Letting Go

She froze stiff, witnessing that violent scene, and couldn't help but cover her mouth.

Her initial plan was to ask Bai Xiao if he had seen her jade bracelet. However, the scene before her eyes far exceeded all her imagination.

Before her reincarnation, she and he often played together, and at that time, she thought no one would dare to touch him, as he was also a Crown Prince from another country. But she never expected him to be humiliated to this extent.

She was quite angry at those despicable people; they were all grown men ganging up to bully others. She intended to intervene to save him, but then she thought, "Whether I save him or not, he still betrayed me."

She shook her head to clear it, then thought it through clearly, "Don't let emotions override reason."

After they finished beating him, they finally noticed her arrival. They stopped and bowed in greeting.

Wherever she walked, they moved aside. Partly because she was famously mischievous and certainly didn't care about her image; secondly, she was a Princess immensely doted on by the Emperor.

They feared her, their faces filled with awe, only Prince Jian raised his head without hesitation and said, "What wind brings the Princess here today?"

Prince Jian was older than her and the other men. He could be described as experienced in flattery, instigation, and shrewd in his speech.

"Do I need to ask you to come here?"

Prince Jian bowed his head and smiled, "No, no, on the contrary, we are happy the Princess has come."

Saying nothing more to those scoundrels, she walked straight to Bai Xiao. He had been beaten so badly that he collapsed to the ground, a drop of blood falling to the ground. He raised his head, saw her, stood up, and bowed in greeting.

Bai Xiao's face was haggard, small and large wounds overlapping. The young man's eyes looked at her strangely, hard to describe.

But one could not deny that his eyes were very captivating. She said indifferently, "Did you take my green jade bracelet?"

His lips trembled, his words earnest as if she was accusing him, "I did not."

She stared intently at him as if pondering something. She felt so naive, asking if he would actually say yes?

Then she turned sharply away, resolutely not looking at him again. Did she understand him?

Before, she had thought so, but now, looking into his empty eyes, she suddenly realized that he was no longer the Bai Xiao of yesteryear.

He was no longer the one who struggled to catch fireflies and put them into eggshells to give to her. He was no longer the one who always cooked her favorite dishes, even if he was caught red-handed by the head chef and beaten black and blue.

That gentle, tender, humble beauty had disappeared since that tragedy occurred, leaving only the facade he created etched in her mind.

He was dead!

Yet she still hoped for something from him, but it seemed she was mistaken.

She went to the city gate and saw many people gathered there. Suddenly, Qing Yan ran out from somewhere and said, "Princess, we are about to be late!"

"I know."

The Empress Dowager saw her from afar and waved her hand, signaling her to come closer. She walked over and bowed in greeting. The Empress Dowager helped her up and said, "Why did you leave without telling this Empress Dowager?"

The Emperor, standing beside her, said, "If she had reported to the Empress Dowager, would Your Majesty have allowed your Imperial Child to go?"

The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "One child has already left, and now another. It only causes this Empress Dowager heartache."

She smiled faintly and said, "I will visit the Empress Dowager often."

Finally, she bid farewell to them and a few of her maidservants. Qing Yan couldn't hold back her tears, watching her from afar. She saw this, fell silent and dazed for a moment, but then waved goodbye to Qing Yan and got into the carriage with her Senior Brother.

Sitting in the carriage, her Senior Brother asked her, "Don't you dare regret it and demand to return when we arrive, understand?"

"I know, I know."

She looked outside, admiring the capital scenery, gazing at it with captivating fascination. Suddenly, the carriage passed a wedding procession. She stared intently at it, drawing her Senior Brother's attention. He said, "Are you already willing to humble yourself?"

She was startled slightly, turned back, and shook her head. When she turned to look outside again, the procession was nowhere to be seen, so she stuck her head out to watch.

***

**Previous Life Before Reincarnation**

A small figure was reflected in the mirror. A hand adjusted the mirror higher. It shone directly on a delicate, charming face. Someone behind her combed her hair. The woman behind her had clear wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, as if carved on her face, not a single superfluous mark. One wondered if those wrinkles could measure her age.

A magnificent wedding procession. Anyone who saw it would be dazzled, the entire sky ablaze with vibrant red. Red silk flowers and double happiness characters were hung and written everywhere.

Accompanying them were servants and the Princess's entire dowry: twenty candle lanterns, corresponding to the envoys; eight child attendants with hairpins; four square fans; four round fans; twenty handheld lanterns, along with a few relatives walking around her.

The bride in the sedan chair wore splendid wedding attire; every stitch on the garment was exquisite. The bride's hands kept rubbing together, as if she was very anxious and nervous.

The bridal sedan traveled a distance and then stopped before a carpeted steps. She stepped out of the bridal sedan, slowly ascending the red threshold. Someone spoke loudly, "Bride Liao Wan Ru has arrived."

She walked to the center, before the Heaven and Earth altar. Not long after, that person spoke again, "Imperial Son-in-Law Yun Bai Xiao has arrived."

She was given one end of a red silk ribbon. Bai Xiao held the other end.

The master of ceremonies' voice rang out again, saying, "First bow to Heaven and Earth."

The two turned towards the Heaven and Earth altar, cupped their hands, and bowed their heads together.

"Second bow to the parents."

The two turned to the right, where the Imperial Father and Mother of the bride's family sat, and together cupped their hands and bowed their heads. Again, they cupped their hands and bowed their heads to the left, towards the groom's family.

"Husband and wife bow to each other."

The two stood facing each other, cupped their hands, and bowed their heads.

When finished, someone offered them two halves of a gourd containing wine. Each person took one half of the gourd, linked arms, and brought the gourds to each other's lips to drink together. The two drank it dry, then joined the two gourd halves. Bai Xiao took the gourd.

Next, someone offered a sachet that was not yet fastened. She held one string, he held the other. The two slowly pulled, and the sachet was fastened tightly. This sachet was then given to the bride. After a few other procedures were completed, the bride was taken to the bridal chamber. The groom remained to offer gifts. She waited obediently in the room from morning till night. The bridal chamber door opened, and a cold gust of wind swept in. She glanced towards the doorway, saw Bai Xiao's silhouette, and became shy and bashful.

The groom beside her saw the bride was so nervous and gently took her hand.

She was startled slightly, and the atmosphere became more awkward. She decided to break this atmosphere, softly, timidly saying, "What if this concubine and you were not engaged, but someone else was engaged to this concubine?"

The groom, who was looking outside, was suddenly asked such a difficult question. He turned to the bride and said, "I would kidnap the bride."

The bride bowed her head slightly, covering her mouth, as if she was laughing.

The groom, seeing her happy and less shy, stood up and went to the table with two wine cups. He took the two cups to the bride and offered them. The bride understood, took the cup, and gulped it down.

In just a moment, she fainted. The veil was even removed. The groom looked at her, then the corner of his mouth slightly curved, and he stood up and walked out.

Someone shook her, and a tear fell onto the thin red veil.

She felt it and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Qing Yan, her eyes red-rimmed, tears welling in those anxious eyes. She felt that something terrible might be happening.

She sat up and reached out to wipe Qing Yan's tears. Qing Yan was about to speak but hesitated, seeing her actions. She comfortingly said, "What's wrong that you're crying?"

Those eyes could no longer hold back and flowed with tears, letting the tears spill out.

"Princess... Princess. Your husband has rebelled."

Her pupils constricted, and her whole body trembled. She stood stunned for a moment, looking outside. The silence outside was truly terrifying. Her breathing went from rapid to steady.

Wan Ru didn't think much and immediately ran out. She shot out like a red arrow, still trying to keep her veil from falling.

Not long after, she saw a few maidservants and eunuchs running in the opposite direction from her. She continued to walk like that; at first, it was just a few people, then groups of people running back. The further she went, the clearer and more numerous the screams and chaotic running became.

Suddenly, she stopped dead, looking at the scene before her.

Bai Xiao stood proudly amidst the chaos, holding a sword, his eyes sharp as he surveyed this disordered scene. The imperial soldiers were fighting desperately against the black-clad figures. But it was clear that the palace soldiers were at a disadvantage. Bai Xiao's gaze swept across, then stopped to look at the person far away who was watching him. A hint of a smile appeared in the corner of his eye.

"You've arrived."