Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jun Qingyu has two faces.

No matter how wild and wickedly seductive he is the night before, the moment he puts on his clothes, he transforms into a cold, noble, and ethereal immortal.

I sat on the bed.

“Give me your hand,” he said.

I sluggishly extended my arm, revealing a distinct finger mark on my wrist.

Using a warm, damp cloth, Jun Qingyu wiped between each of my fingers with gentle care. “The other one,” he said softly.

I swapped hands.

Once both hands were clean, he told me to close my eyes.

He wiped my face a few times as well.

Like a clothes rack, I let him dress me. Then, I sat on a wooden stool, staring at my reflection in the coarse bronze mirror.

My soul was completely adrift.

“Not fully awake yet?” Jun Qingyu held a comb, tending to my long hair.

Good question.

I replied with a wooden expression, “I didn’t sleep at all.”

To be precise, I did sleep, but the moment I closed my eyes, morning arrived before I even had time to dream.

“It was only one sleepless night. With your stamina, it shouldn’t be much,” he said, his smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.

He had a point.

I had good stamina and great strength; this had been proven long ago. Never mind just a night of wrestling in bed-even if I had to go to the battlefield and kill enemies on horseback, I would-

I suddenly frowned.

Something flashed deep within my mind.

“Did I pull too hard?” he asked.

“No,” I pressed my finger against my temple, my brow furrowed. “It’s just… I think I just remembered something…”

It was blurry and faint, but for a moment, it felt as if I had truly seen a battlefield and heard the blast of a horn.

“Ow!”

I clutched my head, grimacing. “This time you really did pull it.”

“Apologies,” his movements softened, and his voice became as harmless as water. “What did you remember? Tell me.”

“It was nothing, just a momentary lapse.”

I tilted my head, muttering to myself, “Maybe my memory is coming back. Speaking of which, we’ve been amnesiac for so long-have you remembered anything?”

“I haven’t,” he answered calmly.

“It’s fine if you haven’t.”

I looked at him in the mirror and smiled. “Let’s treat the past as a previous life. Even though we didn’t cross the Bridge of Helplessness or drink the Soup of Oblivion, we’ve already shared two lifetimes of fate. If by some chance… I mean just in case, if we do remember one day, wouldn’t that make us a love for three lifetimes? Truly unforgettable!”

My words made Jun Qingyu break into a faint smile. His long fingers moved gracefully, gathering my hair into a bundle.

It looked neat and spirited.

I shook my head, my long ponytail brushing against my waist.

Jun Qingyu watched me in the mirror, his eyes filled with nothing but tenderness.

***

After eating the porridge he cooked, I carried rolls of silk back and forth to the donkey cart.

Now that the official road into the city was clear, a donkey cart from the village went into town every three days.

Every household that had things to sell or buy could catch a ride on this cart.

Once the silk was loaded, I shouted toward the house, “Qingqing, I’m heading into the city!”

“Wait.”

He walked out slowly and handed me a small cloth bag. “There are crispy cakes and ham inside. Eat them if you get hungry. The bamboo tube is filled with boiled water I cooled this morning, and there’s a clean handkerchief…”

I accepted them happily.

“Come back early,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

“You got it!” I flashed my white teeth at him.

Sitting on the donkey cart, I looked back and waved non-stop.

I only turned around to sit properly once he was out of sight.

“I’ve never seen a couple like you two in my life. You’re so lovey-dovey it’s like you’re glued together.”

Aunt Zhao, who was on the same cart, covered her mouth and laughed. “Last time, I even saw you bringing a big bunch of wildflowers down the mountain. They were for Master Jun, weren’t they?”

I scratched my head and chuckled.

Brother Li, the driver, clicked his tongue. “The man stays home weaving and cooking, while the woman goes out hunting and trading… You two have completely swapped the roles of who shows their face in public.”

As soon as he said that, both my expression and Madam Zhao’s turned sour.

Unlike me, Madam Zhao’s husband had been injured years ago and had a lame leg; he stayed home doing woodwork and couldn’t travel far.

I replied unhurriedly with a smile, “Being able to show one’s face is a skill in itself. As for being the head of the household, we women can do it, but men couldn’t even if they wanted to.”

Madam Zhao didn’t back down either, saying coldly, “What’s so special about being the head of a house? If the Crown Princess were still around, even the dragon throne in the Imperial Capital City would be sat upon by a woman.”

The moment she mentioned the Crown Princess, my head began to throb again.

A ringing sound filled my ears, and the words “Crown Princess” echoed repeatedly.

“If the Crown Princess truly held the Mandate of Heaven, she wouldn’t have been impeached and ordered to commit suicide. It just goes to show that women can’t carry the weight of the world…”

“Bullshit! Those treacherous officials who impeached the Crown Princess will face divine retribution sooner or later! Besides, even without the Crown Princess, there is still the Third Princess. She’ll take the throne eventually!”

“Women have long hair but short sight. Don’t you know that the one with the most support in the Imperial Capital City right now is the Fourth Prince?”

“What does the Fourth Prince count for? The Third Princess is a legitimate daughter and the elder sister, just like the Crown Princess. Furthermore, the Third Princess has General Huo assisting her.”

“Well, the Fourth Prince has the Prime Minister backing him. The Prime Minister comes from a powerful noble clan; how can General Huo compare?”

…

“Lady of the Jun Family, what do you think? Who do you favor?”

“Lady of the Jun Family! Lady of the Jun Family?”

I snapped back to my senses and asked blankly, “What?”

“Who do you think will succeed the throne? The Third Princess or the Fourth Prince?” Madam Zhao asked, her eyes wide.

I let out a soft “ah.” Before my thoughts could fully return, I murmured, “The one who should succeed the throne… is Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess…”

“Pfft!” Brother Li burst out laughing.

“…” Madam Zhao was left speechless.