In the fifteenth year of Yong’an, peace reigned across the land, and foreign nations came to pay tribute. The sovereign receiving their homage was a woman. Her name was Jiang Lingye, initially a merchant’s daughter so poor she couldn’t even afford shoes. Yet through her ambition and beauty, she entered the Daming Palace, rising step by step from a palace maid to Noble Consort, then Empress, then Empress Dowager, until finally becoming the ruler of this vast nation. In the end, she ascended the throne as a woman, becoming the first Empress Regnant in history.

People spoke endlessly of the Empress’s life—her tumultuous relationship with her husband, the Taichang Emperor who was praised as the Great Zhou’s revitalizing sage; her bitter conflict with her son, the disgraced former Emperor Longxing who was stripped of his imperial title; and the familial bond with her daughter, Princess Yong’an Li Ying, who died young. It was said that the Empress’s reign title “Yong’an” came from Princess Yong’an’s title, showing how much the Empress missed her daughter.

Beyond this, notable figures from the Empress’s reign were also widely discussed. Among them, the most famous was Cui Xun, the “Lotus Gentleman,” who earned both praise and criticism throughout the land. The Lotus Gentleman Cui Xun was said to possess beauty comparable to a lotus flower, unmatched by anyone. His life was highly controversial—some admired his courage in seeking revenge alone, while others criticized his less-than-honorable methods. But even his critics had to acknowledge his extraordinary achievements in reclaiming lost territory, rescuing the people, and driving back the Turks. This Lotus Gentleman, while battling illness, campaigned northward against the Turks and died suddenly on the triumphant journey home. When he passed away, he had not yet reached his twenty-fourth birthday. Now, it had been exactly fifteen years since his death.

“The Lotus Gentleman, Cui Wangshu.” The young girl murmured these words. Whenever she spoke this name, she felt something strange in her heart, as if she had known this person for a very, very long time. She turned the pages of the book, reading about his life for what must have been the countless time. As she read, suddenly the string-bound book was snatched from her hands. She paused for a moment, then jumped up in annoyance: “Seventeenth Brother, give it back!”

The one who took her book was a youth with eyebrows like ink paintings and a complexion like spring blossoms. The young man turned, casually flipping through a few pages, then sighed and shook his head: “Why are you reading about Cui Xun again? And… this kind of book written by some scholar making things up?”

This string-bound book was commissioned by booksellers for profit. They had hired a scholar to take Cui Xun’s life story, add some romantic gossip, fabricate it into a book, and sell printed copies. Surprisingly, it sold quite well, even better than the poetry collection of the current prime minister, Lu Huai.

The girl blushed. She stood on tiptoe and snatched the book back from the young man, hiding it behind her back. Stammering, she said, “I… I just like reading it.”

The young man sighed helplessly. He said, “Mingyuezhu, this is all fictional.”

The girl he called Mingyuezhu was the reincarnation of Li Ying, and the young man was naturally the reincarnated Cui Xun. Cui Xun and Li Ying had held hands as they crossed the Naihe River, entered reincarnation without drinking Meng Po’s soup of forgetfulness, and were reborn. Cui Xun was born into the Pei family of Hedong, named Pei Heng, with loving parents, making up for the deficiencies of his previous life. Coincidentally, he was also ranked seventeenth in his clan, so people called him Seventeenth Young Master.

After his rebirth, Cui Xun couldn’t find Li Ying and grew anxious. But when he was four years old, his father was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou. There, his father reunited with an old friend, Magistrate Du, and the two families got to know each other. Magistrate Du led a delicately beautiful little girl by the hand, introducing her as his daughter. The little girl had a drop-shaped red mark on her forehead, resembling a decorative dot in the style of the Taichang era. Cui Xun froze when he saw her.

He overheard Magistrate Du telling his father that his daughter was already four years old but still couldn’t speak, which worried him greatly. Cui Xun wasn’t listening to any of this; he only stared with tears in his eyes, thinking, “I’ve finally found her.”

His father called to him: “Seventeenth, come and greet Magistrate Du.”

Before he could respond, the supposedly mute little girl tilted her head, looked at him with a smile, and said in her childish voice: “Seventeenth… Brother?”

She could speak! Her first words in this life were “Seventeenth Brother.”

Magistrate Du was moved to tears that his daughter had finally spoken. Everyone else was astonished. The Governor Pei laughed heartily: “It seems this little lady has a connection with my seventeenth son.”

Cui Xun smiled and asked Magistrate Du, “May I ask, Uncle, what is your daughter’s name?”

“Du Zhenyue, from the phrase ‘sleeping among clouds and pillowed by the moon, listening to waves and watching the sea,’ meaning a life of peace.”

“Does she have a pet name?”

“I’ve thought of several but wasn’t satisfied with any, so she doesn’t have one yet.”

Cui Xun looked at the little girl’s brilliant eyes, his voice gradually softening: “Bright as the moon, pure as a jewel—why not call her Mingyuezhu?”

In this life, Li Ying was born into the family of Magistrate Du in Yangzhou. Magistrate Du came from a merchant background with immense wealth. He passed the imperial examination in the tenth year of Yong’an and had been serving as an official in Yangzhou ever since. Magistrate Du had only one daughter, Li Ying, whom he doted on immensely. Li Ying grew up in this environment, but unlike Cui Xun, she did not remember her previous life.

Cui Xun was deeply troubled, wondering what had gone wrong in Li Ying’s reincarnation process to make her forget her past life. However, in this life, apart from forgetting her previous memories, Li Ying’s temperament and preferences were identical to before—even her fondness for frosted sugar remained the same. Cui Xun reflected that things rarely go exactly as one wishes. That he and Li Ying could be reborn as humans and continue their relationship was already a result of the Empress Dowager’s sacrifice. How could he expect everything to be perfect?

Besides, it didn’t matter if Li Ying couldn’t remember for now. He believed that someday, she would recover her memories.

So Cui Xun accepted the situation and began to enjoy his time with Li Ying. In this life, Li Ying grew up carefree, loved wholeheartedly by her parents. Cui Xun thought that perhaps in her previous life, before she turned sixteen, Li Ying had also been like this.

After letting go of his anxieties, their story became like the poem: “Her hair first covers her forehead, as she picks flowers before the door; he rides on a bamboo horse, circling the bed and playing with green plums.”

In the study, the fifteen-year-old girl rested her chin on her hand, blinking as she asked Cui Xun: “Seventeenth Brother, the book says that Cui Wangshu had a female confidante who was a ghost. With the ghost’s help, he was able to successfully clear his name. Is that true?”

Cui Xun asked: “What do you think?”

“I think it’s very possible! Otherwise, when he was confined to his residence because of the Jin Ni case, how did he manage to send messages out?”

Seeing the girl so engrossed in this story, Cui Xun couldn’t help but feel jealous of himself. Li Ying sighed again: “What do you think this Cui Wangshu looked like? How handsome must he have been to be named after a lotus flower?”

She had asked this question a thousand times already. Cui Xun ignored her, reclining on the low red sandalwood couch and covering his face with the string-bound book. Li Ying giggled, tiptoeing to Cui Xun’s side and removing the book. Seeing that he still kept his eyes closed and ignored her, she poked his cheek: “Are you angry?”

Cui Xun kept his eyes closed and didn’t respond. Li Ying gently flicked his nose: “Don’t be angry.”

Cui Xun brushed her hand away, muttering: “Go ahead and adore Cui Wangshu, don’t bother with me.”

“That won’t do. I still have to marry you.” The fifteen-year-old girl tugged at his arm, swaying it back and forth, coaxing him softly: “Brother~ Seventeenth~ Brother~”

Cui Xun couldn’t resist her gentle coaxing. He opened his eyes: “Alright, I’m not that petty.”

He said this confidently, but if Li Ying still had her memories of her past life, she would certainly laugh at him—how was it not petty to be jealous of oneself? Fortunately, Li Ying didn’t remember, so she only placed her index finger on her lips, smiling while staring intently at Cui Xun. Cui Xun felt uncomfortable under her gaze and touched his face: “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Li Ying said with a grin. “I was just thinking, Cui Wangshu is as beautiful as a lotus flower, but my Seventeenth Brother is no less handsome.”

In this life, Cui Xun’s appearance seemed similar to his previous incarnation at first glance, but looking closer, there were subtle differences. However, his temperament and demeanor were identical to his past life—dazzling and soul-stirring. Li Ying sincerely praised: “Seventeenth Brother, you’re so handsome.”

In this life, just as in her previous one, Li Ying never held back her compliments for him. Cui Xun’s face reddened slightly. He coughed: “If you keep teasing me, you won’t be allowed to watch my polo match tomorrow.”

Li Ying was startled: “That’s unacceptable! I must go.”

She obediently stopped talking about the Lotus Gentleman and instead joined him in studying and practicing calligraphy. Since the Empress’s ascension, she had worked to elevate women’s status, establishing women’s academies throughout the country and allowing women to enter official schools. Li Ying had successfully passed the qualification examination and entered an official school. So in this life, she and Cui Xun were not only childhood sweethearts but also classmates, hardly separated for a day.

After reviewing her studies, Li Ying fell asleep on the table. Cui Xun stopped studying as well. He propped his head up, gazing at Li Ying’s jade-like face, his eyes filled with endless tenderness. Just now, when he told Li Ying not to watch his polo match, he was only teasing her. If she didn’t attend, he would be the anxious one. If she weren’t there, what joy would there be in winning first place?

“Chasing the sun through the blue sky, catching a shooting star into the painted gate.” In the Great Zhou, polo was an extremely popular sport.

The official schools of Yangzhou and Wuzhong held a polo match once every three years. Noble ladies of Yangzhou flocked to the event. Amid the clamor, Li Ying sat in a prominent position, her eyes fixed on Cui Xun in the field. Today, Cui Xun wore a moon-white narrow-sleeved robe, his left hand holding the reins, his right hand gripping a crescent-shaped mallet. At first glance, he appeared spirited and dashing. He looked toward the spectators, and when he finally found Li Ying, he gave her a slight smile that outshone all the spring blossoms.

Among thousands of people, his heart was fixed on only one—Mingyuezhu.

The young lady sitting beside Li Ying was her friend, named Wei Jiuniang. She nudged Li Ying: “Mingyuezhu, he’s smiling at you.”

Li Ying’s face flushed red. Wei Jiuniang laughed: “Pei Heng is usually so cold, yet he melts for you.”

A male classmate sitting near Li Ying spoke sourly: “What kind of talk is that? Is Mingyuezhu not good enough? If you ask me, Pei Heng with his cold temperament doesn’t deserve Mingyuezhu.”

Li Ying had a gentle temperament, radiant as the moon, and had many admirers at school. Yet her eyes were only for Cui Xun, leaving others to sigh with envy.

Li Ying smiled, pressing her lips together: “Let’s stop talking and watch the match.”

As they spoke, drums and gongs sounded, signaling the start of the polo match. Riders from both teams spurred their horses forward like arrows released from bows, charging onto the field. Among them, Cui Xun was the most striking.

In his previous life, Cui Xun had been plagued by illness, with chronic ailments that left him unable to even climb a tree. In this life, he finally had a healthy body and could enjoy the youthful experiences that should have been his, like any normal person.

On the field, the ball flew and mallets competed. Cui Xun turned sideways, swung his mallet, and the ball landed squarely in the goal. The Yangzhou official school scored a point. Yangzhou ladies cheered continuously while Wuzhong ladies sighed in disappointment.

Li Ying rested her chin on her hand, watching Cui Xun charge back and forth across the field, unstoppable, as if moving through space. For a moment, through his figure on the polo field, she seemed to see him wearing golden Ming-style armor on a battlefield, riding a warhorse, holding an iron-framed bow, narrowing his eyes as he nocked arrows and released several at once, piercing the throats of barbarian enemies.

In her previous life, she had never seen a healthy Cui Xun, nor witnessed his glory days in the Tianwei Army. In this life, it seemed all those regrets were being fulfilled. Before Li Ying’s eyes, the figure on the polo field gradually overlapped with the image of the armored warrior. Although she still couldn’t remember her past life, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction in her heart.

It was like missing pieces being put back into place, one by one, creating that feeling of completeness. If that was the case, then the ten-li bridal procession and the discarded fan—things they didn’t have in their previous life, would they have them all now?