163: Chapter 163 I've been...reborn?

"Father, no!" Chen Shanzhi exclaimed in alarm, grabbing Chen Chao.

"Uncle Chen, absolutely not!" Ouyang Wanqing was so anxious she was on the verge of tears.

Chen Chao forcefully pried Chen Shanzhi's hand away.

He waved his hand magnanimously, a look of gratification on his face:

"Silly child, colluding with rebels means execution of the nine clans. If the three of us go together, none of us will survive. As long as you two can live safely, our Chen family will still have a future!"

"Say no more!"

Chen Chao sternly interrupted Chen Shanzhi, who was about to object further.

He decisively pointed to a crevice in the nearby rockery, signaling for the two of them to hide inside.

Afterward, Chen Chao took a deep breath and straightened the simple coarse cloth robe he was wearing.

He walked to the side door and forcefully pulled open the bolt.

"Creak—"

The side door swung wide open, and Chen Chao walked out calmly; he even deliberately looked left and right before the door.

Then, he strode away, running hastily in the direction of the North City, which was exactly opposite to the South City.

Seeing this, the three men in black hiding in the shadows did not hesitate at all; they immediately followed him like three vicious dogs that had caught the scent of blood!

The side door was left momentarily empty.

Hiding behind the rockery, Chen Shanzhi's eyes were bloodshot, his nails digging deep into his palms until blood flowed.

He did not cry out, but simply bit his lip hard and took Ouyang Wanqing's hand.

Taking advantage of this precious gap, they dashed out of the side door resolutely and disappeared into the night of the South City.

...

Time is like a ruthless carving knife, silently changing everything.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

The news that the criminal Chen Chao had been executed on the spot for colluding with rebels, and that his son Chen Shanzhi had fled with the daughter of the Prime Ministers Mansion, had spread across the land.

Conspicuous wanted posters were everywhere.

But Chen Shanzhi and Ouyang Wanqing had seemingly vanished into thin air.

At this very moment, in a remote place surrounded by mountains on the border of Great Jiang.

Two simple thatched cottages stood at the foot of a secluded hill.

Chen Shanzhi skillfully swung a hoe, working hard to reclaim a piece of wasteland behind the house.

Not far away at the stove.

Ouyang Wanqing, the former daughter of the Prime Ministers Mansion who had never had to lift a finger, was now wearing rough hemp clothes, clumsily yet happily starting a fire to cook a simple pot of wild vegetable porridge.

The setting sun gently bathed the two of them.

Chen Shanzhi put down his hoe and wiped the glistening sweat from his brow.

He walked behind Ouyang Wanqing and naturally wrapped his arms around her waist.

The two snuggled together quietly, watching the incredibly brilliant sunset glow on the horizon.

Gone was the bustling capital, and gone was the treacherous imperial court.

Here, it was poor but peaceful.

Time flowed slowly, like a gentle stream, amidst the mundane daily necessities.

Just like that, another seven years passed.

During these seven years, the two simply worshipped heaven and earth, got married, and entered the bridal chamber.

Not long ago, after enduring ten months of painful pregnancy, Ouyang Wanqing gave birth to a healthy, chubby baby boy amidst a loud cry.

When it came to naming the child.

The weak Ouyang Wanqing, lying on the bed, looked at Chen Shanzhi who was happily holding the baby and suddenly said gently:

"Brother San, let's name the child... Chen Shanzhi."

Chen Shanzhi was stunned. He looked into Ouyang Wanqing's expectant eyes and felt the name was quite pleasant to the ear.

He readily agreed with a nod.

A few more years of plain living passed.

Little Chen Shanzhi had grown into a mischievous little rascal, happily running after the two of them every day.

Chen Shanzhi and Ouyang Wanqing thought that this quiet life, isolated from the world, could last a lifetime.

Until that day arrived.

It was a gloomy afternoon.

A large group of elite troops, like terrifying locusts, suddenly and brutally surrounded this secluded little courtyard.

The leader was none other than the decrepit Chancellor Ouyang.

In the courtyard, Chen Shanzhi and little Chen Shanzhi were brutally pressed to the ground, sharp steel blades held against the necks of the father and son.

Chancellor Ouyang looked coldly at Ouyang Wanqing, who was kneeling on the ground, weeping in despair.

"Return to the capital with me and obediently marry the First Prince."

Chancellor Ouyang's voice was icy, devoid of any emotion:

"I guarantee that these two lowly pieces of trash will be able to survive, barely hanging on to life."

"As for the fact that you are shameless and no longer a virgin..."

The old fox gave a cruel sneer:

"The Prime Ministers Mansion naturally has its secret methods to help you deceive everyone."

Ouyang Wanqing looked at Chen Shanzhi, who was looking at her in despair with a blade at his throat.

Her heart was bleeding frantically.

But in order to let Chen Shanzhi and her child live, Ouyang Wanqing nodded in humiliation.

...

The capital.

With ten miles of red dowry, the daughter of the Prime Ministers Mansion was getting married, and the First Prince was receiving his bride.

The entire capital was decorated with lanterns and festoons, bustling with excitement.

Meanwhile, inside the death row of the Prime Ministers Mansion, Chancellor Ouyang coldly issued an order:

"Secretly execute this father and son. Make it clean."

The blade fell, and blood splattered three feet.

On the other side, inside the bridal chamber of the First Princes Residence.

Under the red bridal veil, Ouyang Wanqing's face was ashen.

Just then, the window was suddenly blown open by the wind.

A mysterious person cloaked in a black robe appeared in the room like a ghost.

He did not alert any guards outside, but simply stood quietly by the bed and threw a dagger, which shimmered with a ghostly blue, poisoned light, at Ouyang Wanqing's feet.

"That Chen San you miss so dearly, along with your son, had their heads chopped off an hour ago by your father's order."

The mysterious person's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of seduction:

"The First Prince is being toasted by all the officials tonight; he will surely be dead drunk when he comes in."

"I give this dagger to you; you can choose to commit suicide and go down to join your husband and child."

"Or you can choose to... kill the First Prince and then commit suicide, letting your father and the entire Prime Ministers Mansion be buried with you, never to know peace again."

After the mysterious person finished speaking, he vanished like a puff of smoke.

Ouyang Wanqing lifted the red bridal veil; in those eyes that were originally gentle, only extreme resentment and madness remained.

Chen San was dead.

Her son was dead too.

She picked up the poisoned dagger and hid it in the sleeve of her bright red wedding dress.

Late at night, the First Prince, reeking of alcohol, staggered through the door and lunged toward the bed with a lecherous grin.

"Pfft!"

The sharp blade entered flesh.

The First Prince widened his eyes in disbelief, clutched his spurting neck, and collapsed into a pool of blood.

Looking at her blood-covered hands, Ouyang Wanqing curled her lips into a tragic sneer.

Without hesitation, she turned the blade and stabbed it fiercely into her own heart!

Intense pain struck.

Her vision began to blur, and everything around her was rapidly peeling away.

Her consciousness seemed to pass through endless darkness, drifting and falling.

In a daze, she felt as if she had returned to that sunny afternoon.

In the back garden of the Prime Ministers Mansion, the grass was soft.

"Chen San, we agreed to play hide-and-seek, and you were supposed to come find me. How did you fall asleep?"

Ouyang Wanqing looked at what was in front of her in a daze.

A youth was lying on the grass, looking at her with a somewhat dazed expression.

Is this... a deathbed flashback?

The thing I missed most before I died was the carefree days I spent with him when I was young.

It's actually so clear; how wonderful.

Subconsciously, she reached out her right hand, pinched the youth's ear that was right in front of her, and twisted it hard.

"Hiss—! It hurts, it hurts! Qinger, let go, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

The Chen Shanzhi in front of her jumped up suddenly, clutching his ear, shouting in pain and apologizing repeatedly; his expression was vivid and real.

Ouyang Wanqing was completely stunned.

The sensation on her hand was warm and real.

A deathbed flashback... could not possibly have the temperature of his ear!

Ouyang Wanqing's heart, as if struck by a heavy hammer, began to beat wildly.

This was not a dream.

Was this... Rebirth?