Chapter 4

Ning Yuan slowly sat up and looked at the door carefully.

She was dressed in sky blue and stood by the door, just a few steps away. The setting sun shone through the eaves and touched her cheeks, making her face blush.

When the sunlight made her squint, she rubbed her eyes with her hand, lowered her head to avoid looking at him, and took a few steps towards the house.

Suddenly, Ning Yuan remembered the first time they met. That day, the same warm sunlight shone brightly, and she had shyly hidden by the door, thinking that if she stayed close to the wall, she wouldn’t be seen.

When he found her, she frowned, lowered her head, but then smiled again when she realized he wasn’t fooled.

Yes, she is Ah Qiao.

After all these years, she hadn’t changed; she was still as beautiful.

But unlike in his memories, she didn’t smile like a fresh flower when she saw him.

While Ning Yuan was lost in his thoughts, the woman, who had just been holding his hand, suddenly struck at his face.

Instinctively, he raised his right hand to stop the blow.

While frowning, he noticed the reflection in her eyes.

The face reflected was not his.

Though he had lived through many things in his twenty-three years, he was still shocked by the situation.

He had read stories about strange powers and gods before, but he never imagined it could happen to him.

It couldn’t be a dream.

He looked at his hands closely.

They were definitely not his hands.

Though they weren’t weak, they were different from the hands he had developed from practicing martial arts.

“Huai’er, what’s wrong with you? Don’t be scared.”

Mrs. Jiang was worried when she saw him looking confused.

“Where’s the physician? Lady Xu, please call the physician back quickly.”

She ordered the others to step aside.

Ning Yuan began to understand what was going on and recognized the face before him.

He realized this was Jiang Huai, the crown prince of Xuanwu Marquis Mansion and a minister in the Dali Temple.

Jianghuai was also the one who had married Ah Qiao years ago.

Ning Yuan couldn’t help but glance at Xu Lianqiao, who was standing by the door.

If she knew that her husband’s soul was now in a different body, would she be sad or disappointed?

While Ning Yuan was thinking, he heard a faint sobbing sound from outside the door.

Looking over, he saw a woman rush in, crying as she ran to him.

She looked to be about six or seven months pregnant.

“Your Majesty.”

The woman cried as she spoke. With the help of a maid, she walked to the bed, wiped her tears, and gently touched her pregnant belly. She continued, almost in a whiny voice:

“Your Majesty, Qing’er finally wants you back. Qing’er and the child in her belly miss you every day… Please don’t scare me…”

Before she could finish, she leaned forward as if to fall into his arms.

Ning Yuan felt his whole body stiffen. As she got closer, he suddenly stood up from the bed.

He was concerned about the woman’s condition, so he didn’t act immediately.

The room became chaotic as everyone watched in surprise.

Ning Yuan quickly jumped out of bed and hurried to the door.

“Huai’er…”

“Prince…”

Ignoring everyone, Ning Yuan pulled Xu Lianqiao behind him, bending down to hide.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden action.

Mrs. Jiang could hardly believe what she was seeing.

When Lu Siqing saw this, she suddenly clutched her stomach and screamed in pain.

“Ah… Old Madam, I have a stomachache… The child… Please help the child…”

After a moment, her face was covered with tears as she continued to cry.

The already chaotic room grew even more frantic because of her distress.

_

Xu Lianqiao didn’t know how to react to what had just happened. She had expected to see Lu Siqing and Jiang Huai in love and inseparable.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Huai had started avoiding Lu Siqing.

Among Jiang Huai’s concubines, Lu Siqing was the one he liked most. After all, he had allowed her to get pregnant with his first child.

So, Xu Lianqiao was shocked when Jiang Huai, after getting out of bed, walked towards her instead of Lu Siqing.

When she saw him approaching, she felt scared. She couldn’t stop thinking about the time when Jiang Huai almost strangled her to death. She was afraid that he might attack her again. Her heart screamed for her to run away, but her legs felt frozen and she couldn’t move.

But then, when she snapped out of it, she realized Jiang Huai was actually standing behind her.

What was going on? Was Jiang Huai knocked out from falling off his horse?

Seeing Lu Siqing’s angry eyes, Xu Lianqiao felt confused.

After a while, the situation in the room calmed down. “Jiang Huai” said he had a headache and ordered everyone to leave.

_

If Jiang Huai wanted to stay distant from her, Xu Lianqiao could understand. 

But what she didn’t understand was why he kept her there.

Shouldn’t he be comforting Lu Siqing? She was pregnant because of him, so why was he ignoring her?

There was silence in the room. Then, Ning Yuan, who was lying on the bed, spoke up:

“Can… can you get me a glass of water?”

After so many years, he didn’t expect to speak to the woman he had dreamed about, and he stumbled over his words.

“I’m thirsty.”

When Xu Lianqiao heard him, she looked up and accidentally made eye contact with him. 

But it was only for a moment, and she quickly turned her head away.

When they looked at each other, she didn’t see the usual arrogance or disgust in Jiang Huai’s eyes. Instead, she saw a hint of… tenderness.

It felt like Jiang Huai wasn’t the same person anymore.

While he drank, Xu Lianqiao quietly pinched her lips.

It hurt. She wasn’t dreaming.

Maybe she was just being silly, thinking Jiang Huai could change.

It seemed impossible for him to get better.

While pouring the tea, Xu Lianqiao walked slowly, her mind still distracted.

As Ning Yuan watched her, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Just now, when he held her arm, he felt her stiffen. Even in the heat, he could feel her cold skin through her sleeves.

This body was supposed to belong to her husband. She shouldn’t have reacted that way unless…

She was afraid of him.

No, more specifically, she was afraid of Jiang Huai.

This proved that Jiang Huai hadn’t treated her well.

Ning Yuan also noticed something strange. Jiang Huai’s mother and pregnant concubine wore expensive clothes, but Xu Lianqiao only had simple cotton clothes.

Also, when he woke up, everyone was inside the house except her. She was standing outside alone.

Ning Yuan, though he didn’t have female relatives, knew what that meant.

It meant Xu Lianqiao’s life in Xuanwu Marquis Mansion was not good, maybe even miserable.

Ning Yuan quickly counted and realized Jiang Huai had four concubines. One of them was pregnant with his first son.

It was clear that he and Xu Lianqiao had only been married for a year and three months.

It was ridiculous that Jiang Huai didn’t seem to care about his concubines even when the seasons changed.

_

When Xu Lianqiao poured the tea, she noticed her hands were still shaking. She would rather Jiang Huai had just thrown a divorce letter at her and let her go. The silence was worse than anger.

She slowly walked over to Jiang Huai and handed him the teacup. When he took it and drank, she asked quietly:

“The prince once said he wanted to reconcile with me. Do you still remember?”

Sure enough, from Jiang Huai’s confused eyes, she could tell he didn’t remember.

So, he wouldn’t regret his actions after all…