If the truth was exposed, the relationship between Chu Dingjiang and the Hua family couldn’t be easily dismissed.

Even the battle-hardened Prime Minister Hua couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. With the situation unclear, he could only steel himself and say, “This minister doesn’t know.”

“This person appeared mysteriously by my side, clearing obstacles for me, but has now vanished just as mysteriously,” Zhao Huo said, his voice trailing off as if talking to himself. “Could it truly be heaven assisting me?”

Prime Minister Hua imperceptibly let out a sigh of relief. Despite Chu Dingjiang’s great merit, he wasn’t foolish enough to tell the young emperor the truth. The Hua family had barely pulled one leg out of the quagmire; he couldn’t let the emperor think “As goes the Hua family, so goes the empire.” Since the emperor believed it was heaven-sent, then let it be so. “Heaven naturally should protect and guide the true dragon.”

Even though Zhao Huo generally disliked flattery, he found these words quite pleasing.

He was currently too busy to dwell on this, but he tucked the matter away in his heart.

With the new emperor’s ascension, everywhere in the realm seemed especially lively, except for Meihua Li, which remained as quiet as before.

On the fourth day after An Jiu fell unconscious, Chu Dingjiang showed a look of anguish for the first time—An Jiu had lost control of her bladder.

Adults don’t usually wet themselves in their sleep due to mental strength. An Jiu had been unconscious but hadn’t lost control before, so Chu Dingjiang felt there was still a glimmer of hope. For people with strong mental power and firm will, as long as there was a trace left, there was hope for awakening. But now… it seemed there wasn’t even a shred of mental power left.

Mei Yanran silently cleaned An Jiu’s body and changed the bedding. After finishing everything, she stood blankly by the bed, just like Chu Dingjiang. She thought long and hard about how An Jiu had mysteriously appeared in Mei Jiu’s body. Perhaps there was some karmic connection? With no other options, they might as well try anything. It couldn’t hurt to try!

Mei Yanran left the island to bring Mei Jiu, hoping she could awaken An Jiu.

With the previous emperor’s passing and the Konghejun disbanded, the relationship between Hua Rongtian and Mei Jiu improved considerably. Leaving the manor wasn’t difficult, but traveling while pregnant was troublesome. Hua Rongtian sent many servants to accompany her, and it took a day of preparation before they could set out smoothly.

Mei Jiu had died in Meihua Li, and she had an indescribable feeling about this place—fear mixed with a strange sense of liberation.

Perhaps she had lived too passively before like a dodder relying on others to survive. Now, although she still depended on her husband, she had found her place. Previously, when her relationship with Hua Rongtian was strained, she couldn’t interfere with family matters. Now she took charge as if she had been the principal wife for many years, quickly getting the servants under control.

Having died once, Mei Jiu’s mentality had undergone a significant change.

When they reached the lakeshore, most of the Hua family servants were left behind. Mei Jiu only brought two trusted attendants to accompany Mei Yanran to the island.

When Mei Jiu saw An Jiu again, she didn’t expect such a scene. Looking at An Jiu’s tightly closed eyes, Mei Jiu’s tears flowed involuntarily. Since her rebirth, she hadn’t cried like this for a long time.

“Mother, An Jiu has had a hard life,” Mei Jiu recalled the hellish scenes she had witnessed when sharing a body with An Jiu. Her heart grew increasingly sorrowful. She had intended never to tell anyone about An Jiu’s situation, but now she couldn’t hold back and told Mei Yanran everything about An Jiu’s background.

Chu Dingjiang listened nearby, feeling a lump in his throat.

Mei Jiu sat on the edge of the bed, holding An Jiu’s hand. “Good days have just begun; you can’t sleep through them. I know you’ve found someone who loves you, and I’m happy for you. I bought a large horse farm where you can raise many sheep and a delicate house in Jiangnan. I wanted to give them as wedding gifts. If you keep sleeping, who should I give them to?”

Mei Yanran glanced at Mei Jiu, knowing that initially, life in the Hua family hadn’t been easy. Even if she could save some private money, it would have been difficult to secretly arrange these things. The fact that she could do this now showed she was no longer the naive girl she once was. Mei Yanran felt both wistful and gratified.

“You said you wanted to raise sheep?” Mei Jiu held An Jiu’s cool hand, feeling as if she was holding her left hand with her right. For a moment, it seemed she had returned to the days when their souls were one.

Foolish humans, my ambitions have long since changed!

Mei Jiu brightened, “An Jiu, can you hear me?”

Seeing Mei Jiu’s expression change, Chu Dingjiang tensed up, his body straight as a board, his gaze fixed on An Jiu’s unchanged face as if trying to find some changes he might have missed.

Mei Jiu waited for a long time, but An Jiu showed no further response. It was as if she had imagined hearing that sentence.

Mei Jiu smiled bitterly, “If you could still speak, even if you mocked me every day, it would be fine.”

“What happened just now?” Chu Dingjiang asked in a hoarse voice.

“I heard her say ‘Foolish humans, my ambitions have long since changed!'” Mei Jiu thought about it again and suddenly felt something strange. “She originally said she wanted to raise sheep. Did she change her interests later?”

An Jiu suddenly realized that Chu Dingjiang and Mei Yanran weren’t there that day, so they naturally didn’t know about her conversation with Lou Xiaowu, and Mei Jiu would be even less likely to know.

“I know, I know!” Lou Xiaowu burst in, wailing, “Fourteen said that even if she were a mouse, she would want to be a free mouse basking in the sunlight.”

“What does that mean?” Mei Yanran asked.

Lou Xiaowu shook her head but recounted the situation from that day in detail to the three of them.

While the others were still confused, Chu Dingjiang understood. An Jiu had once told him about her “mouse” analogy, comparing herself to a dirty mouse in the darkness. She said she wanted to raise sheep, but without breaking free from the shackles in her heart, she would still be just a mouse herding sheep in the night.

Chu Dingjiang looked at her pale face, feeling a stabbing pain in his eyes. She had always lived in such pain, and just when she finally seemed to have found some peace, this happened. Was this the meaning of her rebirth? Was it just for her to realize this truth? Then what was his purpose?

“A’Jiu,” Chu Dingjiang said, “Do you still have consciousness?”

Mei Jiu felt it wasn’t an auditory hallucination, so she decided to stay on the island for a few more days until she could communicate with An Jiu again.

However, day after day passed without hearing another word. It seemed as if Mei Jiu had indeed imagined it that day.

Mei Jiu was stubborn. Once she set her mind on something, she would dive in headfirst. Every day, except for eating and sleeping, she stayed by An Jiu’s bedside, even pushing Chu Dingjiang aside.

But she had too many worries now—besides the child in her belly, there was another at home pacing anxiously.

Although Mei Jiu had sent messages back, and Hua Rongtian was generally a very patient person, after half a month, he finally couldn’t resist and rode to Meihua Li.