Yan Wan is reborn as a legitimate wife: Curing Ruyi's Douyi syndrome

Chapter 144 Extra: One Way for a Scumbag Dragon to Die (1)

One month later, Jingren Palace

The Empress was personally helping Qingying put on a crimson satin robe studded with brocade flowers and butterflies.

After getting dressed, Qingying turned around and looked at herself in the mirror, saying, "Auntie has such good taste, these clothes are so beautiful. But I'm not doing anything, do I really need to dress like this?"

The Empress said with exasperation, "What are you saying, silly child? I wanted you to wear this to choose Hongli's consort."

Qingying stamped her foot, turned to the Empress and said, "Aunt, Hongli and I are like brothers. How can I choose his consort? I'm not going."

Seeing Qingying's reluctant expression, the Empress became more serious and demanded that Qingying participate in the selection of Hongli's consort. A'ruo, who was standing nearby, was also very worried after hearing Qingying's words.

Qingying, however, became stubborn and, after saying only a few words, accepted the clothes and took her leave.

The empress was left behind, stomping her feet in anger.

Jiangxuexuan

Consort Xi was advising Hongli to distinguish between what was important and what was urgent, and to carefully select a consort who would be beneficial to him.

But Hongli's mind was already on Qingying, so he just nodded perfunctorily, seemingly not taking it to heart.

Consort Xi also sighed, preoccupied with the upcoming imperial concubine selection, and did not offer any further advice.

Hongli waited for a long time, but Qingying still hadn't arrived. Consort Xi couldn't wait any longer and urged Hongli to start quickly.

Having no other choice, Hongli picked up the jade ruyi and stepped forward. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to hand the jade ruyi to Fucha Langhua.

At this moment, Qingying, who had repeatedly declined to come to Jiangxue Pavilion, arrived late, walking at a pace that even Aruo could not keep up with, just in time to catch up with Hongli handing over the jade ruyi.

When Hongli saw Qingying arrive, he quickly put the jade ruyi back and said, "Qingying, you've come."

Qingying ignored Hongli, apologized to Consort Xi first, and then whispered to Hongli, "I'm here to see who you choose. How can I miss such a good show?"

Qingying then joined the ranks of the imperial concubines.

However, a dark glint flashed in the eyes of Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue, who were among the candidates for the imperial concubines.

Hongli didn't notice. Instead, he stepped forward and replaced the jade ruyi originally intended for Fucha Langhua with a purse for his concubine. Fucha Langhua couldn't hide the murderous intent in her eyes, but she still accepted it gracefully and said with a faint smile, "Thank you, Fourth Prince."

Hongli was pleased with Fucha Langhua's pragmatism, and then rewarded Gao Xiyue with a hundred taels of gold, thus eliminating her from the selection. Gao Xiyue was not as composed as Fucha Langhua; she was already gritting her teeth and could only dryly reply, "Thank you, Fourth Prince."

Then Hongli handed the jade ruyi he had retrieved back to Qingying.

Qingying looked surprised and declined, saying, "I came here to give you my opinion, why are you giving me this?"

Hongli gazed at Qingying with deep affection, and the two began to flirt, one trying to refuse while the other insisted on giving it to him.

Just as Qingying received the jade ruyi, before Consort Xi could object, the Emperor, who had just finished dealing with the Third Prince and the Empress, arrived.

When the Emperor saw that Hongli had chosen Qingying as his primary consort, he decisively revealed the Empress and the Third Prince's plot to rebel, stripped Qingying of her title as consort, and said that another consort would be chosen.

Qingying did not defend herself, but stepped forward and addressed the Emperor as her uncle, wholeheartedly pleading for the Empress.

The Emperor, naturally, remained unmoved and simply ordered someone to take away the jade ruyi from Ruyi's hands.

After this incident, everyone dispersed.

Hongli paid no attention to the unpleasant expressions on Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue's faces, only thinking about asking the Emperor for Qingying's hand in marriage in the future.

on carriage

Hongli accepted the task assigned by the emperor and went to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices.

At this moment, he was unaware of the lurking dangers around him, and he was still thinking about how the Emperor had granted his request and bestowed Qingying upon him as a concubine.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside the carriage, and the sounds of fighting could be heard. Even if Hongli was stupid, he knew something was wrong, so he huddled inside the carriage, too afraid to go out.

The fighting gradually stopped, and Hongli, thinking the matter was over, slowly lifted the curtain.

Unexpectedly, when the curtain was lifted, all that could be seen were men in black. Before Hongli could even scream, he was slashed eight times by the man in black facing him and died on the spot.

Agosuo

Before Hongli could recover from the stinging pain, he opened his eyes, panting.

Upon hearing the noise, Wang Qin rushed in and said, "Fourth Prince, you're finally awake! Today is your special day, you can't sleep anymore."

Hongli looked terrified and shouted, "You go out first!"

After Wang Qin left, looking completely bewildered, Hongli finally came to his senses and asked in his mind, "System, system!"

"Host, I'm here."

Hongli: "Was what I just experienced... a dream?"

"...Host, you should have a feeling that this isn't a dream; you've already died once."

Hongli: "Why? Didn't you say I was the true Son of Heaven and that nothing would happen to me?"

"When did I say you'd be alright? You may indeed be the Son of Heaven, but that doesn't mean you're immortal. What you possess is the ability to be reborn infinitely after death, before any previous choice."

Hongli: "What exactly do you want? Let me go back!"

"This is your world. How will you get back? My goal is simple, as I've already told you: I just want to help you survive."

Hongli was truly devastated. The thought of being hacked to death just moments ago terrified him, and he could only ask, "How can I possibly survive?"

"Make the right choice, satisfy those who want to kill you, and you can survive."

Are those who wanted to kill him satisfied? Hongli finally snapped out of his daze and began to piece together everything.

He was reborn on the day of the draft, which means he made the wrong choice during the draft, displeasing those who wanted to kill him.

Who would be dissatisfied?

Fucha Langhua? Impossible. She received a marriage decree from her father and became the primary consort. How could she be dissatisfied?

Gao Xiyue? Impossible. The Gao family are just civil officials. How could they have the guts and manpower to intercept and kill a prince on the official road?

Consort Xi? Impossible. He and Consort Xi are in cahoots, and Consort Xi's child is still a mere child. It's impossible for Consort Xi to kill him so quickly.

Could it be Qingying? No, it must be the Empress. Qingying failed to be chosen as his primary consort, and the Empress's reinstatement was hopeless, so she went all out and killed him, forcing the Emperor to let her third brother succeed to the throne...

Yes, it's the Empress. He and his third brother are the only adult princes. The Empress once plotted to poison and harm his third brother, and now that he's lost power and Qingying has been rejected, the Empress is naturally dissatisfied.

Hongli understood, so he summoned Wang Qin and instructed him, "Wang Qin, go and send someone to remind Qingying to make sure she comes on time."

Although Wang Qin was puzzled, he still obeyed Hongli's instructions.

We arrived at Jiangxue Pavilion again.

Hongli listened perfunctorily to Consort Xi's instructions, then looked around; Qingying still hadn't arrived.

Hongli gritted his teeth, ignored Consort Xi's hints, and decided to wait for Qingying to come.

Consort Xi had no idea what was wrong with Hongli.

Hongli waited anxiously, still oblivious to the expressions on Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue's faces.

After all, in Hongli's view, although Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue came from prominent families, the system had already determined that he was the future emperor, so why should he try to win them over for the sake of power?

Both thunder and rain are expressions of imperial favor, and Hongli was certain that even if he chose Qingying as his consort, the Fucha and Gao families would not dare to say anything.

Having already died once, Hongli had even more faith in the system's judgment and was even more proud of the fact that he would ascend the throne in the future.

Qingying finally arrived late. After Hongli sent a message this morning, Qingying became even more arrogant, feeling that Hongli couldn't do without her, and thus she became even more pretentious.

If it weren't for A'Ruo repeatedly scaring Qingying that the Jiangxuexuan was about to start the talent show, Qingying would have wanted to procrastinate a little longer.

Qingying spent a long time getting ready, combing her hair into her proud side braid, inserting her favorite rose hairpin, wearing her favorite engraved silver armor, and wearing a dark blue satin robe with a dark floral pattern, with a light blue embroidered jacket over it. She walked slowly with a smug look on her face.

Her unique attire made her stand out among the other young ladies dressed in brocade robes and with their hair styled in traditional Manchu headdresses.

However, this was the second time Hongli had seen Qingying, and he was not as amazed as he was the first time. When he saw Qingying arrive, Hongli hurriedly stepped forward and put the jade ruyi into Qingying's hand.

Qingying hadn't quite caught on yet. She pouted and said, "I'm here to give you my opinion..."

This time, Qingying dawdled for too long, and before she could finish speaking, the Emperor arrived.

The Emperor then brought up the matter of the Empress and the Third Prince plotting a rebellion.

Before the Emperor could resign Qingying from her position as his primary consort, Hongli preemptively pleaded with the Emperor to grant him Qingying as his primary consort by mentioning the Emperor's love for Empress Chun Yuan.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor merely gave Hongli a deep look, inquired whether Hongli had yet to choose between Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue, and then agreed, dismissing the others.

system space

886 watched with great interest as Hongli embarked on a path of self-destruction with no turning back: "Aren't you going to try and persuade him?"

995 calmly said, "What's there to advise? If he doesn't realize this, he'll likely face many more deaths in the future. There's an old saying: 'Experience teaches, and you'll learn it in one go.'"

886 commented: "The Empress is imprisoned in the Cold Palace, and the Ulanara clan has long since fallen from power. How could they possibly have the ability to intercept and kill her on the official road? Blind arrogance and contempt for others, it wouldn't be a shame if it happened again."

This host is the most confident I've ever seen. How dare he? Does he really think the Emperor can't do without him? The Emperor has more than one son.

995: "He probably thought that as long as he didn't die, he would always be the emperor."

886: "Whatever. As long as he survives, you've completed the game. If he doesn't become emperor, it'll save you a lot of trouble later."

early morning

Hongli was somewhat uneasy. Today was the day the Emperor had ordered him to go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices. He wondered if he would still be intercepted and killed...

Hongli waited and waited, but the emperor did not issue an edict for him to go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices after the court session.

Hongli breathed a long sigh of relief, knowing that he had survived this near-death experience.

Not long after, the Emperor selected a consort for Hongzhou. Hongzhou chose Fucha Langhua as his primary consort and Gao Xiyue as his secondary consort. After the consorts were chosen, Hongzhou was sent to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices.

Hongli was somewhat dumbfounded. The task of offering sacrifices at the imperial mausoleum was of extraordinary significance, and only princes favored by the emperor would be sent on such a mission.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have knowingly gone into danger and still insisted on going.

Hongli knew that his father, the Emperor, was displeased because he had begged Qingying to be his primary consort during the imperial concubine selection. But he had no choice! If he didn't choose Qingying, his mother would kill him, and he didn't want to die…

Now we can only hope that the Empress Dowager will lend a hand and, for Qingying's sake, intercept and kill Hongzhou on the official road.

Hongli waited and waited until Hongzhou returned to the capital safely. Hongli was truly bewildered. Wasn't the person who killed him his mother? Then who could it be?

Seeing that Hongzhou truly harbored ambitions to seize the throne, Hongli lost interest in thinking about other things and focused solely on open and covert struggles with Hongzhou in the court.

Although Hongli had the support of his maternal clan Niohuru and his wife's clan Ulanara, how could they possibly compete with the powerful Fucha family and the Gao family, who were favored by the emperor?

Hongli was repeatedly defeated, and the support he received from Niohuru, who was preoccupied with two things at once, and Ulanara, who was willing but unable to do so, was completely insufficient to help him seize the throne.

In the end, Hongli was defeated. After Hongzhou ascended the throne, he remembered their past relationship and spared Hongli's life, only demoting him to Beile and then leaving him alone.

On the day Hongzhou ascended the throne, Hongli kept questioning the system, "System, didn't you say I would ascend to that position? How did I get there?"

995 said helplessly, "I clearly said that barring any unforeseen circumstances, we would be able to ascend. It was clearly your own cleverness, host, that led you to cut off your own arms, creating your own trap, and now you're in this predicament."

Hongli was furious and shouted, "What did you say? If you hadn't misled me, how could I have done this!"

995 coldly replied, "Host, my mission is simply for you to survive. Whether you can ascend the throne is not within my consideration."

Hongli was furious and kept cursing, "Fine, fine, fine. You forced me to do this."

Hongli turned around, picked up the sword on the wall, drew it, and committed suicide.

995 was dumbfounded. It didn't know that its host had such courage. It stared blankly as the system reverted to its previous state.

886, who happened to witness everything, laughed mockingly: "Hahaha! 995, you've finally met your match! Hahahaha, I'm going to tell 555 and 233!"

995 exclaimed in disbelief, "How could this be? The data clearly stated that this host was the most cowardly and afraid of death..."

233 rushed over upon hearing the news and laughed, "Even if he's afraid of death, he's still a projection of a historical figure, with his own characteristics. Have you forgotten his 999% ambition?"

555 said worriedly, "What should we do? We finally found the fastest way to pass the level, and now it's gone."

995 was extremely frustrated and finally resigned himself to his fate, saying, "I was too arrogant. I can only take it one step at a time."

Jiangxuexuan

Hongli calmly got out of bed.

995 seemed to have been hit hard by Hongli's actions, and remained listless no matter how much Hongli called out to it.

Hongli was in a very good mood. He had been forced into a corner and hadn't expected this method to work. Now that it worked, he had a way to communicate with the system.

Hongli: "System, now that I've returned to this time, it proves that what I did before wasn't the right choice, right?"

995: I really want to lie to him, but the system can't lie to its host...

995 said listlessly, "Hmm... it's an open choice, neither good nor bad."

886, standing anxiously to the side, said, "995, are you stupid?! You should have persuaded him to follow the original route; that way you could have completed it quickly! Never mind, I'll do it."

886 popped up and said, "Host, you can continue with this choice. Being a carefree prince isn't bad either. That way, you can live out your life peacefully, and you'll be killed far less often."

Hongli scoffed, "Since I can take a better path, why should I give it up? If I'm going to choose, I'll choose the best!"

886 was extremely anxious: "But this road..."

886 tried to persuade him for a long time, but Hongli remained unmoved, while 995 had already gone to a corner to regret it.

Ignoring 886's advice, Hongli summoned Wang Qin and instructed him to personally ask Qingying to come as soon as possible.

This way, he could give the jade ruyi to Qingying sooner, choose Fucha Langhua and Gao Xiyue as his secondary consorts, and dismiss everyone before the Emperor gave the order.

In this way, he could not only escape the killing, but also gain the help of the Fucha and Gao families, and retain his father's favor, achieving three goals at once.

Hongli had high hopes, but reality was not as rosy as he imagined...