The Guwalgi Clan in the Qing Dynasty

Guaerjia Zhilan was reborn, back in the carriage taking her older sister, Guaerjia Zhiqi, to a country estate to recuperate. That year, her sister, Guaerjia Zhiqi, was supposed to enter the palace and take part in the selection of imperial consorts. But Zhiqi had always been frail and timid, so she begged their father to let her pretend to be ill and delay her entry by three years, so she could enter the palace with Zhilan. After entering the palace, Zhiqi was “by a fortunate coincidence” noticed by Crown Prince Yinzhi, who wanted to bring her into Yuqing Palace. Zhilan tried to persuade her, but to no avail. There were still more than twenty years until the Crown Prince would be deposed. She would do everything she could to help Zhiqi win his favor and bear him a grandson. If their father and eldest brother could achieve something in court through their own efforts, then when the winds shifted, they might still be able to protect Zhiqi and see her live out her days in peace. Yes, Zhilan knew about the Nine Princes' Struggle for the Throne, and she knew the Crown Prince would not be the ultimate victor. She was a modern person who had been born into the Qing Dynasty. Thanks to her knowledge of the future, she helped Zhiqi avoid many dangers and schemes. At the right moments, she also came up with novel ideas for Zhiqi, giving the Crown Prince a pleasant surprise. Gradually, the Crown Prince developed genuine feelings for Zhiqi. Zhilan had thought that as long as the sisters stood by each other, they might not enjoy wealth and glory forever, but they could at least live out their lives in peace. Who could have known that Zhiqi had long grown sick of her cautious scheming and her “meddling,” and had come to hate and fear her intensely? At the time, Zhiqi also wanted to get rid of a pregnant secondary consort. So she came up with a vicious plan to kill two birds with one stone. Guaerjia Zhiqi succeeded. Zhilan had never once guarded against her. The crime of harming the imperial grandson was pinned firmly on Zhilan, leaving her no way to defend herself. At the thought, Zhilan clenched her handkerchief. Cold sweat soaked her back, and she could almost taste again the bitter poison that had eaten away at her insides. In her ears rang Zhiqi's words, brimming with hatred: “Guaerjia Anrui wanted to save you, but it's too late!” Zhilan lifted the carriage curtain slightly, letting fresh air fill her lungs. Now, none of it had happened yet. She lowered her eyes. She still had plenty of time to discover the true reason Guaerjia Zhiqi hated her and Anrui. And this time, she would claim for her own all those fiercely loyal people she had sent to Zhiqi in her previous life. The truth was often hard to accept. Zhilan had never imagined there could be such vicious infighting in the Guaerjia household, which had nearly fallen into decline! What did they hope to gain? A dilapidated Guaerjia residence? The unspoken suspicion buried deep in the emperor's heart? Thinking of the palace's treacherous intrigues, and the bloody struggle for the throne decades from now, Zhilan clenched her fists. If Zhiqi wanted so badly to take a shortcut into Yuqing Palace, then let her. But this time, Zhilan would no longer help her. Zhilan climbed to the top of the artificial hill in the courtyard and rose on tiptoe, looking toward the Forbidden City. She knew who would come out on top in the Nine Princes' Struggle for the Throne... The path she had dreaded in her previous life was one she would walk in this life. Because she had to protect her mother and her brother. As for Zhiqi, Zhilan wanted to see how she would fare in the man-eating Yuqing Palace without Zhilan exhausting herself with careful plans at every step! Core theme: Strive for the life you want and never stop pushing forward.