Wei Lian's POV
The Crown Prince's body convulsed on the bed, foam bubbling from his lips.
Move aside! The head physician shoved past me, pressing herbs against the child's mouth. We need to purge the poison!
But I'd seen this before. In my first life, this exact scene. The Crown Prince dying while physicians tried everything.
And failed.
What poison is it? the Emperor demanded, his voice like cracking ice.
We don't know yet, Your Majesty. We're testing
You don't have time to test! I pushed forward without thinking. It's Nightshade mixed with Golden Serpent venom. The combination mimics seizure sickness, but it's not. You need to
Every eye turned to me.
The head physician's face purpled. How dare a concubine
Let her speak. The Emperor's command cut through everything. How do you know this?
My mind raced. I couldn't say I watched him die this way in my first life.
The symptoms, Your Majesty. The foam color, the specific convulsion pattern, the timing after his afternoon tea. I met his eyes desperately. I've read about this poison combination in the medical texts. It's rare, but distinctive.
If you're wrong
Then execute me. But if I'm right and you waste time, the Crown Prince dies. I turned to the physician. You need powdered White Jade root and crushed Pearl essence. Mix them with wine and force it down his throat. It's the only antidote.
The physician hesitated.
DO IT! the Emperor roared.
They scrambled. White Jade root from the medicine chest. Pearl essence ground quickly. Mixed with rice wine.
The head physician forced the mixture past the Crown Prince's clenched teeth.
Seconds passed like hours.
Thenthe convulsions slowed. The foam lessened. The child's breathing steadied.
Everyone exhaled at once.
It's working, the physician whispered, shocked. The antidote is working.
The Emperor's hand clamped on my shoulder. Not gentle. Outside. Now.
He dragged me from the quarters into an empty corridor. Slammed me against the wall, his face inches from mine.
How did you know? The exact poison, the exact antidote, immediately. His eyes burned into mine. No one knows that except
Someone who's seen it before, I finished quietly.
Impossible. That poison combination hasn't been used in this palace for seventy years. I know because I researched every assassination method after taking the throne.
Seventy years. The same number that kept appearing. Since Emperor Shen Yao's grandfather's time.
Your Majesty, I can't explain how I know things. But I do know them. And right now, I know your son was poisoned by someone close to him. Someone he trusts.
Who?
I couldn't say it. Not without proof. Accusing Imperial Consort Hua Rong would get me executed instantly.
I don't know yet. But I'll find out.
His hand tightened on my shoulder. You've saved the Jiangnan Province. Warned about military ambushes. Protected my son twice now. You know things you shouldn't, predict things that haven't happened. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. What are you, Wei Lian?
Someone trying to save this empire, Your Majesty. That's all.
That's not all. That's not even close to all. But he released me. Find proof of who poisoned my son. You have three days. After that, I'm investigating you as thoroughly as I'm investigating the poisoner.
He strode back to his son's quarters, leaving me shaking.
Three days. To prove Hua Rong poisoned her own son without revealing I was reborn.
Impossible.
I returned to my quarters to find Su Jin waiting, tears streaming down her face.
My lady! They're saying you saved the Crown Prince again! But the Empress Dowager is furious. She's calling you a witch, saying no one could know that poison combination naturally.
Where's the mysterious woman when I need her? I muttered.
What woman, my lady?
I'd never told Su Jin about the midnight meeting. Nothing. I need information. Who prepared the Crown Prince's afternoon tea today?
I'll find out.
While she worked, I paced, thinking. In my first life, the Crown Prince died from this poisoning. The Emperor never identified who did it just executed everyone even remotely connected.
Including me, eventually.
But this time, he lived. Which meant I'd changed the timeline again.
What would Hua Rong do now that her plan failed?
A knock at my door. I opened it to find a servant girl I didn't recognize.
Message for Concubine Wei Lian. She handed me a sealed letter and vanished.
I opened it with trembling fingers:
Midnight. Same place. Come alone. We need to talk about what you just did. Your fellow traveler
The mysterious reborn woman.
I went, despite exhaustion. Despite danger.
She was already waiting in the north garden pavilion, her expression grave.
You saved the Crown Prince.
Yes.
In our original timeline, he died today. His death was the catalyst that drove the Emperor into paranoid madness. She stepped closer. By saving him, you've changed everything. Hua Rong's entire plan just collapsed.
Good.
No. Not good. She grabbed my arms. You don't understand. Hua Rong is adaptable. If one plan fails, she creates another. And now she knows someone is interfering with her schemes. Someone with knowledge they shouldn't have.
Let her suspect
She'll kill you! Or worse, she'll torture you until you reveal how you know things. The woman's grip tightened. I've watched Hua Rong work for years. She's not just evil, she's brilliant. And you just declared war on her.
Then help me! You said you wanted to cooperate.
I do. But you need to trust me. She released me, pulling out a small vial. This is truth serum. Not the kind that makes you babble the kind that lets me verify you're really reborn, not a spy using some other method to gather information.
I stared at the vial. You want me to drug myself?
I want proof we're the same. That I can trust you with my real identity and my network. She met my eyes. You've changed things faster than I ever dared. If we're going to work together, we both need to know the other is genuine.
And if I refuse?
Then I disappear. And you face Hua Rong, the Empress Dowager, Prime Minister Zhao, and every other enemy alone. She held out the vial. Your choice.
I looked at the tiny bottle. Could be poison. Could be a trap.
But I was running out of time and allies.
If I take this, will you take it too?
She smiled slightly. Fair. She produced a second vial. We'll both drink. Both verify. Both trust, or both walk away.
I studied her face, searching for deception. Found only determination and bone-deep exhaustion.
Someone else who'd lived through hell and came back fighting.
Together, I said.
We each raised our vials.
Then a voice behind me cold, furious, familiar: Step away from her. Now.
I spun to find the Emperor standing at the pavilion's edge, sword drawn, eyes burning with rage.
He'd followed me. Seen everything.
Your Majesty
Silence. He pointed the sword at the mysterious woman. Identify yourself. Explain why you're giving my concubine poison in the middle of the night. Do it now, or die where you stand.
The woman's face went white. Then she did something that made my heart stop.
She dropped to her knees and pulled back her hood completely, revealing her face in the moonlight.
Forgive me, Your Majesty. Her voice shook. But you should recognize me. You had me executed three years ago for being a spy.
The Emperor's sword lowered slightly, confusion crossing his face. I've executed many people. Why would I remember
Because I'm your half-sister. Princess Shen Mei. Daughter of the late Emperor and a concubine. She raised her eyes, and I saw tears streaming. You had me killed for a treason I didn't commit. And somehow, impossibly... I'm alive again.