Qin Zheng had a sound sleep.

When she woke up, she could still hear the pitter-patter of rain outside.

The rain seemed to have lessened, and thankfully, there wasn’t much leaking inside the house.

She glanced over and saw that Chu Chengji was still sleeping by the edge of the bed.

Sometimes she wasn’t sure if he deliberately slept by the edge to keep his distance from her, or if she inadvertently pushed him there while sleeping.

It was still early in the day, so she planned to get up and help Aunt Lu in the kitchen.

But when she tried to get up, she realized her hand was being held by a large hand.

With this movement, Chu Chengji also woke up.

It seemed like he never had those groggy moments when waking up.

His eyes opened with clarity and a hint of coldness, devoid of any trace of sleepiness.

After a moment, a touch of warmth appeared in his clear eyes, as if a fierce beast just waking up had restrained its aura.

However, compared to yesterday, the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced.

The room was dimly lit, and as Qin Zheng sat up, meeting his gaze, she noticed a faint bruise in the corner of his eye.

Then she looked at the hand he had been holding all night, and a conclusion was imminent.

She awkwardly asked, “Did I hit you last night?”

Crown prince noticed that he was still holding her hand and let go before saying, “It’s nothing.”

Her hand, which had been held by him all night, felt numb after he let go.

Qin Zheng dryly apologized, “I don’t sleep very well.”

It was more than just not sleeping well; it was downright terrible.

Chu Chengji’s voice remained calm, “It’s not your fault. This bed is indeed a bit small.”

Qin Zheng knew he was trying to give her a way out, so she didn’t continue his words and got out of bed to put on her shoes.

Then she said, “It’s still early. Husband, get some more sleep. I’ll go to the kitchen and help Aunt Lu with breakfast.”

After Qin Zheng left the room, Chu Chengji raised his hand to touch the corner of his eye.

Could she see that it was bruised?

This strength in her hand, it would be a pity if she didn’t learn some boxing techniques.

---

When Qin Zheng went to the kitchen, Aunt Lu had just boiled some water, indicating that she hadn’t been up for long.

She sat behind the stove and added some firewood to it, saying, “Why did you wake up so early today, Madam?”

Qin Zheng felt embarrassed about accidentally giving Chu Chengji a black eye last night and splashed her face with cold water. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I came to the kitchen to check.”

“It’s only the beginning of the month. Young girls shouldn’t use cold water for washing. Accumulating cold in the body will be uncomfortable in the future.” Aunt Lu saw what happened and came over to help Qin Zheng pour out the cold water.

Then she scooped some warm water from the pot. “It’s just been heated, not too hot, but it’s better than cold water.”

“Thank you, Aunt Lu.” Qin Zheng thanked her and used her own face towel to pat her face with warm water before asking, “What are you planning to make for breakfast this morning, Aunt Lu?”

Aunt Lu suggested making noodles since it was rainy and muddy outside, making it inconvenient to pick vegetables.

Qin Zheng nodded in agreement, saying, “I’ll prepare the dough.”

She took a clean porcelain basin and went to the cabinet to get some flour.

As Qin Zheng started kneading the dough, Aunt Lu asked while she was adding water to the flour, “Are you still having a quarrel with your husband?”

Qin Zheng replied while kneading the dough, “No, we’re not.”

Aunt Lu looked somewhat helpless, saying, “You two, whenever I ask, your answers are always the same. Last night, I saw the light on outside, went out to check, and found your husband standing under the eaves in the dead of night, not sleeping! You were the same, sitting at the door alone all afternoon, and I saw it all!”

Listening to Aunt Lu’s words about Chu Chengji standing outside in the cold last night, Qin Zheng lowered her head and continued kneading the dough without an immediate response.

She suspected that her terrible sleeping habits might have driven him away.

Seeing her reaction, Aunt Lu became even more anxious about this young couple.

She said, “I talked to your husband last night, and I’ll talk to you today.

There’s no marriage without occasional quarrels.

But don’t keep things bottled up. No matter how big the issue, it’s better to talk about it.

Men are simple-minded sometimes, and they might say or do things without considering the consequences, making you unhappy.

You have to let him know, only then will he understand. Marriage is all about compromise.”

Qin Zheng finished kneading the dough and smiled as she punched it down, saying, “I understand.”

If they were an ordinary couple, Aunt Lu’s words would indeed make sense.

But she and Chu Chengji were clearly not within the realm of “ordinary.”

Between them, they could never avoid the topic of Shen Yanzhi, but before yesterday, no one had dared to broach the subject.

During their escape, Chu Chengji had indeed always protected her.

She appreciated his efforts, but she couldn’t help but wonder why he insisted on taking her, a helpless woman, with him.

Was it because she was the Crown Princess?

If initially she had followed Chu Chengji to escape for her own survival, then Chu Chengji’s several attempts to protect her during their escape made her consider two possibilities: either the Crown Prince held deep feelings for her, or she was useful to him.

After spending time with him, Qin Zheng felt that Chu Chengji didn’t have deep feelings for her.

His kindness towards her seemed fleeting, like a mist dissipating upon touch.

So, if it wasn’t because of love, there was only one other possibility: she was useful to him.

According to the books, Shen Yanzhi rebelled against the Crown Prince.

As long as she was in Chu Chengji’s hands, he had a card to play against Shen Yanzhi.

Qin Zheng didn’t want to think of Chu Chengji in such a despicable light, but she couldn’t help but consider this possibility.

She had been trying to find a third reason why Chu Chengji risked his life to bring her along, but so far, she hadn’t figured it out.

That’s why when Chu Chengji mentioned yesterday that he could send her to Shen Yanzhi, she subconsciously felt he was testing her.

After all, she was likely Chu Chengji’s trump card against Shen Yanzhi.

How could he possibly let her leave?

Whether it was perceived as being pragmatic or cold-hearted, Qin Zheng just saw her situation too clearly.

In the past, when reading time-travel novels, it felt great to see the protagonist dominating everything.

But when it’s your turn to time-travel, you find yourself without any relatives, isolated and helpless.

Every step requires careful consideration, or else you wouldn’t know what awaits you in the next moment.

In this world, there is kindness, but there’s no kindness that would risk one’s life to protect someone insignificant.

Chu Chengji has been good to her, but she needs to know what he wants in exchange from her.

Emotions? Qin Zheng hasn’t become that narcissistic yet.

With Chu Chengji’s strategies, obviously, he wouldn’t be constrained by romantic feelings.

There’s no free lunch in this world; she’s long accustomed to everything being an exchange.

Chu Chengji saved her, and she took care of him when he was seriously injured.

He wants to restore the country, and he will only stand taller in the future.

If she only has the identity of a crown princess, she can never be his equal because everything she possesses depends on him.

Only when she’s strong enough, regardless of the outcome, can she face everything calmly.

But given the current situation, she can only develop surreptitiously while pretending to be submissive.

When Qin Zheng was frying sausages, Aunt Lu went to fetch hot water for Chu Chengji to wash up.

When she returned, she noticed Qin Zheng’s strange expression. “Did you have a fight with your husband last night?”

Qin Zheng didn’t react immediately. “Huh?”

Aunt Lu pointed to her eye. “I see a bruise on your husband’s face.”

Qin Zheng said, “I accidentally hurt him while I was asleep.”

That was the truth.

But Aunt Lu obviously didn’t believe it.

She said with emphasis, “Small quarrels between husband and wife are normal, but never resort to violence.

It’s easy to hurt the relationship.

Men are naturally stronger than women, and it’s him accommodating you. Otherwise, you’ll be the one at a disadvantage.”

Qin Zheng had nothing to say.

She understood what was being said.

After the sausages were ready, Aunt Lu still urged her to personally take a bowl to Chu Chengji, with a look that said, “I know you woke up early to cook to make it up to your husband. You don’t need to hide it anymore.”

Not wanting to be nagged by the old lady anymore, Qin Zheng carried a large bowl of sausages into the room. “Husband, it’s time to eat.”

He had just finished writing something, the brush on the inkstone had stained, and the rough paper had neatly cut off one edge, exactly the width of an envelope.

Qin Zheng placed the bowl of noodles on the table and instructed him, “Eat while it’s hot.”

When she first got up, the room was still dimly lit, and she noticed a small bluish-gray patch near his eye.

Now that the light was better, she could see that it was a light bluish color.

If he had a wheatish complexion, this hint of blue might not have been noticeable at all, but his complexion was pale, making it particularly striking at the corner of his eye.

Chu Chengji put away the paper and pen elsewhere.

Seeing that she had only brought one bowl over, he asked, “What about you?”

Qin Zheng headed out. “I’m in the kitchen. I’ll get mine.”

As she stepped out, she glanced at the cage under the eaves, and indeed, the pigeons inside were gone.

When Qin Zheng returned with her bowl of noodles, Chu Chengji was still sitting at the table, not having touched his chopsticks yet.

He only started eating after she sat down.

Qin Zheng watched him take a bite and asked, “Is it good?”

With limited ingredients in the kitchen, she made the noodles with diced meat and scrambled eggs.

The vinegar added a sour taste, and the chopped prickly ash sprinkled with hot oil gave it a spicy kick.

Despite looking plain, the noodles were appetizingly sour and spicy, with plenty of finely minced meat, rich and fragrant.

Chu Chengji wasn’t one to indulge in food cravings.

After taking a mouthful, he nodded lightly in response to her question. “The noodles are fragrant and the soup is rich.”

Qin Zheng smiled and said, “If my husband likes it, I’ll make it for my husband again tomorrow morning.”

Chu Chengji glanced at her and said, “No need. You should sleep a bit more in the morning.”

Qin Zheng lowered her head, focusing on her noodles to avoid his gaze.

See, this person is always like this, always making others feel good.

At that moment, she might have been indulging in his tenderness, but afterwards, she always felt that his kindness was unfounded.

Qin Zheng didn’t dwell on it further and decided to confess something she had intended to tell him: “Husband, actually, there’s something I lied to you about.”

Chu Chengji’s voice was calm. “Oh? What is it?”

Qin Zheng pursed her lips. “The drawing you showed me, I was the one who drew it.”

Chu Chengji seemed unsurprised. “I said, when you’re ready to tell me, it’s not too late. That doesn’t count as lying.”

Even though Qin Zheng prided herself on being clear-headed, hearing him say that suddenly made her heart skip a beat.

She raised her head from her bowl. “Husband, don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

Chu Chengji handed her some of the noodles from his bowl. “If you haven’t figured out how to tell me yet, I’ll ask…”

He watched her with a gentle smile and shook his head. “Whether you make up a decent lie or wait until you feel it’s time to tell me, it’s up to you.”

Qin Zheng was taken aback.

---

After they finished eating, the old doctor came to help him change his bandages, while Qin Zheng went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

When she returned to the room, the old doctor had already finished changing Chu Chengji’s bandages, and several packets of medicine were placed on the table.

“The wound is recovering well. Rest well for a while longer.”

The old doctor saw Qin Zheng entering the room and waved her over. “Come here, girl, let me check your pulse.”

Qin Zheng looked puzzled. What pulse did she need to check?