CHAPTER 36

 

Although Emperor Yongkang was far from being a wise ruler, his intelligence was average, and he was, like most emperors, deeply suspicious and paranoid. As his health worsened, his fear of death amplified his already mistrustful nature.

 

Considering the abilities of the Northern Rong Divine Lady and recalling how Xuanyuan Yu had once been willing to risk everything for her, Emperor Yongkang began to wonder if Xuanyuan Yu had known all along about her skills. Why had the Marquis of Nan’an kept this knowledge hidden? What were their true intentions?

 

Weapons and military technology were sensitive matters in any era, and the Rong Dynasty had paid a steep price in battle, with even the legendary General Lu Shaoyou nearly losing his life on the battlefield.

 

Even the most foolish emperor couldn’t ignore the threat posed by such deadly weapons. Mishandling them could truly result in the downfall of the nation.  If Emperor Yongkang could sit back and do nothing, he might as well chop off his head and use it as a chamber pot.

 

In this matter, Xuanyuan Yu was somewhat innocent. After all, the original Bai Yue had no such abilities. But with Yu Ling now in Bai Yue’s place, Xuanyuan Yu had no choice but to bear the blame!

 

Emperor Yongkang’s paranoia spiraled further. He began to wonder if the Marquis of Nan’an, being Prince Wu’s in-laws, had informed Prince Wu of the Divine Lady’s abilities. If Prince Wu knew and still forced her to flee to the Northern Rong, aiding their war efforts and causing the deaths of thousands of Rong Dynasty soldiers, the situation became even more intriguing.

 

Everyone knew that Lu Shaoyou, bearing the title “Protector of the North,” had established his power base in the northern border. His army was highly respected and feared by enemies. Furthermore, Lu Shaoyou was the nephew of Empress Lu.

 

It was well-known that Xuanyuan Guifei and Empress Lu were at odds, and Lu Shaoyou was not as close to Prince Wu as he was to the other princes.

 

Could Prince Wu have been plotting to use someone else to kill Lu Shaoyou?

 

Emperor Yongkang’s ability to connect these dots was remarkable. The theory was logical, and even Prince Wu, upon hearing it, might start questioning whether this was indeed his own doing!

 

Moreover, Lu Shaoyou had once reported that the arrow that nearly killed him on the battlefield came from the rear and fired from his right side. In other words, someone within the army had tried to kill him. While Emperor Yongkang had swiftly dealt with a few suspects, his reluctance to dig deeper out of fear had left the matter unresolved.

 

This time, however, Emperor Yongkang could no longer tolerate such uncertainties.

 

Connecting the dots, Emperor Yongkang became increasingly convinced that this whole mess had Prince Wu’s involvement all over it.

 

If Song Yuanzhi had known about Emperor Yongkang’s thoughts, she would have laughed out loud. Karma truly exists—what goes around comes around. Xuanyuan Yu, who had once flaunted his power with Xuanyuan Guifei and Prince Wu, never expected to find himself the subject of the Emperor’s suspicions one day.

 

Prince Wu was, at least, Emperor Yongkang’s beloved son. But what about Xuanyuan Yu? Following the typical logic of indulgent parents, Emperor Yongkang might reason, If my son went astray, it must be someone else’s fault. That the Marquis of Nan’an and Xuanyuan Yu had not yet fallen out of favor with the emperor was already a miracle.

 

Hadn’t Xuanyuan Guifei herself been out of favor for some time?

 

Lu Shaoyou had accurately predicted about 70-80% of Emperor Yongkang’s thoughts. When he returned to the mansion and told Song Yuanzhi about it, she was initially skeptical. After all, in the original novel, Emperor Yongkang had loved Xuanyuan Guifei dearly and even passed the throne to Prince Wu. How could such drama unfold?

 

But soon enough, Prince Wu was punished by Emperor Yongkang for his failures and demoted to a position at the Ministry of Rites to handle the reception of foreign envoys. And along with him was Xuanyuan Yu.

 

Song Yuanzhi was amused. It seemed the law of gathering key characters held true—now the original male lead, female antagonist, and supporting male lead were all gathered at Ministry of Rites, only missing her, the original female lead.

 

Before Song Yuanzhi could finish mocking the situation, word came from the Ministry of Rites that the Northern Rong Divine Lady was curious about the Zhenbei Marquis’s wife and wished to meet her.

 

Of course, the original female lead couldn’t escape her fate.

 

Song Yuanzhi wasn’t surprised that Yu Ling wanted to see her. Given how far the plot had diverged from the original, Yu Ling must have been curious about what was happening.

 

By now, Yu Ling didn’t dare leave her residence. After Lu Shaoyou had spread the word that the Northern Rong Divine Lady was actually a citizen of the Rong Dynasty, the people of the capital began cursing her name. She was no longer seen as a Divine Lady; instead, everyone spat when they spoke of her, cursing her as a traitor who had aided the enemy in attacking her homeland. Some families who had lost relatives in battle were so furious they threw rotten eggs at her, and had her guards not intervened, she might have been attacked with knives.

 

Lu Shaoyou, relaying these events, added that the local gaurds were humorously clumsy in assisting Yu Ling’s suffering, further contributing to her misery.

 

Song Yuanzhi found the whole situation hilarious.

 

Now, with Yu Ling requesting a meeting, Song Yuanzhi couldn’t help but take amusement from it. She intentionally arranged the meeting at the most luxurious restaurant in the capital, Baiweiju. When Yu Ling suggested meeting at the Ministry of Rites, Song Yuanzhi firmly rejected it, thinking, You may be a Divine Lady, but I’m the wife of the Zhenbei Marquis. You want to see me? You should be grateful I even agreed to meet you—don’t go around making demands.

 

The title of Zhenbei Marquis was enough to make the Northern Rong officials back down, especially with Lu Shaoyou standing nearby, keeping a watchful eye. He was fiercely protective of his wife, and if he could discipline even his father-in-law, these foreign envoys wouldn’t stand a chance. Knowing this, the Northern Rong delegation wisely chose not to push their luck.

 

Thus, despite her reluctance, Yu Ling left Ministry of Rites, covering herself head to toe, with her face obscured by a long veil to avoid being recognized, as she made her way to Baiweiju.

 

Song Yuanzhi, however, arrived fashionably late, making Yu Ling wait until she had already drunk two cups of tea before she finally showed up.

 

To her credit, Yu Ling hadn’t lost her wits. While the plot had gone completely off course, Yu Ling had spent the past few days carefully gathering information, especially about Song Yuanzhi. She suspected that Song Yuanzhi, like herself, had also transmigrated into this world. Otherwise, how could the plot have turned into such a mess?

 

After all, Song Yuanzhi should have been imprisoned and tormented by Xuanyuan Yu, yet here she was, married to Lu Shaoyou, who was supposed to have died in battle! This was absurd!

 

As the person who envied Song Yuanzhi the most, Yu Ling knew her well. After extracting some information from Xuanyuan Yu, Yu Ling became certain that this current Song Yuanzhi was indeed the same person she knew from their original world—the so-called friend who had refused to lend her money!

 

Anger bubbled up inside Yu Ling, and she couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark, “Well, well, Zhenbei Marquis’s wife—what a grand entrance. It seems your status has inflated your sense of importance now that you have someone powerful backing you.”

 

Song Yuanzhi acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, calmly sitting across from Yu Ling. Propping her chin on her hand, she smiled and said, “Your veil isn’t bad.”

 

Yu Ling’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I knew you weren’t here for anything good. You’re just here to mock me, aren’t you? You’re only lucky you transmigrated earlier and saved Lu Shaoyou. Otherwise, you’d already be in Xuanyuan Yu’s back courtyard, being tormented to death. What right do you have to sit here and laugh at me?”

 

Song Yuanzhi let out a cold laugh. “Where do you get the nerve to meet with me? You used me as the model for your story, subjected me to endless torment, and you expect me to treat you kindly? You should be grateful I haven’t gone out there and shouted, ‘Traitor!’”

 

Yu Ling was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure. She huffed, “We’re both transmigrators, so we should be helping each other out! I was forced to create gunpowder for the Northern Rong because I had no choice. Besides, it didn’t even succeed. The Northern Rong was still defeated, so what’s the point of holding a grudge?”

 

Seeing that Song Yuanzhi wasn’t responding, Yu Ling muttered reluctantly, “Fine, writing you into the story and torturing you was my fault. Happy now?”

 

Song Yuanzhi’s expression only grew more mocking, which made Yu Ling lose her temper. “I already apologized! What more do you want? We were friends once, and fate has brought us both to this world. Look, Xuanyuan Yu is my type. I want to marry him. Your sister doesn’t treat you well, so why don’t we team up and get rid of her? It’d be a win-win for both of us.”

 

Song Yuanzhi gave her a round of applause, genuinely impressed. “I have to admire your ability to live in your own world. Where do you get the audacity to ask me to help you?”

 

Yu Ling’s behavior reminded Song Yuanzhi of when she had once asked to borrow money. As soon as she heard that Song Yuanzhi had received compensation funds, Yu Ling had made plans for how to spend it on herself. Now, she was trying the same tactics, and Song Yuanzhi was left speechless by her audacity.

 

Infuriated, Yu Ling dropped the pretense. “Fine, you want to play tough? If I’m miserable, you won’t have an easy life either! I’ll tell everyone we’re both transmigrators and see how long you can keep pretending to be the Zhenbei Marquis’s wife!”

 

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Song Yuanzhi replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She slowly wagged a finger. “You’ve never really grasped the situation, have you? You tried to manipulate me, thinking you were the only smart person in the world, but you were too dumb to realize it. Do you really think you can threaten me? What a joke. How many people do you think would believe a traitor accusing the wife of the nation’s hero?”

 

As Yu Ling’s face grew darker and darker, Song Yuanzhi continued, clearly enjoying herself. “Even if someone believed you, with my husband by my side, do you think I’d be the one burned at the stake for being a monster?”

 

Yu Ling gritted her teeth, glaring at Song Yuanzhi. After a long pause, she finally hissed, “You were just lucky enough to save Lu Shaoyou!”

 

If only Yu Ling hadn’t designed Song Yuanzhi’s character with a perfect, tragic fiancé, just to spite her!

 

To make matters worse, Yu Ling had written Xuanyuan Yu, her ideal male lead, into the story, which might explain why she herself had ended up in Bai Yue’s shoes after transmigrating.

 

But Song Yuanzhi simply smiled and shook her head, thanking Yu Ling with unexpected sincerity. “I really should thank you for saving my husband’s life!”

 

“That’s impossible! I created gunpowder—how could Lu Shaoyou have survived?”

 

Song Yuanzhi gave Yu Ling a pitying look. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that the battlefield is unpredictable? The introduction of gunpowder, which wasn’t supposed to be there, created the very chaos that gave Lu Shaoyou the chance to survive.”

 

Yu Ling was so furious she could hardly breathe.

 

Song Yuanzhi casually stood up and dusted off her hands, saying, “You really came here to brag with nothing to back it up?”