Coming to an Understanding

If the Third Prince were still the Emperor, in some people's eyes, becoming his concubine would be a good thing, a promising career. If she were lucky and skillful, she might even become the future Empress Dowager. Even if she didn't become Empress Dowager, being a concubine would still give her power. At least the Old Madam and Lady Zhu would have to kneel and kowtow to Zhao Ruyu when they met her.

But the plot has changed now; the second and Fifth Prince, who were supposed to have died, and the Fu Family father and son are all still alive and well. Would Zhao Ruyu dare to gamble that the Third Prince will still be emperor? Of course not.

So, who does Zhao Ruyu want to marry after she's made herself beautiful?

Zhao Ruxi scratched her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

She's transmigrated into a book, and this book is a sweet romance novel. If the male and female leads don't end up together and have a sweet, romantic relationship, but instead break up, wouldn't the world collapse?

However, if she were to stop Zhao Ruyu and force Zhao Ruyu to marry Fu Yunlang, it would violate Zhao Ruxi's principles.

She has always believed that everyone has the freedom to choose their own destiny.

She thought it was good for Zhao Ruyu to marry Fu Yunlang and that she would be happy; but if Zhao Ruyu didn't think that way, but instead felt that she would be happier to marry someone else, or that she could gain some kind of psychological satisfaction, then forcing Zhao Ruyu would be a very immoral thing for her.

"System, if Zhao Ruyu doesn't marry Fu Yunlang, will the world collapse?" she hurriedly asked the system.

"I don't know," the system replied blankly.

It doesn't even know where it came from, so how could it know such important information? The host really overestimates it.

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "We originally agreed that I would help you level up after I arrived in Jiangnan. I think there's nothing else going on now, so you might as well level up."

"Really?" The system's voice was filled with surprise.

Zhao Ruxi nodded. "Really."

"Ahhh, that's great!" The system happily did a somersault. "Then I'll go upgrade now. Host, do you miss me too much?" With that, its voice disappeared.

Zhao Ruxi still had something to say, but she had to shut up for the moment.

Hopefully, after the system upgrade, it will still be as adorable as before, and please don't "eliminate" you so easily. Also, 20,000 points are enough for the system to level up. But the system has already earned over 200,000 points from her; will it level up several times in a row and still not have returned by next winter?

Thinking of Zhao Ruyu, Zhao Ruxi picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Xiao Lingyan, telling him about Zhao Ruyu's changes.

To avoid mentioning the system, she didn't write anything specific, only saying that Zhao Ruyu had suddenly become more beautiful and she didn't know what she was up to. She believed Xiao Lingyan could guess.

She received Xiao Lingyan's reply that very evening.

Xiao Lingyan knew it was a transmigration story. From the snippets of conversation he had with Zhao Ruxi, he had guessed that Zhao Ruxi also had a system. He had read countless transmigration and rebirth novels, and he understood Zhao Ruxi's concerns.

In his letter to Zhao Ruxi, he said that since God (or the original author? or the system?) had allowed him and Zhao Ruxi to transmigrate into this book and even allowed Zhao Ruyu to be reborn, it was because He was dissatisfied with the plot of this book and wanted someone to change the storyline.

Now that his fate, along with that of Xiao Lingpu, the Fu Family father and son, and the 100,000 border soldiers, has changed, it seems that the fate of Zhao Ruyu and Fu Yunlang can also be changed. On the contrary, it would be contrary to the meaning of their time travel and rebirth if he and Zhao Ruxi forced Zhao Ruyu and Fu Yunlang together. Therefore, it would be better to let Zhao Ruyu walk the path she wants to walk, and maybe she can live a wonderful life.

Zhao Ruxi read Xiao Lingyan's letter and nodded repeatedly, finding his words very reasonable. It was she who had misunderstood.

Since Zhao Ruyu has been reborn, and she and Xiao Lingyan have also transmigrated into this world, the plot of this world had already changed from the moment Zhao Ruyu was reborn and they transmigrated. Perhaps this is the meaning of this world's existence, and she doesn't need to be obsessed with the original plot anymore.

With that thought in mind, Zhao Ruxi decided to let Zhao Ruyu do whatever she wanted. But she needed to know exactly what Zhao Ruyu was planning to do.

"System..." she cried out in her mind.

Not hearing a response from the system, Zhao Ruxi suddenly realized that her mentally challenged family member had been upgraded and was temporarily unreachable.

She looked up at the increasingly dark sky and suddenly chuckled.

She used to be proud of relying solely on herself, not on any special abilities. Now she's really proven wrong. She's become accustomed to the system's existence and to relying on it for information.

Now that the system has been upgraded and can no longer be relied upon, it serves as a wake-up call for her, making her realize that she still has to rely on herself in everything.

She went directly to the old lady's place.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just not used to it yet." The old lady quickly said when she saw her granddaughter, whom she had just parted ways with shortly after dinner, come back. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

It's impossible that nothing's wrong. Not to mention the old lady, even Zhao Ruxi felt a little uncomfortable looking at the suddenly empty house, let alone the old lady.

Originally, Lady Zhu was the backbone of this household. No matter what happened to Zhao Ruxi outside or how long she stayed away, she didn't have to worry about the family. Lady Zhu would take care of everything at home perfectly. No matter how late she came back, there would always be hot food at home, and someone would care about her.

But now that Lady Zhu has left, the house is not only mostly empty, but she also feels that the surroundings have suddenly become desolate. When she goes out, she has to keep in mind whether the elders at home are well, and whether the servants are causing trouble. She has more than a few things to worry about.

So Lady Zhu had only been gone for half a day when she started missing her.

Zhao Yuanxun was the same. Although this father was not physically strong or particularly capable, he was the head of the family, the pillar of the household, and a source of reassurance. Like Lady Zhu, he was her solid support and a safe haven for her.

Zhao Jingtai was originally a mischievous child, but after the family split up, he matured quickly, becoming more and more sensible, obedient, and lovable.

In modern times, she has long been accustomed to being alone. Whether it's family or best friends, if they miss each other, they can simply video chat or make a phone call to say hello. Everyone lives their own lives without interfering with each other, so there isn't much to miss.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in ancient times, she experienced the bitterness of separation.

"In three months, we'll be reunited with them," Zhao Ruxi comforted her. "You might not be used to it at first, but you'll get used to it."

"Yes, that's exactly it," the old lady immediately agreed.

The grandmother and grandson said they were comforting each other, but they were actually comforting themselves more. They resonated with each other and were finally miraculously comforted, feeling much more at ease.

Zhao Ruxi then got to the point. "Grandmother, are there any servants on Second Uncle's side that you and Mother arranged? I had a feeling that Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister were acting strangely today."