Chapter 017 Taiping

The moon hung high in the sky, and Fu Zhen, lying on the bed, had her eyes wide open and was extremely alert.

She had stayed too long in the darkness before waking up, and now whenever she closed her eyes, she felt anxious and restless.

At night, the Ning Family's mansion was quiet, unlike the lively atmosphere of the Liang Family—where family members were abundant, organized, but not rigid, creating a naturally lively environment. However, it became quiet later on; after her two brothers sacrificed themselves, even though they often weren't in the capital city, it felt as if a large part of the home was missing.

It was precisely because of this that her two sisters-in-law urged her to marry Xu Yin as soon as possible, to dispel the sense of melancholy and to start a new chapter in her life.

Fu Zhen sighed as she lay with her head on her hands. Seeing the bright moon already hanging outside the window, she couldn't help but get out of bed, open the window to take a look, and saw the night watch maid dozing off.

There was some noise coming from the west; she didn't know if it was Mrs. Liu or Fu Jun. Today, they unexpectedly stumbled at the hands of this "sickly" person, and they would definitely be pondering ways to counter this. Fu Jun, who had managed to obtain so much money and resources from Mrs. Fu over the years, certainly had some underhanded skills. By the end of the night, they probably wouldn't foolishly hand over weaknesses to her as they did during the day.

Fu Zhen turned back inside and saw her beautiful face reflected in the mirror. She caressed her smooth, porcelain-like cheeks, her delicate and unparalleled eyes and eyebrows, and couldn't help but make strange faces in the mirror until she was sure she had full control over this face before she was satisfied.

It's truly peculiar; this "rebirth" phenomenon actually happened to her...

Using the moonlight, she opened her wardrobe and picked out a relatively dark-colored outfit from a pile of pink clothes to change into, then quietly pushed the door and walked out of the corridor.

"Miss!"

Her close maid, Bixi, came over carrying a lantern from the servant's quarters, and upon seeing her, exclaimed, "Why are you up?"

The people serving Mrs. Fu aren't necessarily all loyal, because she holds the household authority, and the Ning Family's wealth is also under her control. Fu Jun would work tirelessly to plant people around her, and she couldn't prevent it entirely.

But the servants around Fu Zhen and her younger brother, Fu Jia, were mostly personally selected by Mrs. Fu, and many of their parents came as part of Mrs. Fu's dowry.

This was because the siblings usually didn't have much importance, and Fu Jun didn't waste effort on these matters. Fortunately, this provided Fu Zhen with relative freedom.

Fu Zhen didn't particularly try to hide from her: "I can't sleep. I'm going out for a stroll. Keep the door for me, and don't let the madam know."

Bixi was extremely nervous: "It's so late at night, where are you going? Let me accompany you, Miss?"

"No need. It wouldn't be good if someone finds out later. Just wait here for me as I've asked."

Bixi wanted to say more, but Fu Zhen already left her behind, quickly heading out of the courtyard gate.

Bixi had never seen her miss walk so briskly before!...

The Ning Family's security wasn't strict; even Liang Ning managed to elude the Liang Family's guards before, so these simple guards were naturally not a problem.

After exiting the Ning Family, she walked along the alley.

Although she retained her martial arts, Fu Zhen's body was too weak, and she could only exert about thirty to forty percent of her previous skills. The survival on the cliff that day was purely due to her strong will to live. The moment she fell off the cliff, she couldn't control her anger, desperately wanting to kill Fu Rou, who had the same malicious heart.

It was only later, when she attempted to strike Fu Jun, that she realized her strength was significantly reduced. It wasn't until she found herself in a different body that she realized the change. Otherwise, she wouldn't have just knocked Fu Rou down; she would at least have broken a few of her teeth and shattered her dreams of usurping the position of the legitimate eldest daughter.

She needed to quickly nurture this body back to health.

In truth, there was no precise diagnosis of what illness the original body had over the years. The consensus was that she suffered a deficiency from birth, leading to her frail constitution. The Liang Family was renowned for nurturing children, and she didn't believe this body wouldn't thrive under her care.

The street under the moonlight was so quiet that even footsteps were distinct.

Unwittingly, she arrived at a corner, and looking up, she saw the sentry post at the corner of the Pei Family's rear garden ahead.

She took a moment to look, quickened her pace, and moved forward.

On the other side of the Pei Family was Yanzi Square, where the Minister General Mansion of the Liang Family resided.

Back when the Emperor Zhou captured the capital city, Liang Qin was one of the main generals attacking the four city gates. He was responsible for the West City Gate, which was the first breach point. Therefore, the emperor later granted a piece of land within the West City Gate in Yanzi Square for the Liang Family's mansion.

Since Mr. Liang also had many accolades at the time, even though the eldest son Liang Qin had greater achievements, the mansion was counted under the old father's name. Either way, it would later be passed on to Liang Qin, highlighting the illustrious reputation of the Liang Family across generations.

The road home was etched into her soul, and Fu Zhen almost sprinted all the way to Yanzi Square. When she saw the familiar "Minister General Mansion" plaque boldly displayed before her eyes, the tears brimming in her eyes finally flowed.

This was her home!

Her parents' memorial tablets were still enshrined in the west wing's ancestral hall. Her soul was alive, but her body couldn't return.

She sat down by a stone under a large camphor tree in front of the door, looking at the tightly closed vermillion gate not far away, the high-hanging lanterns, remembering the countless times she returned late in the evening stepping on fallen leaves, only to get caught and scolded by her eldest sister-in-law, then defended by her eldest nephew Liang Chen.

Back then, the future daughter-in-law Su Xinger, who had not yet entered the family, was her close friend. Uncle Su was a military general stationed in the northern regions for long periods. One year, when Su Xinger fell ill and couldn't recover, she was taken in by Liang Ning's eldest sister-in-law and raised for three years until she was rosy-cheeked and plump before being sent back.

Later, it was this aunt who facilitated the marriage between Su Xinger and Liang Chen.

She embraced the stone, reflecting on those fragmented past memories, her fingers familiarly tracing the carved characters.

She was born on the day when the emperor held his coronation ceremony.

As she was the only child of the old generals born in the founding year, the Empress bestowed upon her the nickname "Taiping" while holding the swaddled baby. Later, her father placed this large stone in front of the newly constructed General's Mansion and carved the words "Taiping Mansion" on it. Her two elder brothers personally carved these words with knives.

And the big stone in her arms, where Liang Ning used to climb and play as a child, later became Liang Ning's hitching post.

Unexpectedly, it became the only thing she could touch now.

"Creak—"

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, the sound of a door opening came from the southeast corner.

Several beams of lantern light spilled out from inside, illuminating a few people stepping out as they crossed the threshold.

Fu Zhen quickly gathered her thoughts, hid behind the stone, carefully peeping out to observe the situation in that direction.