After administering acupuncture to Feng Wuya, Chu Qianli insisted on staying by his bedside until he fell asleep before leaving.
Everyone said that Prince Xuan was her man.
But in reality, she had no memories of Feng Yexuan at all.
If this was the result of Consort Yu's soul manipulation, then perhaps she could slowly verify it in the days to come.
However, accepting this so-called husband now was absolutely out of the question.
A few sentences kept replaying in her mind:
"Wuya severed his own meridians and turned white-haired overnight for you. You owe him your entire life."
"If Wuya dies, you shouldn't live on alone. You are the one who caused him to become like this."
"In this life and this world, only Wuya can wholeheartedly disregard everything for you."
"You owe him, you owe him your entire life..."
She didn't know if these were her true thoughts or if Consort Yu had implanted them into her mind.
But one thing she was clear about in her heart was that, at this moment, she truly cared only for Feng Wuya.
She cared about his silver hair, about the smile he forced to comfort her despite being so fragile he could collapse at any moment.
She cared about his quiet detachment from everything, about his ethereal aura.
She cared about his excessively beautiful yet clearly haggard face.
Chu Qianli walked out of Feng Wuya's chambers, her mind heavy with thoughts.
Looking up, she saw Fu Ning standing not far away.
She turned and walked towards a distant pavilion.
Fu Ning immediately followed.
"Miss, do you really not remember Prince Xuan?"
"I remember." It was just that she didn't remember what kind of past she had with him.
But she remembered the legends she had heard about Prince Xuan.
"Miss, doing this... will hurt Prince Xuan's heart." Fu Ning walked up to her as she sat down under the pavilion.
Fu Ning was also troubled. She pitied Prince Xuan, who, despite being in extreme pain, still pretended not to care in front of Prince Wu and Miss.
Although she wasn't Feng Yexuan, she felt as if she could understand his helplessness.
One was his fifth younger brother, who would risk his life for Miss and turn white-haired overnight.
The other was the woman whose life he was protecting with his own.
At this moment, if they continued to use forceful methods, they might inadvertently hurt all three of them.
The Prince Xuan, rumored to be cold and heartless, was in fact only cold on the surface. His heart was very tender when facing the family and women he cared about.
"Miss, Consort Yu took you away and performed soul manipulation on you, which is why you are like this. You didn't think this way originally; the person you cared about most was Prince Xuan."
But Chu Qianli showed no expression.
Fu Ning's words seemed to have nothing to do with her.
Fu Ning sighed, feeling truly distressed.
She couldn't bear to see Prince Xuan sad. If the Prince was sad, she was even sadder.
Fu Ning bit her lip and looked at Chu Qianli, "Miss, your memories of us..."
"Should all be here." At least, from her current perspective, she still remembered everyone.
Except for Feng Yexuan.
Chu Qianli rubbed her temples. She was also somewhat troubled by this.
But if she couldn't remember, she couldn't remember. Every time she tried to recall, her head would ache.
It was a real pain, as if knives were piercing her skull!
"Fu Ning, how about this: as long as Prince Xuan doesn't... do anything excessive to me, I won't harbor any hostility towards him, okay?"
Her initial rejection of Feng Yexuan was simply because, upon waking, he had immediately tried to embrace her.
She instinctively resisted.
"As for future matters, I don't want to think about them for now. I have very important things to do."
Her memories of the time Consort Yu took her away were very vague.
"Fu Ning, have you been to that cave? Why do I always feel like I saw something important in the cave?"
"You mean the cave where Consort Yu confined you?"
Fu Ning shook her head, "I haven't been there. Prince Xuan and Elder Brother went. There shouldn't be anything in that cave; Elder Brother didn't mention anything special."
"Nothing?" But why did she feel like she had seen some special scenes in the cave?
And also... Xianlan Palace.
Had she seen anything in Xianlan Palace before?
It felt very similar to what she saw in the cave.
What was it?
Chu Qianli began rubbing her temples again, a look of distress on her brow.
Fu Ning didn't want to see her in pain, so she could only sigh softly, "Miss, if thinking about it causes you pain, then don't think about it for now."
"I believe the Prince can find a way to break the soul manipulation technique and help you recover all your memories."
Prince Xuan was omnipotent!
Fu Ning had absolute confidence in him!
Chu Qianli nodded. As she looked up, her gaze passed over Fu Ning and landed on a few figures in the distance.
Fu Long and Long Ziyue, along with the maidservant Dan Qing beside Long Ziyue, had arrived.
"A'li, I need to return to the palace." Fu Long came up to her and smiled, "The Emperor ordered me to protect Princess Pingyue. My mission is now complete."
Long Ziyue followed him into the pavilion.
"A'li, how are you now?"
"I'm fine, I feel great." At least, her body was fine, and her spirit was good.
Chu Qianli couldn't fathom what Consort Yu was thinking.
But she had clearly used her internal energy to heal her. Her previous internal injuries had almost completely recovered.
Consort Yu's cultivation level was truly unfathomable!
"Since you're fine, I'll return and report to the Emperor with peace of mind."
"Oh, right, I have some pills here."
She bought two bottles of litholytic agents from Taobao and handed them to Fu Long.
"Take them to the Emperor and have him take three pills, three times a day."
"What illness does the Emperor have?" Fu Long couldn't help but ask.
"He has more than one illness. Liver qi stagnation requires self-cultivation, and then there's the kidney stones that trouble him the most now."
However, Fu Long and Long Ziyue would likely not understand these terms.
Chu Qianli smiled, "In short, let's first solve the problem of his stones. At least it can alleviate the pain. As for... other illnesses, I'll need to ponder before deciding whether to treat him."
These words, spoken by anyone else, would be considered treason.
This was certainly a capital offense.
However, Fu Long understood her meaning.
Only Fu Long knew about the Imperial Seal and Long Xiyue for the time being.
Even Fu Ning was unaware.
Since the system had chosen Fu Long, Chu Qianli trusted him.
Given this trust, many secrets had to be made clear to him.
She still needed his help.
Fu Long took the medicine and cupped his hands, "Alright, I'll deliver these two bottles of medicine to the Emperor first. As for the rest, it's up to your arrangements."
Long Ziyue, however, suddenly said, "After you return to the palace, will you still come out to see me... to see us?"