“Y-Young Master, you’re back!”
A maid dressed in a pale blue green outfit, her hair tied into two little braids, waved at Qu Jinshu.
She had originally intended to call her “Miss,” but seeing that Qu Jinshu hadn’t removed her human skin mask, she quickly changed how she addressed her.
The other servants in the household often mistook people for someone else, but she would never make that mistake.
No matter how unattractive that human skin mask looked, it could never conceal her young lady’s unique bearing.
The maid was Yunshui, whom Qu Jinshu had rescued from the streets many years ago. She had remained by her side ever since.
Seeing Yunshui’s radiant smile, Qu Jinshu’s eyes immediately grew red.
She hadn’t cried when she came face to face with her enemies. Nor had she cried when memories of her death in her previous life resurfaced. Yet the moment she saw this silly girl, she felt like crying.
In her previous life, after she had been captured, He Xiujun had never intended to rescue her. Only Yunshui, a foolish girl who had learned just a few years of martial arts from her, had rushed forward without hesitation.
And she had died before Qu Jinshu.
With her dying breath, she had cried, “Miss, I’m sorry. Yunshui can no longer serve you.”
“Miss, why are you crying?”
When Qu Jinshu approached, Yunshui noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and immediately panicked.
“Was the autumn hunt really that difficult? The Master and Concubine Tang have gone too far! Your old battlefield injuries haven’t even healed, yet they made you go hunting in place of the Young Master again.”
“He’s a grown man! You’ve already paved the way for him, yet he still can’t even walk it himself. He just keeps trying to exploit you!”
“Concubine Tang is your own mother. Why would she join forces with others to hurt you?”
Yunshui had originally wanted to comfort Qu Jinshu, but as she continued speaking, she couldn’t help bursting into tears herself.
Having stayed by her young lady’s side all these years, she knew very well how much suffering she had endured.
Qu Jinshu had faced life and death situations and suffered countless near fatal injuries. Yet even after all that, her family continued to mistreat her.
“It’s all right. Don’t cry. Everything went well at the autumn hunt this time.”
Qu Jinshu gently wiped away Yunshui’s tears.
“Let’s go back first,” she added.
There was still another battle waiting for her back at the residence.
The mountain road was rugged, but Yunshui was quite skilled at handling a carriage, so the journey was surprisingly smooth.
Inside the carriage, Qu Jinshu changed back into her own clothes and peeled off the human skin mask.
Since Qu Zhao liked making her do things for him so much, she would use his identity to accomplish something big, for him and for the entire Marquis’s household!
She only hoped they wouldn’t regret giving her this identity one day.
When the carriage entered the city, the noisy bustle outside drifted in.
Rather than finding it irritating, Qu Jinshu felt her blood stirring. It was as though both her body and soul were finally coming back to life.
She loved this lively, ordinary atmosphere more than anything.
Unfortunately, when she was young, she had spent most of her days living in the mountains with her mother.
Her mother had forced her to learn all sorts of things. If she failed to do well, she would be made to kneel through the entire night.
She had never had the chance to see the outside world.
Later, even after marrying He Xiujun, she had hardly gained any freedom.
Unable to resist, Qu Jinshu carefully lifted one corner of the carriage curtain.
With her exhaustion and wariness momentarily set aside, a bright smile appeared on her face.
That fleeting smile was caught by a pair of deep, inscrutable eyes in a carriage not far away.
Sensing someone’s gaze, Qu Jinshu immediately became alert and looked around. When she raised her head, she saw another carriage approaching from the opposite direction.
Its colors were dark and subdued, and its curtains had already been drawn.
The driver wore a bamboo hat that concealed his appearance.
The person inside that carriage was certainly no ordinary individual!
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Qu Jinshu quickly instructed Yunshui, “Hurry up!”
Soon, the two carriages passed each other and continued on their separate ways.
Only after Qu Jinshu’s carriage had completely disappeared did a slender, well defined hand emerge from the other carriage.
The man wearing the bamboo hat was Jingfeng. He respectfully presented a letter with both hands.
“Your Highness, this is what our people have uncovered.”
“Qu Jinshu, daughter of Concubine Tang and Qu Sheng. Concubine Tang was once quite famous in the martial world, but she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Everyone thought she had died. Who would have thought she had merely gone into hiding and even had a daughter?”
“Qu Jinshu lived as an illegitimate daughter, never acknowledged by Qu Sheng. It wasn’t until the year Xiling began recruiting soldiers…”
“You can probably guess the rest, Your Highness. The military genius who made a name for himself on the northern battlefield wasn’t Qu Zhao at all. It was Qu Jinshu.”
“During all those years when Qu Jinshu fought battles in Qu Zhao’s place, Qu Zhao was off enjoying himself in Jiangnan. He only returned to the capital to receive official appointments and honors.”
“What a wonderful arrangement! His own younger sister risked her life on the battlefield while he sat back and enjoyed all the benefits. I suspect they intended to have Qu Jinshu win first place for him at the autumn hunt this time, too.”
“How shameless can they be? I’m embarrassed on their behalf!”
Jingfeng gritted his teeth. He had never encountered people so utterly shameless.
“Qu Jinshu is truly pitiful. A young woman forced to disguise herself as a man, earning so many military merits without anyone knowing who she really was. I can’t even imagine how much hardship she endured. And even now, the Qu family continues to exploit her.”
Remembering that he had suspected her the previous night and even considered killing her, Jingfeng wanted to slap himself. He truly deserved it.
Zhao Jingxing’s gaze moved across the letter. When he read that she, too, had been hated and abandoned by her parents, his eyes gradually darkened.
In the dim carriage, shadows enveloped him…
A cruel voice from the woman who had given birth to him suddenly echoed in his mind. “I would honestly rather never have given birth to a little beast like you.”
Could a mother in this world really regard her own child as an enemy and a source of shame?
He blinked slowly, and his thoughts returned to the previous night.
Qu Jinshu’s slender, frail body had carried him on her back…
Her hands and body had been so warm.
After waiting a long time without receiving any response from his prince, Jingfeng began to feel rather puzzled.
His prince had been the one to order the investigation. So why wasn’t he saying anything now?
Unable to hold back, he asked, “Your Highness, now that we’ve uncovered Miss Qu’s background, what should we do next?”
“Should we help her?”
“No need.” Zhao Jingxing finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. “She must have her own way of getting revenge.”
“Then…”
“We are merely strangers who happened to cross paths. We are unlikely to meet again. There’s no need for you to investigate her affairs any further.”
Zhao Jingxing continued giving his orders in a cold, detached tone, as though he had no desire to become involved with Qu Jinshu.
Jingfeng looked rather unhappy.
As expected, his prince was heartless.
Qu Jinshu was his savior, after all…
Although the prince might not have been in any danger even if she hadn’t intervened, she had genuinely saved him, so how could he say such heartless things?
Still, this was indeed how his prince usually behaved. Jingfeng could only bow his head. “This subordinate obeys.”