“The Seventh Prince is missing?” Wei Ruo’s expression was full of shock.How could this be? It made no sense!In the original novel, the heavy snow in Taizhou hadn’t been described at all—because at that point, the Wei family was no longer in Taizhou, so it wasn’t connected to the main storyline.But the Seventh Prince was the male lead, and any major events concerning him were always included in the book.There had been no such incident of the male lead being ambushed and going missing in the original story.Wei Ruo racked her brains, trying to recall what was supposed to be happening in the novel at this time. This was exactly the period when Wei Qingwan and Chu Lan’s romance was heating up.Wei Qingwan, taken to the prince’s residence by Chu Lan, had been schemed against by the women in the household. Something happened, and she nearly lost her life.Chu Lan put aside his official duties to care for her devotedly until she recovered.During that time, Wei Qingwan was frail and helpless, stirring Chu Lan’s pity, and the two grew even closer.Now Wei Ruo remembered: in the book, it had been mentioned that around this time, Chu Lan originally had a chance to earn great merit. He was supposed to take on the role of commander of the anti-pirate army, but because Wei Qingwan was at death’s door, his concern for her safety made him give up the opportunity and yield it to the Sixth Prince.So this was the root of the problem.Wei Ruo hadn’t expected it—turns out being blinded by love had its advantages. It actually helped him dodge a disaster.What she hadn’t expected was that, because the male and female leads never met, and because Wei Mingting never died, a butterfly effect* had been set off that ended up leaving the original novel’s male lead missing.
*Butterfly effect is the idea that small actions or changes can lead to very large and unexpected consequences later on.
If Chu Lan really died just like this, wouldn’t that count as her indirectly avenging her past self?Madam Yuan said, “This matter shocked me as well. Most likely, it’s tied to the struggle for imperial power. It just so happened to occur within Taizhou’s borders, and just so happened to be on the road to his post as commander of the anti-pirate army—right when he was about to join them. Because of this, both the Taizhou prefecture yamen* and the anti-pirate forces have been implicated.”
*A yamen (衙门) was the government office or administrative headquarters of a local official in imperial China.
Only after hearing Madam Yuan’s explanation did Wei Ruo realize that Wei Mingting’s recent busyness wasn’t only about the pirates—this matter had been weighing on him as well.Madam Yuan went on, “Enough, let’s set aside the Seventh Prince for now. Court intrigues aren’t things we can meddle in. Thinking about him is pointless—if his fate is strong and he survives, that will be best. If not, there’s nothing we can do.”She let out another heavy sigh. “The reason I asked you here is to talk about something we can do. With this heavy snowfall these past days, the cold has been bitter, and everyone in Taizhou Prefecture has suffered terribly.”“I’ve heard some things too—many houses collapsed under the snow, even a number of bamboo groves toppled, and quite a few commoners have been left homeless.”But Wei Ruo didn’t know what she could possibly do to help.The people she could protect were few. The tenants on her manor were still managing well—their houses were newly built and hadn’t collapsed, and there was enough grain stored.With her current resources and abilities, this was the extent of what she could manage.“Yes, what you’ve heard is true. Many people in Taizhou Prefecture have died—not so much from houses collapsing, but mostly from freezing and illness,” Madam Yuan told her of the recent conditions.“Is there anything I can do to help?” Wei Ruo asked.
Help Choose My Birthday Double Release!🥳🥳
Hi everyone! To celebrate my birthday on December 22nd, I want to gift you all with two chapters that day! 🎉🥳
Please help me choose which option you prefer! The poll will close on December 19th at 23:59 WIB (06:59 AM PT)
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