Chapter 14: She, Zhang Susu, Would Make Them All Survive! Together They Would Defy Fate and Change Destiny!

When Zhang Susu read this part of the book, she was filled with grief and indignation. Although she disliked Su Yingxue, the vicious female antagonist, she also felt that such an outcome was too tragic for anyone.

But now, as the four palace maids—Chunfeng, Xiahe, Qiushuang, and Dongxue—were no longer mere characters on paper but living, breathing individuals standing before her, Zhang Susu felt, for the first time in these days, that they were not just lightly sketched in the Original Work with a few faint strokes.

In the Original Work, the author had lavished extensive ink on depicting the love story between the male and female leads. Even Su Yingxue, a supporting character, only occupied a few chapters to portray her absurd, arrogant, vicious, and indulgent life. How much less attention was given to the four palace maids?

Yet now, they were such vivid and lively, beautiful and gentle young girls. When Zhang Susu truly witnessed with her own eyes the sharp blade in Yin Ruhai’s hand—the same Yin Ruhai who had four times sacrificed himself to block Su Yingxue from brutal execution—and saw the four palace maids before her, she truly could not bear it. Like Su Yingxue in the Original Work, she could not stand idly by and watch them die alongside her.

Including Cao Dewang, who, in the end, protected her until his last breath. He was nearly pierced all over by the swords of soldiers and Yin Ruhai’s men, his brocade robes soaked in blood. Even in death, he knelt before her, using his body to shield her until the very end.

Zhang Susu felt she could not remain indifferent.

She had to rely on herself to defy fate and change destiny.

Not only would she alter Su Yingxue’s tragic predetermined ending, but she would also change the fates of Chunfeng, Xiahe, Qiushuang, and Dongxue. She would change Cao Dewang’s fate!

She, Zhang Susu, would make them all survive! Live well! Together they would defy fate and change destiny!

As for how to achieve this, it would require careful planning!

Zhang Susu pondered deeply. She remembered that in the original novel, when Shen Ruhai stepped on Su Yingxue’s back, it was described how he pressed down forcefully on her delicate back while sneering and mocking:

“Your Highness the Eldest Princess, never thought, did you, that one day you, who were once so high and mighty, would become an object of bullying for the people of Dasheng Palace?”

“Heh heh heh, Your Highness the Eldest Princess, this servant never intended to oppose you. After all, you and I have no quarrel. But alas, tsk tsk tsk, what a pity,” Shen Ruhai sneered, “what a pity that Your Highness the Eldest Princess is a thorn in my master’s side.”

“My master despises Your Highness the Eldest Princess to the core,” he said, delivering a fierce kick to Su Yingxue’s back. Su Yingxue felt as though her ribs had been shattered, the pain so intense it seared through her organs with every breath. A metallic taste of blood choked her throat—such agony, such excruciating pain.

“Heh heh, Your Highness the Eldest Princess, watch closely. These people are all dying for you,” Shen Ruhai’s maniacal, arrogant laughter echoed in her ears. Her heart burned with the desire to kill him, but she could not. Bound to the ground, she struggled helplessly. She could save neither them nor herself.

If that was the case, then this Shen Ruhai must be the lackey of some noble in the Dasheng rear palace. Perhaps this noble in the palace was the very culprit who had pushed her into the lake?

For the first time, Zhang Susu felt intrigued by this behind-the-scenes mastermind—a noble in the palace never explicitly revealed in the novel. Could she defy fate and change destiny? It seemed she would first need to uncover the true identity of this mastermind and then proceed with careful planning.

Zhang Susu thought to herself, this transmigration truly required caution at every step. She didn’t know how many dangers awaited her in the Da Sheng Kingdom, nor whether she could defy fate and change destiny for Su Yingxue through her own schemes. She could only take one step at a time and adapt as she went.

After leaving the main hall of the Eldest Princess and entering the side hall, Su Yingxue dismissed all the attendants, keeping only Qiushuang by her side.

Seeing that no one else was around except the unconscious Chu Xingchen on the bed, Qiushuang finally voiced her confusion, “Your Highness the Eldest Princess, this servant has something she doesn’t understand.”

“Speak freely.” Su Yingxue sat by the bedside, reaching out to touch Chu Xingchen’s forehead. Indeed, the imperial physician’s herbal decoction and the maid’s physical cooling care had shown some effect.

Seeing this, Su Yingxue felt slightly relieved. After all, he was injured because of her, and she felt deeply guilty. She gently soaked the cloth on his forehead in cold water, wrung it dry, and reapplied it to his forehead.

Noticing this, Qiushuang handed Su Yingxue a handkerchief to wipe the water from her hands. Before Su Yingxue could return it, Qiushuang was already waiting with both hands to receive it. In a low voice, she asked, “Your Highness the Eldest Princess, why are you so concerned about Chu Huangzi this time? And why did you confront the Inner Eunuch Directorate for him?”

“That Shen Ruhai doesn’t seem like an easy person to deal with!” Qiushuang spoke cautiously. Over the years in the Princess’s Palace, she had heard much about him—that he had his methods, and it was said that even the masters of various palaces had to show him some respect in his presence. “Aren’t you afraid, Master, that he might hold a grudge and harm you in the future?”

Hearing this, Su Yingxue smiled faintly, “But the current outcome, though not deliberately arranged, followed nature and yet benefits This Palace more. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Seeing Qiushuang deep in thought, Su Yingxue gently reminded her, “The Inner Eunuch Directorate in the palace is like a warship in His Majesty’s hands. Shen Ruhai is the helmsman of this ship.”

Su Yingxue’s voice was calm, as serene as chrysanthemums, as if she cared little about worldly matters. She gently wiped away the bloodstains on Chu Xingchen’s hands with the handkerchief and tucked the quilt corners around him, softly explaining to Qiushuang, “With Shen Ruhai at the helm, no matter where this ship sails, it might turn its cannons toward This Palace. He is not This Palace’s person, and his background is unknown.”

“But Cao Dewang would not,” Su Yingxue said gently. She knew the original story’s outcome—Cao Dewang was a loyal servant who would protect her with his life, unwavering in his devotion. Thus, she felt entirely at ease.

“If Cao Dewang were the helmsman, no matter where he steered this warship under His Majesty’s orders, he would never turn its cannons toward This Palace. Because he was sent by His Majesty many years ago to protect This Palace.”

“Given this, the matter benefits This Palace more than it harms. Why bother with the rest?” Su Yingxue said.

“But Your Highness the Eldest Princess, even if Chu Huangzi once jumped into the lake to save you, why did you personally ask His Majesty for a favor to allow him to stay in the Princess’s Palace?”

Recalling all this, Qiushuang still felt it was improper. The Eldest Princess had no betrothal or marriage arrangement. Though willful, she had no openly acknowledged male consorts. The former Eldest Princess had always wished to take Chu Xingchen as a male consort, but after failing to obtain him, she grew increasingly frenzied, often personally flogging him.

It could be said that Chu Xingchen, in his current state, likely harbored hatred for the Eldest Princess despite having saved her. Qiushuang feared that even if the Eldest Princess cared so much about Chu Xingchen’s safety and went to great lengths to secure his well-being, Chu Xingchen might not appreciate it.

Every time Chu Xingchen was flogged by Her Highness the Eldest Princess, he resembled an unweaned wolf cub—eyes blazing crimson as if ready to devour someone whole, his gaze dripping with undisguised hatred. Keeping such a person nearby, Qiushuang feared it would bring harm to Su Yingxue.

Hearing this, Su Yingxue personally replaced the compress on Chu Xingchen’s forehead, repeating patiently, “Qiushuang, you saw it clearly today—the conditions of the Cold Palace where he lives, the abuse he suffers from the palace servants. If he returns there, these wounds will never heal properly.”

Su Yingxue gazed at the pale, unconscious youth lying on the bed, his face gaunt yet strikingly handsome.