Chapter Two: Let the Scoundrel and the Shameless Woman Be Together

“Miss, wake up! Please wake up! I really can’t carry you any farther!”
Xue Fanzhi was roused by the sound of sobbing. Opening her eyes, she saw her maid Honglian shaking her arm anxiously as she wept, while another maid, Hongxiao, cried and tried to stop her, “Sister, be gentle! She was fine before—at this rate you’ll shake her to death…”
What’s going on?
Why, after her death, was she not greeted by her parents and family, but instead by her two maids from before she was married?
Especially Honglian—if she remembered correctly, when she was thirteen, this girl was thrown out by one of the old women from her mother’s quarters, and she never saw her again before she died.
Hongxiao had been married off by her mother at a young age, and later she’d heard that the girl had died within a year of leaving the Xue family.
Xue Fanzhi suddenly grabbed Honglian’s hand, gazing at the delicate, youthful face. “Is this a reunion? That can’t be—I miss my mother most. I never favored you two so much.”
Honglian and Hongxiao fell silent.
Honglian began to sob even louder, looking at Hongxiao in alarm. “It’s over, she’s knocked herself silly. If our lady didn’t value us, whom would she value? Now she’s talking nonsense!”
Hongxiao, a bit more composed, held up two fingers and waved them. “Miss, how many is this?”
Xue Fanzhi stared in confusion. The maid’s hand was warm—what did that mean? Was she… not dead?
She looked around. They were crouched behind a thicket in a mountain forest. Verdant foliage blocked out the sunlight, making the place seem hidden, yet she couldn’t tell exactly where they were.
Still, it felt oddly familiar.
She sat up and asked, “Where are we?”
Honglian’s face was pale. “Miss, have you really lost your senses? We were caught by refugees at Phoenix Slope and chased to this deserted place. I have no idea where we are!”
Hongxiao nodded hurriedly. “Miss, you couldn’t run anymore, so Honglian tried to carry you. She fell, and you fainted, but woke up soon after. Don’t you remember?”
The third year of Hongde?
Xue Fanzhi was stunned. “Are you saying that we’re on the road to Jiankang? We haven’t arrived yet?”

“Yes,” Honglian whimpered, “but at this rate, we won’t make it home. We’ll either be caught and eaten by those refugees, devoured by tigers, or starve to death here.”
It really was the third year of Hongde!
The northern lands were now held by the Hu tribes, the empire had shifted south for over a decade. The Xue family, once a minor noble house in Huaichu, joined the migration south after rumors that Huaichu would soon be taken by the Xianbei. They were heading to seek refuge with their great-uncle in Jiankang.
The journey should have been safe, but fate brought them alongside a detachment from the powerful Xie family. Xue Jiaoyue somehow befriended Lady Thirteen of the Xie family, a woman known for her extravagance and willfulness. Xue Fanzhi had warned them not to eat on the road, since so many desperate refugees trailed behind them, but Lady Thirteen paid her no heed.
Instead, Lady Thirteen spread silk brocade on the ground, laid out costly dishes and gold and silverware, and—most tempting—displayed fragrant meat dishes. She flaunted her luxury in full view of the starving refugees, showing off her status. But those refugees, their eyes red with hunger, needed little provocation. Lady Thirteen’s display pushed them over the edge; they attacked the convoy in a frenzy.
Now, their guards and attendants were either scattered or dead, unable to help them.
But hadn’t she died already? She’d been ordered to her death by Xiao Yi. How could she be back at this critical moment?
Heavens—had she been reborn through some supernatural twist?
If so, then this gloomy life could begin anew. She would not think of Xiao Yi, would not become empress, would not vie for favor in the harem. She could finally live happily.
Surely, this was heaven’s mercy!
Most importantly, she could now change her fate.
Her eyes shone with determination as she stood up. “No, we can’t stay here. We must head north!”
Hongxiao, who recognized the roads, was puzzled. “North leads back. We should go south—Madam and the others are ahead!”
No, the southern route was not only where her mother’s party was, but also Xiao Yi’s. In her previous life, it was Xiao Yi who rescued her; they fell in love at first sight, leading to a doomed entanglement. Further back was her brother’s friend Cheng Ye’s convoy; they would be rescued as well.
This time, she’d rather chase after Cheng Ye than have anything to do with Xiao Yi.
“We’re going north!” Xue Fanzhi commanded with finality.
The three of them started running north, but suddenly Xue Fanzhi stopped and looked back.
Hongxiao urged her, “Miss, what are you looking at?”
If she remembered correctly, Imperial Concubine Wen Xian had also been separated by the refugees and was nearby. In her last life, Xiao Yi rescued her after finding Xue Fanzhi, and then they picked up Wen Xian to the south. If she didn’t go that way this time, Xiao Yi and Wen Xian would meet first.

Never mind, since she didn’t plan to be with Xiao Yi any longer, she might as well let those two wretches find happiness together.
With a carefree toss of her head, Xue Fanzhi broke into a run. “Run! Don’t look back!”

Elsewhere, Wen Xian too realized she had been reborn. She remembered that in her previous life, at this very moment, Xiao Yi met Xue Fanzhi first, fell in love with her, and left no room for a third person.
Now that she had a second chance, she was determined to outshine Xue Fanzhi in every way—especially in Xiao Yi’s heart, where she would erase Xue Fanzhi completely.
Wen Xian had five maids with her. Surveying the terrain, she ordered, “Don’t run forward—go back!”
Her personal maid, Yu Jiao, was bewildered. “Miss, our family’s party is just ahead. Why are we retreating?”
Xiao Yi and Xue Fanzhi had “found” her from behind last time, which meant the two of them were still behind. She had to encounter Xiao Yi before Xue Fanzhi did, so he would know she could be his first.
“Enough talk!” Wen Xian lifted her skirts and turned, running for her life.
But before long, she and her maids ran into a band of refugees.
Their leader, Zhang San, hated the highborn more than anything. Seeing Wen Xian’s tender skin and her maids’ shapely figures, he leered. “You came right to our doorstep. Don’t blame us brothers for enjoying a little luck.”
If Wen Xian didn’t know what he meant now, she’d have wasted both her lives.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she snapped, “I am the legitimate daughter of the Wen family. If you dare lay a finger on me, your entire clan will be executed!”
Zhang San burst out laughing. “Good thing my whole clan starved to death because of people like you. I’m all that’s left. At a time like this, do you think I’d be afraid?”
He signaled his men. “Get them!”
The hunger in their eyes made Wen Xian realize the danger. In desperation, she screamed, “Xiao Yi, save me! Save me!”