Li Huaigu was being held in a guard quarters outside the Yanying Hall of Daming Palace.

In the deep of night, ram’s horn lamps flickered in the four corners of the room, their light swaying like gossamer silk, illuminating Li Huaigu’s pallid expression.

She sat motionless as a stone statue, having not moved for a long while.

All the evidence had already been presented to His Majesty earlier in the Linde Hall. Now there was nothing left to do but await the final judgment.

Starting several years ago, she had her father use all available resources to secretly gather evidence of the Peng family’s planned rebellion. By this year, the evidence was more than sufficient.

This political capital was weighty as gold – presenting it before His Majesty would be comparable to the merit of those who helped establish the dynasty.

She had originally planned to reveal it one month before the Peng family’s rebellion. This timing would avoid arousing suspicion while providing His Majesty with timely aid when he was struggling to find a good strategy against the border tribes.

She knew how the Peng family would gather forces from several neighboring tribal regions in the Central Plains, and that they would first move to control Chen Ying’s waterways.

In her previous life, the court had missed this crucial timing and took three full years to successfully suppress the rebellion.

Now she could preempt each of the Peng family’s moves, allowing her father and the court to respond with precise countermeasures.

If her father could win several more battles against the rebel forces, he would be the chief meritorious official when the court awarded honors afterward.

No matter how skilled Teng Yuyi’s father was in warfare, once her father seized the initiative, he would have to step aside.

Given His Majesty’s consistent generosity, the Li family would surely be granted titles like Duke or Marquis, ascending to become one of Chang’an’s prominent noble houses.

This way, the Li family would no longer be overshadowed by the Teng family, and when others spoke of her father, they would no longer say “That’s Deputy Commander under General Teng.”

“General Teng,” “General Teng” – did her father not have his name?!

And then there was Teng Yuyi, who had always acted proud as a phoenix before her. Every time her mother took her to see Teng Yuyi, she was reminded to mind her temper, already assuming an inferior position before any interaction.

Every visit to the Teng residence, she would see precious treasures carelessly strewn across couches and tables by Teng Yuyi.

She remembered their first meeting – Teng Yuyi sat among a pile of rare toys, resting her chin on her hand and yawning, her casual indifference seeming to say: Look, these treasures you desperately desire are no different from weeds to me.

She had long grown tired of it all!

Once the Li family received their honors, she, Li Huaigu, would truly be a noble lady. How could Teng Yuyi still act so arrogant before her then?

The debt of gratitude was the first window, and the Li family’s great achievement would be the second. With these two windows open, the Prince of Cheng’s mansion would no longer be as unreachable as in her previous life.

She could rightfully associate with Princess Zhi, letting Slin Chengyou fall in love with her bit by bit – no, recalling the scene from earlier that day, her body turned cold, and all her passionate love for Slin Chengyou had transformed into bone-deep hatred at that moment.

Today at the mansion, if not for Slin Chengyou’s fervor making her momentarily lose herself, how could she have committed such a foolish mistake?

In her previous life, she didn’t blame Slin Chengyou – after all, when impersonating someone, one must be prepared to be exposed. How could someone as proud as him tolerate being deceived?

But today was different. He had clearly guessed she was an impostor early on yet pretended to be fooled, gradually entrapping her with sweet words until he finally caught her with the crime of deceiving the emperor.

It showed he not only wanted to punish her but sought to destroy her completely.

He had been too cruel.

His heartlessness completely exceeded her imagination.

In her previous life when he exposed her, Slin Chengyou had only given her an ugly name and banished her from Chang’an.

In this life, he was so ruthless, all for protecting Teng Yuyi.

Li Huaigu held back tears, almost driven mad.

With nowhere left to turn, she had no choice but to reveal her trump card early.

Actually, more than hating Slin Chengyou, she now hated her own weakness more. She remembered first seeing Slin Chengyou on Chang’an’s streets in her previous life – a graceful youth carrying a golden bow, passing by on horseback like a spring breeze.

She had never seen such a handsome and unrestrained young lord, becoming enchanted in an instant.

People on the street stopped to look, and she heard someone say: “Look, that’s the Crown Prince of Cheng.”

She was stunned – so he was from Chang’an’s most illustrious noble family.

Her gaze followed Slin Chengyou’s silhouette until he disappeared from view, only then reluctantly lowering the curtain by her window.

At that moment, her heart was filled with melancholy and loss. To her, Slin Chengyou was as distant as the moon in the sky. With such a vast difference in family status, she had no chance of marrying him. Unless – he was willing.

But she didn’t even have a chance to interact with him, so how could she make him fall in love with her?

Later after careful investigation, she learned that Slin Chengyou had been afflicted with an emotion-blocking poison since childhood. It was said that before the poison was cured, he couldn’t fall in love with any woman, which was why he remained unbetrothed even at seventeen or eighteen.

This made her even more desperate.

Not long after learning these things, news came that Teng Yuyi intended to participate in the royal family’s bride selection.

Her heart immediately jumped to her throat.

Teng Yuyi had just broken off her engagement with Young Commander Duan, and surely went to participate to make the Duan family lose even more face. Teng Yuyi excelled in both poetry and music – if she deliberately showcased her talents, she could truly catch the eye of both the Empress and the Princess Consort of Cheng.

After hearing this news, she was anxious all day. Teng Yuyi already had everything better than her – was she going to take away the young lord of her dreams too?

The result was unexpected – although Teng Yuyi had shown off brilliantly that day when her portrait was presented to Slin Chengyou, it only earned his single word: “No.”

When she heard about this, she closed her door and laughed in her room for half a day. Just thinking about Teng Yuyi having such an embarrassing moment almost made her laughter carry her into the courtyard.

But after the joy passed, deep sorrow welled up in her heart again.

Whether in terms of family status or appearance, Teng Yuyi was considered outstanding in Chang’an. If Slin Chengyou didn’t even fancy Teng Yuyi, he would be even less likely to notice her.

Fortunately, not long after, she learned of another matter – the Prince of Cheng’s mansion had been inquiring everywhere about a girl nicknamed “A’gu,” “A’gu,” or “A’gu.” This girl had saved Slin Chengyou’s life years ago, and he had never given up searching for her all these years.

When she heard this, a bold idea sprouted in her mind – if she could become Slin Chengyou’s lifesaving benefactor, wouldn’t she have the chance to be near him regularly?

This was the only way she could think of to get close to him, and coincidentally, her name contained the character “Gu.”

In her previous life, her preparation had been insufficient, but this life she had finally made it perfect. She only regretted that she couldn’t control her love for Slin Chengyou, causing everything to fall apart at the crucial moment-

Li Huaigu was grinding her teeth in thought when suddenly there was a creaking sound at the door as someone entered.

The person had two dark green buns in her hair, features like a painting, wearing a lotus-colored jacket embroidered with white peonies on the chest. As she moved, her ornaments clinked melodiously, her spirit as vibrant as a fairy.

Li Huaigu’s gaze turned fierce – Teng Yuyi.

The eunuchs and palace guards at the door showed exceptional respect to Teng Yuyi, bowing: “Lady Teng.”

Li Huaigu coldly watched Teng Yuyi, but the next moment, she had to suppress her ferocious expression because she saw Slin Chengyou outside the door.

He stood beside Teng Yuyi, speaking to her with endless patience: “The guards here are strict, and Kuan Nu and the others will attend to you. Ask her whatever you wish. I’ll go to Linde Hall to find Uncle first, then come back for you.”

Teng Yuyi naturally responded with an “Eh.”

Li Huaigu barely maintained her outward composure while her heart churned.

Teng Yuyi entered the room and closed the door, looking around before saying softly: “So you knew early on that the Peng family would rebel? You said nothing earlier or later, but chose to reveal it just when you were caught deceiving the emperor.”

Li Huaigu remained silent.

“The items you sent to Prince Chunan’s mansion have been confiscated by the Court of Justice. Who ordered the forgeries? A quick investigation in Hangzhou will reveal everything. Not to mention other things – just forging that set of Immortal Dance cups that His Majesty bestowed on the Teng family is enough to condemn the Li family. If you don’t want to implicate your parents, you’d better tell the truth early.”

Li Huaigu interrupted her hatefully: “Stop pretending! Didn’t you know all this early on too?”

Teng Yuyi sat calmly at the table.

Li Huaigu’s fear and hatred had nowhere to vent. Seeing Teng Yuyi’s victorious demeanor further provoked her, and knowing Slin Chengyou wasn’t outside the door, a stream of words poured from her mouth.

“Your sister was murdered on the night of the Spring Festival, but you seemed to anticipate her misfortune, arriving in Chang’an early and even managing to reach that remote bamboo grove in time to save your cousin.

“In my previous life, Young Commander Duan came to break off the engagement and humiliate you first, but after you came to Chang’an, you seized the initiative, not only proposing to end the engagement first but also managing to utterly ruin Young Commander Duan and Second Lady Dong’s reputations.

“If not for these two incidents, I wouldn’t have known your situation was the same as mine. You’re the same as me, yet you pretend to know nothing. You say I concealed the Peng family’s rebellion, but aren’t you also keeping silent about everything?”

Teng Yuyi watched Li Huaigu with deep interest.

Two months ago, after she had confided in her father, he had found ways to send messages to His Highness the Prince of Cheng. Constrained by his position as Military Commissioner of Huainan, he couldn’t explicitly state that the Peng family would rebel, but her father had at least warned His Highness the Prince of Cheng early and had been secretly gathering evidence of the Peng family’s rebellion. That was enough. When His Highness the Prince of Cheng returned to Chang’an, His Majesty would understand everything with one inquiry.

Li Huaigu had deliberately concealed everything, purely to secure political capital for her family. She had no interest in doing such things.

But what she couldn’t understand was – Li Huaigu was clearly also someone who had lived two lives like her, so why was she the only one plagued by evil spirits?

She came tonight specifically to understand the reason for this.

She chose the gentlest opening, curiously asking Li Huaigu: “Since you sincerely intended to impersonate A’gu, why didn’t you come to Chang’an earlier?”

Li Huaigu had already thrown caution to the wind. Although Teng Yuyi hadn’t admitted it, she also hadn’t denied being reborn. As long as she kept talking about matters from their previous life, perhaps the Teng family wouldn’t escape either.

So she spoke frankly: “I wasn’t able to save him in time – otherwise, do you think it would have been your turn? Besides-“

A mocking smile appeared on her lips: “Don’t think Slin Chengyou fancies you. Surely you haven’t forgotten – in your previous life, you eagerly went to participate in the royal family’s bride selection, only to be rejected by Slin Chengyou with a ‘no.’ Since you knew you two couldn’t be together, what difference did it make whether you came early or late?”

Slin Chengyou had dismissed the guards outside but hadn’t left himself. Standing there with folded arms, listening intently, these words struck his ears like a thunderbolt.

What?

He had said such things about Teng Yuyi?

“But I never imagined you would be reborn too. Not only that, after you saved Du Tinglan that night, you went to the Purple Cloud Tower, and through various encounters, actually became acquainted with Slin Chengyou through demon hunting.”

Regret and remorse surged in Li Huaigu’s eyes.

“I made so many preparations for our first meeting. Before coming to Chang’an, I specifically spent a fortune to have a Hangzhou Daoist capture a fierce ghost for me. On the way to the Ledao Manor, I released the ghost – it chased only me and no one else. Slin Chengyou did come to save me, but he didn’t even-“

She had thought to use this opportunity to spend time alone with Slin Chengyou, believing that after prolonged contact her reputation would be compromised, and with so many guests at Ledao Manor, he would have no choice but to marry her regardless of his wishes.

Who knew he wouldn’t even let her get close?

She wasn’t discouraged. Just as she could use her memories of her previous life to help her father advance step by step, she naturally could find ways to make Slin Chengyou see her differently.

At the Empress’s banquet, she offered the two characters “Fragrant Elephant” based on her previous life’s memories, coincidentally when Slin Chengyou was present.

It should have been her moment to shine, but unexpectedly, Du Tinglan, with her familiarity with Buddhist scriptures, came up with the same name.

That was bearable, but afterward, when the Empress bestowed rewards, that little red horse-

She slowly raised her eyes to glare at Teng Yuyi.

That little red horse personally trained by Slin Chengyou had originally been given to her, but for some reason, it only ran to Teng Yuyi’s side.

Seeing Slin Chengyou’s meaningful smile at the time, she realized something was unusual about this.

Then at the Yuzhen Daoist Temple, when Slin Chengyou’s expression changed instantly upon hearing that Teng Yuyi had been kidnapped by Naizhong, she watched it all and became even more certain of her suspicions.

But why?! She couldn’t understand.

Slin Chengyou was afflicted with the emotion-blocking poison, and in this life, the poison mark was still present – why would he fall in love with Teng Yuyi?

To disprove her suspicions, that day she had no choice but to follow them to Dayin Temple, and to get Master Yuanjue’s permission to enter the temple, she could only use a hairpin she had bought earlier from the Daoist that had been tainted with demon blood to cut her own wrist.

She successfully entered Dayin Temple as planned. Soon after, when Naizhong invaded the temple, Slin Chengyou’s concern for Teng Yuyi was repeatedly evident. Watching it all, she knew she could no longer deceive herself.

That night, she was as dejected as if she had fallen gravely ill.

“You know,” Teng Yuyi sighed with feigned sympathy, “knowing so much, you could have done anything else. Why did you insist on impersonating A’gu?”

“Stop pretending to care.” Li Huaigu said through gritted teeth, “He was under the poison’s influence. In my previous life, until the day I died, I never heard of Slin Chengyou having feelings for any woman. Besides approaching him as his lifesaving benefactor, what other choice did I have?!”

“You already knew the poison was fake a while ago, so why still resort to such a desperate measure?”

Li Huaigu was stunned. Even knowing the poison was fake, she could only use this method to get close to Slin Chengyou.

She had made all sorts of efforts, but Slin Chengyou still wouldn’t look at her properly. When she learned he had requested to marry Teng Yuyi before the emperor, she couldn’t sleep all night. If she delayed any longer, he might marry Teng Yuyi, so she had to take this desperate gamble.

“So what year did you die in your previous life?” Teng Yuyi asked. She also wanted to know if Slin Chengyou had survived after being shot with the poisoned arrow. Since Li Huaigu died after her, she might know who had plotted against Slin Chengyou.

Li Huaigu remained silent.

“Was it that shortly after my death, Slin Chengyou discovered I was A’gu? Otherwise, how would you know that Slin Chengyou identified his benefactor through the doll? Strange – weren’t you banished from Chang’an by then? How could you know these things?”

A subtle smile appeared on Li Huaigu’s lips. Teng Yuyi had finally admitted it, though her tone was still uncertain.

“I wasn’t in Chang’an anymore, but when my parents heard the news of your death, they sighed deeply about it. Not only was General Teng himself killed by Peng Zhen’s faction’s dark magic, but even his daughter couldn’t escape misfortune. They remembered their old friendship with General Teng and hurried back to Chang’an overnight to pay their respects. Princess Zhi was there too. When my mother was in the back courtyard, she accidentally overheard Princess Zhi talking with Princess Changyi. She said that her brother had guessed days earlier that Lady Teng was A’gu from back then – after all, no one else in the world had such a strange doll. Just didn’t know if it was because Lady Teng had been seriously ill that year, but she seemed to have forgotten all about it. His brother regretted not being able to save A’gu that night, and these days he’s been working cases at the Court of Justice constantly, probably wanting to quickly find out who harmed you.”

Teng Yuyi’s chest grew warm – so it really was Slin Chengyou who came to save her that night.

That surge of tears welled up again, but she clenched her fists and held herself back, not wanting to lose composure in front of Li Huaigu.

After the lump in her throat subsided, she asked with feigned calmness: “So was Wu Qi the culprit? Did she become Crown Princess in the previous life?”

Li Huaigu said flatly: “I don’t know. But speaking of Wu Qi, not long after your death, I heard that the second daughter of Minister Wu suddenly died of acute illness.”

Teng Yuyi froze. Could it be that Slin Chengyou had traced it to Wu Qi, and the mastermind behind her had silenced her first?

“So when was my case solved? And when was the Yuzhen Temple abbess caught?”

Li Huaigu gave a cold laugh: “Very eager to know? Admit that you’re someone who has lived two lives, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Teng Yuyi naturally knew what game Li Huaigu was playing. She inwardly sneered but deliberately hesitated before silently nodding.

Li Huaigu narrowed her eyes – what did a nod mean? The guards outside couldn’t hear it.

“No, you have to admit it out loud.”

“Fine, I admit it. Can you tell me now?”

But Li Huaigu stopped talking.

Teng Yuyi coldly smiled: “Don’t think you can escape. Aren’t those methods used against you still making you tremble in fear? The news that you can foresee future events has already spread throughout Chang’an. The Peng family fears you’ll ruin their plans and wants nothing more than to eliminate you immediately. Even if His Majesty doesn’t sentence you to death this time, they fear you’ll predict their attack routes in advance, so they’ll send assassins after you during your exile. And that’s just the Peng family openly – if anyone is secretly supporting their rebellion, they’ll also try to stop you from revealing everything. The moment you leave Chang’an, you’ll be chopped to pieces. I advise you to tell everything you know – at least you can die with understanding.”

Li Huaigu’s face turned ashen. After pondering back and forth for a while, she reluctantly said: “Your case seemed to involve many people. At any rate, I hadn’t heard of it being solved before I died, but shortly after your death, Slin Chengyou discovered that Lu Zhao’an was the one who harmed your cousin. It was said that Lu Zhao’an met someone else in the bamboo grove that night, and your sister, somehow bewitched, took her maid to find Lu Zhao’an. Because they witnessed something they shouldn’t have, they were strangled in the grove by that person’s subordinates.”

So it was true. Teng Yuyi nearly bit through her teeth in that instant. Thankfully in this life, she had saved her sister in time, and that wretch Lu Zhao’an was suffering torture in prison.

“Then three years later, Slin Chengyou was ambushed in Fufang Prefecture. I heard he was critically wounded by a poisoned arrow, so I-“

Li Huaigu bit her lip.

Teng Yuyi studied her with slight surprise. Could it be that Li Huaigu had gone to Fufang Prefecture for Slin Chengyou in her previous life?

Li Huaigu’s heart was filled with both bitterness and hatred. In her previous life, she had indeed considered it – a person’s willpower is weakest during serious illness, and Fufang Prefecture lacked food and clothing. In such harsh conditions, if she could see him once, perhaps he would accept her care.

But before she could set out, she heard the news was false.

“False?”

Li Huaigu continued: “It was said to be just a trap. As soon as something happened to Slin Chengyou, His Highness the Prince of Cheng and Daoist Master Qingxu all rushed to Fufang Prefecture to save him. Chang’an was left with only His Majesty and his consort and the Princess Consort of Cheng. The court had just suppressed Peng Zhen’s rebellion, and Chang’an and the surrounding capital region were particularly lacking in military forces. Coincidentally, His Majesty had fallen ill. Meeting such a rare opportunity, another faction hiding in the court made their move.”

Teng Yuyi was stunned – so this was just a trap set by Slin Chengyou.

The other faction must refer to Master Jingchen and her hidden backers.

Slin Chengyou must have traced these people through her case, but in her previous life, she was already dead, and Master Jingchen and Wu Qi hadn’t exposed themselves so quickly. Unlike this life, where she had first stumbled upon Young Lady Jiang’s scene due to Xiaoai’s warning, thus discovered that Zhuang Mu had been framed. Later, through the Hundred Flowers Remnant trap, she caught the big fish – Wu Qi, Lu Zhao’an, and Dame Wang.

Without this series of coincidences, Slin Chengyou must have had a harder time investigating in the previous life, but no matter how meticulous the opposition’s methods were, he still traced it to that person.

“So who were the rebels from the other faction?” Teng Yuyi held her breath.

Li Huaigu’s expression turned ugly: “The court kept it secret. At that time, my father was with the army fighting the Tufan in the Northern Barbarian territories, and no one at home knew about these court matters. After that, when the epidemic broke out, I contracted the disease and quickly died-“

The candle flame suddenly popped, and both Li Huaigu and Teng Yuyi fell silent.

The topic of death was unsettling, and even Teng Yuyi felt a moment of bewilderment. So Li Huaigu had died from the epidemic – did that mean her rebirth had anything to do with her own?

While she was pondering this, Li Huaigu spoke: “I know you’re feeling very pleased right now, but don’t be too smug. Your father is a Regional Military Commissioner who knew about the rebellion but kept it secret – was it treacherous intent, or was he trying to fish in troubled waters? Once this matter is brought before His Majesty, he will understand. If I go down, you won’t stay clean either.”

Teng Yuyi’s eyes were full of mockery.

“You won’t have that chance.” The door opened, and Slin Chengyou walked in.

Li Huaigu was startled – there was only Slin Chengyou outside.

But that was enough – letting Slin Chengyou know how selfish Teng Yuyi was would suffice.

Slin Chengyou seemed to know what Li Huaigu was thinking and said with a sneer: “Some things you don’t need to know, but don’t think about dragging down the Teng family. His Majesty has already decided your punishment. You deliberately deceived the emperor first, then framed Lady Teng, and concealed the Peng family’s rebellion to secure military merit for the Li family, disregarding the safety of common people across the realm. You should be hanged immediately, but His Majesty is merciful and spares your life, sentencing you to facial tattooing and exile to Hotan, never to return to Chang’an.”

The Master had heard about this matter and wanted to understand the reason for so many recent evil spirits through Li Huaigu and Teng Yuyi. If not for this, he would have preferred to drive Li Huaigu out of Chang’an tonight.

Facial tattooing?! Li Huaigu’s face changed drastically.

“No, no, no.” Her whole body trembled. “Just kill me instead, I would rather die than suffer such humiliation.”

Slin Chengyou smiled: “As you wish.”

His gaze fell on Li Huaigu’s forehead, studying it seriously: “How about tattooing the character ‘three’? You like impersonating others, don’t you? Good names like A’gu and A’gu are too good for you, why not change your name to Li Huaisan? Having this ‘three’ carved on your forehead will help you remember who you are at all times.”

Li Huaigu initially gritted her teeth in hatred, but gradually put on a pitiful expression, weeping as she said: “Today’s trap was clearly your deliberate seduction, Your Highness knows this well. I… I only resorted to this because I loved you, I will never dare to do it again, please have mercy, Your Highness.”

A flash of fury crossed Slin Chengyou’s eyes: “With your two-faced nature, forget about not being A’gu – even if you had saved me back then, with your current character, do you think I would look at you twice? Impersonating Teng Yuyi wasn’t enough, you even tried to pin the blame for attacking you on her. Even when you’re imprisoned, you still try to drag down the entire Teng family. With such a vicious heart, I think His Majesty’s sentence is too light. First tattoo the character ‘three’ to teach you how to be a proper person, and if you keep talking, we’ll add more punishments!”

His expression darkened as he finished: “Guards!”

Palace guards immediately ran in.

“Your Highness.”

“Take her away for punishment.”

As Li Huaigu struggled fiercely, she glared viciously at Slin Chengyou. Before being dragged away, she shouted: “Wait! I know the Peng family’s military routes. If you spare me, I can tell the court about these things immediately.”

Slin Chengyou didn’t even bother to respond. The Peng family knew Li Huaigu could foresee future events – how could they not adjust their battle plans? Not believing her might lead to a quick suppression of the rebellion, but following her words would only delay it indefinitely.

Just after dealing with Li Huaigu, Chief Eunuch Guan came over with several junior eunuchs: “General Teng has arrived at the imperial presence. His Majesty asks Your Highness to bring Lady Teng over, saying he wants to personally bestow rewards on Lady Teng. Her Majesty the Empress is also there.”

He spoke with great joy.

Teng Yuyi was surprised – her father was at the Western Camp, he shouldn’t have entered the palace so quickly.

Slin Chengyou was also somewhat surprised but smiled and said: “Report to His Majesty and General Teng that I’ll bring her right away.”

Teng Yuyi made a formal curtsy and asked with a smile: “May I ask Chief Eunuch Guan, was my father in the city today?”

“General Teng returned from the Western Camp this morning. When the palace people found General Teng, he had just come out of Huayang Lane in Jinggong District, and hurried to the palace upon hearing about the summons.”

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over Teng Yuyi’s head. Huayang Lane in Jinggong District.

She had only heard this place name once, but she could never forget it – that was where Wu Yingying lived after coming to Chang’an. After being stunned for a long while, she felt alternating waves of cold and heat in her heart. Her father… why had he gone to find Wu Yingying?

Slin Chengyou was pondering Li Huaigu’s claim about him saying he “wouldn’t marry” Teng Yuyi, and as he thought about it, a chill ran down his spine – it must be false, right? Had he done such an outrageous thing? When he turned his head, he noticed something was wrong with Teng Yuyi’s expression.

“What’s wrong?”

—

Author’s Note:

Note: Facial tattooing (黥刑) was a form of punishment that involved carving characters into one’s face. Speaking of this, there’s a well-known historical anecdote about Shangguan Wan’er, who served in Empress Wu’s court. She angered the Empress by flirting with the Empress’s favored officials Zhang Yizhi and his brother, resulting in her being sentenced to facial tattooing. To cover the scars, Shangguan Wan’er had to paint plum blossoms over them. They say she painted them quite beautifully, and the “plum blossom makeup” became quite fashionable at the time.

…

I initially thought about having A’da and A’yu see the doll on their wedding night because a bone-deep love doesn’t need any other factors. Without this identity, they would still deeply love each other – what attracted them were each other’s various qualities, not some fate from many years ago.

But because of Li Huaigu’s role as the “previous life key,” I couldn’t arrange the recognition for the wedding night. Although it was moved forward, this plot point still came after A’da had confessed his feelings several times (this poor child, getting struck by lightning each time he confessed, yet his enthusiasm never diminished, hehe).

When they first recognized each other, A’yu disdained accepting this new identity. She was strong and confident in herself, knowing that with or without this identity, she was attractive to Slin Chengyou – and what attracted him was who she was as a person.

This was something Li Huaigu could never achieve.

Speaking of this character, although I haven’t been reading the comments section since around Gong Yu – Chapter 20 (except when giving out red packets or when there are temporary changes requiring the editing of the author’s notes. Later I found out there are now bulk red packet distribution tools, so I can give out red packets without reading comments), whenever I go on Weibo, people always ask “When will Li Huaigu exit the story?” Only after being asked many times did I realize how much people cared about this character.

But from her action of copying the doll, you can see she’s someone who likes to take shortcuts and lacks self-identity.

Without self-acceptance, how could she grow into a strong opponent? From the moment she decided to impersonate someone, her weakness and lack of wisdom were completely exposed. Her various actions could never succeed against A’da and A’yu – the outcome was predetermined.

She always lived in A’yu’s shadow. When A’yu was good at playing the qin, she desperately practiced the xiao after being reborn. When A’yu was knowledgeable, she also studied extensively. But she didn’t understand that a person’s greatest strength doesn’t lie in these aspects, but in confidence and complete self-acceptance. Without these two points, even being extremely learned is useless, which is why even with a second chance at life, she still chose to take shortcuts to get close to the person she liked.

But facts prove that being someone else only leads to losing yourself – being yourself is the right path. Simply put, every girl in this world is unique. Female characters in the story like A’yu, Du Tinglan, Zheng Shuangyin, Deng Weili, and others all clearly know they are beautiful, just like Qinyao, Wang Yingning, A’min, and others in Huazhong (and the readers reading this story are the same). Unfortunately, Li Huaigu never understood this point, which is the tragic aspect of this character.