Rong Ci was exhausted, yet sleep eluded her. Closing her eyes brought darkness, and opening them revealed the same black void.
She clutched the blanket tightly, struggling to adapt, when suddenly the door creaked open, as if pushed from outside.
She quickly sat up, her gaze unfocused, instinctively calling out, "Is that you, husband?"
Zhao Chu approached the bedside holding a bowl of medicine. Before leaving earlier, he had instructed the guesthouse to send up a maidservant to help her bathe and change into fresh clothes.
The sight before him left him momentarily stunned.
Now she was dressed in a pristine white Ruqun, her dark hair cascading down her back, sitting upright as she looked toward him. On her luminous face, a red mole adorned the space between her brows, inexplicably evoking the image of a Jade Bodhisattva or a Guanyin face enshrined high in a temple.
This should have inspired a sense of reverence, a feeling of not daring to defile, but he felt none of that.
Instead, he wanted to taint her, to pull the Guanyin down from her pedestal, to show irreverence.
He wanted to see her develop the seven emotions and six desires for him.
In just a few strides, Zhao Chu stood before her. Tall and imposing, Rong Ci couldn’t see him clearly, but she could feel his overwhelming presence closing in.
Something felt off.
Chu Xiao was usually gentle and mild-tempered, never exuding this kind of intimidating pressure that made her scalp tingle.
Before she could ponder further, he pressed the rim of the bowl against her red lips, his voice cold and commanding. "Drink the medicine."
Those two simple words sent a shiver through Rong Ci’s entire body.
This was definitely not Chu Xiao.
She had mistaken his identity.
When she first woke up, her vision was blurred, and he had held her with such intimate dominance that she hadn’t even considered the possibility of mistaking him for someone else.
Now, even his voice was different from Chu Xiao’s—deep and heavy, like a dense, lingering fog, intensifying the pressure she felt.
If he wasn’t Chu Xiao, who was he?
A mountain bandit?
But he lacked the aura of a bandit; instead, he had… a military bandit aura.
Rong Ci lowered her gaze, striving to keep her voice calm as she asked, "Husband, what medicine is this? It smells terribly bitter."
"For your eye condition."
His reply was exceedingly brief, perhaps to avoid detection. Rong Ci remained wary.
The medicine was right at her lips—to drink or not to drink? Who knew if it was truly meant to treat her eyes?
She had mistaken him due to her blindness, but was he blind too? Had he simply seized the opportunity to pose as her husband and take advantage of her?
Seeing her frown in reluctance, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Afraid of the bitterness?"
Rong Ci remained silent, searching for a way out.
But Zhao Chu was accustomed to being domineering. He stepped away briefly, issuing some instructions, then returned moments later, pressing the medicine bowl back against her lips.
"Finish it, and I’ll give you a plum."
Rong Ci: …
His tone was as if coaxing a child. Just as she prepared to prevaricate, the moment she parted her lips, he swiftly poured the medicine into her mouth.
Rong Ci choked and coughed, her eyes moistening at the corners as the bitter taste spread through her mouth.
He leaned down, his rough fingers parting her lips, and slipped a plum inside.
Now it was even worse—bitter and sour combined. Rong Ci’s face scrunched up.
Zhao Chu’s fingertips brushed against her softness, and instinctively, he rubbed her full lip a couple more times.
As her lips touched the calloused pads of his fingers, Rong Ci could barely suppress the tremor rising from deep within her heart.
Only one person had ever treated her this way.
Zhao Chu.
Long-forgotten memories, triggered by this familiar gesture, suddenly assailed her.
Even though she had once been married to Zhao Chu and borne his child, Rong Ci secretly believed he was somewhat disturbed. For instance, even when not engaged in intimate marital acts, he enjoyed rubbing her with his thickly calloused fingertips—from her lips down to her waist—as if driven by some perverse fixation.
He only stopped when he had kneaded her to the point of irritation.
As for more memories between them, after fifteen years, she had mostly forgotten them.
But now, she remembered that Zhao Chu was, at his core, a madman.
With such a scoundrelly approach, it was hard for her not to recognize him as her ex-husband, who had no shortage of vices.
Upon this reunion, he must have known her identity as the Consort of the King of Chu, yet he still took advantage of her unconsciousness to kiss her without restraint.
After she regained consciousness but mistook him due to her blindness, he shamelessly exploited the situation to his advantage.
Fifteen years later, he was still a scoundrel.
She had no desire to be entangled with this madman again.
As for the mission, there was no rush. Zhao Chu was highly suspicious; if he sensed she was approaching him with an agenda, the consequences would be dire.
Back when he was a hostage in the Qi Kingdom, she had come to his side when he was fifteen, suffering from a severe fever. She gave him water, fed him, and cared for him, but upon waking, he had grabbed her by the throat, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
It had taken a full half a year for her to finally ease his guard.
Fifteen years later, Zhao Chu had ascended to power in the Qin Kingdom and held a high position for a long time. She would not underestimate him.
Rong Ci thought, since she had to put on an act, they might as well act together.
After all, the System had erased his memories of "Susu." At the very least, he would never recall that she was his "deceased" wife.
"What are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, a question sounded by her ear.
Rong Ci slowly shook her head, reaching out to grasp his large hand that was tormenting her lips. Pitifully, she rested her face in his palm. "Husband, it hurts."
Zhao Chu instantly narrowed his eyes, watching her submissive posture. A thought quickly flashed through his mind—a man's inherent desire to make her dependent on him, unable to leave his side for even a moment.
Zhao Chu lowered his head and gently kissed her as a gesture of comfort.
Rong Ci shuddered all over at his unusual tenderness. How dreadful!
Why was her reunion with Zhao Chu so full of intimacy?
Even if they had once been close, fifteen years had passed. Rong Ci had been married to Chu Xiao for eight years and had long accepted that she and Chu Xiao were husband and wife. Her sense of morality began to condemn her.
"I'm tired, husband!" She quickly stopped his next move.
After a moment, Zhao Chu grunted in acknowledgment. "Then let's rest."
Just as Rong Ci thought he would leave, she heard the rustling sound of him removing his outer robe.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Was he going to sleep with her?
Zhao Chu undressed as if no one else were present, naturally pulling her into his embrace and pressing her onto the bed. In no time at all, the woman was snugly nestled against him.
Rong Ci: …
Still as domineering as ever.
She felt uncomfortable all over but had no choice but to continue pretending. Revealing her identity would do her no good. Zhao Chu was unlikely to harbor any goodwill toward the Consort of the King of Chu, especially since Chu Xiao was currently allied with the Wei State, intending to attack Qin.
When exhaustion finally overwhelmed her, Rong Ci's eyelids could no longer hold out. They trembled shut, and soon her breathing evened out as she slept quietly.
Zhao Chu kept his eyes open, gazing down at her, his dark pupils filled with an intensity of emotion.
This beautiful woman had many secrets.
But he was not in a hurry. He had the patience to strip her bare, inside and out.
Zhao Chu slowly closed his eyes, his hand possessively resting on her waist as he held her tightly and drifted off to sleep.
The next day
Zhao Shaoyou paced anxiously outside the door. After completing his punishment, he had returned only to find that his father had entered Rong Ci's room.
An entire night had passed!
He feared his father might be so captivated by her beauty that he would resort to Forcible Seizure and Plunder. Fortunately, after standing guard outside the door for three hours, he hadn’t heard any unusual commotion.
Rong Ci hadn’t cried for help either, so Zhao Shaoyou could only slump his shoulders and wait outside.
Suddenly, the door opened.
The drowsy Zhao Shaoyou was kicked away from the doorway. He let out a yelp as he landed on the ground, looking up to meet his father’s expressionless face.
He scrambled to his feet, patting his backside, and forced an awkward smile.
“F-Father…”
“Father, you didn’t force her, did you?”
Zhao Chu couldn’t be bothered with his foolish son. Seeing his father about to leave, Zhao Shaoyou hurriedly pleaded, “Father, may I go in and see her?”