"Elder Brother..."
Qin Xianyue was stunned and lost.
The address was undoubtedly familiar, yet the person before her, while also giving her a sense of déjà vu, never felt as close as the words "Elder Brother."
Xie Jinyuan completely ignored the astonished gazes of the maids and attendants on the boat, his tone naturally affectionate.
"What's wrong, Younger Sister? Don't you remember Elder Brother?"
He raised his hand to test the temperature of Qin Xianyue's forehead, his expression showing a hint of worry.
"Elder Brother, I..."
For some reason, Qin Xianyue instinctively felt a sense of rejection towards the word "Younger Sister," but subconsciously, "Elder Brother" eased some of her defenses, and she did not dodge Xie Jinyuan's outstretched hand.
Her forehead felt warm, but her gaze involuntarily fell on the wrist of his other hand, which was holding a bowl of medicine.
Wrapped around it was a string of blood amber prayer beads with a deep, rich color.
Under the candlelight, their inner radiance seemed familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
Vague fragments tried to surface but were crushed by a violent headache.
As she frowned in thought, she heard a faint sigh from above.
"It seems the physician was right..."
Xie Jinyuan withdrew his hand, his eyes drooping slightly at the corners.
"After you fell into the water, you hit your head and lost your memory. Now you don't even recognize your Elder Brother."
His expression was sincere and forlorn, like a neglected puppy, making Qin Xianyue feel a pang of guilt and unease.
"I'm sorry, Elder Brother, I didn't mean to..."
She didn't even remember who she was, yet she instinctively apologized for a fault that wasn't hers.
Heaven knows how the Marquis's Estate had treated an ignorant young girl all these years, causing her to live so cautiously at an age that should have been vibrant and bright.
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jinyuan gently took her nervously clenched fingers in his large hand and slowly unfurled them one by one.
"How can this be your fault?"
He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his voice soft.
"It's my fault. I didn't protect you well enough, allowing villains to take advantage. Don't worry, once I find that scoundrel, I will surely kill him to avenge you."
His palm was warm and broad, soothing Qin Xianyue's bewildered and flustered feelings since waking up.
It was like a boat adrift finally finding a harbor to dock, and her inner defenses relaxed considerably.
She clasped his large hands back and said softly.
"Elder Brother, don't say that. All the mistakes are the villains' fault, but..."
Qin Xianyue furrowed her delicate brows.
"I really can't remember what happened, why I fell into the lake, or even my own name and past."
"It doesn't matter, I remember everything."
Xie Jinyuan patted her hand.
"I will slowly tell you about every detail of the past. But for now..."
He scooped another spoonful of medicine and brought it to Qin Xianyue's lips.
"Eat your medicine obediently, and you'll get better soon."
Qin Xianyue looked into his sincere eyes and finally opened her mouth cooperatively.
While drinking the medicine, she listened to Xie Jinyuan recount her background.
It turned out she was the fake daughter the current Empress had accidentally swapped at the imperial retreat during wartime, only learning the truth from her wet nurse at the age of seven.
After the real princess was found, the two young girls did not get along and often quarreled.
Although the Empress knew the fault lay with her adopted daughter, she felt guilty towards the princess and couldn't bear to abandon the years of nurturing. Thus, she allowed her to temporarily reside in the Eastern Palace, the residence of Crown Prince Xie Jinyuan.
She lived there for a full ten years.
The banquet held at East Lake this time was originally for the Crown Prince to entertain officials who had contributed to the Southern Tour. Unexpectedly, it attracted a villainous and audacious individual.
When the other party's open proposal failed, they secretly drugged her, intending to take advantage of her.
Fortunately, she woke up midway, preventing the villain from succeeding. However, during the struggle, she accidentally fell into the lake, hitting her head.
The attendants in the room were all Xie Jinyuan's trusted confidantes.
Even though they knew how unconventional their master was, seeing him calmly attribute someone else's story to himself as if it were true still sent shivers down their spines.
Due to her memory loss, Qin Xianyue acted purely on instinct, yet she discovered she was very good at reading people, able to discern the warmth, coldness, and truthfulness of hearts from their expressions and smiles.
She paid close attention to his expression throughout and found no issues.
Especially when he spoke of the villain who had attempted to harm her, the coldness and hatred in Xie Jinyuan's eyes seemed genuine.
Naturally, her trust in this "Elder Brother" grew.
"That person dared to make a move against you on my territory. They must have had the courage of a bear. If anything had happened to you, I truly wouldn't know how to live."
Xie Jinyuan said coldly.
"Elder Brother, you don't need to blame yourself. I'm fine, aren't I?"
Qin Xianyue seemed to recall something, her delicate brows furrowing, and then added.
"It's just that during a private banquet, especially on this heavily guarded East Lake Pleasure Boat, it's concerning that a villain could easily get on board. Fortunately, they targeted me. If the target had been Elder Brother, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
As she spoke, she raised her dark eyes to look at Xie Jinyuan.
"May I ask which official was responsible for the security and guard duty this time? Such negligence is truly inexcusable."
Having just escaped danger herself, she was already worrying about others.
Xie Jinyuan narrowed his phoenix eyes.
Seeing her ask about the person in charge of the guards, he paused for a moment and said word by word.
"The one responsible for the security on East Lake is the newly appointed Commander of the Zhenfu Division, the Marquis Heir of Dingbei, Lord Gu Yanchi."
Upon hearing Gu Yanchi's name, Qin Xianyue merely tilted her head slightly.
Xie Jinyuan pressed further.
"What, Younger Sister, do you have an impression of him?"
"No." She shook her head blankly. "Elder Brother should still inform Lord Gu about the villain as soon as possible and strengthen the security to prevent any further disturbances to the guests."
Xie Jinyuan stared at her for a moment, certain that she truly didn't remember the name Gu Yanchi. Only then did he tuck her blanket in, get up, and say.
"Your brother understands. Drink your medicine and get some rest. If you need anything, just order the servants. Don't mistreat yourself, remember?"
Qin Xianyue felt a warmth in her heart. She tugged at Xie Jinyuan's sleeve and looked up at him eagerly.
"Don't worry, Elder Brother, I'll take care of myself."
After the door was gently closed, the gentleness in Xie Jinyuan's eyes was immediately replaced by a cold glint.
Shi Chun stepped forward and gently wiped the medicine stains from his hands.
Just then, the personal guard Xiao Lin reported.
"Reporting to Your Highness, we found a small boat on the shore of East Lake. The person must have gone ashore and headed south."
Xie Jinyuan's thin lips parted.
"Once found, beat them to death with sticks. No need to bring them back."
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