Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Qi Feng was momentarily taken aback by my words.
“Lord Fu, we followed her all the way here. We clearly saw her encounter the wedding procession before she vanished. It’s highly likely…”
“Impossible.” I stood across the street, gazing at the lintel of the Yuchi Mansion. “She is, after all, the bride General Yuchi is marrying into his house. How could she be a female spy?”
Qi Feng nodded thoughtfully.
“True. She would have to be mad to dare board the General’s bridal sedan. Once discovered, she would only meet a more miserable end.”
Exactly.
In my past life, I had been so anxious to catch the thief that I never stopped to consider: how would an ordinary female thief dare to rashly intrude upon Yuchi Wei’s bridal sedan?
If Yuchi Wei found out, it would be a certain death sentence.
I had assumed she was acting out of desperation and followed her into the Yuchi Mansion, until I noticed a drop of blood dripping from the bride’s fingertip.
The evidence was irrefutable.
I drew my bow and loosed an arrow, killing her on the spot.
That arrow pierced through the bride’s skull, through the bright red bridal veil, and pinned her firmly to the wall behind her, revealing the woman’s face.
She was not the bride he was supposed to marry today.
Yuchi Wei was beyond shocked.
At the time, I thought his shock stemmed from ignorance. It wasn’t until the day I died that I realized he knew that woman.
No, he didn’t just know her-he loved her deeply.
He was simply too good at pretending.
After I shot his bride, he knelt before me in front of the hall full of guests.
He thanked me for killing the spy in time, preventing him from being used by a traitor.
His vow-swearing, tearfully grateful appearance convinced everyone that he had nothing to do with the female spy.
Afterward, he publicly burned the bride’s body and promoted me several ranks to become his personal lieutenant.
Because of this, not long after, he discovered my secret-that I was a woman disguised as a man-and an ill-fated romance began.
But I never imagined, even until my death, that he would decide that my arrow that year was fired because I was jealous of that woman.
It was as ridiculous as it was arrogant.
On our wedding night, Yuchi Wei blinded my eyes and crippled my hands.
“From now on, I want you to reflect on your sins in hell.”
Before my vision was completely consumed by blood, I grabbed a brightly burning wedding candle and threw it into the bed curtains, then used my body to block the door firmly.
“Yuchi Wei, I have no sins, and I do not love you! Let’s die together.”
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to this moment.
Yuchi Wei, dressed in red, hurriedly stepped over the threshold, stumbling slightly.
But when he saw the bride stepping out of the sedan, his eyes overflowed with immense tenderness.
I was slightly surprised. In my past life, he didn’t seem this emotional…
Could it be that he has also been reborn?
Yuchi Wei carefully took the bride’s hand, his gaze scanning the surroundings until he saw me across the long street.
He shielded the woman in his arms even more tightly, summoned a guard, whispered a few words, and then led the newcomer into the mansion.
Before entering, he looked back at me, his gaze complex.
“Lord Fu, if that bride really is a spy, shouldn’t we go in and take a look?”
I nodded. “Naturally, we must remain on guard.”
Naturally, I had to go in to watch the show.
Moreover, I needed to personally confirm whether Yuchi Wei had also been reborn.
To my surprise, I was stopped at the door.
“The General said that you are not permitted to enter today.”
Qi Feng said in disbelief, “Our Lord Fu was invited to the General’s wedding banquet. On what grounds are we being barred?”
The guard looked troubled. “We are only following orders.”
Now I was certain. Yuchi Wei had also been reborn.
He was afraid I would enter the mansion and shoot his beloved Luo Qian again.
“Then forget it.”
Just as I was about to leave, two distinguished guests arrived: the Crown Prince and Prince Qi.
These two princes each had their own supporters in court, and both held great power.
“On Yuchi’s big day, why are you turning away those who come to offer congratulations?”
The Crown Prince was a kind and approachable man, and he was also my superior.
I hurried to salute him.
Prince Qi paused as he passed by my side.
“I heard that Lord Fu was supposed to be catching someone today?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, the person… was lost.”
Prince Qi glanced at me and said with an inscrutable tone, “You lost the target, yet you still have the heart to come offer congratulations?”
I didn’t dare tell the truth and could only lower my head to admit my fault. “Your Highness’s reprimand is just.”
“Let’s go,” the Crown Prince said, intervening on my behalf.
With the order from these high-ranking figures, I led Qi Feng into the mansion.
Yuchi Wei was still leading the bride through the wedding bows, unaware that I had already entered.
And this time, the beads of blood seeping from the bride’s fingertips were quietly wiped away by Yuchi Wei’s hand, so that no one noticed anything unusual.
I stood in the crowd, lost in thought.
In my previous life, I had killed Luo Qian too easily, which inadvertently allowed Yuchi Wei to clear himself of any suspicion of conspiring with a spy.
This time, I would ensure his guilt was proven.
It had to be undeniable, ironclad, and beyond any defense.
Tonight’s wedding ceremony involved more than just the three formal bows in the hall; Yuchi Wei also personally accepted congratulatory gifts from two Princes while accompanied by his bride.
Qi Feng was by my side.
“My Lord, there is a scent of blood coming from the bride.”
Luo Qian had sustained a severe blade wound when she escaped from us. At this moment, she was only standing because those around her were forcibly supporting her.
“Let me test her.”
As the couple turned around, I grabbed a pebble and flicked it toward the back of Luo Qian’s knee.
The bride’s body tilted, and she fell to her knees.
The bridal veil began to slide to the side, threatening to reveal her true face.
Yuchi Wei’s original fiancée was the daughter of the Vice Director of the Secretariat. As long as the veil was gone, the dowry maids would surely realize their mistress had been replaced.
But just as her face was about to be exposed, Yuchi Wei urgently pulled her into an embrace, catching the veil with one hand.
The woman also buried herself in his chest in a panic.
No one could see her face.
Yuchi Wei replaced the veil before steadily helping her up.
However, people were already whispering.
“Do you smell blood?”
“I think I do, actually.”
The bride nervously tightened her grip on Yuchi Wei’s hand.
Yuchi Wei noticed the pebble on the ground and frowned. Quickly, his gaze locked onto me in the crowd.
“Lord Fu Yao specializes in criminal justice; I’m afraid that scent of blood must have come from you,” he said, making no effort to hide his hostility. “Did I not forbid you from coming today?”
Qi Feng bristled with anger at his words. “This is clearly-”
I stopped Qi Feng and explained politely to our colleagues, “Perhaps I have indeed stained myself with blood, which is quite unlucky. I shall use a cup of the General’s wedding wine to wash away the dust of my work.”
Yuchi Wei’s lips curled into a mocking sneer.
He hadn’t realized that I had been reborn; perhaps he still thought I harbored feelings for him.
But he didn’t know that what I wanted was for him to protect Luo Qian in front of everyone.
The more he protected her now, the more miserable his death would be when her identity as a spy was finally exposed.
It might seem like he had successfully shielded the fake bride, but he had already boarded a sinking ship.
As the couple was escorted to the bridal chamber, Qi Feng and I headed toward the banquet tables.
“My Lord, that bride is highly suspicious. We should strike first.”
“I know,” I reassured Qi Feng. “But you saw it just now; General Yuchi is quite protective of her. It’s hard to say…”
He caught the meaning behind my unfinished sentence. “Could it be that Yuchi Wei is the one behind her?”
Yuchi Wei was currently the most favored general of the Emperor.
If he were guilty of treason and colluding with the enemy, it would be no small matter.
“We shouldn’t cause a stir yet. We need to find someone first.”
Qi Feng was stunned. “Now? How could there be enough time?”
I gave a mysterious smile.
“There’s time.”
As we reached the rockery, a maid happened to be passing by on the bridge. I gestured and called her over.
“Do you happen to know where the bridal sedan chair was parked?”
The maid wasn’t easily fooled. “Why are you looking for the sedan chair, My Lord?”
“I heard the red silk on the roof of the sedan is very auspicious. I wanted to ask for a piece.”
I pressed a silver ingot into her palm.
The maid thought about it and recalled that such a custom did indeed exist, so she led the way.
In the empty backyard, the elaborate and unique bridal sedan chair sat lonely and unguarded.
However, a servant was there, holding a kerosene torch, preparing to set the sedan chair on fire.
“What are you doing!”
Qi Feng shouted a stern rebuke and flew forward, knocking the man unconscious with a single kick.
The maid was also frantic with panic.
“Heavens, who is he? Why aren’t the porters guarding this place? I need to go…”
Her voice cut off abruptly.
I had struck her to knock her out.
Qi Feng was climbing onto the roof of the sedan chair, tearing off a piece of red silk. Hearing the sound of the maid hitting the ground, he looked back at me. “What are you doing?”
I looked at him, stunned. “What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you want this?” he asked, confused.
I shook my head helplessly, crawled into the sedan chair, and opened the panel beneath the seat.
A woman was curled up inside, her face covered in tears.
She wore only her inner garments, her mouth was gagged with cloth, and her hands and feet were bound with silk sashes.
She was the daughter of the Vice Director of the Secretariat, Xu Nianci.
She was the one who should have been the bride today.
“Miss Xu, you’ve suffered.”
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