After that, no more money pouches went missing.
Xu Wan actually felt relieved—this was better, as it saved her from frequent trips to the magistrate’s office, which had been cutting into her time for copying books.
On the street, Xu Wan held the books she had just bought for the children and was about to return to the temple when she overheard lively discussions from a nearby teahouse:
"Have you heard? General Zong Zhao was accused of treason and rebellion! He took poison in his cell last night!"
"Ah, what a pity. Such a brilliant and young general—why would he even think of rebelling? I was counting on him to crush You Country into submission."
"Well, what can you do? Young men are often too proud. He probably thought defeating the Luo family made him invincible. But treason… that’s a death sentence."
Xu Wan couldn’t help but sigh.
General Zong Zhao’s reputation was renowned throughout Great Chu. For such a high-ranking and talented young general to stray down such a path was truly lamentable.
With another sigh, she hugged the books and headed back.
……
The dream gradually faded, and Xu Wan, the First-Rank Lady of Support and Virtue, suddenly jolted awake. Recalling everything she had dreamed, she broke into a cold sweat.
It wasn’t because she had married the wrong man in the dream, nor because Chen Yunyu had tormented her relentlessly, nor even because she had endured such hardship in that dilapidated temple. No—it was the money pouch.
That bamboo-patterned pouch belonged to Zong Zhao.
It was embroidered by his mother, a pouch he had carried close for years!
Zong Zhao stirred awake at her rapid breathing. Dawn had just begun to break. He sat up and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Xu Wan looked at him, dazed. "I had a nightmare."
Frowning, Zong Zhao pressed, "What nightmare?"
Xu Wan answered truthfully, "I dreamed I married Chen Yunyu."
Zong Zhao froze, stunned into silence.
Xu Wan recounted the two years she had spent in Duke Jin’s Manor, piece by piece. Married for years now, she knew Zong Zhao wouldn’t irrationally blame her for a mere dream.
Zong Zhao had never known these experiences, nor had he imagined her aversion to Chen Yunyu ran so deep—that in two years of marriage, they had never even… The thought made his heart ache.
She cared so much about those courtesan mistresses, yet Chen Yunyu still hurt her for their sake. The man deserved death.
Clenching his fists, Zong Zhao seethed, wishing he could storm back into Duke Jin’s Manor and beat the scoundrel senseless again.
Suppressing his anger, he pulled his wife into his arms and soothed her, "Dreams aren’t real. None of that ever happened."
In her world, there was no life where she had strayed down that tragic path. She was simply his wife—the joyful, carefree First-Rank Lady of Support and Virtue.
Resting her chin on his shoulder, Xu Wan murmured softly, "But I saw your money pouch. Zong Zhao, during those days in the temple… did you come to see me? Did you leave me silver?"
Zong Zhao didn’t answer.
To respond would reveal what he had tried so hard to keep hidden. He didn’t want her to know—it would only bring her pain.
Xu Wan continued, "It’s a shame I didn’t realize it was you. I thought someone had lost those pouches, so I turned them all over to the magistrate’s office for the owners to claim."
Zong Zhao: "…"
No wonder her circumstances never improved.
Pulling back, Xu Wan met his eyes and asked, "Zong Zhao… did you come back to life?"
Because if he had, that would explain why—before she could marry into Duke Jin’s Manor—he had sought her hand, even when she didn’t know him.
Zong Zhao told her, "It was just a dream."
"Just a dream?" Xu Wan mused. "But when I think about it, it makes sense. So many of your actions could be explained this way."
After a long silence, Zong Zhao finally asked, "Would you want it to be real?"
Xu Wan shook her head. "No. In that dream, we suffered too much. You… died so young. I don’t like it."
Zong Zhao’s gaze softened. "Then it wasn’t real."
Xu Wan let out a sudden laugh. "That’s it? If I want it to be real, it is, and if I don’t, it isn’t?"
"It wasn’t real," Zong Zhao insisted.
Leaning against his chest, Xu Wan whispered, "Then in that false world… how did you come to know me? I didn’t dream that part."
Zong Zhao replied lightly, "Maybe I just saw you a few times, heard you speak, noticed a few small things."
Xu Wan frowned. "And that was enough to fall for me? What was there to like?"
Zong Zhao teased, "Your foolishness?"
Xu Wan smacked his arm indignantly. "You’re the fool!"
As morning light spilled into the room, the two shared a quiet laugh.
Later, Xu Wan sat at her dressing table, combing her hair. Cui Zhi had taken the children out to play, so she intended to simply tie it up herself—until Zong Zhao stepped behind her and offered, "Let me try?"
Xu Wan glanced at his reflection in the mirror, surprised. "You know how to style hair?"
Zong Zhao was already working.
His movements were clumsy, but the steps were correct—mimicking a particular updo Xu Wan had once worn. The more she watched, the more familiar it seemed.
A memory flashed in her mind: years ago, when they had first met, she had asked if he knew how to style hair, and he had said no.
Yet later… he had secretly learned?
Hiding a smile, Xu Wan teased, "General Zong, is there anything you can’t do?"
Zong Zhao pondered. "Plenty."
"Really?" Xu Wan was taken aback.
"Really," Zong Zhao said. "No one is all-powerful. There are many things I can’t do. Medicine, for example."
Xu Wan gasped. "But your skills were so advanced you even saved His Highness!"
Zong Zhao chuckled. "I only learned enough to save him. I can’t treat other illnesses."
The revelation left Xu Wan stunned—and then suspicious. After a pause, she said, "I still think you might have come back to life. I remember where that temple was. I’ll go look later. If the dream was real, maybe Gao Zhongbang and the others are still there."
Silently, Zong Zhao thought: You won’t find them. I already looked.
Because his rebirth had altered events, Xu Wan had never ended up in that temple. The street children there had long since scattered, replaced by new faces. Though he had never stopped searching, those particular boys were nowhere to be found.
But Xu Wan didn’t know that. She wanted to see for herself.
As he watched her hurry off in search of answers, Zong Zhao’s gaze brimmed with tenderness.
He didn’t know why she had dreamed of their past life, but he resolved to keep his silence. Let it remain nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Now awake, she was still the happy Lady of Support and Virtue—his wife, the mother of his children.
As she had said, this was luck.
The luck of living a peaceful, untroubled life.
What you assume are mere strokes of fortune…
Might be someone loving you quietly.
For a long, long time.
