Upon hearing this, Shen Yunjiao laughed in anger.

She really wanted to remind this scoundrel that he was the one who took the initiative to climb into her bed and even willingly became her mistress.

Now you're actually saying you offered yourself up?

This is absolutely speechless!

I wonder if Xiao Huaijin knew what he looked like before he lost his memory, would he be so ashamed and angry that he would slap himself a couple of times?

Forget it, this person has amnesia now, so I'll be more forgiving and not argue with him for the time being.

Besides, I had already shown my face to him today, pretending to be an innocent and naive girl to gain his attention, so my mission can be considered accomplished.

So Shen Yunjiao said calmly, "Since Your Majesty looks down on me so much, then I will take my leave."

Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and clear, with long, upturned eyelashes, but a faint sadness flickered in her eyes as she looked at Xiao Huaijin, vanishing in an instant.

The light and shadow filtering through the layers of leaves fell on her cheeks and shoulders, adding even more radiance to her beauty.

But Shen Yunjiao didn't give Xiao Huaijin a chance to appreciate her beauty. She quickly picked up the empty basket from the ground, put it back on her back, and turned around and left without looking back.

"You..." For a moment, Xiao Huaijin wanted to say something to stop him.

But he quickly came to his senses.

Why should I keep this rude woman around?!

Even if she doesn't leave, I'll still make her leave!

Xiao Huaijin has never cared about women since he was a child. As long as he can marry a wife who is gentle, steady, and most importantly, virtuous, he will be satisfied.

None of these three points from the Shen family met his requirements.

So no matter how beautiful she is, she is only fit to be admired.

That's what he said, but Xiao Huaijin's gaze lingered on the exquisite figure in the distance.

Only after the figure disappeared did he slowly walk to find Yan Shiman.

Xiao Huaijin didn't taste anything special about the vegetarian meal at Xuanqing Temple, but he noticed that Yan Shiman was enjoying it immensely.

Xiao Huaijin sat opposite him and watched as he picked up a dish with his chopsticks, and if he thought it was delicious, he would pick it up again and diligently feed it to Beifeng, who was standing next to him. In this way, he seemed to have become the servant who served the food.

When did the two of them become so close?

Yan Shiman saw that his cousin, His Majesty, had been silently observing him, but he was not ashamed and continued to do as he pleased.

Bei Feng, however, blushed deeply on his bronze-colored face. He silently pushed Yan Shiman away, saying, "Your Highness, please eat. Don't worry about me."

"How can that be? I'm afraid you'll go hungry and won't be able to protect me later," Yan Shiman replied with a smile.

Xiao Huaijin waved his hand impatiently and said to Beifeng, "Beifeng, sit down and eat with us."

Bei Feng paused for a moment, then saw Yan Shiman looking at him with a glint in her dark eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. "Uh, okay."

He hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to Yan Shiman.

Yan Shiman was even happier, her peach blossom eyes becoming even brighter, blinking rapidly and captivatingly.

Xiao Huaijin looked at the two of them leisurely, and after a long while, he raised his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "Beifeng, how is your wound healing these past few days?"

"Your Majesty, thankfully, I can pick up my chopsticks now," Beifeng replied cautiously.

"That's good." Xiao Huaijin nodded calmly.

While resting in the carriage, he heard Yan Shiman say that Beifeng had been injured for him during the palace coup, and now he had resigned from his job as a secret guard and become a guard for the Yan family.

Xiao Huaijin had no memory of that palace coup.

He is in a very troubled state of mind right now.

When he opened his eyes, his father had passed away. He had transformed from a crown prince who was frequently targeted for assassination into an emperor revered by all. Consort Shu, whom he had once regarded as an enemy, committed suicide out of fear of punishment. The powerful Prime Minister Shen suddenly fell ill. Xiao Huaijin always felt that there was something more to this story.

Even more unbelievable is that the Heart-Eating Curse within him was actually released.

Physician Jiang knew nothing about the matter, and even Zhu Ye and Nan Feng were unaware of it, making the whole situation even more confusing.

Xiao Huaijin knew that the people around him seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally hiding things from him, and he had to rely on himself to find his lost memories little by little.

This morning, Yan Shiman, knowing that he was not attending court, came to find him to go hunting in Yandang Mountain. He also told him that Xuanqing Temple was very efficacious and kept urging him to come up and see it.

If it really works, then Xiao Huaijin hopes he can recover his memories as soon as possible, otherwise he always feels like something is missing from his life.

“Cousin, Beifeng is still injured. He’s my personal bodyguard now. You can’t take him away.” Yan Shiman hurriedly said, afraid that Xiao Huaijin would snatch Beifeng away.

As he spoke, he gripped Beifeng's arm tightly, adopting a highly guarded posture, which made Xiao Huaijin both amused and exasperated.

“Since Beifeng has followed you, I will not ask to go back. Don’t worry.” Xiao Huaijin sighed and smiled.

Yan Shiman breathed a sigh of relief and released Beifeng's arm. Just as she was about to continue enjoying her meal, she heard Xiao Huaijin ask slowly, "What about the other two?"

"It's been sent to the abbot's place. The Taoist priest assured me that they will protect Shen Yunjiao well from now on and prevent anyone from bullying her." Yan Shiman was taken aback at first, but after realizing who Xiao Huaijin was referring to, she replied with a smile.

"That Lady Shen isn't some noblewoman; she's just the daughter of an ordinary court official. I never said I'd specially protect her. Don't think I care about her that much," Xiao Huaijin said with a cold snort, putting down his chopsticks.

Yan Shiman was speechless. If you don't care about her, why are you asking?

Seeing Xiao Huaijin staring at him coldly, Yan Shiman nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, cousin doesn't care about Shen Yunjiao at all, it's me who cares—"

"What is your relationship with her, and why are you so concerned about her?" Xiao Huaijin suddenly interrupted Yan Shiman's words, his eyes becoming even more deep and gloomy.

Could it be that Shen Yunjiao's seduction of me wasn't enough, and now she doesn't even want to let Yan Shiman go?

That's right. The heir of the Prince of Runan, the future prince, is naturally of noble birth. Even if he can't become empress, he can still enjoy wealth and honor as a princess.

For some reason, just thinking about Shen Yunjiao standing next to Yan Shiman, whispering sweet nothings to him, made Xiao Huaijin feel as if a thick fishbone was stuck in his throat.

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, slamming his chopsticks down on the table and saying in an unfriendly tone, "Yan Shiman, stay away from Chen Yunjiao."

Yan Shi felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly nodded, "Cousin, you've misunderstood—"

"You'd better stay completely away from that kind of woman!"

\"ah?\"

Yan Shiman was stunned. What did he mean by "that kind of woman"?

No, after my cousin lost his memory, did he really not remember anything good about Yun Jiao at all?

Yan Shiman's expression was somewhat complicated. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded slightly, "I understand."

"It's good that you know. Besides, your marriage has already been arranged by your uncle and me." Xiao Huaijin said this in a very serious tone, not like he was joking.

Upon hearing this, Yan Shi paused in his pouring of water. He looked up in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly, and asked, "Cousin, what did you say?"