Chapter 3

That night, not long after Jiang Huai went out, a heavy rain started to fall. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and slowly moved towards the city. It seemed like a storm was about to hit, and the wind filled the building.

The young man beside him looked at Jiang Huai, who was still pale, and cautiously reminded him:

“Master, it looks like it’s going to rain soon…”

“If you go out now, the old lady will be worried.”

The young man wasn’t sure, but after he said this, he noticed the prince sighed. There also seemed to be a faint “yeah” lost in the thunder.

Before he could say anything else, he saw that the prince had already gotten on the carriage and left.

Ah, nothing should happen in this kind of weather.

Qingwa Alley is a well-known area in the capital, with tiled houses. It is one of the few places in the city without a curfew.

Upstairs, a graceful woman with curved eyebrows and full cheeks was kneeling beside Jiang Huai, pouring wine for him. As the clear wine flowed into his cup, Jiang Huai, who had been leaning on the table, raised his glass and drank it all in one go.

The candlelight flickered, and the sound of the pipa ^[1]which is a chinese string instrument. played in the background, creating an intoxicating atmosphere.

“Is there something bothering you, sir?”

Yanliu asked, putting down the wine bottle and leaning into Jiang Huai’s arms. “If you don’t mind, Yanliu would like to be your confidant.”

She had already realized that the relationship between the Crown Prince Xuanwu and his wife was not good, and that the young lady was weak and had no authority. If she could persuade the Crown Prince to take her in, it would be her best chance, or else she might be sent to serve some other man tomorrow.

After all, Prince Jiang was handsome, young, and promising, so today, she could only succeed, not fail. Yanliu glanced at the wine pot on the table. The prince had already finished his drink. She believed that with the warm, fragrant wine and a soft woman in his arms, a man would remain calm.

Jiang Huai smiled faintly, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, and he took the opportunity to embrace the woman.

After sending the poor musician out, he carried the woman to the couch.

The beauty was right in front of him, but the image of another person’s sparkling tears unexpectedly flashed in his mind.

That was the first time he had seen her like that.

He hesitated for a moment, but something didn’t feel quite right.

“Sir.”

Yanliu whispered into his ear, and Jiang Huai leaned down to kiss her lips.

Under the curtain, the scene swayed.

Just as things were about to reach a climax, a knock on the door interrupted them.

The moment was broken, and Jiang Huai’s face darkened. However, he knew something urgent must have happened.

He got up from the bed, opened the door, and listened as someone whispered in his ear. His brows furrowed uncontrollably.

“Is the news reliable?”

“Sir, it’s absolutely true.”

After receiving a confirmed answer, Jiang Huai left the Moyu Building without a second glance, leaving behind a somewhat disheveled Yanliu in the room.

Is this man okay?

Meanwhile, there was a heavy rainstorm, and Jiang Huai, riding out of the city, suddenly felt unwell. He fell off his horse and hit his forehead on the uneven stones by the roadside. Blood, mixed with rainwater, seeped into the cracks of the soil.

The people behind him were terrified.

Then Jiang Huai was carried sideways.

What a twist of fate.

Xu Lianqiao watched all this quietly and felt strangely complicated.

She had been so happy just moments ago, relieved that she no longer had to deal with Jiang Huai.

But now, watching the unconscious Jiang Huai lying on the couch in silence, Xu Lianqiao couldn’t help but worry.

If Jiang Huai stayed unconscious, how would she get the divorce letter? Would she be widowed forever? And… Jiang Huai’s family was difficult to deal with. Would her life be easier? Three words:

Saved my life.

_

Three months later, it’s the height of summer. The cicadas are chirping in the trees, and the sun is so hot it makes the ground scorch.

Xu Lianqiao was taking a nap on the bamboo couch in the house to escape the heat. She had ice with her to stay cool. When it wasn’t her turn to use the ice, she had learned to stay as still as possible. This was something she had learned from childhood.

As she stretched, she noticed something surprising: she seemed to have gained a lot of weight over the past three months.

Could it be because she’s living too comfortably?

At first, she thought Mrs. Jiang would come to cause trouble, but no one expected what happened next. The day after Jiang Huai fell into a coma, a wandering Taoist priest came to the house. He said Jiang Huai’s body was fine, but his soul was no longer there. After talking for a while, the priest accepted a gift of gold and jade and told his parents to take him to a Buddhist temple on the outskirts to pray for blessings. Three people went to the temple for a month, and during that time, the house was quiet. This allowed Xu Lianqiao to live a peaceful life.

It’s so peaceful, Xu Lianqiao thought. It would be nice if life could stay like this forever.

But then she quickly worried that this feeling might be wrong or “evil” in some way.

Before she could think more, she heard footsteps outside her door. She opened her eyes and saw Zhou Wan standing in the doorway, smiling widely at her.

Zhou Wan is the wife of Jiang Huai’s brother, Jiang Lian, and also Xu Lianqiao’s sister-in-law.

However, Jiang Lian had been in poor health since he fell into the water as a child, so the role of the family heir passed to Jiang Huai.

Xu Lianqiao wasn’t overly concerned, but whenever she saw Zhou Wan, she always thought of the term “Smiling Tiger” ^[2]phrase used to describe someone who appears friendly but is secretly dangerous..

Because of that, Xu Lianqiao always felt a little nervous whenever Zhou Wan showed up unexpectedly.

“Why didn’t you tell your sister-in-law that it’s so hot? I could’ve sent ice to help cool things down for you,” Zhou Wan said.

“Even though Siqing is already one month old, it’s still the first child of the second brother. There’s so much happening in the house. Why not take care of the younger siblings too?” Zhou Wan continued as she walked toward her with a fan in her hand.

Xu Lianqiao thought to herself that she would have to lock the door next time.

Trying to smile, she replied, “Thank you, sister-in-law, for caring. Mybrother and sister are fine, so I don’t want to waste the ice.”

“Are you sure you’re not hot?” Zhou Wan asked as she sat down on the couch next to Xu Lianqiao. Without hesitation, Zhou Wan affectionately brushed the sweat from Xu Lianqiao’s forehead.

“Why should younger brother and sister be polite to me? If outsiders find out, they’ll think I’m treating you badly,” Zhou Wan said with a smile.

Xu Lianqiao could only laugh awkwardly.

Before Mrs. Jiang left, she had given all the household duties to Zhou Wan. Zhou Wan had control over the ice in the courtyard and everything else, so why was Zhou Wan acting so kind now? Wasn’t she tired?

Not used to being so close to someone, Xu Lianqiao subtly tried to move away.

Zhou Wan didn’t mind. She lightly covered her lips with the fan and said, “Then, please get ready.”

Get ready for what? Xu Lianqiao wondered.

Just as she was confused, Zhou Wan gave her the shocking news: Jiang Huai was coming back.

Was he awake?

“I wouldn’t say he’s fully awake, but the old man said it’s only a matter of time,” Zhou Wan said. “It’s a good coincidence. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival ^[3]which is a traditional Chinese festival celebrating the harvest and the full moon. My father and mother will be very happy.”

After Zhou Wan spoke, Xu Lianqiao felt like she heard something, but her mind was mostly filled with thoughts about Jiang Huai waking up.

It was a scorching August day, but Xu Lianqiao suddenly felt cold.

She couldn’t forget the terrifying look on Jiang Huai’s face that night when he almost killed her.

_

Jiang Huai is truly about to awaken…

At that moment, people had gathered around the couch in the main room. Jiang Huai’s parents, his three concubines, as well as his brothers and sisters, Jiang Lian and Jiang Xi, were all gathered around the physician, anxiously watching.

She was the only one who had been rejected by Mrs. Jiang and had rushed outside the door.

To be honest, her heart was racing.

She was just as worried as everyone else inside.

It wasn’t until Mr. Jiang and Zhou Wan escorted the physician out with smiles that Xu Lianqiao finally gave up. Jiang Huai was truly destined to be lucky.

And it seemed like she was the one in trouble.

…

A headache—Ning Yuan hadn’t felt so miserable in a long time.

Thankfully, there was so much noise around. Why were there so many voices, all of them women’s voices? Why were there women here in a military camp?

No…

He had already arrived in the capital by early summer.

This made more sense since he was living alone.

Ning Yuan tried to open his eyes but found that his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

What happened?

Slowly, his thoughts started to clear. He remembered coming down from the mountain, carrying a bundle of firewood, and then chopping it in the yard.

Then, it seemed he stepped on something sharp.

But this didn’t explain why there were so many people around him.

He forced himself to open his eyes, and finally…

He saw an unfamiliar bed canopy above him.

Where am I?

“Mother, mother, second brother is awake!”

“Ah, please lower your voice, don’t scare your brother.”

As Ning Yuan was still puzzled, an older woman, who appeared to be in her forties, large and dignified, suddenly sat by his bed.

She even grabbed his hand.

“Huai’er, are you alright? Is there anywhere you feel unwell? You must tell me.”

Before he could understand what was happening, two more people hurried to his side, kneeling at his bedside.

“Yes, Your Highness, you’ve been unconscious for three months. You can’t imagine how hard these months have been.”

Your Highness?

Ning Yuan looked at the people around him, feeling completely out of place.

Who would be calling him ‘Your Highness’ now?

He wanted to ask but found his throat painfully dry. Just as he was about to speak, a strange noise came from the door.

A clear, sharp sound.

Xu Lianqiao had been standing at the door, watching, but she hadn’t expected the door to be so unstable and for the bolt to fall off so easily. Today, she had a special grudge against this door.

She looked up, and for some reason, her eyes met Jiang Huai’s.

It was so strange. Why did Jiang Huai look at her like that?

In just a moment, Ning Yuan saw the girl at the door lower her head.

But he had seen her clearly.

Was it really her?

It was her…

Once again, Ning Yuan heard his own heartbeat race.

He had finally seen her again.