Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I met Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva spoke with compassion, “You have suffered much in the mortal realm, little girl.”

My tears fell instantly, a lifetime of sorrow and grievances surging up to choke my throat.

Yes, I had suffered much.

I never bullied Xu Qingqing. In fact, when she first arrived, I even warned others not to pick on her for fear she might be mistreated.

I didn’t intentionally leave her behind in Taihe Hall. She was the one who said she wanted to admire the treasures inside; I only left after giving her a few words of caution.

Nor did I act out of jealousy to paint her face like a clown. She was the one who said she wanted to wear colorful clothes to amuse her parents, hoping to win a smile from Imperial Father and Mother and earn herself a few rewards.

There were so many instances like these, too many to count.

I truly wanted to know: why do good people never get rewarded in this world?

Why do Chimei roam free while the virtuous find it hard to survive?

More than that, I wanted to know if a person could commit wrongs and simply walk away unscathed without any punishment. If so, is there any justice left in this world?

The Bodhisattva waited for me to finish crying before offering a faint smile.

“That is a wandering soul from a Different World, born specifically to plunder the Fortune of others. Now that time and space have been reset, your soul is about to return to its place. I can grant you one wish. What do you desire?”

What did I want?

Did I want Xu Qingqing’s soul to be scattered to the winds?

Did I want to ensure she could never stir up trouble again?

Did I want to turn the tides and stage a comeback for myself?

Or perhaps, did I want to wish for a lifetime of peace and stability?

Maybe I could have asked for any of those, but there was a knot of resentment in my heart that I simply could not swallow.

I thought long and hard before raising my eyes to speak solemnly. “I am willing to trade a lifetime of love for everyone to know that she came here for the purpose of a ‘strategy mission.'”

“You are very fair. Excellent. You shall have your wish.”

The Bodhisattva smiled.

He raised his hand, and I was sent into a vortex like a light breeze. His voice drifted into my ears from far, far away.

“As the lotus is unstained by water, and the sun and moon do not linger in the void, it is time for you to move forward, little girl. Go.”

I passed the Lethe River and the Naihe Bridge. Many voices whispered distractedly into my ears-it was the Lycoris radiata by the riverbank murmuring among themselves.

“This little princess is so lucky. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva only visits the underworld once every sixty years, yet she was fortunate enough to meet him.”

“She sacrificed a lifetime of love.”

“Is that such a great thing?”

“It’s nothing special.”

“Then that’s that.”

Before I closed my eyes and fell completely into darkness, my restless, anxious heart finally found a moment of peace.

Yes, it was nothing special.

If it didn’t belong to me, then losing it didn’t matter.

Time rewound; everything began anew.

As soon as I opened my eyes, a palm swung violently toward my face. I instinctively reached out and caught the hand, looking up to meet Song Tingye’s furious gaze.

“Willful, spoiled, and shameless! To think you would engage in an illicit private exchange with a monk. Do you have any shred of maidenly modesty left? Do you have any respect for Jiang Yi?”

On the ground lay a monk’s handkerchief, embroidered with a swastika pattern and a small character for “Shan” near the edge.

This belonged to the monk Bianshan from Punian Temple on Cihui Mountain. Now, it had become the evidence of my supposed tryst.

But the person who had been chatting happily and discussing Zen with Bianshan was clearly Xu Qingqing.

In my previous life, I had tried to defend myself, only to be labeled a liar and sentenced to solitary reflection.

In this life, why should I bother proving my innocence? Those who framed me can just go to hell.

I took a step back and said coldly, “Then just kill Bianshan, won’t you?”

“What did you say?” Song Tingye’s expression turned to shock.

The corners of my lips curled slightly as I said indifferently, “What? Crown Prince, are you afraid to kill him? Or are you afraid that if Bianshan dies, the person whose heart will truly break is actually someone else?”