Discarded Draft

An Rushi has lived three lives.

In her first life, she was born in the twenty-first century and named Zhaodi. She had a biased mother, an alcoholic father, a younger brother who was never born, and a family that leached off her. Her birth family was a nightmare. Desperate to escape, she worked frantically to earn enough money to get away, but in the end, she died suddenly at her desk.

In her second life, she was born in ancient times and named Mingzhu. She was the only daughter of the great general who defended the state of Song. Though her mother died young, she was cherished by her father and surrounded by close friends and confidants. She even had a childhood sweetheart who was her betrothed. The first half of her life was truly like a pearl, treasured by everyone. She should have lived happily ever after, but on her wedding night, her entire family was massacred. Evidence of an enemy state and letters exchanged with them were found in the general's manor, and the whole Li family was accused of colluding with the enemy. The ones who told the emperor the general's family was conspiring with the enemy were her betrothed and her friend.

With witnesses and evidence against them, the entire general's household was sent to the executioner's block. An Rushi was betrayed by her friend and husband, yet powerless to change anything. In her final moments, she saw the contemptuous smiles on their faces as they held each other close.

As the blade fell, her second life came to an end.

She died once more with regrets in her heart. When she opened her eyes, however, she found herself a baby again, while a dignified, gentle lady softly soothed her to sleep.

The lady called her, "Nannan."

"May you stay true to yourself in peace, remain calm and at ease amid life's changes, and live the tranquil life you wish for. How about we call you An Rushi?"

This was her third life.

As luck would have it, the country where An Rushi was born this time was none other than Cang, the enemy state accused of colluding with the general's family in her previous life. She was born into the scholarly An family. Her father was the Grand Tutor, and her mother was the daughter of an imperial merchant. Her parents shared a deep affection, so An Rushi had a wonderful childhood. But after what she had experienced before, she no longer trusted others easily and had few close friends. Combined with the experience and memories of two lifetimes, she was exceptionally clever and perceptive, earning herself a reputation as a cool and aloof genius.

When An Rushi was ten, the emperor brought a commoner girl back from outside the palace and made her Princess Zhaoning that very day, publicly claiming her as his adopted daughter. To help the newly arrived princess adjust to life in the imperial palace, the emperor decided to choose a companion for her.

An Rushi came from a respectable family, had a small social circle, and was steady and intelligent. Her father's special position also worked in her favor, and the emperor soon chose her as Princess Zhaoning's companion.

Most of the princes and princesses disliked this sister who had suddenly appeared, and by extension they disliked An Rushi, her companion. But An Rushi didn't care. She did her job as well as she could. As for getting along with people, she decided to be a mirror: she would treat others the way they treated her.

The Crown Prince was gentle and refined, and took good care of An Rushi, so she returned his kindness with courtesy.

The Second Prince was mean-spirited and loved to play tricks on people, so An Rushi secretly dressed as a ghost and scared him in the middle of the night.

The Third Prince came from a lowly background, was duplicitous, and was fond of underhanded tricks, so An Rushi used the emperor to make him suffer a setback.

The Fourth Prince was young and naive, easily manipulated into doing others' dirty work. An Rushi would slap him and then give him a treat, scolding him first and soothing him afterward until she made him her own weapon.

An Rushi safely completed her five years as a companion. When she came of age, she and Zhaoning parted ways, and she returned home. But as soon as she did, her parents began looking for a suitable husband for her. What she didn't expect was that the princes from Chongwen Pavilion would come sniffing around...

The state of Song had cut down the general who had always protected it. At first, the emperor didn't care. He was simply relieved that the threat he feared most had finally been dealt with. He promoted some other general and then spent his days indulging in pleasure, neglecting affairs of state. With Jiang Wuji whispering poisonous words in his ear, the strength of Song rapidly declined over the next ten years. The people were left destitute, and corruption was rampant. When the time seemed right, Jiang Wuji released a carrier pigeon. Within a month, Cang's army had reached Song's borders.

By the time the emperor of Song realized what was happening, an enemy blade was already at his throat.

Song was destroyed. Jiang Wuji had completed his mission and was about to mount his horse and return home with the army to report when Wu Yue grabbed hold of him.

She cried and asked Jiang Wuji why he had done it. He answered by slashing down with his blade, severing her head. His eyes were ice-cold, just as they had been toward Li Mingzhu.

2025/12/9

Theme: Study hard and improve every day