Chapter 1 If I could start over again
In the 16th year of Yongtai in the Western Wei Dynasty, it was the General Dingyuan’s Mansion.

Early winter, cold night.

It snowed heavily for several days in a row, and even the proud rose in Wantang Garden drooped several petals, like rouge and powder that had lost its color in old age.

At this moment, the extremely pale face of the general's wife was even more colorless than a withered rose.

I heard that she was terminally ill and it was only a matter of time before she passed away.

All over the house, inside and outside the houses, people were kneeling in a black mass.

The room was filled with the pungent smell of medicine. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone hung their heads and wiped their tears silently.

General Lu Jilian, who always had a solemn face, squatted at the head of the bed, holding Ye Wanqing's skinny hand on the sickbed, and said with a sad look: "Aqing, don't worry, it will be a relief to go there--"

After these words were spoken, everyone sighed again.

Since early morning, Ye Wanqing couldn't utter a word and was dying.

He stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, as if in a daze. The past events flashed before his eyes one by one.

She comes from a good family.

Although my mother was the youngest sister of the late emperor, she did not take advantage of the emperor's favor and was determined to marry him just because she admired his martial arts and character.

My father was a son of a poor family, but he was brave and good at fighting, and he was an excellent military commander. With the help of his status as a son-in-law, he quickly made great military achievements and quickly rose to the position of a first-rank governor.

In Ye Wanqing's memory, her parents always treated each other with respect and never quarreled.

He also taught her by example and carefully cultivated her. She was well-mannered in all aspects of walking, standing, sitting and lying, and was proficient in all the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

At the age of sixteen, she was betrothed to the eldest son of Marquis Dingyuan at the order of her parents and became the general's wife that was envied by others.

Everyone firmly believed that Ye Wanqing must be treated like the apple of General Lu's eye.

But married life is like drinking water, only you know whether it is hot or cold.

Of course, Lu Jilian’s treatment of her was not bad, but it did not seem to be the kind of love she expected. She always felt that something was missing.

No worries about food and clothing.

What is missing?

It was only after her eldest daughter got married that she suddenly realized the truth.

At that time, Lu Qingcheng was wearing a phoenix coronet and a bridal robe, but she was crying in front of her: "Mother! I don't want to be the wife of the Junior Official of the Dali Temple. The man I like is not someone like him! Please persuade Daddy to cancel this marriage!"

Ye Wanqing reached out to wipe away the tears on her face, feeling distressed but helpless: "Cheng'er, don't worry and get married. Your father will never harm you."

Lu Qingcheng was furious when she heard this, and threw her hand away, shouting, "You won't harm me? Haha, forcing me to marry someone I don't love, Dad is clearly using me as a stepping stone to form a clique for personal gain, and is pushing me into the fire pit at all costs!"

Ye Wanqing was stunned for a moment, and then she softly said, "Qingcheng, now that things have come to this, you should not go against your father's wishes."

"mother!"

Lu Qingcheng clenched her fists and questioned her painfully: "You and Dad have been married for more than 20 years, and you are not happy. Why do you continue to play dumb and deceive yourself? Indeed, in the eyes of the world, you married a perfect husband and enjoyed a glorious life, but only we children can understand that Dad doesn't love you at all, and you don't love him either. You are just victims of the marriage between the two families. Your marriage is just a shortcut for the Lu and Ye parties to combine their power. Dad married you just to complete the task of continuing the family line!"

Ye Wanqing was dumbfounded and murmured, "No, it's not like that..."

"How sad!"

Lu Qingcheng suddenly sneered, her voice trembling: "Dad doesn't have much affection for Mom. You have trapped your heart in a muddleheaded way, willing to be a reproductive machine for the Lu family, and you don't get real respect. And we, the children, can't control our own destiny. We have to obey Dad's will and have no say in who we marry.

You don't have the courage to face these facts, but just blindly submit, fearing that you will go against your father's wishes. For this marriage, mother has long known that I don't like Jiang Shaoqing, but she still forced me to compromise. You couldn't decide your own marriage back then, do you want me to repeat the same mistake? If this is the case, just treat me as if I'm dead!"

After saying this, seeing that her mother still had a conflicted expression, Lu Qingcheng finally stamped her feet and left in despair, leaving Ye Wanqing alone, crying and stunned for a long time.

In the end, Lu Qingcheng did not run away from the marriage, but was obediently married home by Jiang Shaoqing.

However, just over ten days after her marriage, she secretly hanged herself at night. When she was found by her maids the next morning, she was already dead.

Ye Wanqing was shocked to hear the bad news and fainted on the spot.

As the saying goes, illness comes like a mountain falling. The sudden illness quickly eroded her spirit. In just five days, she became pale and thin, and became increasingly haggard.

Lu Qingcheng's questioning and ridicule at that time kept echoing in his mind, torturing him to death.

Am I really that sad?
When discussing marriage, Ye Wanqing had never met Lu Jilian, but she often heard her parents mention him, saying how good he was and how suitable he was to be her husband.

She didn't understand love, let alone marriage. She only knew to obey her parents' orders and got married without thinking clearly.

In the first few years of her marriage to Lu Jilian, he treated her well, providing her with the best food, clothing and daily necessities. But after she gave birth to a child, he cared less and less about her, became more and more irritable, and gradually began to ignore her. There was nothing to talk about between the two of them, and they became the most familiar strangers.

During this period, she also heard the maids gossiping that the master had a beautiful concubine in his mansion and kept her secret.

It is said that she was his favorite and served the master very happily, and the master also planned to make her his principal wife.

At first, she didn't believe it, until one day she overheard a conversation between the two at the door:

"Lu Lang, when do you plan to divorce Ye?"

"It will be soon, don't worry! I couldn't stand that yellow-faced woman a long time ago. If I hadn't been intimidated by the power of the Ye family and my father's coercion, I would never have married her!"

For the sake of the Lu family's reputation and children, Ye Wanqing chose to endure.

At that time, I seemed to have lost all hope, but I just refused to admit it. It turned out that my life was really pathetic!
……

The night is getting darker.

The warm smoke veil concealed the red candle's thousands of tears, letting in a soft light that reflected on Ye Wanqing's face. Her lips were stained with the ash of the smoke, making her look pale and weak.

Outside Wantang Garden, there was a sound of hurried footsteps.

"Admiral Ye requests a meeting!"

As soon as the butler finished reporting, the man walked in with the gait of a dragon or a tiger.

He knelt on one knee on the edge of the bed, holding Ye Wanqing's slender wrist with a look of heartache, and said softly: "Sister, big brother is here to visit you!"

Ye Wanqing blinked her eyelashes, and finally there was some reaction on her face.

He cleared his sight, slowly turned his head to look at the man, his expression became excited, and he said hoarsely: "Brother, is it really you?"

The man was Ye Wanqing’s elder brother, Ye Chenxi.

Her brother was only one year older than her. He loved wielding swords and guns since he was young. He passed the imperial examination and won countless battles. Two years ago, he was promoted by the emperor to the position of Governor of the Nine Gates, and was very powerful.

At this moment, the majestic Admiral Ye was crying breathlessly, like a wronged child, looking at Ye Wanqing with tears in his eyes: "My poor sister, you have suffered! If my sister has anything else to say to the family, let me convey it for you."

Ye Wanqing opened her lifeless eyes wide, and in a trance, she seemed to see a young man in brocade clothes standing beside Ye Chenxi, smiling at her.

Chu Anlan!
The young man was none other than Chu Anlan, the prince of Prince Dun’s Mansion. He was her eldest brother’s best friend, as well as her childhood sweetheart and confidant.

But God was blind and let him die in an accident, an accident that made him feel extremely guilty!
An Lan, I'm sorry!
Ye Wanqing watched Chu Anlan's phantom disappear little by little, and her eyes turned red. Her gaze wandered around and finally fell on Lu Jilian, with her mouth half open.

"Wanqing, just say whatever you want to say." Lu Jilian felt uncomfortable being stared at by her and turned his face slightly away.

Ye Wanqing moved her lips and teeth with great effort, muttering: "Lu Jilian, if I could come back again..."

If I could do it again, I shouldn't have married you.

If I could do it again, perhaps everything would change.

I can help Chu Anlan avoid that accident, accompany him to old age in peace, and bravely pursue the happiness he wants. He will no longer be trapped in the Lu family and suffer all kinds of pain.

Ye Wanqing thought so, her eyelids drooped dejectedly, and she fell silent.

"Wan Qing!"

"Sister!"

"mother!"

The crowing of roosters can be heard in the distance, heralding the dawn. But it seems that Ye Wanqing's day will never dawn again.

……

"Sister!"

The familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar tone made Ye Wanqing's heart beat violently for a moment.

Then, the owner of the voice began to shake her arms vigorously: "Girl, get up quickly, don't sleep in!"

Does this mean that even after a person dies, someone will care about whether he or she sleeps in?

Ye Wanqing opened her eyes in annoyance, as if they had been closed for many years.

When she saw the person clearly, she exclaimed in disbelief.

The one who woke her up was actually her elder brother - Ye Chenxi!

However, at this moment, he looked to be only about fourteen or fifteen years old, and his face looked a little immature.

Fifteen-year-old brother?

Could it be that I encountered a ghost?

Ye Wanqing stood there in a daze, without any reaction, but Ye Chenxi kept pulling her: "Sister, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and go to Qingrong Courtyard! Your parents are discussing your marriage right now! If you are late, it will be delayed..."

"Discussing marriage?"

It was as if a landmine suddenly exploded above her head, and Ye Wanqing was terrified.

Am I not dead?

How come we are back to the time when we were discussing marriage?
Ye Wanqing looked at herself in the mirror in disbelief. She was still in her prime, with beautiful features and eyebrows.

My head buzzed for a while before I finally accepted the fact of my rebirth.

In that case, let me decide my own happiness in this life!

Ye Wanqing nodded heavily, not caring about her ladylike image, and with a "whoosh", she ran all the way to Qingrong Courtyard.

Ye Chenxi was stunned for a long while, scratched his cheek, and asked in confusion: "Sister usually pant when she goes out, when did she run so fast?"

(End of this chapter)