Chapter 1

The cicadas still chirped noisily in September, and outside, someone was playing a broadcast with a melodic background tune.

In the innermost part of the San Zhu Li alley, one household had their window slightly ajar. Bright sunlight filtered through the green window curtains, gently lighting the blue brick floor.

Zheng Xiaorou stood at the head of the bed, holding a brick, staring blankly at the man lying on the bed with his face up.

She swallowed hard, put the brick down, and approached him.

She bent down and extended her stiff fingers toward his nose.

Fortunately, his breath felt warm.

It seemed he had merely fainted.

As if to remind her, the clock on the dresser chimed loudly.

She turned to glance at it—in another hour, Lu Yongzhang would be going to have dinner with his parents.

She observed him for a while. This was his unchanging routine. If he missed the time, his mother might come over.

So, she had to hurry.

Zheng Xiaorou gritted her teeth and bent down, reaching to the front of his shirt and unbuttoning the first button.

Even though the lingering heat of summer still hung in the air, making the weather feel anything but September-like, Lu Yongzhang always dressed meticulously in a shirt when he went out.

She rarely saw him wearing a comfortable, casual striped tank top like the other young men in the alley.

After unbuttoning five buttons, a strip of honey-colored skin appeared at the collar, and her fingers paused at the belt buckle.

What would happen if he woke up and found his pants had been removed by her?

He would definitely scold her for being shameless.

Moreover, he might scold her very harshly—maybe he will even scold her for being an indecent woman.

But did she still care about being scolded?

The rumors she had been enduring lately were more hurtful than all the insults she had faced.

The gossip in the alley was detailed and vivid:

“They say working in the countryside is tough, but look at the other educated youth who returned to the city—they’re all tanned and worn out. How come she’s getting whiter and delicate? She must have someone backing her up. That’s why she doesn’t need to work in the fields!”

“Don’t give me that ‘born beautiful’ nonsense. Just ask around, and you’ll find out it’s not true!”

“And also, I heard that over there, when they get married, they don’t even need to register their marriage. The minorities just have to perform the ceremony, and that’s it!”

“How can she prove she’s never been married?”

“…”

They were right—she really couldn’t provide any evidence.

Even if she wrote to the commune, it would take at least a month to get a response, and by the time she received it, who knew how the rumors would have twisted.

Moreover, would those people have believed it even if she had brought back a letter from the commune?

Most importantly, why should she go out of her way to prove something she had never done?

Did these people even deserve that?

What she hadn’t expected was for the local ruffians to come to her home to propose.

Her father was swayed and wanted to marry her off as soon as possible, pushing any suitor—good or bad—into her path.

Feeling helpless, Zheng Xiaorou sought advice from her boyfriend, Cheng Qian.

She and Cheng Qian were high school classmates. When she had just arrived in Yunnan, she received a letter from him about a month later—it was sent from the northeastern countryside.

Cheng Qian had worked hard—only after six months of his one-sidedly sending letters did she finally begin to respond.

The days spent in the countryside were too lonely, and his letters became one of her few comforts.

As time passed, without needing to make it explicit, they tacitly accepted that they were dating.

After returning to the city, they had only met once. Neither of them had mentioned defining their relationship—Cheng Qian felt uncertain about his job prospects and lacked the confidence to approach her.

In contrast, Zheng Xiaorou felt more unfamiliarity than just embarrassment.

Now, things were different. Zheng Xiaorou thought the rumors would naturally stop if she openly stated she had a boyfriend.

However, after hearing her intention to inform her family about her relationship, Cheng Qian’s face turned pale, and he didn’t respond for a long time. Eventually, he hesitantly said: “My mom heard about your time in the countryside and doesn’t approve of us.”

Her time in the countryside?

Oh, he must have heard about her “marriage.”

Zheng Xiaorou didn’t even ask where he had heard it.

After digesting his words for a moment, she forced a smile. “Look at me; I didn’t explain myself clearly and made you misunderstand. What I meant is, I have a boyfriend now, and I’ll introduce him to you when I get the chance!”

She felt relieved that she hadn’t foolishly said: “Cheng Qian, I ran into some trouble and want to tell my family about us. What do you think?”

When Cheng Qian heard her say that, he abruptly looked up and stared at her for a long time, but in the end, he couldn’t muster a single word.

She had heard a Yi folk song, the lyrics of which roughly translated to, “Brother, your affection is like morning dew, disappearing as soon as the sun rises.”

It was indeed quite fitting.

What a shame for all the postage she had used.

She had sent many letters to Cheng Qian, utilizing several special stamps from minority ethnic groups. She had heard that some people even paid good money to collect them.

With this thought, Zheng Xiaorou refocused her gaze on Lu Yongzhang’s belt buckle, unaware of the determination bubbling beneath her calm exterior.

At this point, she calmly unfastened the belt and undid the button on his pants.

The brass belt buckle fell to the blue brick floor, producing a crisp sound.

Zheng Xiaorou was startled, feeling like a thief caught in the act. She stared at Lu Yongzhang’s lean abdomen, surprisingly still able to pay attention to his physique beneath his clothing.

This brief distraction caused her fingers to linger on the zipper of his pants instead of continuing downward.

Perhaps it was the rapid heartbeat that made her sweat; perspiration dripped down her forehead and slid down her nose. She lowered her head to wipe it on her shoulder, but at that moment, she heard a low, icy shout from above her: “How outrageous!”

The voice was fierce and cold.

As Zheng Xiaorou looked up, sweat trickled into her eyes, causing tears to flow.

Though the glance was brief, she did not miss the fleeting chill that sent shivers up her spine.

She had mentally prepared herself to face him, but at that moment, Lu Yongzhang’s brief remark brought an unexpected sense of suffocating pressure that left her breathless.

No wonder people said he was hard to deal with.

She lowered her eyes, trying to figure out how to talk to him.

Being honest and straightforward seemed too difficult; would he even agree to help her?

It didn’t look promising.

If being gentle wouldn’t work, she would have to prepare for the worst and take a more direct approach… after all, she had seen him completely, and it would be unreasonable not to be in a relationship, right?

But saying that sounded no different from what those ruffians would say.

Zheng Xiaorou let out a soft sigh.

However, from an angle she wasn’t aware of, she missed the moment Lu Yongzhang’s pupils constricted upon seeing her face. The overwhelming coldness that seemed about to overflow suddenly melted away, replaced by a contradictory look of surprise and confusion.

He silently called out, “Empress.”

Lu Yongzhang knew very well that he should be dead.

Before he opened his eyes, his memories were frozen at the moment when the city gate of Anwu Gate was breached.

At that time, flames blazed all around, and the stench of blood mingled with the thunderous sound of galloping hooves, gradually drawing closer.

He had used all his strength to push Empress Zheng through the city gate. He hadn’t even had a chance to say a word to her when a sharp pain struck the back of his head.

Time had frozen at that moment, and all sounds faded into the background.

As he lay on his back on the ground, warm liquid, infused with life, flowed endlessly from the back of his head. Reluctantly, he looked towards the slowly closing city gate. The last image in his eyes was her terrified and despairing glance as she turned back, along with a voice drowned out by the chaos of battle saying, “No…”

Now, he lay there with no blazing flames, whinnying warhorses, or glinting blades stained with blood.

When he raised his eyes, he saw her radiant and beautiful face, the epitome of her youth. Yet, at that moment, her eyes were swollen and red from crying, making her look exceptionally wronged.

Lu Yongzhang stared at her intently, unwilling to look away.

The sharp pain in the back of his head reminded him that what he was seeing was not an illusion.

The voice he had just spoken with—

He raised his hand to touch his neck, feeling a familiar yet strange hardness—his Adam’s apple, which was warm and could slide up and down. He followed the unbuttoned collar of his shirt down… astonishingly, he realized he actually had that part!

Lu Yongzhang withdrew his gaze, feeling a wild wave rising in his chest.

It was obvious that this was not his body!

He maintained an expression that concealed his emotions while his mind quickly processed the original memories of this body.

It was now hundreds of years later. The original owner shared his name and surname, being the last descendant of the Lu family, a prestigious family with roots in the Haishi area. By this generation, he was an only son.

He had been reclusive and taciturn, and by the time he was in his teens, his parents had been sent to a re-education camp, separating the family of three for ten years.

As for himself, he had spent a few years training in a field army, settling in a corner during the turbulent years.

Lu Yongzhang raised his hand to fasten the button.

He was somewhat satisfied with this body, as it was not far off from his own physique.

However, had she undressed him in this outfit?

As this thought crossed his mind, he raised his eyes to look at her.

In the memories of the original owner, her name was the same as Empress Zheng’s: Zheng Xiaorou.

She lived diagonally across from him and seemed to have just returned from someplace where she had been living temporarily.

Because of her face, which was strikingly similar to Empress Zheng’s, Lu Yongzhang’s previous fury was now replaced by confusion.

But he remained calm; it was possible for people to resemble each other very closely.

He had once found nearly indistinguishable substitute puppets for her to be used as a backup in the Jiaofang Palace, as targets to buy time in the end.

However, the substitutes he had found were nowhere near as similar as this girl standing before him; she was truly identical.

When Lu Yongzhang let out a huff and did not follow up, Zheng Xiaorou wiped away her sweat and tears, cautiously studying his impassive expression. In an instant, she made a decision and laid everything bare: “I’m sorry, Lu Yongzhang. I want to ask for your help. I shouldn’t have used such despicable means, but don’t worry, I just unbuttoned your shirt and didn’t touch you or see anything I shouldn’t have…”

Her gaze briefly lingered on his waistband, and she realized she had actually seen some things, like his chest and waist.

Lu Yongzhang gave her a cold glance and raised his hand to stop her: “It’s fine.”

Although they were not very familiar with each other, Zheng Xiaorou felt that today’s Lu Yongzhang seemed unusually easy to talk to, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange about it.

Hearing him say it was fine eased her mind: “You’re such a nice person.”

Zheng Xiaorou scrutinized his emotionless face and silently encouraged herself. Since they had gotten this far, she might as well be straightforward!

She tidied her troublesome hair and looked him in the eye: “There’s something I want to ask you for help with. Can you pretend to be my boyfriend? It’s just for a short while. You don’t have to do anything; you just need to not deny it when others ask. I… I don’t have much to offer in exchange, but I can share half of the money I’ve saved over these years with you.”

Half! That really stung. She had initially planned to buy some things for her family and herself, but it would be worth it if it could solve her current problem.

Lu Yongzhang didn’t hear what she said at all; all his attention was on the three small red moles on her cheek that she had revealed when she had just brushed her hair aside.

In the early years of the Da’an Dynasty, when he was thirteen, Zheng Xiaorou had pointed to her own cheek, smiling as she said to him: “I’ll tell you a secret: these three red moles are unique in the world; wherever I go, you can always find me by relying at this mole on my cheeks.”