Chapter 2: Death

She remembered it all, everything!

Mu Yanzhi was the protagonist of the heartbreaking and physically abusive romance novel "The Only Beloved in the Golden Age." She had just accepted the script before she traveled through time, so no wonder it felt so familiar!

In the novel, set in the fictional Great Yan Dynasty, Mu was a royal surname. Mu Yanzhi's father was the reigning Emperor Anqing.

When Emperor Anqing was still the Crown Prince, he was betrothed to Lin Wangshu, the youngest daughter of then-Grand Secretary Lin. They were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love, and spent a night together at a banquet. Unexpectedly, Lin Wangshu became pregnant. This wasn't a big deal, after all, as she was about to enter the Eastern Palace and become a legitimate Crown Princess.

On the eve of the wedding, Grand Secretary Pan filed a letter accusing the Lin family of treason and corruption. The late Emperor ordered an investigation, and surprisingly, they found several letters collaborating with the Hu people and a thousand taels of gold in the Lin family's study. The evidence of the Lin family's crimes was irrefutable. Overnight, everything turned upside down. The late emperor, enraged, confiscated the Lin family's property and stripped them of their titles. Grand Secretary Lin, his brothers, and his son were exiled to the frontier. The Lin family fell into complete decline, and Lin Wangshu's role as Crown Princess was naturally over.

It was at this time that Lin Wangshu discovered she was pregnant. However, her father and brother were thousands of miles away, and Emperor Anding had married the daughter of the Pan family as his new Crown Princess. Helpless, she sought help from Grand Secretary Lin's former friend, Gu Chengshen, then Marquis of Dingping and Gu Yunyao's father.

Gu Chengshen was shocked to learn the truth. He had been close friends with Grand Secretary Lin and didn't believe the Lin family would commit treason. However, the evidence was irrefutable, the late emperor was furious, and Gu Chengshen was powerless to change the situation. Lin Wangshu's plea for help made him realize that this child might be the Lin family's only chance of recovery.

So, he purchased a house outside the capital, and Lin Wangshu moved in anonymously. There, she gave birth to Mu Yanzhi and raised him until he was five years old. The original novel describes these five years as Mu Yanzhi's happiest.

But the good times didn't last. After Mu Yanzhi's fifth birthday, Lin Wangshu passed away from illness. Worried about his death, Gu Chengshen changed Mu Yanzhi's name to Gu Yanzhi and brought him back to the Gu Mansion, declaring that Gu Yanzhi was the orphan of a distant relative and entrusted him to his care for adoption.

Because Gu Yanzhi's identity was a palace secret, Gu Chengshen kept this secret from anyone in the Gu Mansion. While everyone in the Gu Mansion kept their composure regarding this child of unknown origin, they secretly suspected he was Gu Chengshen's illegitimate son.

A myriad of speculations swirled, and everyone in the Gu Mansion had varying feelings about Gu Yanzhi, none harboring good intentions. However, Gu Chengshen protected him, and no one dared to openly humiliate him.

But fate always plays tricks on us. When Gu Yanzhi was eleven, his carriage, passing Qimei Mountain outside Beijing, was hit by a mudslide, toppling over a cliff and leaving no trace. With Gu Chengshen's death, no one in the Gu mansion knew Gu Yanzhi's true identity, nor did anyone protect him. The bullying and insults he had endured behind his back were now exposed. Gu Yunyao was the one who bullied Gu Yanzhi the most.

Gu Yunyao had always disliked Gu Yanzhi. Ever since he arrived at the Gu mansion, Gu Chengshen had taken extra care of him, even giving his own daughter a backseat. Unaware of the true circumstances, Gu Yunyao simply felt that this gloomy boy had robbed her of her father's attention.

While Gu Chengshen was alive, Gu Yunyao dared not do anything overtly. But after his death, Gu Yunyao began to bully Gu Yanzhi in various ways.

Until the eighteenth year of the Anqing Emperor's reign, the Lin family was rehabilitated, and Gu Yanzhi, renamed Mu Yanzhi, was appointed Crown Prince. Two years later, the Anqing Emperor died, and Mu Yanzhi, still only twenty years old, ascended the throne. His first act was to execute the entire Gu family, sparing no one!

Now, Gu Yunyao had traveled back in time to the thirteenth year of the Anqing Emperor's reign. Gu Yunyao was just twelve years old, and only...seven years until her death! Even worse, when Gu Yunyao traveled here, the original owner's father, Gu Chengshen, had already passed away two years earlier. This meant that the original owner's abuse of Gu Yanzhi had already lasted for two full years. Gu Yanzhi was vindictive, so it was no wonder he wanted to kill her.

Oh, right? Kill her... but she wasn't dead?

Gu Yunyao suddenly sat up from the bed, her right hand resting on her left chest. Her heart was beating strongly inside.

She was still alive? What had happened? Didn't Gu Yanzhi kill her?

Under the water, Gu Yanzhi's fierce expression and the hands strangling her neck were all meant to kill her, yet she had somehow survived? How?

"The Third Young Lady is awake! The Third Young Lady is awake!"

A voice of surprise echoed in her ears. Gu Yunyao looked closely. It was a charming maid. She searched her mind and realized it was Tingchun, the head maidservant who served her. It was mid-afternoon, and fine golden light streamed through the cracks of the latticed windows. Smoke curled from a three-legged copper Boshan incense burner beneath. In the center of the room, a screen with a mountain painting in ink and wash painting blocked the view. To the left, a rosewood treasure cabinet stood.

Ancient and elegant.

Gu Yunyao glanced around and opened her mouth, but her throat was dry and she couldn't speak.

She turned her head and pointed to the teapot on the mahogany table below, motioning to Tingchun.

Tingchun was stunned. "Third Miss, would you like some water?"

Seeing Gu Yunyao nod, Tingchun hurriedly poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.

Gu Yunyao took a sip and her brows immediately furrowed. The tea was surprisingly cold, with some fine tea leaves still at the bottom of the cup. Seeing her frown, Tingchun said awkwardly, "The Third Young Lady woke up so suddenly. There's no water in the room."

Gu Yunyao ignored her, leaping off the bed and heading for the brass mirror on the dressing table. The sight of her stunned her. The girl in the mirror looked about twelve or thirteen, her jet-black hair cascading down to her shoulders. Her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering with autumn water, framed her fair skin. Though a little childish, she could tell she would be a beauty in her own right.

Gu Yunyao asked, "Who brought me back?"

Tingchun said, "It was... oh, no, it was the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master brought the Third Young Lady back."

The Second Young Master she was referring to was Gu Yanzhi.

Gu Yunyao's brows furrowed, her confusion growing even deeper. Why had Gu Yanzhi not abandoned her, but rescued her?

You have to understand that, given the circumstances, if Gu Yanzhi hadn't rescued her, no one would have known. Everything would have been blamed on the fat boy, and Gu Yunyao's death would have been an accident.

But he didn't. Gu Yunyao toyed with the white-glazed porcelain teacup in her hand, her mind racing. Did this mean that perhaps Gu Yanzhi didn't hate her completely? Perhaps she could still be saved?

The mere thought of this possibility made her breath quicken.

Who would want to die when they could live well?

If from now on, she treated Gu Yanzhi well, not asking him to show her any favors, and simply refraining from publicly beheading her upon ascending the throne, could she possibly change her inevitable fate?

Gu Yunyao was a person with a strong sense of action. Once she had an idea, she acted quickly. She ordered Tingchun, "Change my clothes! I'm going to see the Second Young Master."

Tingchun was startled. "Why are you going to see him, Third Young Master? You just came out of the lake, caught a cold, and haven't taken your medicine yet."

"You can wait until I get back. I'll go see the Second Young Master first."

Tingchun stood still. "Third Young Master, please stop making a fuss. Take your medicine and go to bed."

Gu Yunyao raised her eyes and stared at Tingchun, saying something ambiguous. "So, you want to be my master?"

Tingchun's face paled and she immediately knelt.

Gu Yunyao, without even looking at her, shouted at the top of her voice, "Someone come."

A moment later, three maids entered from behind the screen and were startled to see Tingchun kneeling. Gu Yunyao didn't bother to talk nonsense. "I'm going to see the Second Young Master. Help me change my clothes."

As soon as she finished speaking, the three maids glanced at Tingchun without moving. After a while, one of them, wearing a green jacket, timidly stepped forward.

Gu Yunyao asked, "What's your name?"

The maid murmured, "I'm the sweeper outside. My name is Xiaolu."

Gu Yunyao said, "From now on, you'll be Tingyu. You'll be my personal servant."

With that, she had Tingyu put a fox fur coat on her. Without another glance at the sweating Tingchun, she walked around the screen and out.