Liu Qingxu raised an eyebrow dismissively. "Disgusted? You should be grateful there's anything to eat at all! Don't forget you're under my command now. If you won't eat my leftovers, should I eat yours instead?" After a pause, she added, "Don't even think about asking me to get you another portion unless you want to be discovered! And let me remind you—outside, there are not only people from the General's estate but also those trying to kill you. If it weren't for me, the General's eldest daughter, they would have barged in long ago!"
With that, she shoved the bowl of rice porridge and half a plain bun into his hands, then turned and strode coldly out from behind the screen.
Yan Siyuan lowered his head to look at the items in his hands, his chest heaving and his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Yet in the end, he still brought the plain bun to his mouth…
Before noon arrived, the light footsteps of a young maid sounded outside the door, her soft voice tinged with urgency.
"Reporting to the Eldest Miss, the Crown Prince has come to see you."
Liu Qingxu, who had been copying scriptures at the table, immediately paled.
The Crown Prince?
What was he doing here?
She felt no attraction whatsoever to this Crown Prince's marriage proposal. Liu Jingwu's reluctance to let her marry the Crown Prince had even secretly pleased her, which was why she had cooperated so readily when he sent her to this temple under house arrest. By day, she played the obedient girl; by night, she attended to her own affairs—truly the best of both worlds.
Now, with the Crown Prince's sudden visit, she didn't think it boded well…
Collecting herself, she replied coldly to the door, "Please ask His Highness the Crown Prince to wait a moment. Allow me to change clothes before I receive him."
Then she dragged out the small chest from under her bed again, took out a jar of homemade cream, scooped a small amount into her palm, and evenly spread it over her face.
Soon, her once radiant cheeks turned dull and ashen, and even her rosy lips lost their color. She looked as if she were gravely ill—somewhat frightening.
After stowing the small wooden chest back under the bed, she rose and went to the screen, pushing it flush against the wall.
Yan Siyuan stared at her sickly makeup, his eyes clearly filled with confusion.
Liu Qingxu jerked her chin toward the area behind the door. "Go over there!"
Yan Siyuan glanced toward the door, his eyes flickering before he suddenly pointed to his own thigh. "Can't walk."
Liu Qingxu's face darkened. "…"
…
A quarter of an hour later, she left the monastic cell and walked toward the garden not far away.
The temple garden was not adorned with the lavish, colorful blooms of noble estates; its greatest feature was its tranquility.
Inside a pavilion, she met the current Crown Prince, Yan Rongxi.
"This subject's daughter pays her respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Rise and speak."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
She slowly rose from the ground, her body swaying slightly as if lacking strength.
Slender in build and bearing a sickly pallor, even kneeling seemed to drain half her life. All of this fell into Yan Rongxi's eyes, causing his brow to darken repeatedly.
His tone turned cold and stiff. "I heard you are gravely ill. What is your ailment?"
Liu Qingxu spoke weakly, "Replying to Your Highness, this humble girl's illness was contracted from the womb. There is no cure."
"This prince has proposed marriage to you. Are you aware?"
"Ah…" Liu Qingxu feigned surprise, then looked up in alarm, saying fearfully, "Your Highness must not… This humble girl is gravely ill and could die at any moment. How dare I marry Your Highness?"
The man before her was indeed a top-tier specimen. With a countenance as radiant as the moon, gentle yet aloof, his noble and elegant aura eclipsed everything around him, as if a banished immortal stood alone and peerless, effortlessly forming a breathtaking scene wherever he stood.
But no matter how kingly his status, it didn’t mean she fancied him. Consider her—a gifted young woman from the 21st century—who had earned tens of thousands of taels of silver in just half a year in Yuyan Guo. Not to mention she was still searching for a way back to the 21st century, even if she couldn’t return to her original world, achieving wealth and prosperity through her own abilities was just around the corner.
Marriage?
Ha!
She had thought her sickly appearance would successfully repel others, but she hadn’t expected Yan Rongxi to abandon his intention of marrying her.
“It matters not. Even if you were to pass away on your wedding day, this Crown Prince could still marry your memorial tablet.”
“……?!” Her eyes widened slightly.
Marry a memorial tablet?
This truly was “devoted and unwavering unto death”!
Never mind that she had no intention of marrying anyone; even if she died, a ghost marriage wouldn’t be his to claim!
Yan Rongxi suddenly rose and stepped down from the pavilion, heading toward the humble quarters where she resided.
Seeing this, Liu Qingxu frowned inwardly and followed him.
“This monastery is tranquil, indeed suitable for recuperation, but as the legitimate daughter of the General’s Manor, this place is far too crude.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My father originally intended to send more people to care for me, but my frail constitution cannot bear noise. Fearing it might hinder my recovery, he only sent Xiao Huangying to attend to me here. Today, with Your Highness’s visit, I was unprepared. If there has been any neglect, I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
As they spoke, they had already reached the door of her room.
Yan Rongxi’s gaze fell upon the tightly shut door.
Liu Qingxu generously pushed the door open just wide enough for one person, but subtly positioned herself in front of the threshold, wearing an apologetic expression as she said, “Your Highness, the room reeks of medicinal odors. I beg you to spare me some dignity.”
Yan Rongxi casually glanced inside the room before his gaze returned to her sickly face.
“This Crown Prince has already sent the betrothal gifts to the General’s Manor. If you agree, I will immediately request Emperor Father to issue an edict selecting a date for our wedding.”
The mere thought of him not even sparing her memorial tablet sent chills down Liu Qingxu’s spine.
What a damned ghost marriage!
Yet, on the surface, she maintained the pitiful appearance of a beauty destined for misfortune, too frail to enjoy such honors, and weakly replied, “Your Highness, I understand your intention in marrying me, but I truly cannot bear such an honor. Moreover, the Liu family has more than one daughter. My younger sister is deeply cherished by our father. If Your Highness could marry her…”
“Do you think a bastard daughter is fit to be this Crown Prince’s Crown Princess?” Yan Rongxi’s jade-like handsome face suddenly darkened, his voice laced with a chilling edge.
“Your Highness, I meant no offense…”
“Liu Qingxu, this Crown Prince gives you only one month. Prepare yourself well! One month from now, if you are still alive, I will marry you in person. If you die, I will have your memorial tablet carried through the gates!”
Watching his ethereal and noble figure recede into the distance, his domineering words echoing in her ears, Liu Qingxu’s already somber expression grew even more shadowed.
Alive, she faced threats; dead, she’d be forced into a ghost marriage. Were these people trying to turn her into a creature neither human nor ghost?!
She stepped across the threshold and closed the door.
Unsurprisingly, she met a pair of narrow, dark eyes—deep and shadowy, like an eagle lurking in the night, watching her intently.
"The Crown Prince is seeking your hand in marriage, why won't you marry him?"
She raised an eyebrow, surprised that he would have such a gossipy side. Shrugging, she pretended not to hear and walked toward the large low table in the room.
She knew that if anyone discovered her true thoughts, everyone in this world would laugh at her for being ungrateful.
That was the Crown Prince!
The Crown Prince!
But she truly didn't care.
She didn't belong to this world. Once she found that Fengyang Mirror, she could leave this place and return to the world she loved…
Marriage? In her view, that was what was truly laughable.
She remained hunched over the table, copying scriptures, until the maid Little Oriole brought lunch. The man behind the door had fallen silent after asking that one question. His external injuries had already been treated; now he just needed to rest and recuperate to restore his Internal Power as quickly as possible.
Liu Qingxu went outside the door to receive the meal.
After Little Oriole left, she closed the door and placed the entire lunch beside the man's legs.
Having eaten her leftovers for breakfast, Yan Siyuan was still simmering with resentment. Seeing her give him the food first now, he was somewhat taken aback.
"What, are you going to eat my leftovers?"
Liu Qingxu unceremoniously rolled her eyes at him.
Then she straightened up and headed toward the bed, lying down fully clothed. Before closing her eyes, she glanced sideways in his direction. "I'm going to sleep. Don't save any for me."
Yan Siyuan's mouth twitched slightly.
He looked up at her, but she had already closed her eyes.
Watching her sleep so fearlessly, his eyes flickered as he asked, "A man and a woman alone in a room—are you really this trusting of me?"
Liu Qingxu turned over, facing the wall with her back to him, and said airily, "In your current state, even if I gave you the chance, you wouldn't have the capability. A friendly warning: don't entertain any unrealistic ideas, or I might just stew your 'little chick' with mushrooms."
As her words fell, Yan Siyuan's face darkened as if he had rolled in an inkwell.
Little chick…
Did she mean his?!
Though Liu Qingxu had her back to him, her hearing was exceptional. Listening to his furious teeth-grinding, a scornful smile curled at the corner of her lips.
She slept as usual until nightfall.
Getting out of bed, she lit the oil lamp.
Seeing the man by the door deep in concentration, regulating his breathing, she pulled a small chest from under the bed and carried it over to him.
"Time to change the dressing."
Yan Siyuan slowly opened his eyes, his dark gaze shifting from her beautiful face to the small chest.
She took out two medicine bottles from the chest—one wide-mouthed, one narrow-mouthed. First, she poured a few pitch-black pills from the narrow-mouthed bottle and handed them to him.
Without hesitation, he took them and swallowed them.
Liu Qingxu then opened the wide-mouthed bottle. Inside was a sticky, grayish-white substance emitting a strong medicinal odor.
"This is a wound salve I had specially formulated. It's specifically for treating external injuries and is said to even remove scars. It doesn't have a name; use it as you see fit."
"You're not going to help me change the dressing?" Seeing her shove the bottle into his hands, Yan Siyuan frowned slightly, narrowing his cold eyes as he stared at her with displeasure.
"I can change your dressing, but only if I knock you out first," Liu Qingxu retorted, glancing sideways at him.
Last night, stripping him had been a matter of necessity to save his life. Now that he was awake, did he really expect her to strip him again? Was this man out of his mind, eagerly inviting her to take liberties with him?
Seeing his thin lips press tightly together, as if he were genuinely dissatisfied that she wasn't taking advantage of him, she grew exasperated and her expression darkened. "Did you injure your brain too, and I just didn't notice it last night?"
To think he wasn't ashamed at all, but instead retorted, "Then do you want to check me again?"
"You!" Liu Qingxu nearly punched him. Looking at his decent appearance, with looks and stature no less than the Crown Prince's, how could his mind be so abnormal!
Just then, she heard Little Oriole's approaching footsteps, so she got up and opened the door.
After receiving the meal, she closed the door, waited for Little Oriole to go far away, then handed the food to the man behind the door.
"You're not eating?" The man narrowed his eyes slightly, examining her. If he remembered correctly, she had only eaten half a bowl of porridge and half a vegetarian bun all day.
"I'm going out tonight, so I'll eat outside and come back."
"Where are you going?"
"…" Liu Qingxu was slightly taken aback. She had told him her whereabouts because they had signed a labor agreement and were now in an employer-employee relationship, but what was with this man? His cold, hard tone sounded like an interrogation.
After giving him a pair of eye rolls, she turned and walked away.
She went to the bundle under the bed to take out her night clothes, then pulled open the screen against the wall. After changing into the night clothes behind the screen, she walked back toward him.
Meeting his narrow, sharp eyes, she spoke expressionlessly, "You're currently employed by me, so there's no need to ask so much. Focus on recovering from your injuries as soon as possible. You'll naturally find out what I'm doing in the future."
With that, she swiftly left the room.
Yan Siyuan rubbed his chin with his slender fingers, his gaze deeply fixed on the door, a faint smile unconsciously curling at the corner of his lips.
The legitimate daughter of the Zhenguo General's household…
How interesting!
Late at night, a rustling sound suddenly came from the garden outside the lodge, as if the wind had disturbed the trees in the courtyard.
Then came another short birdcall.
Yan Siyuan, who had been meditating intently on a cushion, suddenly opened his eyes, his brow tightening abruptly.
After a moment, he let out a soft sigh, his brow relaxing as he parted his thin lips and said in a low voice, "Come in!"
The door was pushed open, and two dark figures quickly slipped inside.
Upon seeing their master behind the door, they immediately pulled down the black cloth covering their faces and knelt simultaneously.
"Prince, we are late. You have suffered!"
"This prince is tough, not dead yet."
The two subordinates lowered their heads, feeling guilty and remorseful for failing to protect their master properly.
Suddenly, the subordinate on the left sniffed and raised his head nervously, asking, "Prince, are you injured?"
Hearing this, the subordinate on the right also looked up anxiously, "Prince, where are you hurt? Is it serious?"
They were Yan Siyuan's personal guards. The one on the left was Jiang Jiu, and the one on the right was Yu Hui. Both had followed Yan Siyuan since childhood and could be said to have grown up with him.
To them, Yan Siyuan naturally had nothing to hide, so he recounted the incident of being attacked and then rescued.
After listening, Jiang Jiu said uneasily, "Prince, please let me check if there's any serious issue!"
Yan Siyuan extended his wrist to him.
After taking his pulse, Jiang Jiu asked, "Prince, may I see the medicine Miss Liu gave you?"
Yan Siyuan handed him the two medicine bottles Liu Qingxu had given.
Jiang Jiu opened the narrow-necked bottle, poured out a pill to smell it, then opened the wide-mouthed bottle and sniffed it as well. Afterward, he sealed both bottles.
"Prince, Miss Liu's medicine is fine, and the ingredients used are all of high quality. Later, I will add a few more herbs to use alongside Miss Liu's medicine. Within half a month, you will fully recover."
"It seems that Miss Liu is quite capable," Yu Hui remarked after hearing Jiang Jiu's account, unable to hold back his admiration.
"Your Highness, where has Miss Liu gone?" Jiang Jiu glanced around the room; aside from them, there was no one else present. Even in the courtyard, they had not noticed anyone upon their arrival.
"She has gone out," Yan Siyuan replied indifferently.
"Your Highness, are you saying that Miss Liu bandaged your wounds?" Yu Hui stared intently at the two injured spots, suddenly exclaiming, "Doesn't that mean Miss Liu saw you completely exposed?"