History Always Amazingly Repeats Itself

Edward Lawrence said again, "You must never show the Scarlet Sky sword in front of others. Otherwise, it will bring you trouble!"

"Got it, Dad!"

"I still have things to do, so I'll head back first," said Edward Lawrence. "General Evan, let's go together! I have something to discuss with you."

Evan Xiao nodded, and the two of them left together.

"Hey, um..." Grace called out.

The two men turned around to look at her.

"General Evan, the Martial Bridal Tournament is coming up soon. Will you be able to make it back?" Grace asked.

"Don't worry," Evan Xiao said. "I—and the Antler Serpent—will both enter the palace."

Grace grinned and nodded.

...

Soon, the Empress Dowager's Birthday Festival arrived.

Every year at this time, not only does the palace host a grand and bustling birthday banquet, but the Vermilion Kingdom also sends lavish birthday gifts, and other peer kingdoms (the Vermilion Kingdom's vassal states) send envoys to offer their congratulations.

This is tradition.

This year's Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is livelier and more talked about than any year before.

Because this time, the banquet will host a competition.

The winner of the competition will receive the Empress Dowager’s blessing and be betrothed to General Evan Xiao.

On her way to the palace, Grace thought back to the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet from her previous life.

Then... she realized she could barely remember anything about it.

She vaguely remembered that there was some kind of competition at the banquet, and that it was also related to General Evan Xiao.

The reason she couldn’t remember wasn’t because her memory was bad.

It was because, in her previous life, she never even got to attend the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet!

Back then, she was framed for shoving one of Colin Gu’s concubines, causing a miscarriage, and was locked up until after the festival.

...

The Empress Dowager didn’t limit the number of contestants from the Four Great Houses.

However, there were plenty of eligible girls in the Zhu Clan, but the matriarch didn’t bring all of them to the palace.

Before entering the palace, she made them compete in a family contest and only brought the top five.

Among them, Chloe Zhu was still first, and Jenny Zhu was second.

Clearly, the Zhu Family's Twin Beauties had earned their reputation—they really were that talented.

Grace was the Prime Minister’s daughter and the Empress’s elder sister. Whether or not there was a contest, she had to enter the palace.

Although others saw her as just a bystander, she still drew plenty of attention once she entered the palace.

Mainly because she looked absolutely stunning.

She wore a cherry blossom-red silk gown with embroidered flowers, her long black hair styled into an elegant cloud bun. With every move, she seemed to shimmer, wrapped in a faint mist, simply enchanting.

Her features combined the best of Lena and Edward Lawrence.

She had Lena’s dreamy, clear eyes and Edward’s noble bearing and charisma, all blending into Grace’s unique charm.

From the moment she appeared, Colin Gu’s gaze kept wandering in her direction.

He seemed in a great mood today—chatting and laughing with foreign envoys, poking fun at Evan Xiao, and greeting the nobles. The whole event was lively and harmonious.

Evan Xiao sat right next to Colin Gu.

Grace kept sneaking glances at him, then got up to use the restroom.

She waited, peeking out, and sure enough, Evan Xiao showed up.

When they were alone, Grace asked, "Where’s the Antler Serpent? Hurry up and give it to me!"