Mu family’s troubles, Miss Mu fell to become an official courtesan, so you felt guilty and wanted to help them?”

“How could that be!” Zhou Shaojin jumped up anxiously upon hearing this: “Am I that kind of person? How could I steal someone else’s marriage? Miss Mu and Lin Shisheng had been betrothed since childhood. If not for that disaster, they would have married smoothly long ago. But Lin Shisheng always remembered Miss Mu fondly, and later found an opportunity to take Miss Mu as a concubine… I just wanted to help them!”

Was this helping?

In her previous life, her own husband took his childhood sweetheart as a concubine, and as the legitimate wife, not only was she not jealous or heartbroken, but she even tried to facilitate her husband marrying the concubine… Moreover, the Zhou family came from a proper scholarly background—how could they have formed a marriage alliance with Lin Shisheng, who came from a military family? And she even married far away to the capital!

Cheng Chi glanced at Zhou Shaojin with a half-smile: “You two were a fake couple, weren’t you?”

“No!” Zhou Shaojin instinctively retorted: “We weren’t a fake couple!”

Cheng Chi didn’t believe a single word: “How did you end up marrying to the capital?”

Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment and said quietly: “My brother-in-law made the match.”

Not Old Madam Guan or Zhou Zhen who arranged the match, but Liao Shaotang.

This in itself was very thought-provoking.

Cheng Chi recalled Zhou Shaojin’s reaction when he grabbed her earlier, and her resistance when he mentioned Cheng Xu… He couldn’t help but become serious and said solemnly: “Shaojin, in the previous life you mentioned, did Cheng Xu do something to wrong you?”

Only this could explain why she would leave the Cheng family, why she would marry far away!

Zhou Shaojin’s expression grew tense.

Uncle Chi had discovered it after all!

But such humiliating matters—how could she speak of them before Uncle Chi?

Her hands clenched tightly into fists, and her body began trembling uncontrollably.

Cheng Chi felt great sympathy watching this.

The past was already past—why did he need to repeatedly bring it up and make her suffer?

He couldn’t help stepping forward to gently pat Zhou Shaojin’s head, saying warmly: “If you feel uncomfortable, don’t think about it. Didn’t you say it was from your previous life? In this life you’re fine, so don’t think about those unpleasant things from before. All right?”

Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi almost gratefully.

She truly didn’t want to mention the past anymore.

Those who committed wrongs and needed punishment didn’t know, yet she, the victim, kept being hurt repeatedly!

She obediently nodded.

Watching her, Cheng Chi quietly sighed inwardly.

Even if it was from a previous life, the pain once experienced wouldn’t disappear with the passage of time. It was merely hidden in a corner.

This little girl was so docile it hurt one’s heart!

He just didn’t know what exactly Cheng Xu had done in that previous life.

Had he already fallen beyond redemption?

Since there was no one behind her, he needed to clarify some things.

Cheng Chi pointed to the nearby daybed: “Shaojin, you still haven’t told me why the Cheng family was confiscated. Shall we sit down and talk?”

Zhou Shaojin quickly nodded.

The two sat down on either side of the daybed.

Zhou Shaojin carefully described the circumstances at that time to Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi noted that in the previous life Zhou Shaojin described, she had lived alone at the Lin family’s estate in Daxing.

He said: “Then this matter would be best asked of your brother-in-law Liao Shaotang. But Liao Shaotang doesn’t have the ability to foresee and has no idea what will happen in the future…”

Zhou Shaojin felt embarrassed.

What she said was as good as saying nothing.

Cheng Chi asked in detail when Zhou Chujin arrived at the estate, when she left, how long she stayed at the estate, what they talked about, when Lin Shisheng found out, when he brought her the news… every detail, asking very thoroughly.

Zhou Shaojin knew Cheng Chi was trying to find some clues from this and answered very carefully.

After listening, Cheng Chi fell into deep thought.

Zhou Shaojin sat beside him not daring to breathe heavily, until his expression eased. Only then did she say cautiously: “Uncle Chi, there’s one more thing… In the previous life, it was Huang Li who became Minister of Rites, and Official Mu’s matter wasn’t discovered until the end of this year… Now Uncle Jing has become Minister of Rites, and Official Mu’s matter was exposed early… I, I don’t know if things will still be exactly the same as in the previous life.”

This was something Cheng Chi truly hadn’t considered.

He was still half-doubting, feeling that Zhou Shaojin should have precognitive abilities rather than having truly lived her life over again.

Cheng Chi was silent for a while, then said: “Do you know when my mother passed away?”

She didn’t know why, but though Cheng Chi’s expression was normal, Zhou Shaojin could sense the grief in his heart.

She considered carefully: “It seems to have been in the bingwu year… And the Old Madam and the Second Old Master of the First Household died one after the other… I was in the capital at the time. First I heard news of the Second Old Master’s death, then I heard of the Old Madam’s death… The Old Madam should have passed before the Second Old Master…”

“You heard?” Cheng Chi’s expression was displeased: “After you married to the capital, did you have no contact with my mother or me?”

Given his and his mother’s personalities, if Zhou Shaojin had truly been bullied by Cheng Xu, they would certainly have tried their best to compensate her, even having Second Brother adopt her as a goddaughter to support her.

But from her tone, he and his mother had ignored her… In the previous life Zhou Shaojin saw, what exactly had happened?

He couldn’t help asking: “What was I doing at that time?”

Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment: “When I was at Jiuru Lane, I didn’t know Uncle Chi. The last time I heard news of you was in the renyin year, which was the twenty-fifth year of Zhide…”

That was the third year after she married. Cheng Xu still pestered her relentlessly, kneeling at her older sister’s gate every year on her birthday. It was after Uncle Chi appeared and dragged him away.

After that, Cheng Xu never appeared again.

Oh right, she had forgotten something else.

Zhou Shaojin quickly added: “After that was the second year of Tianshun, when you stormed the execution ground and rescued only Cheng Xu…”

Cheng Chi’s heart shook greatly.

He re-examined Zhou Shaojin’s words.

According to his plan, this year he would hand over all the Cheng family’s household affairs, leave Jiuru Lane two years later, and three years after that, completely sever ties with the Cheng family… That year would be precisely the twenty-fifth year of Zhide.

He knew this idea was too shocking. Apart from himself, he hadn’t told even Huai Shan, Qin Ziping, and the others. Zhou Shaojin couldn’t possibly know about this.

And there was the matter of storming the execution ground.

According to what Zhou Shaojin said, the Cheng family’s execution came six years after his retirement. At most he would have a few trusted followers like Huai Shan and Nanny Shang. Even if he intended to storm the execution ground, he could probably save at most one or two people. In that situation, given his personality, he would indeed prioritize Cheng Xu as the eldest legitimate son and eldest legitimate grandson.

In other words, everything Zhou Shaojin said was true.

She had indeed lived her life over again.

And Cheng Xu had probably not just bullied Zhou Shaojin—it was likely far worse than that.

Zhou Shaojin must have broken with the Cheng family!

But now wasn’t the time to pursue these matters.

He had already asked the little girl many difficult questions today that she didn’t know how to answer.

Better to slowly inquire when there were opportunities later.

No matter what, he couldn’t let her be bullied by Cheng Xu like in her previous life.

Cheng Chi asked Zhou Shaojin: “When did the Second Household’s Old Ancestor pass away?”

His tone had shifted from light banter to solemnity.

Zhou Shaojin immediately sensed this.

Unable to conceal the surge of emotion in her heart, she quickly said: “The guimao year, which is the twenty-sixth year of Zhide.”

Mother ultimately outlived that old man!

An ineffable desolation rippled through Cheng Chi’s heart.

He asked Zhou Shaojin: “Who else knows about the rebirth?”

“Only you know!” Zhou Shaojin smiled bitterly: “My older sister doesn’t believe it, and I’m also afraid of frightening her.”

Cheng Chi said: “She’s a delicate woman from the inner chambers and a scholar’s daughter—naturally she can’t accept such supernatural matters.”

But Uncle Chi, how did you accept it?

Zhou Shaojin very much wanted to ask, but when the words reached her lips, she feared disrupting the atmosphere between them and swallowed the question, deciding to find an opportunity to properly ask Uncle Chi later.

This matter is even more complicated than I imagined!

Cheng Chi paced back and forth in the room.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know much, but everything she knew struck at vital points. Moreover, from her tone, after her rebirth she had changed many things, and these changes had altered the outcomes of her previous life. Many things probably even she herself didn’t know how they had transformed or developed. This required him to sit down with her and carefully analyze. And after Zhou Chujin married, Zhou Shaojin might very well go with Li Shi to Baoding Prefecture…

Cheng Chi instantly made a decision.

But before he could solicit Zhou Shaojin’s thoughts, Nanny Shang’s voice came from outside the door, carrying some anxiety: “Fourth Master, Miss Biyu from the Old Madam’s side has come. She says the Old Madam knows Second Cousin Miss has come and, under the Old Madam’s orders, requests Second Cousin Miss to go speak with her…”

Who had been gossiping before Mother?

Cheng Chi’s expression looked rather unpleasant.

Zhou Shaojin felt embarrassed and didn’t dare look at Cheng Chi.

When she came, she had instructed Chun Wan that if she hadn’t returned to Wanxiang Residence within half an hour, Chun Wan should go to the Old Madam at Hanbi Mountain Lodge to find her.

Although mothers always sided with their sons, if Old Madam Guo didn’t know what had happened, she would have an opportunity to exploit!